Membership Options in Cobh and Youghal

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Youghal Golf Club. Picture: Niall O’Shea

We’re just about into February and many golfers who took the winter off will be targeting their return to the fairways this month.  Many clubs have announced membership offers for those looking to join a club, an option that gives golfers a number of benefits compared with casual golfers.

Golf Ireland is the national governing body for the sport and any affiliated club can provide a Golf Ireland handicap index for new members looking to play in competitions.  Generally three rounds of golf are needed to get an initial handicap index, but once a golfer has that there are very limitations.  Club members can usually access a large number of weekly open Continue reading →

Irish Mens Debut for Jack Murphy

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Jack Murphy

Jack Murphy is making his Irish Men’s debut this week, the teenager was selected on the Irish team that is taking in the Octagonal Tournament in Spain.  The tournament features eight European countries, with Ireland set to compete against England, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland and Spain.  The eight competing teams will be drawn into two groups of four, which will be decided by a lottery during the team presentation ceremony. Each match will have three foursomes matches in the morning and six singles in the afternoon.  Once the round robin has concluded, the two groups will compete with each other according to their group position to determine their overall tournament finish.

Murphy’s selection should be no surprise given his form.  Last year was another very positive year for the Douglas golfer.  Early in 2023 he committed to Washington College after getting a scholarship offer from the Division 1 college.  Once the season started won the Connacht and Munster Continue reading →

Busy January for Stephen Hayes in Cork Golf Centre

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PGA Professional Stephen Hayes pictured at Cork Golf Centre.  Picture: Niall O’Shea

The January weather continues to hamper many golfers, the recent cold temperatures have meant that many courses have had delayed opening times or stay closed, further impacting the available time for golfers to play with the limited daylight hours.  With limited playing options the driving ranges in Cork have been busy, and many golfers are also tuning up their games with lessons from their PGA Professional.  Stephen Hayes, is one of those, and he’s had a busy January so far.

Hayes is one of five PGA professionals working from Cork Golf Centre in Ballincollig, and the range and the teaching bays have been busy since Christmas.  Hayes encourages all golfers to hit a few balls at the range.  “This is a great time of the year to get to the driving range as the golf courses are closed quite a bit due to poor weather.  If you have been planning to play at the weekend and the course is closed, use some of that time at the range” suggests Hayes.

He’s also advises golfers to focus on the their time at the range to get the most from it.  “When you go to the range it is so important that you go, they’re with a plan and don’t just beat balls.  Identify wh Continue reading →

Peter leading the fitness charge with Golf Strong

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Peter O’Keeffe running an online class from his  gym in Douglas Golf Club.

The frosty weather meant it was another week of little or no golf around the courses of Cork, and while many golfers are disappointed not to be able to play because of the weather conditions, many are working on plans to improve their golf.  While the driving ranges are still open in most weather conditions, the gyms are definitely open and a growing number of golfers are focusing on the strength and flexibility to improve their golf.

Peter O’Keeffe has been working with golfers since 2015 when he started out under the Peter O’Keeffe Golf Fitness brand.  That evolved into Golf Strong, a name that has now become the biggest golf fitness brand in the country.  In the early years Peter focused on individual assessments supported Continue reading →

Busy 2024 Ahead for Golfers

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Douglas will host the final stages of the AIG Senior Cup in June

It might be early January but many amateur golfers will be planning their calendars for the year ahead.  The Golf Ireland 2024 championship calendar kicks off inMarch but the first event to take place in Cork will be the Cork Women’s Scratch Cup on the 27th April. A week later the Munster Men’s Open takes place in Cork on its now traditional May bank holiday weekend date.  Later in May Kinsale will host the Munster Men’s Seniors.  Muskerry will host the Munster Boys and Munster Girls in early July with a close qualifier for boys taking place in the same venue a week earlier.

One the national calendar, the South of Ireland retains its place in calendar in late July and Lahinch will be looking forward to the Palmer Cup which it also hosts earlier in July.  The West of Ireland takes place in Sligo over Easter and six weeks later it will host the Flogas Irish Amateur Open.  The Women’s Irish Open takes place in Woodbrook in June.  Roscommon will host the Women’s and Girls Irish Close while the Men’s Irish Close takes place in Dun Laoghaire in mid August.

