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
ILGU
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
Get into Golf in 2020
Get into Golf for Women is back for 2020, and this year the programme will provide another great opportunity for clubs and for those looking to get into the sport. The programme provides a structured programme of lessons for newcomers to the game and is specifically designed for adults. The programme is designed to support golf clubs in recruiting new members and in turn increase their membership figures and revenue. Over the past seven years the programme has proven to make golf more accessible to the wider audience. Since the ILGU first piloted the programme in 2013, the Confederation Continue reading
ILGU Launch Level Par
The CGI and ILGU have launched an innovative campaign to drive girls and ladies participation in all aspects of golf in Ireland. Level Par was launched last week and the programme is a culmination of work carried out by the R&A, Sport Ireland and the governing bodies for amateur golf in Ireland. Anne McCormack heads the programme on behalf of The Confederation of Golf in Ireland (CGI), and with the support of Chief Executives of the GUI and ILGU Pat Finn and Sinead Heraty, Level Par was established in mid-2019 after reviewing the available research. “Level Par is a four pillar programme for golf, inspired Continue reading
ILGU Reward Ada O’Sullivan
Ada O’Sullivan
The AGM of the ILGU took place last weekend and it was a special occasion for Monkstown’s Ada O’Sullivan as she was awarded Honorary Life Membership by the national governing body. Ada has one of the most comprehensive records of any female golfer in Ireland. She represented Munster, as a member of the girls’ team in 1980 & 1981 and the Women’s Team from 1982 -1997, fifteen years. She was the first ever winner of the Girlie Hegarty Trophy in 1994. As a player she represented Ireland at the Girls’ Home Internationals in 1980 & 1981.
She then played on the Women’s Home International Team seven times between 1982 & 1997 and at the Women’s European Team Championships in 1993, 1994 and 1995. She was the winner of the Sherry Cup in 1994 (European Masters 72 hole stroke play). Following her playing career, Ada represented Ireland as Captain of the Girls’ Home International Team in 1999 & 2000 and the Under 21 Team at the European Championship in 2000. She would go on to become the first High Performance Director on the ILGU Board in 2010.
Her first experience of Captaining a GB&I Team was at The Espirito Santo Trophy in Malaysia in 2002. This preceded GB&I Captaincy in 2003 & 2005 when her Team brought home the Vagliano Trophy playing at Co. Louth. In 2004 and 2006 Ada was invited to be Captain of the GB&I Curtis Cup Teams. ILGU President Brigid McCaw was delighted to present Ada with the award on Saturday. “Ada is a very capable, strong, fun loving person who – when asked to take on a responsible task – takes it on with great enthusiasm and leaves no stone unturned to make it a success” said McCaw upon presenting her with Life Honorary Membership. “We are very proud of all our Honorary Life Members and Past Presidents. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for being, as it were, “on call” and for their willingness to sharing their experiences and sound knowledge.” Life Membership was also Continue reading
Mairead Enjoying College Life
Mairead Martin recently enjoyed a few weeks at home after an exciting few months in the US on a golf scholarship in Kentucky. The Kanturk golfer who completed her leaving cert in June and in August she moved to start with their acclaimed womens golf programme. It was a great first semester, Mairead finished the second highest ranked golfer on the roster claiming two top ten finishes on her first five tournaments. It was a busy few months for the teenager as she settled into her new home for the next few years. “The first couple of weeks were tough and quite intense it took a while for me to get used to how busy each day was between school, practice and workouts” explained Mairead. “I struggled to find time to even think about home or even be homesick. When I arrived in Louisville the team and coaches couldn’t have been Continue reading
Super Sara is Irish Champ
Sara Byrne (Douglas) during the Irish Women’s Open Stroke Play Championship, Enniscrone Golf Club, Picture: Golffile Fran Caffrey
Teenager Sara Byrne is the new Irish Women’s Close Champion. The Douglas golfer beat all before her in Enniscrone over the past three days to claim the prestigious national title. A 2&1 win over Louise Coffey this afternoon meant that another national title is headed back to Douglas Golf Club.
