Short Game

A round-up of other golfing news

Nothing lucky about Nolan's 13th artisan title

GREYSTONES artisan Danny Nolan could be heading for the Guinness Book of Records after winning the the All-Ireland Artisan Championship in his home club – for the 13th time!

Nolan (67), who plays off three, had a 71 gross to take the cup, and spread-eagled a talented field of 60 players to win by three shots.

A native of Greystones, Nolan first won the championship at the Grange GC in 1971, playing off five. He has been capped for Ireland against England 30 times in the annual International Artisans match.

I am very proud to have won this event a record 13 times,” Nolan said. “It is a great honour both for myself and Greystones.

** THE Leinster Ladies Alliance 2009/10 winter season is ready to tee off next Monday with their opening outing the PGA Tankard in Grange. The alliance offers women with single-figure handicaps a chance to play winter golf. They have various formats, with singles outings normally the second Monday of each month in different venues, normally within an hour of Dublin, while they have various matches and several matchplay events.

This season’s president is Phil O’Gorman, with Marie Igoe the captain for the 2009/10 campaign. Entry forms are available on the ILGU website, or further details are available from secretary Niamh Giblin at leinsterladiesalliance@ireland.com

You can't beat experience

GOLF knows no age boundaries, with the more experience you have often leading to a little more success. This case has certainly been demonstrated this year in Old Conna as one of their more senior members has enjoyed a remarkable year and proved there is no end in sight for her success.

Last Sunday week Pam Lynch won her matchplay final against Bernadette Farrell in handicap category 23-36. Only last August Pam celebrated her 77th birthday with her twin sister Pat McGrath, who she beat in the semi-final.

Meanwhile, winning the handicap category 0-22 was Lady Captain Susan Murphy, who beat Eilish Moroney.

The two matchplay winners, Lady Captain Susan and Pam, have been in good form all season, as a few months ago they also won the Granard Cup competition in Old Conna and then represented the club in the All-Ireland final in Navan last month.

Lisselan pair win foursomes final

Sue Kelly and Niamh Sheehan from Lisselan GC in Cork won the Lancôme National Scotch Foursomes Finals at Killarney Golf Club over the weekend.

Played in glorious autumnal sunshine, the Lisselan pair had 44 points to win by four from Ann Duffy and Catherine McDonnell from Mullingar.

In third place were another Cork pair, Mary Scriven and Lia Walsh from Bandon.

The gross prize went to former Munster interprovincial Mary Sheehy and Mary Scully from Tralee with an impressive 36 points.

Over 1,000 competitors played in the inaugural Ryder Cup Experience at The K Club over recent months.

Qualifying rounds took place on the Smurfit Course, with the monthly winners playing the Palmer Course in the final.

The overall winners were Dave Finn and Gary White from Knockanally GC, who won with a score of 40 points.

Be sure to stay in the groove

MANY of golf’s leading players have already changed their clubs to ones which meet the new groove specifications in advance of the elite professional competition deadline of next January 1st.

The club golfer, however, will remain unaffected by the new Rule until at least 2024, the earliest possible date that it will come into force in all levels of the game.

“We believe that this rule change is necessary to reinforce the importance of accuracy at the highest levels of the game,” explained The R and A’s director of rules and equipment standards, David Rickman. “However, beyond that the new Rules will be phased in very gradually.

“The vast majority of the golfing public will enjoy many years’ use of their existing equipment within the Rules and this, of course, will also apply to any purchases they make from manufacturers’ existing model ranges.”

It must be borne in mind that all clubs manufactured from next January must conform to the new specifications.

At last week’s Dunhill Links Championship, the R and A were testing grooves on the clubs of leading professionals to ascertain whether they already conform to the new regulations.

Scots win at Hollystown

SCOTLAND won the third Special Olympics Topaz Triple Crown Trophy at Hollystown Golf Club last week.

Ireland, winners of the past two events, played this year as five individual teams from each of the Special Olympics regions. The event was played over nine holes on two consecutive days.

Scotland’s match winner was a fine level par round of 35 by Graeme Andrews on day one, 10 shots better than his nearest rival.

Best of the Irish were Munster’s Alan Punch and Trudy Hyland, while Connacht’s Barbara Callagy and Leinster’s Kevin Codd punched well above their weight.

Cutler keeps Irish flag flying

PAUL CUTLER won the Nassau Invitational Tournament at the weekend at Nassau Country Club, New York, defeating Mike Reardon in the final 4 and 3 to become the third Irishman to win the event in five years.

Cutler almost didn’t make it to the final and had to carve out a 19th-hole win over former Irish International and Walker Cup player Eoghan O’Connell in the semi-final.

Alan Dunbar qualified for the matchplay stages, but was beaten in the first round.

Established in 1897, the Nassau Invitational is the oldest such event in the US.

Niall Kearney became the second Irish winner of the event in four years in 2007, following Darren Crowe’s win in 2004, while Mark O’Sullivan was runner-up in 2003.

** WATERFORD’S Violet Twomey has been nominated as the new chair of the board of the Irish Ladies Golf Union (ILGU).

Her election will be confirmed at the annual general meeting in January, and her appointment is for four years.

Twomey is a member of Newland’s GC in Dublin, where she has been an active member of the Ladies Committee, serving as Handicap Secretary, Vice-Captain and subsequently Lady Captain in 2001, as well as Lady Vice-President in 2002.