Author: niall@corkgolfnews.com

UCC win first Inter-Varsity League Event

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AIG Junior Cup Munster Finals

Adam McSweeney (Cork IT)

UCC Golf Club gained the bragging rights over Cork IT after the first inter-varsity league event in Cork Golf Club.  The first event was a huge success, ten matches were played with seven of them reaching the 18th green.  UCC won six of the matches, Cork IT claimed three with one matched halved after 18 holes.  Cork IT took an early lead thanks to wins from Adam McSweeney and Jack Murphy

The matches proved to be very close with the organiser’s idea of matching handicaps working out very well.  The event has proven that both UCC and Cork IT have a great depth of quality golfers, and the competition provided a platform for competitive golf very early in the year.  The league came about after Cian Kidney and Dave O’Sullivan got together with the hope of creating a competitive format for both colleges.

Following the success of the first event, the next round is scheduled to take place in Muskerry Golf Club in two weeks time.  Five events in all are planned for series of events that are being kindly hosted
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UCC and CIT set for New League Competition

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AIG Senior Cup Munster Finals, Cork Golf Club, Saturday13th August 2016

Cork Golf Club will host the first event

Cork is set for a new inter-varsity competition with an innovative winter series starting this week which will see UCC and CIT students do battle over a five round league for the first time.  UCC’s Cian Kidney and CIT’s Dave O’Sullivan have come together to get competitive varsity golf back on the agenda for golfers attending Cork’s two leading colleges.  While both institutions have long and proud histories in many sporting codes, golf has been somewhat of a poor relation in recent years in terms of competitive golf.  Maynooth University have been leading varsity golf in Ireland with their Harrington Scholars golf programme, but the Cork colleges have taken the first step to building a competitive intervarsity programme.  Cian Kidney is the Captain of the UCC Golf Club and he has collaborated with the UCC PGA coach Fred Twomey and his counterpart in Cork IT to get the new competition off the ground.  “Myself and Dave O’Sullivan [Cork IT GC Captain] along with the help of Fred Twomey decided to set up this tournament for a few reasons” explained Kidney.  “Firstly due to the Varsity matchplay Continue reading →

Great start for Turner in Malaysia

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Niall Turner

Niall Turner

Niall Turner turned up the heat in Malaysia this morning, shooting an opening 68 in the Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur.  Starting on the 10th tee, Niall opened with a birdie and followed that with five pars before he struck with three more birdies on the bounce.  His only bogey happened on the 4th (his 13th hole) but he bounced back with a birdie on his 17th hole.  A final par meant he signed for a 68 and the -4 total sees him 11th place alongside Robert Karlsson and six others.

The Muskerry member is playing the event which is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the European Tour.  He is best placed Irish golfer going into day two, and has an early tee time tomorrow, 1.20am Irish Continue reading →

Irish Call Up for Edward Walsh

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Munster Under 15/17 Close Championship, Carrick on Suir Golf Club, Thursday 4th August 2016Mallow’s Edward Walsh will make his debut for the Irish Boys next month as he was selected on a team that will play Spain in La Manga.  The Munster Boys Under 17 Champion was named on the Irish Boys squad in December.

Ireland Boys’ Captain Cathal McConn has named two different teams to represent the Golfing Union of Ireland in their upcoming internationals against Spain (La Manga, 11-12 March) and Wales (Rosslare, 18-19 March).

Walsh will be joined by Kilkenny’s Mark Power, Irish Boys’ Champion in 2016, and Rosslare’s John Brady, who captured the Irish under-16 title last year. Reece Black (Hilton Templepatrick), Sean Enright (Limerick), Jack Hearn (Tramore), Ross Kelly (Tuam), and Cameron Raymond (Newlands) complete the Irish line-up for their two-day encounter with Spain.

The following week, Wales visit Rosslare for a two-day match (18-19 March). The Ireland team features eight different players: Jack Doherty (Carton House), Andrew Hickey (Ballyhaunis), Scott Jones (Belvoir Park), Jonathan Keane (Lahinch), Jack Madden (Dungannon), Robert Moran (Castle), Andrew Mulhall (Waterford Castle) and Liam Power (Galway).

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O’Driscoll tops leaderboard but loses out in play-off, Gecko Tour

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Golf_Tommy O'Driscoll_2

Tommy O’Driscoll.