“This is just amazing, I knew I could do it” said a delighted Byrne. “When Louise won the 3rd I knew that it was better to be up at the end of the match than at the start, I knew that a one hole difference was nothing so I stayed patient. This is definitely my number one achievement to date, on the final few holes I got a bit nervous but I told myself that I had worked too hard to give this one away. This brings my golf career up a step and any event now I play in I can tell myself that I can win because I am Irish Champion!”
The Irish and GB&I capped golfer now joins an elite group, Continue reading
Sara set for another super year
Sara Byrne might only be 16, but in the past two years she blazed a trail on the golf courses of Cork and further afield. The Douglas member has represented Munster, Ireland and GB&I in 2017, and more importantly she has seen her golf game improve on several levels. While Sara has been used to winning, and she has ben part of the IGU coaching programmes for a few years, 2017 was a breakthrough year and she’s planning to build on that through the winter and into next season. “I have some great memories this year including winning the Munster girls championship, getting my first cap for Ireland, becoming an honorary member of Douglas Golf Club and shooting the course record of five under 67 in Douglas” said Sara. “But my best memory was seeing the Irish tricolour being raised and the Irish anthem being played when I was playing for Great Britain and Ireland at the Vagliano Trophy in Italy.” Those experiences and performances didn’t happen by accident, they were a result of a very strong work ethic and a focus on constant improvement. And the young Douglas golfer saw the results on the course. “I think my ball striking this year has Continue reading
Super 2017 for Mairead Martin
Kanturk’s Mairead Martin has been hitting the headlines for two years on the golf course, and she’ll be one to watch in 2018 as she play’s what’s likely to be her final full season in Ireland for a few years. The Leaving Cert student is hoping to take up a US college scholarship next year and will be working hard to make another impression. She spent most of the season playing off +1 and had a number of wins and great team performances for club and country. Just six years after first playing golf, Mairead is in the top echelons of the sport. Now the season has ended, Mairead can look back on another successful season. The big win of the year came in Mallow when Mairead claimed a national title. The Irish Girls close was a huge win, especially when it was played Mallow. There was no let up as Mairead went on to win again Continue reading
Lee Valley Capture National Pennant
There was delight in Belfast and Cork yesterday as Lee Valley Ladies won another All-Ireland title. The Cork club captured the AIG Minor Cup in Belfast, their first time winning at Minor level. After several close calls this year, the final ended up being a clean sweep for Lee Valley as they beat Mountbellew. Rosemary Driscoll won the first point for Lee Valley on the 17th green when she won 2&1, while Deirdre Lee saw her match go to sudden death before she won and added a second point for Lee Valley. The winning point was secured by Breda O’Callaghan, she had a 2&1 win on the 17th to win the third match and secured another national pennant for Lee Valley. Both Jane O’Neill and Helen Gough were called in, their matches were considered as halves meaning the final score was 4-1 to Lee Valley. On Thursday, Helen Gough was the hero for Lee Valley, securing the winning point in the final match on the final green. Jane O’Neill and Breda O’Callaghan had secured the earlier points and their way to the final in a tough match against Donaghadee. Lee Valley Team Captain Angela Corcoran summed up the feelings of the Lee Valley members: “We’re absolutely thrilled, it could have gone either way right up until the end, it was an amazing contest,” said Angela. “This is our third All-Ireland, we have won two Intermediate Cups and now a Minor Cup in the last 5 years, it’s a huge honour for our 25-year-old club!” The Cork club last won a national title in 2015 when they won the AIG Intermediate Cup in Knightsbrook. The team along with a large number of members and supporters made the long trip from Belfast last night. And the winners were treated to a great reception back in Lee Valley when they arrived home to Ovens.
Cork Golf News 