Maguires in Helen Holm Mix

Lisa Maguire

Leona and Lisa Maguire were in first and joint fifth position respectively at the end of the second round of the Helen Holm Scottish Women's Open Amateur Strokeplay Championship in Ayrshire yesterday.

There have been only two big women's amateur championships in Europe so far this year and Leona won the Portuguese title and Lisa the Spanish championship.

Leona is in pole position to make it a family hat-trick with scores of 69 and 72 for a nine-under-par total of 141, one shot ahead of Dunfermline schoolteacher Louise Kenney (71-71) and England's Charlotte Ellis (73-69). Lisa Maguire is on 145 after rounds of 73 and 72.

74th World One Armed Championships

74th World Open One Armed Championships

June 13th -17th 2011

The Championships are open to one armed golfers of all handicaps. The format we use is practice on Saturday and Sunday with a match against the host club. On Monday and Tuesday everyone plays off scratch with the top 16 going through to the knock-out stages. Within that competition there are also handicap prizes. 

A stableford competition follows on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for non qualifiers whilst the top 16 qualifiers compete for the World Open title.

During the week there are also long driving, chipping and putting competitions. Where possible a match against the host clubs' ladies and a foursomes stableford over 9 or 12 holes.

Whatever your handicap come and join us for some great golf and a lot of camaraderie in the evenings.

Click here to download an Entry Form

For more information on the local area www.meathtourism.ie

County Meath Golf Club

Newtownmoynagh

Trim,

Co. Meath,

www.countymeathgolfclubtrim.ie

EUROPRO Tour at Fota Island in July

Fota Island Golf Club

The PGA EuroPro Tour will one of the 2011 season at the prestigious Fota Island Golf Club in Cork, Ireland. This will be the first time the Tour has held a tournament at the venue, which is widely regarded as one of the finest golf courses in the country.

The tournament will take place from Wednesday, July 6th to Friday, July 8th and will feature some of the brightest young golfers in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

“It’s fantastic news that Fota Island will be on the schedule this year and we’re very proud to announce this as it shows our commitment to adding quality courses to the calendar each year,” said Danny Nickless, Operations Manager for the PGA EuroPro Tour.

“Fota will be one of the highest quality venues that the Tour has ever visited and the players will be met with a world class golf course.

“Fota has staged the Irish Open in the past and Jonathan Woods and his team are very keen to support up and coming professionals as well as those playing on the main tour, I would like to thank Jonathan for giving the tour the opportunity to visit Ireland again. Our members should be extremely excited about visiting such a great golfing venue.”

The EuroPro Tour is the leading golf developmental tour in Europe and a host of former players have gone on to lift some of the biggest titles in the world.

Louis Oosthuizen won the 2010 Open after playing on the EuroPro Tour in 2003, while Ross Fisher was a member of the winning European Ryder Cup team only five years after playing on the EuroPro Tour.

A number of players, including Lloyd Saltman and Daniel Gaunt, will also be playing on this year’s European Tour after playing on the EuroPro Tour in 2010.

Gaunt’s story should act as an inspiration to any hopeful golfer. He lost his European Tour card in 2004 but practised hard and was determined to get back. He won the first EuroPro Tour event of 2010 – at Wensum Valley in Norfolk – and then struck a rich vein of form that saw him also finish twice on two occasions and third three times.

His performances on the EuroPro Tour saw him get a sponsors’ invite in to the English Challenge on the second-tier Challenge Tour and victory on that ensured he would spend the rest of the season playing on the Challenge Tour.

He then finished in the top 30 in nine out of ten Challenge Tour events to secure a return alongside the European golfing elite.

www.europrotour.com

Lee Valley Senior Scratch Cup - Scoring

LIVE SCORING

Check Out 3 Club Pass

Three of the country's leading golf clubs – Waterford Castle, Faithlegg, and Mount Juliet - have combined to offer exceptional value to golfers as the season gets in to full swing. The now established and original Three Club Golf Pass will allow holders to play one full round of golf on each of the three championship courses. The pass is priced at just €123 with a weekend rate supplement (this may differ per club).

The pass, the original and market leader, offers a significant saving to golfers visiting the region and is also designed to appeal to regular golfers in the south-east who are not members of the three clubs involved but who wish to sample their excellent courses. According to Gary Breen of South East Tourism, who are helping to promote the pass in overseas markets, it is vital that clubs such as the three involved in the pass work together.

"It is now more crucial than ever that service providers look at the situation afresh and strive to offer real value-for-money. In this instance, it is particularly significant to see three competing clubs uniting to develop and market a pass which allows golfers visiting the region to play three exceptional courses in their own time at a very reasonable price."

