The Irish Golf Club Gazette: February 2013

2/28/2013

Padraig Bags Clune Construction

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Clune Construction recently announced it has signed a long-term partnership agreement with PGA Tour and golfer Padraig Harrington.

Clune Construction is one of the largest commercial interior construction companies in the USA, and the official pairing of Clune and Harrington emerged from an interim branding arrangement last year when Clune helped in the raising of funds for the Padraig Harrington Charitable Foundation.

The two men, both Irish born with a commitment to philanthropy, soon formed a friendship that led to the long-term partnering of Clune Construction and Padraig Harrington.

Padraig Harrington has won more than 25 tournaments worldwide, including back to back British Open Championships titles in 2007 & 2008 and the U.S. PGA Championship in 2008. As part of his role as ambassador, Harrington will wear the Clune Construction logo on his shirts during tournaments, and is very pleased to unite with the civic-minded company. "I have a full schedule this year, with tournaments throughout the US, Europe and around the world, and look forward to representing the Clune name both on and off the golf course, " Harrington said. "I'm impressed with their business and delighted to partner with them."

Michael Clune, founder of Clune Construction, believes the partnership will create long-lasting benefits for both parties. "We are excited about this partnership and glad to be a part of the Harrington team, which includes his active charitable foundation," said Clune. "Padraig's brand values match up well with ours, and we think he will be a respected and valuable ambassador for us as he competes around the world. Our organisation also is thrilled that Padraig has agreed to join with our company for several golf-related special events this year."

Clune Construction is known for its involvement with various charitable organizations and places a high value on giving back to the communities it serves. "Our company is committed to helping community organizations and finding unique ways to meld business and community ventures. It is our hope that that partnerships such as this, beyond the business sponsorship element, can provide another avenue to assist in doing that," according to Clune.

Green Light for Bushmill Dunes

Work on a £100 million golf resort near the famous Giant's Causeway on Ulster's north coast is due to get under way later this year after a landmark ruling at the Northern Ireland High Court .

Mr Justice Weatherup dismissed a legal challenge by the National Trust which claimed the development would have a major environmental impact on the UNESCO designated World Heritage site.

More than a decade after the initial planning application was lodged, the judge endorsed a decision last year by the Northern Ireland Environment minister Alex Attwood to give the go-ahead for a championship course and five star hotel outside the village of Bushmills, Co Antrim, a mile and a half from the Causeway, one of the country's main tourist attractions.

The ruling was a personal triumph for the US-based Northern Ireland businessman Dr Alistair Hanna who is heading up the investment and advisory group involved in the Bushmills Dunes golf resort and spa scheme, and which he claims could create up to 360 direct jobs and an estimated 300 more through suppliers and construction.

The Trust launched a fierce campaign of resistance because of the close proximity of the proposed 18-hole championship course, luxury hotel and holiday accommodation to the Causeway and sought a judicial review of the minister's decision to approve the application – one of the most significant since the power-sharing executive was established in Belfast.

Dr Hanna was not in court for today's judgment, but afterwards declared work would begin as soon as possible. It is likely to begin towards the end of the summer and take at least two years, maybe three, to complete.

He said: ''Not only will the resort provide a world class golf links course and facilities attracting thousands of visitors each year, it will also protect the vulnerable topography of the coastal area which has been left vulnerable following decades of neglect.''

The Trust, which once applied for planning permission to extend an hotel overlooking the Causeway, had previously said it was not opposed to golf or development, but repeated time and time again, it was trying to protect the Unesco designation as a World Heritage site.

It also claimed the development fell within the four kilometre zone which Unesco has placed around the stones.

But in a judgment which lasted an hour and 45 minutes, Mr Justice Weatherup rejected all their objections which ranged from protection of the Causeway which was afforded under international law to the impact on wildlife, – including bats and lizards – as well as the economy and tourist accommodation.

The National Trust was bitterly disappointed by the ruling and said it remained convinced a massive development in the setting of the World Heritage Site was wrong.

