Action from Fermoy this morning: Continue reading
Golfing Union of Ireland
Gallery: Munster Stroke Play 2020, Round 2
Pictures from Cork Golf Club on Saturday afternoon: Continue reading
O’Keeffe Blitzes the field to claim Munster Stroke Play
Peter O’Keeffe won the biggest prize in Cork golf on Sunday. After 72 holes he won the Munster Stroke Play and added his name to the famous Cork Scratch Cup. O’Keeffe had a blistering performance on Sunday, he entered the final 36 holes 4 off the lead but ended up winning by seven strokes. Two rounds of 70 put on Saturday put him in contention going into the second day. Saturday’s performance included 11 birdies and one eagle, and that gave the Douglas golfer the confidence to know his game was good enough to win. O’Keeffe reached Continue reading
Competitions are back
There was more good news for clubs last week when the GUI announced that four Cups and Shields events will take place. Having selected four competitions that could potentially proceed, the mens union polled all of the participant clubs and received a strong mandate to plan for the provincial stages. Over 75% of clubs backed the plans to proceed with the AIG Senior and Junior Cups, the Jimmy Brun Shield and the Pierce Purcell Shield. The GUI had previously announced that the Mixed Foursomes and the Barton Shield would not proceed this year.
At this stage of the year most of the qualifying rounds would have been completed, and it will be another few weeks before the competitions get underway as a statement from the GUI expla Continue reading
Golf is getting back to normal
Golf is getting back to normal, there are plenty of golfers back on the courses in Cork although it’s a bit slower than many golfers would like. Since Monday 8th June the sport entered the second phase of the return to play protocol which has been developed by the ILGU and GUI. Both bodies have been proactive in getting golfers back on the course, golf was one of the first sports to be allowed to reopen. Last week should have seen two major developments, the extension of the travel limit to 20km and the return of competitions. While the travel limit was extended to the full county, competitions unfortunat Continue reading
Golf’s Reopening
In 11 days most golf courses in Cork will reopen following the Government announcement on Friday last. Most golfers will have welcomed the inclusion of golf in the first phase of the lifting of restrictions although questions remain on the 5km limit for non-essential travel. This sparked plenty of debate online over the weekend with many citing that the majority of members would be excluded if the 5km rule was not relaxed.
Despite that restriction the good news is that clubs will reopen on the 18th, and golf will return to a similar format to what golfers experienced prior to the lockdown. Social distancing, no course accessories like flags and rakes, and small groups of two or four are likely to feature in the initial phase. With the restrictions still applying to hospitality settings it’s unlikely that clubhouses and restaurants will open on the 18th May. The work of the governing bodies has been instrumental in ensuring that golf was included in the earlier stages of relaxing the lockdown rules. The GUI and ILGU have been busy in the past few weeks, liaising with the authorities on a range of issues. Those topics included the essential maintenance of courses which was not initially included in the original restrictions, as well the financial impact of the crisis on clubs and building a pathway for the safe resumption of golf.
A statement said that the governing bodies “have prepared a comprehensive draft protocol on the safe resumption of play on which we have been engaging with the Government over recent weeks. We now intend to finalise this protocol in the coming week, in consultation with the Government, and issue clear advice to our member clubs well in advance of the reopening of courses on 18 May. That advice will emphasise the absolute necessity of golf clubs adhering to the terms of the protocol for safe play.” The statement asked club and golfers for patience until the final advice is released. “In the initial stage, play will be for members only and competitions will not be permitted. We would ask clubs to refrain from opening timesheets for booking until the protocol is published, as it will contain vital information on group sizes and timesheet intervals.”
The statement also confirmed that the governing bodies will also continue to work closely with the Government in the coming weeks and months to seek support for golf clubs that have been severely impacted by the Covid-19 restrictions. There has been lots of commentary on the impact of the closure of courses for over a month, the reduction of future green fee and society bookings, and the knock-on effect that it will have on the financial position of many clubs.
