Golf Digest Ireland at Royal Dublin

Sadly, not me.

Golf Digest Ireland is running a series of 12 amateur events this year, with a prize fund of over €8,000 up for grabs. It is the ‘largest prize fund in Irish amateur golf’ and it’s packed with extras that will make most amateur golfers feel utterly spoilt… and you get to play over some of Ireland’s premier clubs, too.

On June 16th it was at Royal Dublin, and it was too good an opportunity to miss.

Roganstown Golf and Country Club - Job Vacancy

Roganstown Golf and Country Club are looking for a Sales and Marketing Manager. Only a mild coincidence that I played with a Roganstown member at Bunclody a week ago and my background is Marketing.


Roganstown is a resort-type affair with a hotel and a big Christy O'Connor designed course wrapped around it. The course is mostly flat, with water features galore and plenty of Christy's trademark mounding.


If you'd like more details, read on.

A Bridge to Royal County Down

Last week the folks in Northern Ireland stumped up their portion of the cash to build a bridge from county Louth to county Down.

An 'artist's' impression

The scheme will provide a new single carriageway link between Omeath and Warrenpoint, connecting the R173 Omeath Road and the A2 dual carriageway across the Newry River at Narrow Water. 

Why is this newsworthy on a golf blog?

Because it will make one of the world's greatest golf courses even easier to reach from Dublin. Royal County Down is roughly an hour and three quarters from Dublin, at the moment, but the bridge would side-step Newry and knock a healthy chunk of time off that 105 minutes... maybe 15 minutes, maybe more.

Dad plays into the 2nd at Royal County Down (Feb 2012).

The length of the cable-stayed bridge will be 195 metres and it should/could be open as early as 2015.

Personally, I'd like to see it launched by Failte Ireland, with Rory McIlroy on one shore and Padraig Harrington on the other, driving balls across the Narrow Water... anytime one of the boys fails to carry the sea, a politician from the opposite shore has to jump in and swim across to the other side.

It would certainly capture the media's attention.

Inside The Ropes - Bunclody Golf Club

View of the 18th green from the clubhouse deck

In 2012, Bunclody won the ‘Hidden Gem’ award in the annual ‘Golfer’s Guide to Ireland’ magazine. Quite a feat considering it only opened for play in 2009. Tucked away on the Wexford/Carlow border, the course stretches over 300 acres of an old estate. It is a wonderful golfing experience, from the moment you take the long, winding drive through tall trees and alongside the River Slaney, to the time you slip into a comfortable chair on the terrace after 18 holes.

And three golfers were about to find out how wonderful it is.

Winner of 4 Irish Open 'Any Day' Tickets

Congratulations to Declan Basquille on winning the tickets for the Irish Open. Four tickets and four days to choose from so I guess you could be really selfish, Declan, and go on your own each day!

Drop me a line and I'll arrange for tickets to head your way.

Thanks for all the entries - almost everybody got the right answers, which were:

Q1. In what years did Seve win back-to-back Irish Opens? 
1985 and 1986
Q2. What colour trousers was Sam Torrance wearing on the final day, when he won in 1981? 
Green
Q3. In 1990, which two players did Olazabal beat by three shots? 
Mark Calcavecchia and Frank Nobilo
Q4. Who is the Touring Pro for Carton House? 
Shane Lowry

Enjoy the Irish Open, and if you want to see that 'Greening in the Years' video again, with a blast of Thin Lizzy to clear the cobwebs, then just click here.

Champ - What Don't You Think About on A Golf Course?

Think about all the things you don't think about on the golf course...

... once you're out there you don't give much thought to the spikes on your shoes do you? As long as they're doing their job, why worry.

And what about tees? What about your pitch mark repairer?

Silloth on Solway Golf Club - A Review

History

The clubhouse from the 2nd tee

Silloth on Solway is a small town on Cumbria’s north west coastline, looking down the Solway Firth to the Isle of Man. It thrived as a Victorian seaside resort in the 1860s, and the wide, cobbled streets will take you back a generation or two. In those days, the town was connected to the world via a railway link to Carlisle, 20 miles to the east. Indeed, it was the North British Railway Company which founded the golf club in 1892 – an obvious extension to the company’s development of the town.

The Irish Open... Win Tickets with Your Memories

Portmarnock's acclaimed 18th

It's that time of year in Irish Golf, when we get to watch many of Europe's best golfers - and the odd American - compete on our shores. The Irish Open may have had its financial struggles in recent years, but it has made the cut... and so it should. It is a showcase for our country and our golfers, and while the weather doesn't always play ball, there is plenty to enjoy. Did the weather matter one bit as we watched Shane Lowry defeat the rain and Robert Rock to collect the trophy in 2009? No, and it's still a buzz to think that we have four Irish golfers who are Major champions. Seeing these guys in person and up close may be all it takes to bring young kids into the fold.