MITCHELSTOWN GOLF CLUB
This weekend will see the hosting of the first of our Golfer of the Year events, the Kevin O’Donovan Cup. This competition is generously sponsored by the O’Donovan family. The event was won last year by Oliver Walsh.
This is one of our premier cup competitions and always attracts a large entry. The timesheets are now open for the O’Donovan Cup competition which will take place from July 17th to 19th inclusive.
As competition revenue is a vital source of income to the club, participation of the members in our competitions would be particularly appreciated in the current environment and with our captain’s prize just 2 weeks away, there’s little time left to sharpen your skills!
For information, particularly for our newer members, if the clubhouse is closed after you complete your round, there is a competition score card box located beside the front door to insert your card and this will be checked by the competition secretary prior to closing out any competition.
The Kevin O’Donovan Memorial Cup is confined to members only but the club is also running an 18 hole open singles which will run in parallel to the confined event.
The timesheets are open for both events and tee times can be booked on line or by ringing 025-24072 during normal Monday to Friday office hours.
Men’s club notes
A reminder to members that club competitions are permitted to take place from the 29th June and as per the GUI recommendations, Mitchelstown Golf Club has an online option for entering competitions and returning scorecards called www.irelandclubs.com.
The Men’s and Ladies Committees would strongly recommend the use of the online www.irelandclubs.com option for entering competition and returning scorecards. The details of the procedure for entering competitions on line have been sent via email to all members and are available on the website under Men’s Club Section. Any issues with sign in or returning of scorecard please contact Competition Secretary Mike Lyons.
Last weekend in a welcome return to more summer like conditions, particularly on the Saturday, the Men’s Club ran an Open 18 hole Stableford Competitions, kindly sponsored by James Hayes of the Natural Sleep Company. James is a regular presence on and off the course and has been a loyal supporter of the club for many years and we would like to thank James for his continued sponsorship.
Note that formal confirmation of competition results by the Competition Secretary are likely to be delayed by a week for the foreseeable future as it will not be possible to check cards for a number of days after being entered in the returns box. A
s such, the results from the previous weekend of 3rd/4th/5th July are now available. In what were very testing conditions off the blue markers, the winner with a very fine score was Stephen Dunne (18) with 40 points taking first place. Second was Jonathon J McGrath (17) also with a fine score of 40 points, unlucky to lose out on the back nine, Gross winner was Oliver Walsh on 31 points and third was Adam Isherwood (16) on 37 points.
Chris Albett’s Captain’s Prize event timesheet opens soon
Captain Chris Ablett will be presenting his Captain’s Prize on Friday 24th and Saturday 25th July. In recognition of the unusual circumstances, the men’s club committee have decided to reduce the 3 counting score cards requirement for eligibility to win prizes to 2 counting cards for this year’s event.
Further details will be made available nearer the time and members will be notified internally on when the timesheets are open for booking. Normally the timesheets would be open at least 2 weeks in advance of the Captain’s Prize competition but the club has to conform with GUI guidelines and these were not clear in time for this week’s copy deadline for The Avondhu.
Inter club competitions
The draws and dates for the Inter Club competitions have now been completed by the GUI. As it happens, we have been drawn away against Tipperary Golf Club in both the Bruen and Purcell competitions.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the format has been adjusted this year with the matches being fourball format rather than the traditional foursomes.
Also, being drawn away means that 3 of the 5 pairs travel to Tipperary for their matches, and the remaining 2 of the 5 pairs play at home in Mitchelstown.
For the Bruen, the match is to be completed by 16th August and can be played from 20th July. For the Purcell, the match is to be completed by 12th August and can be played from 20th July.
Entry sheets are up on the men’s notice board for anyone who would like to be considered for selection.
Tuesday competition
Our popular Tuesday night competition returned on July 7th. Due to the Covid-19 restrictions the format for the 12 holes will be holes 1 to 12 to avoid cross over and all players will have to book in on the BRS system.
To avoid congestion, the timesheet for the Tuesday competition will be open all day and it will be €4 for members and €10 for visitors to enter. It is intended for the Tuesday competition to run for the remainder of the summer and all members and visitors alike are welcome to take part in this popular competition.
Last week’s winner on an evening that certainly was not summer like, was John O’Brien with a score of 26 points followed home by Michael Fogarty on 25 points.
Wednescday qualifier
The Gent’s Open Wednesday qualifier also returned last week and will run until Wednesday, 23rd September. All weekly winners will qualify for the final to be held on Saturday, 26th September. It provides an ideal opportunity for competitive golf during the week.
Entry will be €5 for members and €15 for visitors which represents great value to play our course in its current superb condition. Last week’s winner was Pat Barrett on a fine score of 40 points.