A statement added: ''We still believe that if a development of this scale does go ahead in this location, the message is that nowhere in Northern Ireland, no matter how important or protected, is safe from development.

''The ruling today has served to highlight aspects of very serious concern for those partners involved in the care and protection of the World Heritage Site.

''It is essential that we work together to get planning policy right in Northern Ireland to ensure that appropriate development can happen, but not at the expense of our beautiful landscapes and historic places.''

''There are also significant issues regarding the relationship between government in Northern Ireland, Great Britain and UNESCO that must be addressed to ensure the protection of our World Heritage Site for the long term.''

McIlroy Cuts Just a Blip - Bubba

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Bubba Watson believes Rory McIlroy's early struggles with his new Nike clubs is nothing more than a blip.

McIlroy has suffered a poor start to the season after switching equipment manufacturers in a multi-million pound deal, missing the cut in Abu Dhabi and losing to Shane Lowry in the first round of the WGC World Match Play last week.

But Masters champion Watson is convinced the world number one - who will defend his Honda Classic title this week - will come good again soon, while admitting he had never been offered "stupid" money to change clubs.

"I think Rory is going to be number one for a while," Watson said on a teleconference ahead of his title defence at Augusta from April 11-14. "There is no-one in the history of the game who is 100 per cent in making cuts.

"And match play is match play, it's such a goofy tournament so I don't think Rory and Tiger (Woods) losing in the first round shows anything."

As for changing clubs, Watson added: "If the right number, or what we call a stupid number in our business, comes along then obviously you look at it and you figure it out.

"I never wanted to leave Ping, I've been with them since I was eight years old so for me it's an easy decision. I've never got a stupid number, though."

Watson, who defeated South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen in a play-off to win his first major title last April, gets to choose the menu for this year's champions dinner, which is traditionally held on the Tuesday before the first round.

Last year, 2011 champion Charl Schwartzel opted for a South African braai - a traditional meal made up of grilled meats - but Watson is giving nothing away just yet.

"We will wait and see," the left-hander added. "I think I should be allowed to just wait to tell everybody."

2/27/2013

Major Coaching at Tshwane Open

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Three Major Champions and a host of European Tour and Sunshine Tour professionals devoted an entire morning to a group of learners from schools in Mamelodi, Atteridgeville and Mabopane at the official golf development clinic for the Tshwane Open.

It was a rare opportunity for the enthusiastic young golfers to receive expert instruction from European Ryder Cup Captain and double Masters Tournament winner José María Olazábal, former US Open Champion Michael Campbell, 2011 Open Champion Darren Clarke and a group of other professionals.

“This is such a great opportunity for our kids and it is so important for them to be able to interact with these world-class golfers and see what the game of golf can do for you,” said Nathan Maluleka, a golf coach at the Vodacom World of Golf and who coaches most of these children himself.

The professionals also thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to interact with the city of Tshwane’s most enthusiastic young golfers, drawn from the Central Secondary School in Mabopane, Mamelodi High School and Morakoma Primary School in Mamelodi, and Motheong Pre-school and Primary School in Atteridgeville.

“It’s wonderful to see a country like South Africa growing like it is. Hopefully we can see some of these kids in ten or 15 years playing with us on tour,” said Spain’s Pablo Larrazábal.

“I’ve been helping a boy of five, and it’s amazing to see how well he swings the club. When I was five I didn’t know what a golf club was, and there are kids here hitting great shots at that age.”

Olazábal certainly enjoyed his time with the children. After watching a young girl hit a shot and lifting her foot on the follow through, he said, “When we go to the disco, you can lift your feet. But we are not dancing here. This is golf. Feet on the ground. We can dance later!”

City of Tshwane MMC, Nozipho Makeke, paid tribute to the dedication of the professionals to help grow the game in Tshwane.

“This is a long-term project for us, and for the learners here,” he said. “We want them to get involved in golf because this is not an elitist sport. It can be a game for everyone, and we want to see some of our Tshwane children becoming international golf stars one day.”

Sundays at The Medalist

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Rory McIlroy has revealed he took on Tiger Woods in two private challenge matches on Sunday morning.

