Lahinch retain Clare junior title

Evidence of a bright future was seen at Lahinch Golf Club last week when the club retained the Clare Junior Cup League title. The Clare Junior Golf League, a competition organised on a team basis, has been running since 2007.
Eight boys under the age of 16 represent each club. They play five outings in the year at Lahinch Castle Course, Ennis, Shannon, Dromoland and East Clare. The five best Stableford scores from each team count.
After the five rounds were played this year, Lahinch had finished first and so had a home venue for the play-off with Ennis, who were in second place.
The format for the final was match play-off handicap. On a very windy afternoon last Sunday, Lahinch emerged victorious by 51/2 matches to 21/2. Golf was of a very high standard considering the conditions. It is Lahinch’s third time winning the league, they previously won in 2007 and 2010.
They now go on to play Castletroy, who are Limerick champions.

Lahinch
Anna Glynn was the winner of the ladies’ singles v par competition on the championship course in Lahinch last week with a score of four down.
In Thursday’s men’s open singles Stableford competition, Gerry Gough (12) was the winner with 36 points from Rory Keating (9) on 35 points and John Malone (11) with 31 points. Terry Buckley won the gross with 25 points.
In Saturday’s men’s singles Stableford competition, Kevin McGrath (5) won with 37 points from Darragh Gough (15) with 36 points and John Madden (18) with 36 points.
The competition on Sunday was a men’s fourball and the winners were Paul O’Brien (6) and Michael J Gilmartin (15) with 45 points.
The open singles will continue on this Thursday.

Spanish Point
Last Saturday, a group from Ringenane Golf Club, Kinsale, arrived to play the second leg of the Hillery-Lynch Shield (in memory of Paddy Hillery and Jack Lynch, former members) and over 30 of their members were in the party.
The inter-club competition was introduced last year when the then local captain, Gary Carroll and Hugh Crowley of Ringenane organised the first outing and it will continue as an annual challenge between the two clubs. It is open to all members, played over two legs in mixed fourball format and Spanish Point travelled to Kinsale last April for what was a very enjoyable weekend.
The visitors brought a good lead to the second leg and despite some good scoring by the local pairings, Ringenane held out and won the Shield for 2011.
Best score of the day was brought in by vice-captain, Noel McMahon and former lady captain (2009), Val Ross with 41 points. The trophy was presented to the Ringenane captains at a function in the Belbridge Hotel.
With the final golfer-of-the year competition completed recently, the result was in the balance virtually to the last card of the last competition and in this tight finish Bernie O’Halloran (19) came through to win the Golfer of the Year 2011 title. Friday’s nine-hole team scramble was won by Shane Fitzgerald (14), Brendan Reddan (16), Rory Sexton (22) and Johnny Wilson (15) with five-under gross. The winner of the weekend singles was Joe O’Rourke (18) with 40 points from PJ Kileen (17) with 39 points and  John Meere (14) with 36 points. This weekend sees the beginning of the turkey competitions and organiser, Eoghan O’Loughlin has completed the schedule, which is posted in the clubhouse. It starts with a team of three or four scramble For the club’s seniors the Clare-Galway winter alliance has started and a schedule of the outings are on the noticeboard.

Tourism conference
Shannon Development and Shannon Conference and Sports Bureau announced this week that the 14th annual IGTOA networking event, golf classic and Gala Irish Golf Awards is to be hosted at Adare Manor Hotel and Golf Resort and Thomond Park Stadium from October 22 to 24.
This annual event, hosted in association with BEM Ireland, is the largest gathering of golf tourism industry professionals on the island of Ireland and is hosted each year with support from Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland. This year’s event is celebrating the designation European City of Sport that Limerick City enjoys and is a signature event in the golf and tourism sector.
The three-day conference is designed to showcase the best that Ireland has to offer as a leading golf and tourism destination. It is primarily a networking event with Ireland’s leading golf tour operators and is designed to stimulate new business for golf tourism in Ireland.
Speaking about the event, Dr Vincent Cunnane, CEO of Shannon Development, said, “With over 25 top-quality golf courses to choose from, including world-rated international standard championship links courses at Lahinch and Doonbeg, Shannon Development is actively promoting the Shannon Region as a location for golf tourism, which is worth an estimated €40 million to the Irish economy annually.”  
The highlight of the event is the Gala Irish Golf Awards, which is a national awards ceremony recognising the very best in the Irish golf and tourism industry, which takes place on Monday October 24 at Thomond Park Stadium.
It will be hosted by CNN Living golf presenter Shane O’Donoghue. A number of Shannon Region sorting celebrities will participate in the event in support of Limerick European City of Sport 2011.

