There aren’t too many PGA Professionals that focus on a single area of golf, but while most specialise around teaching or playing or retailing, John Dooley has added another aspect. The Riverstown based pro has a busy teaching base in Drive Golf Performance but he also manages a bespoke golf tour business. After spending nearly a decade at Doonbeg, John saw a gap in the market. The experiences in Doonbeg led to John setting up Concierge Golf, a business which he describes as “combining coaching golf and managing golf tours into Ireland & Scotland.” The managing is the key part as John can help with everything from transport to dining. “Concierge Golf Ireland offers to manage golf holidays to Ireland & Scotland to golfers that would like more than just a booked golf tour” explained John. “To that point, we offer to book and manage tee times, various transporting types, standards of accommodation, where to go and what to do, along with any type of entertainment and setting up the dining experiences. There is a lot of time spent working on our customer’s golf tours, the workload per golf tour is quite significant mainly due to the details required by the customers. However, I really become energized for customers when they comment on how much they have enjoyed their Irish or Continue reading
PGA
Frankfield Range Continues to Grow
Frankfield Golf Range continues to develop, and owners Coleman and Michael Ryan have succeeded in building a wonderful practice facility on the grounds where Mick Ryan Snr built a golf course over 30 years ago. A new short game area have been developed and now custom fitting has now arrived in Frankfield. The new fitting centre at the range provides golfers with hundreds of options when it comes to investing in new equipment. Working with McGuirks, Frankfield’s resident PGA Professionals Michael Ryan and David Whyte can match shafts with heads and grips to provide a truly customised solution for each golfer. Frankfield has teamed up with McGuirks to provide the new service. The retail chain has a shop just 800m from the range and now golfers can test the latest equipment options under the watchful eye of a PGA Professional. A full range of heads are Continue reading
McNamara on form, Irish PGA Championship Pro-Am
Monkstown PGA Professional Cian McNamara pictured with PGA Tour member Seamus Power on a visit to Monkstown Golf Club. Picture: Niall O’Shea
Monkstown’s Cian McNamara was tied second in today’s Irish PGA Championship Pro-Am in Moyvalley. McNamara has been improving steadily in the early part of the season, last week he carded a final round 69 in the PGA Professional Championship to claim 6th place. The event was held in Lutrellstown Castle which featured 150 PGA professionals from all over the UK and Ireland.
Today he followed up with another solid round in Moyvalley in the pro-am on the eve of the the 72 hole Irish PGA Championship. The Limerick native was second, two shots off the lead set by David Higgins.
Moyvalley is a course that McNamara likes, he finished in the top ten last year and he’ll be hoping to challenge at the top of the leaderboard and add his name to the famous trophy. Davey Barry (Douglas) also finished in the top Continue reading
Frankfield Kids Golf Camps
David Whyte and Michael Ryan have announced dates for their summer golf camps taking place in July and August. The three day camps take place on the 24/25/26 July and again on 22/23/24 August The camps are open for boys and girls aged 7 – 13 and all levels will be catered for. The camps take place at the Golf Academy at Frankfield Golf Range and are run by experienced PGA Professionals. The golf academy has recently been upgraded and golfers will benefit from learning and practicing at the top qualify facility. Further details and bookings can be made by contacting David or Michael.
Courtney’s Drive for Golf Fitness
Golf fitness is a relatively new discipline and it’s interesting that the newly opened Cork Golf Centre has its very own onsite golf gym. The centre which was formerly a stand-alone driving range reopened in April with a refurbished range and teaching room, shop, treatment room and gym. Francis Courtney is behind the gym side of Cork Golf Centre, and the TPI qualified fitness coach is a keen golfer himself. He started playing golf at just 7 years old, thanks to his Dad who was a greenkeeper in Dunloe. He’s currently a category one golfer playing out of his native Killarney. He’s now working alongside PGA Professionals Stephen Hoey, Wayne O’Callaghan and Liam Continue reading
No Joy for Cork Golfers
There was no joy today for the seniors who were playing in the Irish Seniors Open Championship in Co Tipperary, and Brian O’Donovan also failed to secure a full card in the PGA China final qualifying.
Holder Tom Cleary was among the local hopefuls in action but he couldn’t match the results of 2016 and rounds of 78,76,78 saw him finish just inside the top 20. Not much of a consolation but he was the highest placed golfer from Cork after the three rounds. Doneraile’s Tahg Heenan opened with a disappointing 81 on Wednesday but closed with two rounds of 76 to finish one shot behind Cleary and inside the top 30. Micheal Quirke had threatened the lead on day one after shooting a 73 but rounds of 79 yesterday and 82 today saw him drop out of contention. Kinsale’s Jerry Crean was the only other Cork golfer to make the cut and he finished one shot behind Quirke. The winner was Wales Nicholas Grimmitt who finished on +7 to edge out Tramore’s John Mitchell by one shot.