"Our marketing of the pass will be focused on areas of the UK where awareness already exists among many golfers of what is on offer in the superb golfing triangle created by Faithlegg, Mount Juliet and Waterford Castle. The current sterling-euro exchange rate makes this pass especially appealing to golfers originating in Wales and Northern Ireland while I know that many Irish golf societies and individuals will also be attracted by the great value on offer while the passes will also interest those buying corporate gifts."

Waterford Castle

A unique island golf course surrounded by the River Suir and accessed from Ballinakill in Waterford city by private ferry, Waterford Castle opened in 1992 and was designed by Des Smyth. The superbly-located course set on an historic island has water features on the second, third, fourth and sixteenth holes.

As Des Smyth himself commented after he first viewed the site in 1988, "The Island has a natural undulating landscape with mature forestation and beautiful views of the river. To develop a golf course there was a natural decision for anyone with a keen love of the game."

Faithlegg

Opened in May 1993, Faithlegg was designed by renowned Irish golf architect Patrick Merrigan and boasts a superb setting on the banks of the River Suir in east county Waterford with the course taking full advantage of a wonderful landscape of mature trees, flowing parkland and lakes.

At a championship yardage of 6,674 and a regular yardage from the white markers of 6,284, distance is rarely the main problem for those seeking to card a good score there. Rather, the perils of the course lie in its clever layout and slick, often wickedly contoured greens. (www.faithlegg.ie)

Mount Juliet

Created by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1991, the course at Mount Juliet is synonymous with golfing excellence and has played host to the world's leading golfers including Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Davis Love III and Vijay Singh, along with countless others, including Ireland's Pádraig Harrington and Darren Clarke.

The layout certainly delivers on the promises made by Nicklaus when he first explored the rich pastures near Thomastown, Co Kilkenny and exclaimed, "I think Mount Juliet gets high marks…It's just a beautiful piece of property on which to build a golf course." (www.mountjuliet.com)

The 3 Day Golf Pass is available from Golf Reception – contact 051 871633 or email golf@waterfordcastle.com. (Vouchers will be available from November 2008)

2 Club Golf Pass €75

Should you not have the time to avail of the 3 Club Pass then the 2 Club pass is for you. Exceptional value @ €75.00 to include golf at Waterford Castle and Faithlegg €15.00 supplement for each course if used on weekends. These two courses offer an enjoyable yet challenging test for golf, particularly Faithlegg where it's undulating greens will test anyone's short game.

3 Club Pass

Kilkea Golf Resort On Offer

Clubhouse

Kilkea Castle, Countyu Kildare, one of Ireland's best known historic hotels, together with its golf resort.

When the owner Arnosford Ltd placed it on the market last year the asking price was €16m. Now the receiver Jim Hamilton of BDO is asking for €6m.

Sitting on 140 acres the sale includes its 18 hole golf course and clubhouse as well as 27 of the 33 lodges. With its scenic castle backdrop, the hotel catered for up to 160 weddings a year at its peak attracting business from Dublin as well as the nearby towns of Castledermot, Athy and Carlow.

Paul Collins of agents CB Richard Ellis points out that it is conveniently located between junctions three and four of the M9 motorway linking the capital to Waterford and also linking to the M7 and Kildare's major towns.

A four star hotel, its accommodation includes 36 en suite bedrooms, a dining room, bar, two function rooms, a leisure centre with a 15m swimming pool and a fully equipped gym.

Of the 27 lodges included in the sale, nine have been completed each with three en suite bedrooms. Some of the others are substantially completed while others are at various stages of construction.

Other properties on the estate and included in the sale include a 27-bedroom staff block, an attractive stone cut gate lodge and an extensive disused nightclub and bar.

Arnosford was headed by American Dave Conway and had a lease agreement with another company Leoville which operated the hotel before it separately went into liquidation.

The 18 hole championship parkland golf course facilities include a three-storey purpose built clubhouse which includes a restaurant, bar, pro shop, snooker room and meeting rooms. The golf course was also very popular having approximately 135 members when it closed down from a peak of 290.

Originally built in 1180 by Norman warrior Hugh de Lacy, the castle is one of the largest inhabited castles in Ireland.

Rule of the Week - 6-2b/3

6-2b/3 Competitor Wins Competition with Handicap Which Was Incorrect Due to Committee Error; Error Discovered Several Days Later

Q:The Committee incorrectly calculated a competitor's handicap and posted it on the notice board as 17 when it should have been 16. The competitor won an 18-hole stroke-play event as a result of the error. May the Committee correct the error several days later and retract the prize?

A:Yes. There is no time limit on correcting such an error. Rule 34-1b is not applicable since it deals with penalties, not with Committee errors.

The competitor should not be disqualified but his net score should be increased by one stroke.

Tournaments - Coasts of Down 2011

The 2011 Coasts of Down golf tournament will take place from Wednesday 4th May to Friday 6th May at Kirkistown Castle, Ardglass and Royal County Down. The entry fee for host club members is £55 per person. For visitors the cost is £99 per person.