The world's top two golfers went head to head at the Medalist club in Hobe Sound, Florida, following their early exits from the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

"We thought we would play our own match play final except it was over 36 holes," said McIlroy ahead of this week's Honda Classic.

"We had two matches. He beat me the first time and I beat him in the second so we're even. We teed off at about 8:00 and I was home by 1:30 so we played quick.

"He putts with the pin in, it's speed golf. It was good, really enjoyable."

World No 1 McIlroy and American Woods have become friends in the past year, with the Northern Irishman now having a base near to the 14-times major winner in Florida and also having joined him in the Nike stable in January.

Rory Calls for Putter Unity

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Rory McIlroy has called for unity over the proposed rule changes on putting which are threatening to split the game.

Golf's governing bodies, the R&A and USGA, last year announced the proposed changes which would outlaw the use of anchored putters from 2016.

A 90-day consultation period for views on the rule changes to be expressed expires on Thursday but both the PGA Tour and the PGA of America oppose the move.

That raises the prospect of different rules being applied at different events and while McIlroy has previously stated he supports the ban, when speaking ahead of his defence of the Honda Classic, he appeared more concerned that rules are consistent across all competitions.

"I saw what (PGA Tour commissioner)Tim Finchem had to say and it seems like the European Tour is going to go a different way," McIlroy said.

"I read a thing Monty (Colin Montgomerie) said that this divide isn't good for golf and I don't think it is. We either need to all be on one side or the other.

"It's up to the governing bodies at the end of the day to decide. I sort of think it was a bit of a knee-jerk reaction to how much success people were having with it (players using long putters have won three of the last five majors).

"I'm all for people enjoying the game and trying to make the game as easy as possible and bringing people to the game, and if that means they should allow anchored putters to make it easier for the general public then that's a good thing.

"But then they talk about bifurcation, whether you should have one set of rules for us and one set for the amateurs and it's just a bit of a mess and opened a can of worms."

Asked if he thought the PGA Tour should go along with the USGA, McIlroy added: "I would. We have put the game of golf in the hands of the R&A and USGA for I don't know how many years and have always abided by the rules that they've set and I don't think there should be any difference."

And if that means allowing long putters, McIlroy appeared relaxed on the issue.

He said: "If it were up to me, whatever decision the USGA comes to, maybe the pressure the PGA Tour has put on them, they might change their minds and rethink about it, and if they do that it's totally fine with me."

2/26/2013

Scotland Welcomes McGinley

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Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond welcomed Paul McGinley, the captain of The 2014 European Ryder Cup team to Scotland on his first visit to the country since he was appointed.

The pair met at Bute House in Edinburgh, before McGinley travelled to Gleneagles for the first time since he was asked to lead Europe against the United States in 18 months’ time.

The duo discussed the on-going planning for next year’s event, which is forecast to generate more than £100m for the Scottish economy and attract more than 250,000 spectators during tournament week.

And Mr Salmond offered his best wishes to the Irishman, as he prepares to lead a European team in a Ryder Cup held in Scotland for the first time in 40 years.

The First Minister, who gave McGinley a gift of a boxed Hickory Putter from 1880, said: “I am absolutely delighted to welcome Paul back to the Home of Golf as he makes his first visit to Scotland as the European Ryder Cup captain.

“Paul has an enviable record in Ryder Cups, having never been on the losing side in the tournament and as a European golf fan I well remember his nerveless winning putt – and exuberant celebrations – at the Belfry in 2002!

“It is clear that the captaincy of the European Team is in terrific hands, and as excitement builds for the 2014 event at Gleneagles, I look forward to working with Paul, his team and all of our partners to ensure that we stage the best ever Ryder Cup.”

McGinley said: “I’m delighted to finally arrive in Scotland for the first time since being named captain for Gleneagles in 2014 and to have received such a warm welcome from the First Minister, Alex Salmond.

“I know a lot of work has already been undertaken in the last few years by a great team of people in preparation for 2014 and I am very much looking forward to being a part of that and making the event a great success.”

2/28/2013

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