Author: niall@corkgolfnews.com

Buckley wins Emirates Amateur Open

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Cork’s Paul Buckley became golf’s first winner of 2021, he won the Omega Emirates Amateur Open last week.  The Kanturk native held his nerve during the closing stages of the elite amateur event to become the second Irishman to win the title.  “I’m absolutely delighted with the win and totally taken aback with all the attention, it must be lack of Cork sport at the moment” said Paul after arriving back in Cork on Sunday.

Paul along with Karl Bornemann travelled out to Dubai two weeks ago to take in two tournaments.  Buckley who spent over a decade in Australia prior to 2019 had played in a few Australian events in early 2020 but the Covid restrictions meant he had to look in a different direction for competitive golf this year.  “We had Continue reading →

Sugrue No 1 in Europe

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James Sugrue

James Sugrue starts 2021 on top of the European amateur rankings, the Mallow man was confirmed as the leading amateur on the European Golf Association rankings.  In addition to the EGA ranking, Sugrue also reached a high point of 5th on the World Amateur Golf Rankings last week.  While it’s unclear if Sugrue will tee it up in any further amateur competitions, his standing as an elite amateur is something to remember as he turns towards a career as a tour professional.

Having made the decision to compete on the professional circuit in 2021, Sugrue will have lots to look back on in his amateur career.  He was a solid performer in team golf, representing Mallow, Munster and Ireland from 2012 when Continue reading →

Irwin qualifies as PGA Professional

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Monkstown Pro Shop’s Shane Irwin who recently received graduated as a PGA Professional.
Picture: Niall O’Shea

Monkstown based Shane Irwin recently completed his PGA training and the Limerick native is now a qualified PGA Professional.  After three years of training, Shane passed his final exams to receive his degree level qualification from the University of Birmingham.  Shane joins a number of recently qualified golf professionals in Cork, including Alan Gleeson, Davey Barry and Ciaran McKenna.

Prior to working in Monkstown Shane had worked in the industry in South Africa and the US, and that experience gave him the confidence to know that a career in the industry was the way to go.  In 2017 he moved to Cork to take up a role in Monkstown Golf Club.  After spending a few months working in the pro-shop, .n September 2017 he started his PGA training.  Having worked in the US and South Africa prior to that.  It was the next step in a plan for Shane.  Traditionally the PGA apprenticeship was based around learning on the job, but now the degree level course has a Continue reading →

Major Upgrade for Cork Golf Centre

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A new LED lighting system has brought a huge improvement to Cork Golf Centre.
Picture: Niall O’Shea

Cork Golf Centre has seen a major upgrade in 2020 with golfers now benefitting from better lighting and a longer hitting area.  The centre just outside Ballincollig used the two lockdowns to implement some planned improvements, and it’s been a busy place since the recent reopening.  When the centre opened in May 2017 it was a much needed addition to the western side of the city.  It was within easy reach of a large number of golfers stretching from the city to Macroom.  David Keating was behind the development and his vision was to provide golfers of all levels with a Continue reading →

Stafford Skills Up

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Ian Stafford who has been busy planning the 2018 staging of the Pro Shop Challenge at Kinsale Golf Club.
Picture: Niall O’Shea

2020 was a different year for everyone in golf, from course owners to golfers to professionals.  With forced closures for over three months of the year, golf professionals were effectively shut down during the closures.  While there were challenges, there were also opportunities and Kinsale based PGA Professional Ian Stafford definitely took advantage of the opportunities.  As well as getting to spend more time with his family, Ian has continued his own habit of furthering his professional qualifications.  Having started his PGA training in 2000, Stafford didn’t stop with his PGA qualification.