Changes to the structure of the inter-club competitions were announced in November and Golf Ireland recently revealed the dates and venues for the final stages of the national and new regional competitions.  Douglas and Kanturk will host the last 16 stages for the AIG Senior Cup, that takes place in late June.  Bandon and Youghal will host the Munster Boys inter-club qualifiers also in June while Cork will be a busy place a few weeks later.  They will host the later stage of the regional matches of the Senior Foursomes, Minor Foursomes, Jimmy Bruen and the Fred Perry Trophy.  The AIG Barton Shield finals will take place in Fota Island in late July.  Fota Island will also host the Munster Inter-Club Women’s trophy that weekend.

Monkstown hosted both regional and national events last year and this year they will host the Fred Daly and Continue reading →

2023 in Review

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Sara Byrne pictured back at Douglas Golf Club with the Irish Women’s Close Trophy.
Picture: Niall O’Shea

2023 was another great year for golf in Cork.  It didn’t hit some of the highs of previous years but there was a lot of success.  There was just one national title added to the honour roll in 2023, that was when Sara Byrne won the AIG Irish Women’s Close in Connemara in June.

It was a second win for Sara, particularly impressive when you consider she’s only 21.  She previously won in 2017 in Enniscrone, three years before she headed off to University of Miami.  The win this year in Continue reading →

2024 Inter-Club entries now open

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Monkstown Boys Foursomes team pictured with Pat O’Keeffe after winning Munster East title.
Picture: Niall O’Shea

Entries are now open for the 2024 Inter-Club competitions at All-Ireland and Regional level, after Golf Ireland unveiled the biggest set of changes following a three-year review of the programme.  The 2024 programme includes a number of competitions that will remain largely as they were, as well as new competitions that will take the place of others previously organised at All-Ireland level.  A new Mixed Four-Ball competition at All-Ireland level will be inaugurated, aimed at players currently not participating in the Irish Mixed Foursomes.

Since 2021, Golf Ireland has continued with all of the legacy competitions from the ILGU and GUI,  but they had committed to a review which has led to changes for 2024.  As a result of the review, there will be 12 All-Ireland inter-club competitions (five for men, five for women and two mixed), in addition to a Continue reading →

IGWA Awards for O’Sullivan and Byrne

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Denis O’Sullivan
Pic: Fran Caffrey

There were two Cork winners at the Irish Golf Writers awards at The K Club last week as Sara Byrne and Denis O’Sullivan were both recognised.  Byrne received the Women’s Amateur of the Year award, her second time to win it, and O’Sullivan was recognised for his distinguished services to golf.  Byrne recorded several notable wins and performances in 2023 while O’Sullivan’s career stretches over four decades.

Sara Byrne captured the Women’s Amateur award for the second time.  The 22-year-old from Douglas Golf Club won her second AIG Irish Women’s Continue reading →

Murphy Enjoying Well Earned Break

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John Murphy in action at the Horizon Irish Open in September.
Pic: Niall O’Shea

John Murphy is enjoying a well earned break after a long season on tour.  The Kinsale golfer recently completed his third year as a tour professional, and had a punishing schedule of 27 tournaments which brought him to 21 different countries over three continents.  2023 was undoubtedly Murphy’s toughest year on tour, but the 25 year old battled until the end and will tee it up on the Challenge Tour in 2024.

Murphy made the season ending Challenge Tour final in 2022, but after a disappointing performance in the grand final he reversed his form and won at tour card for 2023 at the final stage of qualifying Continue reading →

Ann Heskin, a golfing legend

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Ann Heskin

A true legend of Irish golf passed away last week, Ann Heskin of Douglas, Munster and Ireland fame was an important and influential figure in the game for several decades.

Heskin had a positive impact on the game across three separate facets, she was an accomplished player, an astute team captain, and a committed administrator.  She represented Ireland as a player, team captain and selector, and she was President of the ILGU in 2005 following 15 years of service in provincial and national roles.  She was also a member of the executive of the Ladies Golfing Union prior to becoming President of the ILGU.

Her contribution to golf spanned over 40 years.  Originally she took up the game in the 1940’s but it was when she joined Douglas in 1963 that she Continue reading →