Anyone interested is participating in this tournament should visit www.coastsofdown.com. 

For further information call Posnett Golf on +44(0)2890455115

Introductory Offer - Youghal

New members to Youghal Golf Club, who have not previously been a member of the Club and have never held a GUI /ILGU handicap, can avail of a new Introductory Membership Offer of just €400 subscription.

This offer is valid for the 2010/11 membership season i.e. 1st October 2010 to 30th September 2011. For an application form for this, or any other category of membership, please contact Margaret at the office on (024) 92787 or youghalgolfclub@eircom.net.

How Do I Join Youghal Golf club ?

Learn how to become a member and the different catagories of membership that exist.

Membership is currently open for all categories of golfer – beginners, improvers, experienced and advanced. Ladies and gents have equal membership with equal rights.

Election to Membership

The Management Committee elects Social Members, Honorary Members, Honorary Life Members and Corporate Members. The maximum number of members in each category is decided by the Management Committee, in consultation with the respective clubs.

The Men’s Club Committee elects male playing members and the Ladies’ Branch Committee elects female playing members.

www.youghalgolfclub.ie

Monty and Casey in PowerPlay Golf

European Tour stars Colin Montgomerie and Paul Casey to feature in spectacular new global PowerPlay Golf series and will attend press conference on April 13th 

Ryder Cup winning Captain Colin Montgomerie and world number seven Paul Casey are the first star players to sign up to play in one or more of the innovative PowerPlay Golf professional events that will be beamed live across the globe in 2011. Backed by major investment from Convers Sports Initiatives (CSI), the three-hour tournaments will each feature 12 superstar tour golfers of all ages and both sexes. 

PowerPlay Golf is an exciting new short form of the game that will deliver captivating viewing for sports fans. Played over nine holes, with two flags on every green, golfers can score extra points by taking a limited number of 'PowerPlays' to the harder Black Flag, creating exciting risk-and-reward decisions on each tee. 

Montgomerie and Casey will both be attending PowerPlay Golf's press conference at The Celtic Manor Resort, City Of Newport, Wales, on Wednesday 13th April, at 1400 UK time, alongside PowerPlay Golf Chairman Ken Schofield CBE and Executive Director Peter McEvoy OBE. Details of the new televised professional golf series will be revealed, as well as the date, field and location for its opening event, details of a major global sponsorship deal, and the strategy to roll the format out to club golfers around the world. 

Montgomerie, who will make his PowerPlay Golf debut in the Autumn, is passionate about developing new ways to fuel demand for golf and is enthusiastic about the part PowerPlay Golf can play, "PowerPlay Golf is exactly what golf has been looking for. I am really looking forward to playing in some of the live TV events over the next few years and hope that PowerPlay Golf can play its part in generating more interest in our game and stimulating more regular play from club golfers". 

Casey will tee-up in the inaugural event in the early summer and, like Montgomerie, can see the wider benefits of a new short form of the game. "I really hope PowerPlay Golf catches on at grass roots level and gets people out playing more often. I am sure we can put on a great show in the first event to kick-start the two flag game and do for golf what Twenty20 has done for cricket". 

With more big names for the first event to be unveiled at the press conference, including current Major winners, Ryder Cup stars and legends of the game, PowerPlay Golf looks set to be the most significant development on the golf news agenda this season. 

A new website at www.powerplay-golf.com will go live shortly and the press conference will be streamed live from the website and across the internet on April 13th. 

Chance to Steer Turvey out of “Rough”

Kieran Wallace of KPMG, Savills has been appointed to sell Turvey Golf & Country Club in Donabate, in north County Dublin.

Turvey Golf & Country Club was originally created in 1995 on the grounds of the historic Turvey House, which is now in ruins. The club was bought by the members in August 2003; however in 2010 the club was put into receivership.

The property is located on Turvey Avenue near Donabate Village, just off the M1 Motorway in North County Dublin. The facility comprises an 18-hole parkland course, which includes a golf clubhouse with 12-bedroom accommodation extending to a gross internal area of approximately 1,269 sq m with a total site area of approximately 58.42 hectares (144.36 acres) in total. 

Savills are offering the property for sale in three lots, with Lot 1 extending to approximately 3.83 hectares (9.47 acres), Lot 2 extending to approximately 54.59 hectares (134.89 acres) and Lot 3 being the entire. 

The entire is located in an area zoned objective ‘OS’ under the Fingal County Council Development Plan 2005-2011, which is“to preserve and provide for open space and recreational amenities”. This zoning objective seeks to provide recreational and amenity resources for urban and rural populations, with the following uses permitted in principle - Community Centre, Community Facilities, Cultural Uses, Golf Course, Open Space, Recreational Facilities/Sports Club, Woodland/ Urban Forestry.