Portumna
In the open Monday competition, JP McLoughlin (2) was the winner with 42 points from Emmet Major (15) with 38 points and Oliver Rooney (19) with 36 points. The gross was won by John Ozenbrook (4) with 31 points.
The winner went round in four-under par with 13 pars, five birdies and a bogey.
In the singles competition at Portumna on Sunday, the winner was Michael Kennedy (13) with 38 points from Paul Porter (6) with 37 points and Dean Cox (13) with 36 points. The gross was won by JP McLoughlin (2) with 33 points, while Tony Cummins (21) won the seniors category with 36 points.
Portumna and Gort have qualified for the Connacht Shield final, which is played on a home-and-away basis. Gort hosted the first round, where Portumna only managed to win one out of the five matches. Next week, Portumna play Gort at home and have it all to do. They will need to win all of their matches to win the Shield. B
This Saturday between 2pm and 6pm Portumna are hosting an open day, which  is for anyone thinking of taking up the game.

Woodstock
Tom Malone (18) was the winner of the open singles at Woodstock last week with 34 points. Sunday’s club championship was won by Kieran Cunnane (scratch) with 68 nett from Mike Kelly (16) with 71 nett and Ken Horgan (10) with 71 nett, Tony Nugent (4) won the gross with 78.
There will be a club singles this week.

Shannon
In the men’s 18-hole fourball v par at Shannon, Eamon Fanneran (10) and Tom O’Dea (13) were winners with 13 up from James Bullman (15) and Jamie O’Shea (2) with 11 up. In third place with eight up were Barrie (14) and Dermot Murphy (19).
Sunday’s men’s singles was won by Patrick Murphy (17) with 44 points from Pádraig Cahillane (4) with 42 points, Liam Hogan (12) with 41 points, Ben Coady (8) with 40 points and Kieran Moloney (15) with 40 points. Ed Hickey (1) won the gross with 33 points.
In the open singles last Wednesday, Eamonn Cregan (12) was the winner with 40 points from Denis O’Brien (6) with 39 points and Eric Daly (14) with a similar score. Ed Hickey (1) won the gross.
Thursday’s open seniors’ singles was won by John Mooney (20) with 46 points from William O’Brien (5) with 43 points, Liam Moloney (16) with 42 points, Danny Finnegan (16) with 42 points, Colm McNevin, Ennis (15) with 42 points, Paul O’Halloran (18) with 39 points, Christy Sherlock (15) with 39 points, Michael Carroll (19) with 39 points, Christy Power (14) with 39 points and John Monahan (22) with 38 points. One-hundred-and-fourteen played in the competition in which Michael Mulcahy recorded a hole in one at the 17th.  The presentation will take place this Thursday at 3.30pm.

Ennis
The winner in the ladies’ 18-hole Stableford competition at Ennis at the weekend was Peggy Duggan with 31 points from Bríd Cunningham, who had a similar score.
In the Ennis seniors outing last Thursday, the winners were Jack Keane, Connor Murphy, Peter Farrelly, Michael Cummins and Michael Carmody on 75 from Tom Fox, Tom Pender, TJ Kearns and Seamus D’Arcy on 75. In third place were Tom Purcell, John Keane, Michael Culliney and Pádraig Ryan on 73 followed by Dick Herbert, Pat Cahill, Seamus Hanrahan and Bill Lacey on 71.

