The ShortGame

Tricia Mangan, a member of the winning Britain and Ireland Vagliano Trophy team at Co Louth earlier in the year, has been named in a 16-player Britain and Ireland elite training squad for 2003-2004.

Claire Coughlan, who had an outstanding Home Internationals series, and Carlow's Tara Delaney are reserves.

Also included in the squad are Curtis Cup players Becky Brewerton, Emma Duggleby, Sarah Jones and Fame More plus three others, all of whom were in the side that defeated the Continent of Europe at Co Louth.

Shelley McKevitt of Reading, the winner of the Ladies' British Strokeplay Championship at Royal Portrush, is one of four named in the squad for the first time - the others are Kate Phillips, Sophie Walker and US-based Heather MacRae.

The session gets underway on Friday with fitness testing at the sports-assessment department of Manchester University. That same weekend, the squad will be at Marriott Worsley Park Hotel and Country Club for training with 2004 Curtis Cup captain Ada O'Sullivan.

Elite Training Squad: Becky Brewerton, Emma Duggleby, Anna Highgate, Sarah Jones, Lynn Kenny, Anne Laing, Tricia Mangan, Danielle Masters, Shelley McKevitt, Fame More, Kate Phillips, Clare Queen, Nicola Timmins, Sophie Walker. Reserves: Claire Coughlan, Kerry Smith, Tara Delaney. US-based: Martina Gillen, Heather MacRae.

Shubotham in aces

What a couple of weeks it has been for Cathy Shubotham. It all began on Monday, September 22nd, when the Foxrock member, playing off a handicap of 10, recorded the first ever hole-in-one in Carrickmines golf club at the 11th hole, when she holed with a seven wood.

Then, on Thursday, October 2nd, she was celebrating once again, this time when playing the new South Course at the K Club in Straffan in what was a friendly fourball, as she recorded another ace, this time holing with her seven iron at the 109-yard eighth hole.

Mark off to a flier

There can hardly be a better way to start off your competitive golfing career than with a win in one of the most prestigious competitions in your club - and that is exactly what Mark Connolly has just done.

The 11- year-old only joined Clones golf club as a juvenile at the start of the summer. He got professional lessons, spent hours on the practice ground fine-tuning his game and then submitted three cards for a handicap. Naturally, he was delighted when he received a handicap of 18 and his swipe card on Friday September 26.

Armed with his first handicap he played in his first competition on the following Sunday and duly won it with a nett 67. The competition in question was the Pringle Cup, the oldest cup competition at the County Monaghan club, and on this occasion won by the youngest member. Is this some sort of record - winning first prize at the very first attempt?

Pitch and putt dates

The recent European Pitch and Putt Association meeting approved the following international opens and events for the 2004 season:

· March 6th-7th: French Open, Montpellier

· March 13th-14th: International Open, Teia, Barcelona

· April 9th-11th: EPPA Seniors Open, Sardinia

· May 7th-9th: International Open, La Figuerola, Spain

· May 22nd-23rd - San Marino Open, Rimini

· June 25th-27th - Italian Open, Rome

· August 21st-22nd: Dutch Open, Arnhem

· 14-17 October 14th-17th (provisional: World Invitational Pitch and Putt Team Tournament, Verona, Italy

The Munster Secondary Schools Competition will be played over 36 holes strokeplay at Larkspur Park in Cashel, Co Tipperary, tomorrow. Coláiste Choilm (Ballincollig) defend the title they won at Lakewood in Cork last year ahead of our Lady's Secondary (Templemore) and Douglas Community School.

Meanwhile, Kildare lost to Donegal in the All-Ireland Ladies' Junior Football final at Croke Park. What has that got to do with pitch and putt? The Lilywhites' right corner forward and scorer of 0-8 on the day was none other than Athgarvan's Tracey Noone, the 1997 Irish Girls' Juvenile Pitch and Putt Strokeplay champion.

Evans hits heights

The summer golf season may be just drawing to a close, but the high scores continue to be recorded around the country. And last week the magical mark of 50 points was broken by a couple of golfers.

Dooks member Tara Evans, playing off a handicap of 36, fired 51 points at their exchange day outing to Killarney, beating the rest of the field by a massive nine points as Sheila Burke (30) and Helyn O'Neill (28) finished second and third respectively with 42 points. And at Lucan Lilly McKeown, like Evans playing off 36, finished with 50 points, which was good enough for a five-point winning margin over Anna Dunne (19) in Cathaoirleach Liam Collins's Prize, with Mary Conway (40) third on 44 points.

Low scoring in Kerry

Records were set during the Kerry Alliance outing to Dooks a couple of weeks back. Tralee club member Ronan Walsh, playing off one, won the gross prize with a superb score of 67, a course record. Killarney's Eugene O'Sullivan (3) was second with 73. The nett prize was a close-run thing with Edward Daniel (7) making it a double for Tralee as he won on a countback from Kenmare's Kieran Callanan (12) after both fired 65s.

Meanwhile, at the Kerry Alliance's outing to the Ring of Kerry, James O'Dowd (3) of the home club won the gross prize with 76, while Killarney's Brendan O'Toole (4) won the nett with a 73.

Keane edged in finish

Adrienne Keane from Kilternan Golf Club was just edged out in the final of the inaugural Health Perception Ladies' Championship by Heather Neale of Cowes Golf Club in a thrilling finish on Wentworth's famous East Course last week.

Neale, a former Berkshire County Hockey Club player, has only been playing golf for five years but plays off a handicap of 22 - which is expected to be lowered in the next few weeks. Her score of 39 was matched by Keane, who had led all the way through to the 11th hole. But as the afternoon progressed Neale's steady game closed the gap to eventually win on a countback. Ireland's other qualifier, Doreen Fleming of City of Derry, finished down the field.

Odyssey rewarded

The long journey to Killarney proved fruitful for Ballyliffin's Ellen Nelson (11) and Cathy McGeoghegan (22) when they won the Lancome Irish Women's Foursomes title with an excellent score of 46 points. The Donegal pair made the 340-mile journey on Friday, had one practice round and then produced the winning score to edge out the international pairing of Eileen Rose Power (Kilkenny) and Sinead Keane (The Curragh).

Power and Keane had a remarkable round that included nine birdies and an eagle in their 45 points.

Foursomes decider

The final of the ILGU Eastern District Townsend Shield (Senior Foursomes) sponsored by Clarins will take place at St Margaret's Golf Club on Sunday next (11.0) when Laytown and Bettystown meet Headfort.

[ skeenan@irish-times.ie ]

Compiled by Shay Keenan and Kevin McKenna