The Short Game

Hot times for Byrne: Slade Valley mastered the conditions best in the Leinster Alliance outing to South County last week to win The Irish Times Shield.

In high winds the Slade Valley totalled 216 for a seven-shot winning margin over host club South County (223). The winners' score was highlighted by a incredible six-under-par 66 gross from Colin Byrne. The six-handicapper had 12 pars and six birdies. Out in two-under-par 34, he birdied three of the last six holes for a back nine of 32. The next outing of the Leinster Alliance is the President's (J Bourke) Prize at Roganstown GC on Sunday, September 10th. Time sheet with Michael Neary at 2827297.

Royal win for Guerrier

Julien Guerrier became only the second French player, and the first for 25 years, to win the British Amateur Championship, pulling away to a 4 and 3 victory over England's Adam Gee in the 36-hole final at Royal St George's last week.

The only previous French success came when Philippe Ploujoux beat Joel Hirsch of the United States at St Andrews in 1981.

Guerrier started the second 18 of the final with a one-hole advantage but was pegged back when Gee holed a 25-foot birdie putt at the fifth.

The Frenchman then romped away, starting with an iron approach to the 532-yard seventh that left him with an eagle putt of no more than two feet and winning the eighth, ninth and 10th, where Gee was short in two and then three-putted.

Guerrier faltered at the 11th, where he took two shots in a bunker, and the 12th, where he drove into rough, but reclaimed a three-hole lead when Gee was himself bunkered at the next. The long 14th was halved in birdies and a solid par was enough to win the 15th and the match for Guerrier.

Novel idea

Highfield and Edenderry Golf Clubs have come together with a novel idea for a Junior Scratch Cup Bonanza next weekend.

Played over 36 holes - 18 in Highfield on the Saturday and 18 in Edenderry on the Sunday - the competition is open to GUI members with handicaps of four to nine.

This is the inaugural year for what both clubs hope will become an annual event, with the days, and consequently the presentation, alternating between clubs each year.

The Scratch Cup Bonanza weekend will bring to a close Highfield's open week, while open week in Edenderry runs from Saturday August 5th until Sunday August 13th.

Timesheets for both days are now open. Telephone Highfield GC on 046 9731021 or Edenderry GC on 046 9731072.

Bob's your uncle

Thinking of buying a new set of irons? Well Nevada Bobs are running a special promotion for the next few weeks whereby those who buy a set of irons at Nevada Bobs between now and the start of the British Open at Royal Troon on Monday, July 17th, could get their money back.

The deal is that should any Irish player win the British Open, Nevada Bobs will refund all monies paid to the lucky customers. In view of Padraig Harrington's showing in recent weeks and the potential of the other three main Irishmen, it sounds a reasonable offer.

Gillens take title

After a slow start in which they were taken to the 19th hole in the first round of the Santa Rita-sponsored husband-and-wife mixed matchplay at Newlands GC, Tony and Mandy Gillen marched on to take the title for the first time last week. The tie-hole victory on Monday inspired the Hermitage pair to work their way through the week to where they defeated the Curragh/Craddockstown partnership of Tony and Eileen Flynn by 2 and 1 in an exciting final.

Five down after 12 holes, the Flynns made a great effort to rescue the match, but in the end the Gillens held their nerves to take the title on the 17th green. In the semi-finals the Gillens beat Pat and Kathleen McHenry (Old Conna/ Abbeyleix) while the Flynns edged out the last home pair, Gerard and Olive Kennedy.

Beating your age

Winning is one thing, beating your own age - well, that is something entirely different. And that's exactly what 77-year-old and nine-handicapper Paddy Dermody achieved recently at the Hermitage Golf Club.

Playing in a Saturday monthly medal, Dermody - a former captain and senior cup player with Hermitage - fired a fantastic gross 76, to beat his age by one shot and record a nett score of 67.

His round, indeed, would have been much better only for dropped shots on the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th holes. He had been one over par for the front nine (dropping a shot at the second) and four over par for the back nine.

Dermody just missed out on winning the medal itself. That honour went to Brian Lehane (15) with a nett 63. The gross winner was senior cup player Seán O'Flaherty with a 69, while another senior cup player, Brian O'Connor (scr), won the class one prize with a 67, pushing Dermody into second place. The other class winners were 2006 vice-captain John Mills, John O'Donovan and Michael Collins.

St Michael's classic

As part of the fund-raising calendar of events, the annual St Michael's House golf classic will take place on Monday, July 10th, at The Island GC. Proceeds from the event will go toward the purchase of a specially adapted minibus costing in the region of €40,000.

Entry fee for the four-person team event is €700 per team and includes golf and dinner.

Details and places on the time-sheet from Linda Courage at 01-2990500.

Ladies on the move

The lady members of golf clubs nationwide adopted a proposal to purchase new headquarters for the union at an EGM at Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa.

"Due to the phenomenal growth in the Union's activities, it is necessary to expand our facilities at HQ to sustain a quality service to our membership," said chief executive Sinead Hearty following the 303-13 majority verdict.

"We are delighted by the overwhelming support of the clubs in this regard," she added.

The ILGU will purchase three units at Q House in Sandyford Industrial Estate, where building is due to commence later in the year.

The move will be financed by the sale of offices at Clonskeagh Square, borrowings and a once-off levy of €40 on the 50,000 fee-paying members.

The move from Clonskeagh to Sandyford is scheduled for early October 2007.

Chambers the ace

There is nothing better than a hole in one to lift your spirits when a round is going against you. So 16-handicapper Phillip Chambers walked off Woodbrook golf club recently a very happy man, having aced the par-three 130-yard 17th hole with an eight iron.

Chambers was playing in the Benevolent Fund annual golf outing on Bloomsday, June 16th. The event, which raised €15,000, was won by Bernard Moloney, but Chambers's ace was significant in that it was the first hole in one in 20 years of the event - about 2,500 rounds of golf.

Meanwhile, also celebrating a hole in one recently was Della Burns, who had her ace during John Finn's Captain's Prize to Ladies at Ennis Golf Club earlier this month.

And at Arklow Golf Club last Sunday there were two holes in one in the same competition. Peter Doyle (16) aced the third hole, while Séamus O'Toole (18) had his ace on the ninth.