Dromoland
Leonard Shanahan was the winner of the monthly medal at Dromoland with 68. The gross was won by Tony Cleary with 75.
In the singles Stableford competition the winner was Shane Mowat with 38 points from Kieran Newman on 34 points.
There will be a singles Stableford competition this weekend.
The draw for the senior’s matchplay has taken place and the details are posted on the club noticeboard.

Gort
Brendan Harte was the winner of the Monday open singles at Gort with 37 points.
There will be an 18-hole open singles competition this weekend.
In the ladies’ singles Stableford competition for the Rockfield Cup, Siobhán Forde was the winner with 35 points from Gabrielle Warnock on 34 points and Helen McCormack on 33 points.
There will be a ladies’ fourball competition this weekend.

Kilrush
The Joe Whelan open singles at Kilrush on Sunday was won by Pat Brennan (8) with 40 points from Brendan Carrig (25) with a similar score.
In the ladies’ competition last Thursday, Mary Nolan (16) was the winner with 35 points from Margaret Clancy (15), who had a similar score. Niamh Whelan (10) was next with 33 points while the category winners were Anne Gallagher (18) with 32 points, Geraldine Burke (20) with 33 points and Freda Moran (34) with 32 points.
In the seniors’ president’s (Jim McSwiggan) prize, the winner was Tom Prendeville with 34 points from Pat Shannon on 32 points, Denis Hassett on 30 points, Peter Glynn with 29 points, Murt Collins with 20 points and Brendan McNamara with 29 points. Matt Fitzpatrick won the past president’s prize with 29 points while the winners of the sevens were Bill Murphy and Noel Enright. 

East Clare
In the men’s singles at East Clare at the weekend, the winner was Brendan Foley (11) with 38 points from John Duffy (13) with 36 points and Richard Tuite (10) with a similar score.
In the men’s seniors outing, the winners were John Stack and Mick Ryan from John Brett and John Farrell, with third spot filled by Tony McNulty and John S Kelly.
Mairéad Toomey won the ladies’ singles from Noreeen Skehan and Nancy Starr while the ladies’ seniors’ competition was won by Brigid Minogue from Noreen Ryan.
There will be an 18-hole singles for men and ladies this weekend.

Lifford FC
Lifford AFC, celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, hosted the annual Frank Flaherty Memorial Golf Classic at Ennis on Saturday.
The winners of the team competition were Martin O’Neill, Kieran Coleman, Kieran Quinn and Michael Miniter with 95 points. They had four to spare over John Ryan, Niall Griffin, Tony McInerney and Michael Liddy, with third spot filled by Eamonn Kelly, Brendan Considine, Charlie McEnery and Ger Hanrahan, who also scored 91 points.
David Russell won the long drive while Sean Griffin won the prize for nearest the pin.
The club will hold its 50th anniversary dinner at the Auburn Lodge Hotel on Saturday, October 29 and tickets are available from Deirdre at 086 2474006

Sixmilebridge
Sixmilebridge Society will hold an outing to Castletroy this Saturday, when the tee is reserved from 10am to 11am.

Clarecastle
Joe Green produced a superb round of golf to claim the president’s prize (Liam Barry), recently held at the K Club. Colin Higgins came second with Len Shanahan third and Niall McMahon taking fourth prize. John McEntee and Frank Conway claimed the respective nines. Liam Barry had the longest drive and John Casey won the nearest-the-pin prize. Bernard Hanrahan was the winner of the past president’s prize and Noel Barry was the winner of the guests’ section. The next outing will be to Nenagh on Saturday October 8, with the first tee being reserved from 9am.

Pitch and putt
Paddy Sheedy was the winner of the v par competition at the Clare Road Pitch and Putt club on Sunday. Marty Fawl was in second place followed by Denis McElligott.
The Clare County board matchplay competition will take place this Sunday at the Clare Road club at 10am.