Short Game

A round-up of other golf news in brief

Doonbeg latest Irish course to claim tour operators' award

DOONBEG GC in West Clare has been selected as the European Golf Resort of the Year for its “exceptional contribution to the world of golf travel”.

The award was made by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO), whose 300 operators vote for this annual award.

Doonbeg’s sister property on Kiawah Island, in South Carolina, won the North American Golf Resort of the Year Award.

The awards were presented at the IAGTO dinner held in Malaga last week.

Previous winners include Turnberry (Scotland), Druids Glen (Ireland), Praia D’El Rey (Portugal), Dona Filipa and San Lorenzo Golf Resort (Portugal) and Carton House (Ireland). The awards scheme was inaugurated by IAGTO in 2000.

IAGTO’s 300-plus operators represent 49 countries.

Speaking of the award Joe Russell, general manager of Doonbeg, said that they were delighted to win such a prestigious award.

“We rely on the Golf Tour operators to provide us with a great deal of business and the award is acknowledgement that we are providing the kind of service that they and their clients require.”

Youth to the fore at Howth

THE YOUNGER players proved their worth at Howth this year challenging for many of the major honours, while one of them clinched the Golfer of the Year title. The crown eventually went to Graham Sweeney, who had a tremendous year in edging out another junior Ross Moore and Ronan Carberry.

On his way to winning the Paddy McDonald Trophy awarded for the Golfer of the Year, Sweeney won the May medal, Presidents Cup, was second in the Park Motors and third in a hamper. In the club Championship, he was third behind two more juniors Moore - also winner of the PGA Tankard - and runner-up Karl Herssens.

Two juniors also contested the Tom Phelan Trophy (singles matchplay) Final for the first time with Niall Bermingham - the April medal winner - beating Simon Flynn.

Seapoint name new manager

DUBLINER, John Shortt, has been appointed general manager to Seapoint Golf Club in Termonfeckin, Co Louth.

Prior to joining the links club, Shortt was sales and marketing manager with Golf Digest. He also has a proven track record in hotel management as well as tourism and the tour operator industry.

The Seapoint course, designed by Des Smyth and Declan Branigan, is a testing 7,150-yard par-72 course set on 260 acres of magnificent links land.

There is an abundance of natural vegetation and dunes awaiting any errant shot. Every club in the bag is required to play this championship course.

Dawson exploits local knowledge

THIRTEEN years ago Aileen Dawson won the President’s Prize in the Leinster Ladies Alliance. That was back in 1996 when Mary McKenna was president.

And Dawson was celebrating once again recently when she won the Alliance’s 2009 President’s Prize around her home course of Milltown.

And it proved that there is a lot to be said for local knowledge, as Dawson, who plays off nine, recorded 36 points to win Phil O’Gorman’s prize by two points.

The Milltown player obviously has a liking for her club’s new layout, and the foundation for her latest President’s Prize win was set on the opening nine holes after which she had 20 points, thanks in no small way to birdies on two of the holes over water, the short fourth hole and the par four eighth.

A steady 16 points on the back saw her sign for 36 points, two better than Gertie McMullen from The Island. The five handicapper was one over par on the front nine for 19 points, but slipped slightly on the back nine to finish with 34 points. In third was Catherine O’Connor (9) from Woodbrook with 33 points. Niamh Giblin from Dun Laoghaire claimed the gross with 31 points.

Next up for the Alliance is their Christmas outing, a threeball rumble at Killiney on Monday December 14th. Places on the timesheet are available from leinsterladiesalliance@ireland.com.

GUI Connacht adm put back

THE annual delegates meeting of the 42 Golfing Union of Ireland affiliated clubs in Connacht, fixed for tonight at 7.30pm in the Abbey Hotel Roscommon, has been postponed due to the adverse and hazardous road conditions in the south and east of the province.

The meeting has been refixed for next Sunday, November 29th, at 1.30pm in the Abbey Hotel.

The meetings of the handicap secretaries and club team officials fixed for Friday at 7pm and 8pm respectively go ahead as planned at the McWilliam Park Hotel, Claremorris.

** A THREEBALL playing in last week’s competition at Forrest Little had an unusual experience. John Forsyth (16), Des Farren (16) and Niall Lyons (19) each put their tee-shots within 12 feet of the pin at the 156-metres fifth hole.

After Forsyth slotted his straight up the hill and Lyons sank his difficult putt across the slope, Farren was left with a nasty little three-footer. But he held his nerve and rolled it in for the trio to walk-off the green marking the cards with three twos.

No one in the clubhouse could recall this happening before.

John and Des were in the prizes but Niall just missed out by one point.