In 2016 he achieved Continue reading →

Maurice takes the helm at Monkstown

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Mauriec O’Meara who recenytly joined Monkstown Golf Club as General Manager.
Picture: Niall O’Shea

It’s a few months since Maurice O’Meara joined the team in Monkstown, and the experienced golf club manager is settling into his hew role.  Having previously worked as general manager in Killarney, Dooks and The Island, O’Meara has seen all aspects of the game in Ireland over the last 20 years.  And the Dublin native jumped at the opportunity to take on the GM role in Monkstown when the vacancy arose during the summer.  “During my years in golf club management and from my time in Dooks and Killarney, I would have had regular interaction with members of Monkstown as we had a lot of visiting groups from Cork and also a lot of dual members” explained Maurice.  “What I would have heard of Monkstown was very positive, and this was very important in my decision to take up the role here.  Like any club Monkstown has faced challenges over the last number of years, however the club is in a great place now, with a thriving membership.  It’s been great to see the popularity of Continue reading →

Golfers return to the fairways

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Golfers returned to the fairways on Tuesday for the first time in five weeks, and for those hardy souls who put up with the cold and damp of winter it was a welcome return.  While many golfers put away the clubs, the hardy winter golfers will have been looking forward to the re-opening of courses.

There was widescale disappointment in late October as courses were closed as part of the level five measures.  Pleas that golf, as a naturally socially distanced sport could continue went unheard.  Although golf like some other sports was deemed low risk, it seemed that the ban on non-essential travel took priority.  Although disappointed, most golfers looked forward to a Continue reading →

The changing face of Cork Golf Club

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As well as clearing vegetation, natural wetlands are also being promoted like this area under the 8th tee at Cork Golf Club.
Picture: Niall O’Shea

The work at Cork Golf Club continues as Simon O’Hara and the course staff continue to peel back the layers to reveal some of the original features of the famous cork course.  Well over 120 years after the club moved to Little Island, and 95 years after Sir Alister MacKenzie laid out the current course, it’s almost a case of back to the future for Cork as the limestone walls and original views are revealed.  The projects are being led by Cork’s Superintendent Simon O’Hara and the team of skilled greenkeepers.  O’Hara moved from Fota Island to Cork two years ago, and soon after he arrived he started to make a few changes.  He reinstated the practice chipping green which is adjacent to the 18th fairway and last spring he oversaw the removal of the Continue reading →

Changes ahead in Cups and Shields

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While many golfers will be focusing on a return to the fairways next week, others will already have an eye on 2021 and there are some major changes ahead.  The WHS handicapping system was launched in Ireland earlier this month and golfers will see some changes from when qualifying competitions return in the Spring.  In addition to the handicapping changes, there are also changes to the cups and shields competitions.  A new eight region system is set to replace the current provincial structure in mens golf, with each of the eight regional winners progressing to Continue reading →

Sugrue’s Masters Memories

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Although his Masters adventure is over James Sugrue will have plenty of memories.  An impressive  second round of 71 got him into the red for the day.  Unfortunately he’ll miss the cut for the weekend but today’s round will take away the bitter taste from his disappointing opening round.

A handful of birdies, six in all, were among the highlights today.  A few impressive drives and a few good recoveries were also part or the round, and a ball in the water on the famous 12th will also form part of the memories of an incredible week in Augusta.  It was a busy day for James, he was back on the course early to complete his final nine holes from the first round following a rain delay yesterday.

James Sugrue (Mallow) 
Picture: Niall O’Shea

Sugrue’s second round was much better.  He was two under for the day after just three holes thanks to birdies on the second and third.  In a really strong mental display, Sugrue put aside the first round and he went out in two under par for his front nine.  After parring the 10th and 11th, he put a ball in the water at the signature 12th hole.  Although he had a good chip onto the green, a missed putt meant he recorded a double bogey five in the heart of Amen Corner.  But again he bounced back with a birdie on the par five 13th, a great drive over the trees gave him a great line for his approach.  But his second shot didn’t go to plan with the ball landing on the bank of the greenside creek.  Sugrue played a deft chip from the bank and slotted the birdie putt.

Another highlight came when his tee shot on the 16th landed within 5 feet of the pin.  The Mallow man again slotted the birdie putt.  A par brought his round to an end at the famous 18th, signing for a one under par 71, and 148 for the tournament.

For the record, Sugrue finished on +4 after rounds of 77 and 71.  He had eight birdies over the two days and plenty of memories from his first Masters start.  He’ll count the night in the Crow’s Nest, speaking at the Tournament Dinner and the drive down Magnolia Lane among the memories away from the course.  The next step for James , although tournament schedules and opportunities to play will determine when the Mallow man make the next move in his golfing career.