This year’s Al Eile Stud qualifier series concluded on Sunday last, with 55 golfers heading out in search of a share of more than €3,000 in prizes across the three handicap categories.

Rumour has it, the captain had a quiet word with the greenkeepers beforehand, because there were some devilish pin positions out there. Whether that’s true or not, the scoring suggested the course proved a challenge for all involved.

In Category 1 (0 to 10), Jonathan Hanlon proved a very popular winner of this category, leading the way with 34 points. Mark Lynch second on 32, with Daragh Herlihy third on 31.

Category 2 (11 to 18) produced the best golf of the day, with Paul Kelleher topping the scoring with 38 points, the highest score across all three categories. Brian Fox and Richard Tobin were just a point behind, both finishing on 37, with Captain Brian taking 2^nd on countback.

Denis Looby won Category 3 (19 and over) with 36 points, one clear of Tomas Curran on 35. Kenny Murphy was third on 33.

The club thanked Michael Ryan of Al Eile Stud for his generous sponsorship of the series, and Michael Dunford, who presented the prizes on behalf of Al Eile Stud.

Club Matchplay Final’s Day.

In addition to the Al Eile final, Sunday afternoon was reserved for this year’s matchplay finals.

The Mixed Foursomes Plate Final, between Diarmuid Horgan / Mary Donnelly and Liam O’Brien / Una Mulligan opened proceedings while the sun was just rising (as was Liam also competing in the Men’s singles later in the afternoon). While Diarmuid & Mary got off to a quick start winning the first, Liam & Una’s superior distance allowed them to take control of the match and close it out.

In the main Mixed Foursomes event (sponsored by Topline Currans), Nathan Whelan & Denise Nugent took on David McCarthy & Aisling Shanahan. This was envisaged to be a tight affair, with lots of laughs along the way. Following on her recent run of good form, Denise, ably supported by Nathan took early control of this game, going 7 up at one point. But Aisling and David are nothing if not resilient and fought back gamely as they entered the back nine, taking the match to the 16^th.

Next out in the Men’s Singles Plate Final was Peter Hayes and Brian Hilliard. A bit of Kerry cuteness and learned experiences losing euro’s on a Sunday morning helped Brian Hilliard to take control of this match, and close out a comfortable victory over Peter.

The Men’s Singles Final was a showdown between Liam O’Brien & Conor Blackwell, with Liam taking on his second match of the day. With both having similar handicaps, this proved to be a very tight and high-quality affair, going all the way to the 18^th hole. A long par putt and a missed birdie determined the outcome, with Liam gaining his second title of the day.

Finally, the Men’s Fourball Final, Craig Flynn & Philip Spratt took on Mark Coles & Eddie Glavin. This was another very tight match, going all the way to the 18^th. In the end, Mark and Eddie had just enough in hand to close out the match. Maybe the greenkeepers didn’t have enough devilish pin positions. Overall, a fantastic day of matchplay competition and a great climax to the summer season. In his acceptance speech, Liam O’Brien spoke about the importance of having a strong matchplay culture within the club, and how it can help build and support our inter-club teams going forward. After a great interclub matchplay season, lets hope we can build on this next year.  

Irish Injured Jockeys Golf Classic a Great Success

West Waterford Golf Club hosted the Irish Injured Jockeys Golf Classic on Wednesday, 16th September, and the weather couldn’t have been better. Golfers from the racing world and beyond turned out for a good day in aid of the charity, on a course in superb condition thanks to our greenkeeping team.

Racing was well represented, with former Champion Jockey Charlie Swan, Frank Berry, Mouse Morris, David Marnane, Brian Hayes, Rickie Doyle, John Gleeson and Gary O’Brien of Racing TV among those present.

The team from Redweld Stables took first place with 93 points (Redmond McGrath, Paul Kelleher, Kyle Cunningham and Mike Fenton). Dungarvan Point-to-Point (John Moran, Liam Carroll, Pat Murray and Diarmuid Horgan) were second on 89 points on countback, ahead of Cass & Co (Stephen Cass, David Moloney, Richie Mahoney and Lee Compton) in third. Team John Gleeson (John Gleeson, Vinny Maguire, Charles Shanahan and Conor Houlihan) came fourth. Charlie Treen won Longest Drive, sponsored by Flahavan’s, and Liam Hansbury took Nearest the Pin, sponsored by Colin O’Gorman Golf.

Michael Higgins, General Manager of Irish Injured Jockeys, thanked the club, the Classic committee and Club Professional Colin O’Gorman for organising the day, while Chairman Paddy Corkery said the club was delighted to work with the charity and to welcome so many visitors.

Our thanks to the greenkeepers, volunteers, committees, Pro Shop and catering staff, and to all our sponsors: Redweld Stables, Briar Lane Stud, Kilbarry Lodge Stud, Uniquely, the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association, Matchbook Betting and Noel Cummins Bookmaker.

Tuesday Treats Final Night (Sponsored by Blackwater Agri)

Tuesday Treats, nine holes and it’s all fun. Think of it as golf’s answer to T20 cricket. It’s the same game, just a shorter, faster and very sociable. You get out, play your nine on a sunny summer’s evening after work, have a laugh with the lads and a bit of craic in the clubhouse after. Nobody takes it too seriously (well, maybe one or two), and the point is to enjoy a round in good company. This is why our Blackwater Agri sponsored Tuesday Treats competition has been so successful, nine holes and it’s all fun.

This coming Tuesday evening, 22^nd Sept is the final night of this year’s series. At this point, the first and second places on the series are assured, with Mark Coles leading on 345 pts, followed by Liam O’Brien on 290pts. However, the minor spots are still up for grabs with Conor Walsh, John Corbett and Ronan Culloo all vying for 3^rd place and only 6 points between them. Neil Parks a further 7 points back is not without a chance.

So, if you can’t get out before dark this Tuesday night, come along to the clubhouse for the prizegiving, a bit of craic and some finger food.

Gents Results:

Tues 15^th Sept. 1^st Michael O’Keeffe 23pts; 2^nd Ronan Culloo 21pts.

Sat 19^th / Sun 20^th Club Competition: Cat 1: Mark Lynch 30 pts; Cat 2 Richie Hurley 28pts Cat 3 Shane McCarthy 33pts.

Ladies Results:

Thurs 17^th Sept. Ladies Florida step-aside 3-person scramble

1^st Nora Flynn, Emily Comerford (Carrick-on-Suir GC) & Mary Fahey 66 net.; 2^nd Una Mulligan, Mary Lou Carroll & Rosie Murphy 67 net

This week’s events:

Gents

• Tues 22^nd Sept.: Gents Tuesday Treats, open 9-hole stableford.
• Sat 26^th / Sun 27^th Club Monthly Medal (final round of Men’s golfer of the year).

Ladies

• Thursday 24^th Sat 26^th & Sun 27^th Sept.: Ladies 18-hole Stableford GOY
• Ladies 9-hole qualifier – Thurs 24^th – Sun 27^th Sept.
• Ladies 9-hole ongoing – Sponsored by Nora Flynn

Driving Range Update

Our driving range building is almost complete, with just the electrics to be installed ready for Trackman installation at start October. The Trackman equipment itself is almost ready to be installed.

A gentle reminder, if you are planning to support our “Buy a Brick” fundraising campaign, now is the time. Every contribution, no matter the size, brings us closer to completing a facility that will benefit our club, our community and future generations. You can purchase a brick through the Pro Shop, by bank transfer (details in the clubhouse), or through any Management Committee member.

A sincere thank you to everyone who has donated, volunteered or supported the project in any way. We simply could not have come this far without you.

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