Seanoiri news
47 members participated in our 15 hole Champagne Scramble / Hidden Team Event on Thursday 9th with a number of new golden oldies participating and the results are as follows:
Overall winner was Tom Dwane with 35pts (B8). Team 1 were Sean Howard, Denis Nolan & Liam Roche with 104pts. Team 2 were Kieran Casey, Tom Cott and Jack Barry with 95pts (B8). Team 3 were Michael Fogarty, Peter Darrer and Fr Dick Browne with 95pts.
Reminder – On Tuesday, August 4th we have our South Munster Seniors Open. This will be a 3 man team Champagne Scramble so please inform all your friends at our neighbouring clubs so they can come and enjoy our course which is in pristine condition See you all on Thursday.
Ladies club news
Our lady members have embraced the new system of entering and inputting scores and it’s working well. Our competition secretary Catherine Kavanagh is available at all times if ladies have any queries regarding the use of the new system.
Last week’s competition was kindly sponsored by Bunty Flynn and it was won by Deirdre Mullins (14) 38 pts. 2nd was Eibhlin OBrien (17) 31 pts. Gross was won by Catherine Kavanagh (11) 18 pts.
Lady captain Carmel Dowling’s prize day is fast approaching and ladies need to have played 3 /18 hole counting competitions to qualify to play in it on August 22nd.
Men’s Captain Chris Ablett’s prize to ladies is on the weekend of July 24/25 and it’s a 12 hole competition, so check the time sheet for a time to suit ye all.
This week’s competition is kindly by the Treasure Chest Mitchelstown.
Pitch marks and divots
The increased activity on our course over recent weeks by existing and new golfing enthusiasts is great to see. The staff and greenkeeper do fantastic work keeping the course in excellent condition.
But while increased activity and usage of the course is great to see we would remind all users of the facility to repair pitch marks on the greens and also to replace divots on the fairway or in the rough. Good housekeeping should not be left to others.
Thank you in advance for your attention these important housekeeping matters.
GUI/ILGU protocols remain firmly in place
As we continue on our “steady as we go” pathway to recovery please note that tee times have to be booked on line for those members wishing to play. Members are not permitted to use the course unless they book a tee time. That applies for groups of players or individual players.
This is mandatory for HSE traceability in the event of a member contracting the virus. The club has to keep a record of activity on the course and it is the responsibility of our members to comply with this requirement. The GUI/ILGU protocols as well as government and HSE guidelines and restrictions remain in place until changed.
The onus remains on all of our members to follow the protocols which will be in place for everyone using the golf course until further notice. We are required to continue acting with responsibility and a duty of care to our course staff, to everyone in the club, to our families and neighbours, and most importantly to the different communities we live and work in.
Some important competition dates
Captain Chris Ablett’s Prize will be held on July 24th and 25th. Lady Captain Carmel Dowling’s prize will take place on Friday, 21st August and Saturday, 22nd August. Our President Ger Hellen will present his prize to the men’s and ladies clubs on August 28th and 29th.
The Club Classic will take place on July 30th and 31st. Men’s Club Mini Classic will be on August 8th and 9th. The David O’Sullivan Memorial Cup will take place on the weekend of August 14th-16th.
The Murphy Cup is fixed for the weekend of Fri/Sat/Sun 11/12/13th September, the Scratch Cups are fixed for Fri/Sat/Sun 18/19/20th September and the Sean O’Brien Memorial Cup will be the feature event on the weekend of September 25th-27th.
The full list of fixtures have been uploaded on the Website under Men’s Club Section.
We’re open for membership
In spite of the scourge of Covid-19 we are delighted to welcome a substantial increase in our membership this year. So far this year we have increased our membership by over 20%. This is well ahead of the target budgeted for in 2020.
We welcome all our new members and it’s great to see good number of our former members from the Mitchelstown area re-joining. Captains Chris and Carmel and our President Ger would like to extend a warm welcome our many new members.
In normal circumstances we would have liked to have held a new members evening but due to current restrictions this is not possible. Therefore, if anybody is looking for help in getting a handicap or has any questions on how the club/competitions are run please contact us on chris.ablett71@gmail.com or carmel.dowling@gmail.com
With our course looking in fantastic condition we have a superb product to offer to golfers of all levels wishing to join us.
We have a range of affordable and attractive membership options available and a top class golf course to offer to new and returning members. Contact sports look like being curtailed for the foreseeable future. Golf offers a sporting outlet and challenge for everyone.
We would be happy to welcome you as a new member if golf is something you might be interested in pursuing as a sporting challenge whether you are involved in contact sports or not.
Details can be found on our website www.mitchelstown-golf.com or can be had by phoning 025-24072.
