Short game

Compiled by SHAY KEENAN

Brothers event at Knightsbrook

THE Knightsbrook Hotel Spa and Golf Resort will again host the Boyne Brother’s Golf Challenge on April 20th and 21st.

This event takes the format of a team of three brothers testing their skills against 40 other teams of brothers.

The event, which will have both a competitive and social nature, promises to be a golfing experience not to be missed.

There will be a practice round available on Thursday, April 19th, followed by two-days of competition at the Co Meath venue.

Contact Gavin Hunt on 087 7585346 or ghunt@knightsbrook.com or www.boynebrothers.com

New sponsor for ladies inter-club

THE Irish Ladies Golf Union have announced that Private Home Care will be the new sponsor for the popular Ladies Inter-Club Championships.

The championships are in their seventh year.

Their popularity continues to grow with clubs and golfers of all handicap ranges.

The three-year partnership between Private Home Care and the ILGU will continue to build on the success and enjoyment of the inter-club matchplay competitions and will now be known as the Private Home Care Inter-Club Championships for the duration of the sponsorship.

The ILGU will promote the championship throughout the country.

Currently one in four women club golfers participate annually in the championships across Ulster, Connaught, Munster, East Leinster and Mid Leinster.

The first rounds of the championships will commence in March and will culminate in district finals in August and national finals in September.

Club golfers will have the opportunity to compete for the hard-won All-Ireland medal and national pennant.

The championships consists of six separate tournaments, four singles matchplay competitions and two foursomes competitions.

McGettigan leads Strabane charge at Rosapenna 

THERE was a Strabane one-two-three at the recent North Western Golfing Alliance visit to Rosapenna.

Playing the Sandy Hills Course in exceptionally testing conditions, with an extremely strong wind and hail stones at times, 48 players ventured out with hopes of success, but in the end only 14 cards were returned.

Not surprisingly the scores were high too.

Yet that didn’t stop Strabane’s Odran McGettigan, playing off 24 and this season’s golfer of the year following a very consistent season of winter golf, returning a score of 76 to win the nett category by four strokes.

He finished ahead of his two clubmates, Ryan McGowan a six handicapper, who was second with a score of 80, and Maurice McGettigan (16), who was a further two shots adrift on 82.

In the gross category the spoils went to Michael McGeady, representing McCambridge Duffy, with 82.

He finished two shots clear of Faughan Valley’s Noel Callan who edged out the host club’s Enda Kennedy, who was the gross golfer of the season winner.

Next up for the Alliance is a visit to Dunfanaghy Golf Club next Saturday when they will be hoping for more favourable playing conditions.

The Captain’s Day will be on March 24th in Rosapenna.

PPUI recognise Cooney's dedication

MERVYN COONEY from the St Patrick’s Club was inducted into the Pitch and Putt Hall of Fame at the recent convention in Abbeyleix.

Cooney, a former president of the PPUI between 1998 and 2000, was a very popular inductee.

During his term as competition secretary many innovations, including the twinning of the national men’s and women’s matchplay championships and the extension of the national strokeplay championships to the exciting 54-hole format were introduced.

Cooney served his club for over 40 years and made an incalculable contribution to the union over the past three decades.

The course-of-the-year award went to Royal Meath with Deerpark second.

Erry won the club of the year from St Bridget’s while the most-improved-club award went to Navan.

Myles McMorrow from Lakeside was elected president.

Hermitage Ladies Scratch Cup

THE Hermitage Ladies Scratch Cup will have a new sponsor this year in Dermot Kelly Limited, Main Ford Dealers located in Kilcock, Co Kildare.

James Kelly, whose family has long associations with Hermitage, takes over the sponsorship of this event which will be held on Sunday, May 6th.

The competition is open to women with a handicap of 12 and under. The 72 lowest entrants will qualify to compete. This year a new element has been added with the announcement from the ILGU high performance committee that Hermitage Ladies Scratch Cup is the final event of the Scratch Cup circuit, when double points will be awarded.

The HP and National training squads are expected to compete in this competition and “look forward to some exciting rounds on the day”, according to Ann Carr, Lady Captain of Hermitage.

Entry Forms are available on the ILGU and Hermitage websites. The closing date is April 28th.

Heritage honour Ballesteros

IN acknowledging the achievements of Seve Ballesteros the management at The Heritage GC have dedicated the golf course to his memory by renaming it “The Ballesteros Course”.

In conjunction with the course’s co-designer (Jeff Howes of Jeff Howes Golf Design), the club felt it important to remember Seve’s involvement in the design process and in staging the Seve Trophy in 2007.

Set in the rolling countryside of Co Laois, just one hour from Dublin, with the Slieve Bloom Mountains as a backdrop, this championship course offers a most enjoyable experience for golfers of all standards. A variety of tees allow the course to be played from 5,747 to 7,319 yards.

The club have also launched the 2012 membership program where full, family, five-day, and junior memberships are offered at attractive rates.

Also available is a € 100 “freedom to roam” weekday fourball – play before 9.30am and a € 35 “individual winter warmer” includes € 10 food and beverage voucher from Monday to Wednesday.

Contact Niall Carroll on 057 8642321, email membership@theheritage.com or visit www.theheritage.com.