Mens Golf Club Notes | Concrawood Golf Club | Irelan
8th June 2021
BRENDAN’S HAPPY WITH THAT
Golfers are always searching for the recipe for the perfect round. So what are the ingredients? Well, a clear head and an even temperament make for a good start. Realistic expectations help. A few golfing miles on the clock doesn’t hurt. Then it’s down to putting all those hours of preparation into practice, in the company of supportive playing partners. Sound familiar? Well it certainly does to Brendan Carragher. Not a weekend goes by that Brendan doesn’t grapple with the challenges of Concra in his own philosophical way. And on Saturday it all came together, as he produced an excellent score of 43 points to win the coveted Prandy Duffy Cup. And if the rumour mill has it right, he went back out on Sunday and shot 42! So there’s plenty more where that came from. Congratulations Brendan. Much of the same applies to Jack McDonnell – especially the golf miles! He shot a one over par round of 73 for a points total of 41 – enough to take second prize. His brother Charlie shot an even better score of 69 strokes. But such are the wonders of the handicap system, that he has to settle for the Best Gross prize. Third place went to Enda O’Connor. Along with his brothers, Enda has become a regular in all our competitions, and their commitment has been rewarded with a fine score of 41 points. And this week we have a Brucie Bonus in the winners’ enclosure – a Best Beginners’ prize which was won by Fergal Duffy on a score of 40 points.
Our seniors were out again in force last week, and therefore it’s no surprise that the scoring was of a very high standard. The winners and their scores were as follows; Cat. 1 Martin Farnan 22 pts, Martin Allen 21 pts and Thomas Brennan 18 pts. Cat. 2 Des Morgan 20 pts, PJ Lambe 17 pts and Pat Conlon 16 pts. Cat. 3 Barney McDonald 20 pts, Syl Mulligan 18 pts and Ciaran Coyle 17 pts. Seniors Secretary Andy continues to innovate, and this week he’s taken on some help. He has appointed Nicky Hore as Seniors’ Treasurer. He has also decided to put all future prizes on members’ cards, so that they can be used in our bar, restaurant or pro shop. Good work Andy! This week our singles competition can be played on Tuesday or Thursday, affording members every opportunity to take part in our club’s opens (see below).
And finally for this week, just as we return to using all our outdoor clubhouse facilities, there’s a huge number of opportunities for members and visitors to take part in some competitive golf. This Wednesday (June 9th) sees the first of this season’s midweek opens. On Friday (June 11th), we go all the way back to the black tees, as the bravest among us face the ultimate golfing challenge in the aptly named Black Tees Friday. And then it’s members only in our weekend competition, which is kindly sponsored by C & R McMahon Construction. Enjoy!
1st June 2021
SUMMER SCORING AT CONCRA WOOD
Summer has arrived at Concra, and with it the scoring has really heated up. No fewer than seven of the competitors in last weekend’s McElvaney’s competition returned scores of forty points or more. In Category 1 it was Kevin Power who came out on top with 40 points. This category saw the lowest scoring for a change, with Adrian Kelly making a long-awaited return to the prizes in second place on 38 points. In Category 2 it was 42s all the way, with Bart McNamara pipping Sean Malone for the top spot on a countback. And in Category 3 there was also a welcome return, this time for Gregg Sibley who top scored with another 42. The runner-up spot went to Gerry Hamill who won his breakthrough prize with 41 points. And spare a thought for John Gorman and Paddy King. While at opposite ends of their golfing careers, they shared the unfortunate distinction of missing out on the prizes while shooting 42 and 41 points respectively.
Our seniors enjoyed another bumper turnout last week. The winners and their scores were as follows: Cat.1 Donal McGuigan 20 pts, Frank Nolan 19 pts and Gerry Treacy 19 pts. Cat.2; Paul Shortt 17 pts, Pat Conlon 16 pts and Pat Merrick 16 pts. Cat.3; Pat McBride 17 pts, Macartan Lambe 16 pts and Joe Gleeson 16 pts. And a big welcome this week to our new recruits to the Senior ranks – Paul McKearney, Joe Kernan and Eamonn Tavey.
On Sunday we kicked off our juvenile golf for 2021. We had a large turnout and a very warm welcome to all our new juvenile members. The kids all played with a smile on their face, and really enjoyed playing golf again, with some great golf played. Thank you to all our volunteers, and see you all next Sunday for more juvenile golf.