Golfing Bodies support Clubs
It should have been a breakthrough year for golfing bodies in Ireland but like so many other sports the goalposts have moved. Both the GUI (Men) and ILGU (Ladies) recently held their final Annual General Meetings, and it looked like the biggest item on the agenda for 2020 was the transition to Golf Ireland, the new single governing body for the amateur game in Ireland. Instead, both bodies along with the Confederation of Golf in Ireland. The national bodies have directly engaged at the highest level with government agencies to establish recovery support measures. As part of their efforts to support golfers and clubs, a club survey will follow next week to help Unions identify the economic impact on the sport and the GUI, ILGU & CGI hope to outline immediate supports available. In a statement issued to all clubs over the weekend the Unions acknowledge the cha Continue reading
Michael Collins, Mallow Driving Range
Michael Collins pictured at his base in Mallow Golf Range in Copstown. Pic: Niall O’Shea
In some circles he might be known as the coach to Amateur Champions James Sugrue, but there’s a lot more to PGA Professional Michael Collins than just his star pupil. Collins has spent close to 20 years working in the industry. Firstly he served his time as a trainee before going on to become a leading player in the Irish Region, and more recently he has become one of the few full time teaching professionals in the region. Over the past two decades Michael Collins has built a strong reputation as a leading coach, working with juniors and beginners in addition to some of the top elite amateurs in the game. After an impressive amateur spell, Collins took to the paid ranks after completing a degree in UCC. From there he never looked Continue reading
Time for Nine
The Irish Ladies’ Golf Union and the Golfing Union of Ireland will once again run a nine-hole Championship which will culminate in a Grand Final conducted by The R&A at the 2020 Open Championship at Royal St George’s in July. Both union will run four nine-hole regional finals in the second and third weeks of June 2020 with the winning pair from each regional final qualifying for the Championship final in Royal St George’s. The four winning pairs from Ireland will play in the final, with travel and accommodation provided by the R&A. There’s also a gala dinner in the Royal St George’s clubhouse on the Friday night in addition to a lunch after Continue reading
The Year that was 2019
James Sugrue pictured with Irish Mens Captain John Carroll
2019 was a stellar year for Cork golfers. With seven Corkmen winning international caps, there were plenty of great performances among several notable individual wins. Just three years ago there wasn’t a single Cork golfer on the national mens squad, this year there were three golfers to reach that standard in what must be regarded as a great run for Cork golf. With three seniors, one boys and three mens representatives, it was an impressive number of caps. Top of the list of course was James Sugrue, the Amateur Champion. The Mallow man won the Castletroy Scratch Cup in May, but less than a month later his world would change with the win of a lifetime in Portmarnock. An Amateur Championship win seemed unlikely at a few stages during that week in Dublin. After just five holes on the first day of qualifying Sugrue branded the course as “insanely long”, and he found himself three down deep into the back nine in the second round of matchplay. In what was a marathon rather than a sprint, Sugrue played himself into form, thanks in equal parts to a new Titleist driver, solid advice from Neil Manchip and a hot putter. On that Saturday morning playing in the Amateur Championship final, few would have thought it was his seventh round of the week. He sprinted into a five up lead against Scotland’s Ewan Walker. Despite the impressive start, the final would prove to be another marathon lasting the full 36 holes. The Mallow man, watched by a record crowd of over 3,000 claimed the win on the final green, becoming the second Cork golfer after Jimmy Bruen to win the Amateur Championship. That win saw Sugrue’s schedule change, with an unplanned visit to Portrush for the Open championship taking priority in his calendar. James was very unlucky to miss the cut, a lost ball on the 14th on Friday cost him a place at the weekend when Shane Lowry created his own bit of history. Although injury hampered Sugrue towards the end of the season he had the honour of raising the Irish flag at the Walker Cup in Royal Liverpool in September.
Peter O’Keeffe
Peter O’Keeffe started the year off with a win, he came out on top in Muskerry in April winning their senior scratch cup. A five under par 66 gave O’Keeffe a good start and he was under par again in the second round to win the competition by two strokes. It was the second time that O’Keeffe won in Muskerry, his first coming 13 years ago in 2006. O’Keeffe was fifth in the East of Ireland and topped that by reaching the final of the North in July. Prior to the North he spent the week in Lahinch caddying for Robin Dawson in the Open. Peter finished second in the North of Ireland, which this year moved to Portstewart and Castlerock due Portrush staging the Open Championship. He lost out to Englishman Aaron Edwards Hill after a final that went to the 17th hole. The Douglas man was back in Lahinch later on in July, this time as a player in the South of Ireland. He started well, finishing in the top ten after the Strokeplay qualifier. He then Continue reading
Cork Golf News 