Castlehaven native Tommy O’Driscoll came agonisingly close to his first professional win on Tuesday when he lost out in a three way play off at the Gecko Tour in Estepona in Spain.  This was O’Driscoll’s second event on the Gecko Tour, he finished 21st last week in Marbellla when fellow Irishman Dermot McElroy finished in second place.

O’Driscoll shot one his lowest rounds as a pro, his seven under par round of 64 match the lowest score of the tournament and catapulted him up the leaderboard.  Tommy’s first round score of 68 saw him start the second day just outside the top ten.  Despite shooting the low round of the day, Tommy wasn’t overly happy with his own performance on the front nine: “I didn’t play great golf for the front nine, just scrambled by way around and got it going in the back nine”.

Tommy had a great back nine, knocking in five birdies in seven holes.  His scrambling on the front nine is worthy of a mention too, after a Continue reading →

Injuries behind Turner as 2017 Season Starts

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niall-turner-jan-2017

Niall Turner pictured with his dad Pat at Muskerry over Chistmas

Niall Turner starts his 2017 campaign this week and he’s hoping for a good start as he makes his return from an injury ridden 2016. After losing most of the 2014 season after surgery on his hip, Turner had a very strong 2015, but he suffered a re-occurrence of the injury again early last season. In 2014 Turner had surgery to correct a condition called femoral acetabular impingement (FAI) that he had suffered from for a few years. Unfortunately for the Waterfall native, the bone spur involved grew back causing the same mobility problems. 12 months ago Turner was fully fit and full of hope, he had retained his tour card in Asia and started in a far better category which assured him of plenty of top level starts. That’s where the good news Continue reading →

Munster Golf update Handicap Committee Advice

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Munster Golf LogoMunster Golf have just released an updated list of key points for club handicap committees.  The initiative follows a commitment made at the Annual Delegates Meeting to continue the efforts to stamp out handicap cheating.

The eight page document includes a very important piece on the mandatory reporting of all golf scores – including non qualifying events.  There is a feeling that not all golfers of club officials realise the obligations that are already in place regarding the reporting of scores.  The document also contains important references to the Rules of Golf and the CONGU rulebook which should help to educate and empower Handicap Secretary’s, Competition Secretary’s and everyone involved with competitions at club level.

Reporting Scores – Mandatory – Home or Away – All forms of Golf
(b) Non Qualifying Scores. – 4 Balls/ Scrambles/Classics/Societies – Relevant clauses are at (4.5(b), pg 19), (8.10 + 8.12, pg 24), (23.7 IrelandNote- pg 51) Direction from Union to report NQ Scores for immediate consideration/action for General Play Adjustment (Except Category 1 players). NB: In Ireland Players and Clubs must report Non Qualifying scores to Home Clubs: See 8.12 GP Adjustment based on Nett Diff, with Clause 19 adjustment if necessary, and SSS. This is a GPA and can not take effect until the player is notified personally agreed method, 23.5) Players who fail to comply with their obligations or responsibilities may be dealt with under Clause 24.1 pg 55 All other forms of Golf are for consideration as notable using the guidelines as set out in Appendix M at Page 86

Full text of Munster Golf’s Key Points for Handicap Committees:

https://www.golfnet.ie/about-us/handicapping/315/munster-golf-key-points-for-handicap-committees

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Castlemartyr Jump Starts 2017

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Looking back on the 18th fairway at Castlemartyr Links

Castlemartyr Golf club jump started the new year, by adding over 150 new members before 2017 started.  The new members consist of both ladies, and gents and this puts the resort in a very strong position as the annual battle to attract and retain members heats up.  The large intake of members in the mens club resulted from a members invite special offer and this was fully subscribed.  Having gained their ILGU affiliation in 2016 the number of lady members has grown steadily over the past 12 months and already 25 ladies have signed up to the special 2017 offer that sees ladies join for a special introductory rate of €599 for their first year with no joining fee.  While membership for the Men’s club is currently closed, the Ladies club is open for membership with the special introductory offer available until the end of this month.  The innovative scheme where existing members could nominate new members was spear headed by Castlemartyr’s Head PGA Professional Brady Sherwood and the Continue reading →