According to Mark Reynolds this is an excellent opportunity to develop a multitude of uses and considering the guide price would no doubt appeal to local farmers as the price per acre equates €12,000. 

Lot 1 includes the existing clubhouse accommodation and would therefore be ideally suited to nursing home, hotel or recreational facilities such as sports clubs and sports related facilities (subject to the necessary planning consent). 

Lot 2 would also suit a variety of additional uses. 

Savills are quoting an asking price of €750,000 for Lot 1, €1.5 million for Lot 2 and €2.25 million for the entire. 

A certain degree of flexibility is being offered with regard to the lot sizes.

www.savills.ie

Club News - Michael Craddock RIP

The death has occurred of Michael (Mick) Craddock (Malahide) on Saturday 2nd April 2011.

The former captain and president of Malahide Golf Club was Irish team captain at the turn of the millennium and spent many years involved in the GUI, both as a volunteer and as a member of staff.

Brother to the legendary Tom, and born into a family synonymous with golf in Dublin, Leinster, Ireland and beyond, Mick was an established golfer himself enjoying much success as an amateur.

He will be sadly missed by all in the GUI at National Level, in the Branches and by his former colleagues alike.

General Secretary, Seamus Smith said "Today the Golfing Union of Ireland lost a very dear friend. Mick played a wonderful role in the GUI down through the years and having worked with him in his role of Irish Team Captain, and also as a work colleague at many Championships around the country, I saw how popular and respected he was everywhere he went."

Funeral details will be available here as soon as they are published.

May he rest in peace.

www.malahidegolfclub.ie

McVeigh Plays R&A Foundation Scholars

Danielle McVeigh

Two Curtis Cup stars will arrive in St Andrews next week in search of victory in The R&A Foundation Scholars Tournament, which takes place over theEden and Old courses. Pamela Pretswell and Danielle McVeigh will line up along with another 58 talented, young university golfers, who receive R&A funding to assist them to continue their competitive golf careers, while completing their higher education. 

At stake is a starting place in a Ladies European Tour event for the women’s champion and, for the men’s winner, a place on the Great Britain and Ireland Palmer Cup team to face the USA at The Stanwich Club in Greenwich, Connecticut, on June 9th -11th.

Despite being defeated by the USA at Essex County Club last year, Pretswell and McVeigh acquitted themselves well, earning the first point of the match together with victory in the first of the Friday four-balls. Leading the GB&I team away on the final day, McVeigh went on to win her Sunday singles match against Jennifer Song, before competing in the Women’s British Open later in July.

Women’s 2010 R&A Foundation Scholars Tournament Champion, Kelsey Macdonald returns to defend the title she won on St Andrews’ Castle Course last year. Macdonald, who was a reserve for the Curtis Cup match in which Pretswell and McVeigh played, is the reigning Scottish Ladies’ (Close) Amateur Champion.

Taking their places in the men’s competition are Stirling University’s Bobby Rushford and Nicky Maddison, who are shortly to represent The R&A at the Manuel Prado Team Cup, which will take place at Lima Golf Club, Peru. 2006 Scottish Amateur Championship Bronze Medallist Rushford is the current Scottish Universities Order of Merit Champion.

For the 2010/2011 academic year, The R&A awarded a record number of Foundation scholarships, taking its support of student golf to over £300,000. 121 scholars from 12 countries, including Fiji, Japan and South Africa, have benefited.

60 competitors will play 36 holes of the Eden Course on Monday 4 April, before contesting 18 on the Old the following day. 

Supplier News - Powakaddy

The PowaKaddy Sport Lithium Brake's comes with the additional Electronic Braking System. In the EBS mode the EBS system produces a resistive force counteracting the pull from the trolley when travelling downhill giving you greater control. There are three levels of progressive braking for varying gradients. 

The PowaKaddy Sport Lithium Brake also features the simple to use ergonomic soft grip handle with a built-in responsive ambidextrous speed control roller combined with a fully integrated LCD display screen, and a separate Digital Distance Function (DDF) button allowing direct access to this feature.

The strong and lightweight material with a powerful yet whisper quiet 200 watt motor, PowaKaddy has developed an aesthetically pleasing but uncompromisingly robust, state-of-the-art electric trolley. A host of practical features come together to make the PowaKaddy Sport Lithium Brake one of the most complete trolleys on the market. It features a modern-looking white, black or graphite aluminium frame, a 3-way no-fuss folding mechanism, capable of fitting the trolley into the smallest of car boots; a battery-life monitor; digital clock; universal bag stay and soft grip pads suitable for all bag types.

As well as the Sport Lithium Brake option the new PowaKaddy Sport is available with top of the basic, lightweight Lithium battery, as well as 18 and 36 hole standard acid batteries.

www.powakaddy.co.uk