Bandon’s Brian O’Donovan was in action in the final round of qualifying at the PGA China Tour School this morning. O’Donovan had been hoping to claim on of the 16 full tour cards on offer after posting rounds of 71/72/70. The wheels came off on the final round however and O’Donovan shot a 77 to finish outside the qualifiers. In the past O’Donovan has used Monday qualifying to gain entry into some of the events, the Shenzen based professional is a Lead Instructor at one of the Mission Hills Academies in Shenzen.
O’Donovan on track in Yunnan, PGA China Tour Qualifying
Brian O’Donovan in Senior Cup Action in 2010
Brian O’Donovan shot a second round 72 to stay one under par and inside the top at PGA China Q School this morning. Having opened with a one under par 71 yesterday, the Bandon native was in control again and is currently tied for 16th place. More importantly he’s only two shots away from the top 12 which would see him claim a full tour card for the China tour. On the course O’Donovan had drifted to +2 through 10 holes but a few birdies on the back nine saw him sign for a 72. O’Donovan has played in several events over the past three years, mainly gaining access to tournaments through the Monday qualifier. If O’Donovan can move into the top 12 he’ll have access to all twelve tour events that are scheduled this season. O’Donovan has two more rounds to make an impression on the field and with plenty of under par scores on the course today he’ll know that there’s an opportunity to go low in his final 36 holes.
PGA China Tour – Qualifying Live Scoring
O’Donovan has been based in China for well over three years now. After gaining his full PGA qualification he took up a teaching role at the Million Hills Golf Complex in Schenzen and now holds the role of Lead Instructor at one of their three Academies. As an amateur O’Donovan was part of the Bandon team that won the Munster double in the Barton Shield and Irish Senior Cup. Bandon went on to win a national title in the Senior Cup and soon after Brian started his PGA training under Stephen Hayes in Douglas Golf Club.
Mission Hills Brian O’ Donovan shoots magical 59
Turner finishes 4th in Ballykisteen, Europro Tour
A cold putter cost Niall Turner today in the final round of the Great National Hotels Irish Masters at Ballykisteen. The overnight leader bounced back from a double on the first, and despite giving himself plenty of chances on the greens he couldn’t covert the birdies chances. Turner finished in a tie for fourth place as all of the leaders struggled to match the scoring of the first two rounds. Despite the missed chances the Muskerry golfer was withing a shot or two of the lead for much of the round, and when a bogey on the 12th brought him back to -9 it looked as if the win was out of reach. The Asian Tour member rallied with birdies on the 16th and 18th and that brought him back to -11 and he took home just over €2,000 for his week in Tipperary.
Gallery: Great National Hotels Irish Masters Final Round
Waterville’s David Higgins had a great start and was -4 for his opening eight holes which saw him jump Continue reading
Turner leads in Ballykisteen, Great National Hotels Irish Masters R2
Niall Turner shot a flawless 66 in the second round of the Great National Hotels Irish Masters at Ballykisteen today. Turner had four birdies on the front nine and added two more at the 11th and 13th. Surprisingly though the long hitter from Waterfall couldn’t add to his haul on the two closing par fives. Despite that Turner should be happy, he goes into tomorrow’s final round on -11, with a one shot lead over English duo Jack Harrison and Ben Robinson.
“All parts of my game have been pretty good so far,” said Turner. “If you drive it nicely out here you have a lot of short irons in. I have driven well so far and my wedges have been good so I have given myself a lot of birdie chances.
“This is my first time at Ballykisteen – it is a really enjoyable course to play and it is in great condition. It will probably be similar scoring tomorrow. If you get to 16 or 17 under that would be tough to beat but there is a very low one out there so you are going to need to keep making birdies.”
David Higgins also had six birdies but the Waterville man had two bogies and signed for a 68. He’s tied for 16th place, five behind the leader on -6. Monkstown’s Cian McNamara dropped back after is one under a 71. Despite five birdies in six holes on his front nine, he dropped for shots. Although he’s safely inside the cut mark, he’s seven off the lead and will be hoping for a good day tomorrow to earn a decent cheque.
Turner 3rd in Ballykisteen, McNamara T16, Europro Tour Round 1
Niall Turner
Niall Turner carded a five under par round to lies in 3rd place on the opening day of the Great National Hotels Irish Masters at Ballykisteen Golf & Country Club. The Europro Tour event saw over 150 professionals tee it up today for Munster’s first Europro event in several years. Turner started on the back nine and reeled off four birdies in a row from the 15th to 18th to turn on -2. He added another four birdies in six holes on the front nine and one dropped shot on the par three 6th hole saw him sign for a 67. Turner is two shots off the lead which is held by England’s James Ruth.
Cian McNamara was one of the early starters this morning and he set the tone, birdieing the 1st & 3rd holes. He added another on the par five 18th and finished on -3 in a big group of 19 players. Waterville’s David Higgins is one Continue reading
Cork Golf News 