Clare Golf News April 2021
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Clare Golf News April 2021 Let The Season Masters 2021 Commence Girl Power Can The Irish Win Stay & Play 1 Next Generation 2 April 26th Editor: We are ready to Brendan Magill . Resume. It is fabulous to view online the many photos uploaded by the county clubs relaying to their members all the Contributors on-course work programs taking place at present. Not Ivan Morris (Lahinch) alone is the work on view essential seasonal work but also many course improvement projects. These work Padraig McGrath (Dromoland.) programs would not have been possible without the assistance of the many club volunteers who have come Brendan Magill (East Clare) together and under the guidance of their greenkeepers Nick Ryan (East Clare) did an excellent job of work. Then there is the off course, tasks: the work that we, the Sinead Sexton (Spanish Point) general membership, don't see, Club Administration. This body of work (Membership retention programs, Michael Hogan Annual memberships invoices, Green Fees, Grant appli- cations, Payrolls, and the list goes on) must run in parallel to the course maintenance task for golf clubs to Contents succeed and look their best. Over these past twelve months, the professional manner • County Championships by which all these teams of volunteers have undertaken all these tasks is, quite frankly, excellent well done to • Best Golf Holes everyone involved. Now that the government has set a date for which golf clubs can reopen, the 26th of April. • New Grips the club members can get back to playing golf and see at first hand all the work completed by the volunteers dur- • Can the Irish Win ing their absence • Ladies Golf Now that your course is looking its best, the challenge will be to maintain that standard going forward. For • Junior Golf. clubs with large memberships of seven hundred plus, this will be very much achievable. For the smaller clubs • New to Golf Fitness. in our county, this will be a challenge. This challenge can only be met by growing their membership and also • County Golf. green fee revenue in order to maintain this standard. • Clare Staycation. All members of these small clubs will, I am sure, continue to play their part (payment of annual subs on time, bring friends along for a game of golf, volunteer Email [email protected] where we can) as has been done over the last number of years and in particular the twelve months gone past. Phone 087-9165937 Again well done to all involved. 3 Clare Delights Par Five Frist @ Doonbeg My Favourite Golf Holes No – there is a difference). does not match Doonbeg's. A Everyone is entitled to personal tee shot from an elevated tee is in County Clare favourites but when, out of the always more inspiring than blue, you are challenged to playing uphill from a flat stance. by Ivan Morris name them in public and justify The sight and sound of Atlantic your choices, it's not as easy as waves over on the left and the My grandfather (1879-1956) and his father (1837-1912) you might think. beautiful corridor of dunes before him, were both born in ahead cannot be beaten. The Three on Linksland Ennis and named Michael White. green may be all of 550-yards+ away but with a little help from This genealogy may have given First holes are important. They the Editor of Claregolf the prevailing south-westerly, set the tone. Don't we all have the green is just about in range justification to invite a Limerick- some degree of expectation and man to choose his 'favourite' in two solid blows provided a excitement standing on any first lively forward bounce sees my golf holes in County Clare. tee before every round we play? Maybe being a member of ball running past the bunker in County Clare is blessed with two the middle of the wide fairway. Lahinch since 1966 and an of the most atmospheric first 'honorary' member at Doonbeg The fairway tapers down tees anywhere in the world. considerably for the second shot almost since it opened in 2002, Walking out the front door of long before I wrote before widening out again, short the Lahinch clubhouse and and to the right of a dramatic, The Doonbeg Ghosts in 2006, stepping onto the magnificent was the influencer? I mention green amphitheatre. If unsure tee (as big as a tennis court) for of reaching this safe area, it's 'favourite holes' advisedly a match in the South of Ireland because I am half-ignoring the wiser to lay up 110-yards short gave me 'goose bumps' for and attempt to play onto the brief I was given. Before I 38-years (not for as long as my begin: I do not approve of best green from there. Doonbeg's friend Noel Pyne experienced first is (easily) my favourite golf lists or golf course rankings them, but long enough) In my hole in all of Clare. (course ratings, yes; rankings, eyes, though, Lahinch's first hole 4 Clare Delights guarantee of shooting par! The through an inverted funnel of On my way back to Lahinch, I'm difficulty is needing half a club magnificent trees. The drive always happy to drop into Span- extra to get over a deceptive must be as straight as a die or ish Point to play its superb 9th false front in the knowledge that you will be chipping out hole: par 3, 160yards. Again, shooting too far past the pin sideways. The green rises steeply from an elevated tee, this hole leaves a putt that requires expert from right to left. The upper level can play anything between an judgement of line and pace. The is protected by no less than three 8-iron to a driver depending on Parkland Three Again, playing bunkers but going long is the the force and direction of the from the high ground well above biggest mistake of all. Miss the wind. The green is small and well the fairway, a lone tree in the fairway on the right of the -protected, hit it in regulation, middle of the fairway plays tricks 403-yards, par 4, 9th at East and there is an excellent chance at Woodstock's, 430yards, par 4, Clare turns the hole into a 'three of finishing with a two; miss it 7th hole. Will I go right of it or shot' par five at best. A drive long, left or right, and you might left of it; can I even squeeze past onto the left half of a deceptively end up with a double bogey and it? The usually long second shot wide fairway may set up a longer go home crying instead of is played over a lake towards a second shot, but it is the strate- smiling! Out of the entire 36 stepped green that is deeper gic play and takes the large lake holes at Lahinch, I most enjoy than it appears. Under club and short and right of the green out playing the par 4, 363 yards 11th you will fall into a large play. East Clare features the best on the Castle Course. The ground green-side, bunker. An excellent collection of par 3s in the county is flat with a gentle rise towards golf hole – no wonder it is and it may be the most a severely slanted, large green. Index 1. The 407-yards, par 4, under-rated course in Clare! Being on in regulation is no 8th hole at Dromoland is played Par Four Eight @ Dromoland 5 County Championship County winners in 2019 left to right. S.Kenny (Shannon ) M.Whelan (Ennis) C.Spicer (Dromoland) L.Carey (East Clare) D.Casey (Shannon) N.Melody (Dromoland) E.Magill (East Clare) Here at Claregolf, our mission is among junior golfers. It has led individuals can be crowned to build a golfing community to juniors winning national titles county champions. among Clare's clubs and their and adding strength to club To step onto the first tee at a members. Within that teams competing in the Golf regional or national competition community, when a club team or Ireland Inter-Club competitions. as a county champion will surely an individual player achieves All club captains wish to see give the individual golfer or club success at national or their club teams compete team a strong belief and international level, we, the vigorously within the national confidence in their ability to community, can take pride and inter-club competition compete. celebrate that success. How can structure. To do so, players on such success be achieved? Over these teams must acquire the last number of years, the experience and achieve success Clare clubs' junior sections came at the club and county level. The together to introduce an under- clubs provide a full calendar of age competition structure that club competitions at present, provides the County League, and participation at this level County Championships, and can only be the starting point. Matchplay finals. This structure The next step should be to has been hugely successful in replicate the junior structure for the development of the game the adult level, where teams and 2020 County League Champions. Dromoland 6 County Championship County winners in 2020 left to right. Tom Clancy Kilrush. Eoin Magill East Clare. Niall Melody Dromoland Rory Lillis Kilrush. Claregolf wishes to take the first finals matches will be played at or so. If you would like to step in introducing the adult a neutral venue over eighteen participating in such a County Matchplay champion- holes. if a match is tied after the championship, please follow the ships in 2021.