It’s well over a year since Cork Golf Centre opened and it that time it’s become a favourite destination for golfers. While it boasts one of Cork’s largest ranges, there’s much more on offer than just the 20 driving bays. High quality driving mats, ample space and top quality Srixon balls make for a good experience for anyone just practicing, and there are plenty of distance targets including a set of goal posts. The goal posts were the brainchild of Cork hurling fan David Keating. Dave is the Head Professional in Killarney but he was also the man behind the reopening of the facility in Ballincollig. When it opened in May 2017, Keating had a vision of creating a one stop shop, something more than just a basic range were you could hit balls. In addition to being able to buy a bucket of balls, there are PGA’s professionals available for lessons, a golf specific fitness gym and a private room for performance coaching. Resident coaches Wayne O’Callaghan and Liam Burns are hand to provide lessons, Francis Courtney provides a TPI based golf fitness programme from his dedicated onsite gym while Continue reading
Wayne O’Callaghan
Cork Golf Centre goes from strength to strength
Cork Golf Centre
Although it’s only open since April last year, Cork Golf Centre has quickly become a firm favourite for golfers on the western side of the city and beyond. With a reduction in the number of public range facilities, Cork Golf Centre was ideally positioned to fill a gap in the market for both casual and serious golfers. Located just beyond the regional park in Ballincollig, there’s a very large catchment area including several clubs. “The centre has had a very busy first year and it continues to grow” explained resident PGA Professional Wayne Continue reading
Capto Putting comes to Cork
It may be an old saying but it still holds true – drive for show, putt for dough and Wayne O’Callaghan is hoping to build on that with a brand new putting analysis system. Wayne, who is based at the Cork Golf Centre in Ballincollig, is one of only two PGA Professionals in Ireland to use the Capto Putting Technology system. Using a small sensor on the shaft of your putter, the system can instantly capture twenty key parameters of the putting stroke. Wayne along with Killarney based David Keating travelled to Spain in December to pick up their new systems, which offer a whole new level of detail when it comes to analysing putting. While there are several options for measuring the swing of irons and drivers, and there are several putting systems that capture the reaction of the ball once it’s hit, this is one of the first systems to focus on the swing and the actions of the golfer. The system operates by putting a small 3D sensor onto the shaft of the putter and using a computer or phone Continue reading
David Keating’s Drive for Cork Golf Centre [Long Read]
Francis Courtney, Stephen Hoey, Liam Burns, Wayne O’Callaghan, Brendan McDaid and David Keating pictured at Cork Golf Centre. Picture: Niall O’Shea
Cork golfers now have access to a new practice facility with the opening of the Cork Golf Centre in Ballincollig. The “one stop shop” is essentially a range, but the key difference will be the presence of several PGA Professionals along with a fitness and mindset coach. Brendan McDaid is making a welcome return to Cork (on a part time basis at least) and he will be joined by Liam Burns, Stephen Hoey and Wayne O’Callaghan. All four will combine their existing commitments with the new facility in Ballincollig, using the newly fitted teaching bay and short game area to work with golfers of all levels. O’Callaghan and Burns are both based in Cork, and McDaid is based in Dublin while Stephen Hoey is primarily based in Killarney. The concept is the work of Killarney’s Head Professional David Keating and he has been working hard to pull together all of the moving parts. For Keating it marks a return to a former place of work, the Charleville native worked in the Inniscarra Driving Range when he was working under Paddy O’Boyle. Keating was actually looking at a new venture in a very different direction when the opportunity in Ballincollig arose. “We were looking at getting involved in a range in Spain Continue reading
O’Callahgan’s Raffeen Move
Carrigaline based PGA Professional Wayne O’Callaghan has recently set up a new base in Raffeen Creek Golf Club. The popular instructor has moved from his previous base in Fernhill where he had worked for the past four years. Wayne qualified as a PGA Professional almost twenty years ago having served his apprenticeship under Bandon’s Paddy O’Boyle. From 1998 to 2012 he worked from the busy Carrigdhoun Golf Range and in 2012 he moved to Fernhill Golf Course. Over the past four years Wayne developed a very strong junior programme, which incorporated quite a bit of on-course work which complimented the range and putting green aspect of the programme. Although his time on the PGA Irish Region Tour has been limited due to his teaching commitments, Wayne did feature in the top ten a number of times this year. Having left Fernhill in October, Wayne wasted no time in setting up a new base. “I have now Continue reading
Junior Easter Camp :: Wayne O’Callaghan Golf Academy
Wayne O’Callaghan ran a very successful junior camp last week, on the last week of the Easter holidays. The camp ran from Monday to Wednesday and Wayne was delighted with how it went: “We held a very successful Easter junior camp in Fernhill with 20 junior golfers taking part. The aim of the camp was to create a fun learning experience where the juniors learned all aspects of the golf while playing fun challenges making new friendships along the way. Fernhill has a dedicated practice range for the junior academy with various target greens and short game Continue reading
Gallery: Wayne O’Callaghan Golf Academy Easter Camp
Pictures from the Easter Camp held this week: Continue reading
Putting Clinics from Wayne O’Callaghan
PGA Professional Wayne O’Callaghan is giving golfers plenty of options when it comes to preparing for the new season. While many courses are still closed, the range at Fernhill and Wayne’s indoor performance studio are both open for business. Wayne is running an innovative putting clinic next month where a maximum of four students will be taken through their paces on the green. 
Wayne explained how he’s planning to run the clinics: “First of all the clinic involves putter fitting, checking if the the length and loft of the putter suits a student – using the academy’s quinticballroll software. It will also cover green reading which covers the grain on greens, moisture and how they can affect break and pace. A number of training aids will be used to tighten up the length and stroke path. Finally drills on getting long putts closer to the hole on a regular basis and short putting drills and data on tour pros shared.” Details of the dates and times of all the classes are available from Continue reading
Ryan leading Cork charge in Connemara Pro-Am
David Ryan (Cahir Park) is the leading Cork professional after round one of the Connemara Pro-Am today. Ryan was one of three Cork golfers to shoot under par, he recorded -2 for his round to lie in second place behind Neil O’Briain (Old Conna) on -5. Monkstown duo Cian McNamara and Graeme Dunlea were one shot behind on -1 and in a tie for 5th place. Fernhill’s Wayne O’Callaghan shot a level par round for a share of 12th place and he too is in with a shot going into tomorrow’s final round.
Ryan had an uneventful front nine, in fact he carded 10 consecutive pars before he birdied the 11th. He added birdies on the 14th and the 17th but he Continue reading
Huge Turnout for Junior Golf Final – Irish Junior Masters Tour Final
Golfers pictured at the final of the Irish Junior Masters Golf Tour at Fernhill Golf Club on Saturday. Also included is founder Wayne O’Callaghan.
Picture: Niall O’Shea
Fernhill Golf Course in Carrigaline hosted the final event of the 2015 Irish Junior Masters Golf Tour on Saturday and founder Wayne O’Callaghan has seen his plan for junior golf change from concept to action. Two years ago the Carrigaline based PGA Professional Continue reading
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