And finally for this week, there’ll surely be a massive turnout in the annual Prandy Duffy Cup this weekend. While it’s great to be back golfing, we haven’t yet got to the point where our American visitors can renew their annual rivalry. Let’s hope we can welcome them back in ’22!
25th May 2021
CARVILLE TOP SCORES WITH 38 POINTS
Our club committee decided to make a few changes to our competition format for the next few weeks, to take account of the major impact of the new WHS system. Due to the massive variations in handicaps, they felt that it would be fairer to have members competing within their own categories. The first competition to be played in this way was sponsored by Brennan’s Furniture and Carpets Clontibret. Category 1 was won by James Carville who produced the best score of the week – 38 points. The runner-up was Brian McGovern on 36 points. Category 2 was won by the ever improving Paraic Craig with 37 points. This gave him a one shot winning margin over runner-up Gareth McMahon. And in Category 3 a countback was required to separate Patrick Hanratty and Aidan Boyd’s rounds of 37 points, with Patrick taking the spoils.
This weekend our competition is kindly sponsored by McElvaney Motors. This stableford event will be played off the green tees.
In Seniors news, we had a great turnout over three days last week. The winners in our three categories and their points totals were as follows; Category 1 Ciaran Prunty 19, Frank Nolan 19 and PJ Harte 17. Category 2 Eamonn Johnson 17, PJ Lambe 17 and Nicky Hore 16. Category 3 Hugh Cullen 17, Syl Mulligan 17 and Pat McBride 17. This week’s event is again being played over three days, and with members inspired by the heroics of our fellow Senior Phil Mickelson, our quality of golf will surely be higher than ever.
And finally for this week, our open competitions are making a welcome return in the coming weeks. First up, we have an open singles event on June Bank Holiday Monday (7th) . This will be followed by our regular Wednesday opens, the first one being held on June 9th. For anyone seeking the ultimate challenge, our Black Tees Friday is back on June 11th. And our competitions committee has put together a very full open week in mid-July, with all details available online at www.concrawood.ie/visitor-information/open-competitions
18th May 2021
FERGAL FIRES A 49
As the new season got under way, Fergal Toal was one of quite a number of golfers who found that the new WHS system had handicapped them rather generously. Well he certainly had no intentions of holding on to the shots. As he took to the fairways at the weekend, he compiled his best ever round, to produce the very rare score of 49 points. This saw him take first place in our annual Carna Transport competition, and in the process, he lost – wait for it – 15 shots off his Handicap Index! And no, there is no decimal point in there – it’s FIFTEEN shots. That’s more than most people lose in a lifetime, and most certainly a club record. Congratulations Fergal! So may I suggest, that for those of you who reckoned you had this new system all worked out, it’s time for a little more head scratching. The Category 1 prize was won by Ciaran McMahon, who returned a round of two over par for 38 points. The second best total of the weekend was Sean Malone’s 39 points, which saw him lose a mere 0.6 shots, on his way to victory in Category 2. And in Category 3, Pat McNeill prevailed with a fine score of 37 points.
In Seniors news, our weekly winners were as follows; Category 1 PJ Harte, Joe Quinn and Martin Farnan. Category 2 Bart McNamara, Andy Whelan and Pat Conlon. Category 3 Category 3 John Keenan, Ciaran Coyle and Michael Reid. Andy would like to thank members for their cooperation with the new system, and again requests that all cards are returned. This week’s competition takes place over three days – Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and members are remindeded to rake bunkers with their feet in accordance with Covid guidelines.
And finally for this week, our next club competition is sponsored by Brennan’s Furniture and Carpets, Clontibret. Members can take part on Saturday or Sunday.
11th May 2021
ALL SYSTEMS GO
As the vaccine rollout continues apace, Golf Ireland have announced further relaxation of restrictions this week. From 10th of May onwards, clubs can welcome back visitors, organise competitions, and all fourballs are allowed. From June 7th major events, inter-club matches and open competitions can recommence, and all going well we may even see the return of some clubhouse facilities. Fingers crossed!
So our first official competition of 2021 takes place this weekend in Concra. The sponsor is Carna Transport, and this 18 hole singles event will be played off the green tees.
Last weekend our competitions committee organised another handicap qualifier, and no fewer than 117 members took part. The top scorer was Conall McHugh with a super total of 43 points. Conall certainly won’t be short on guidance, as he has generations of golf experience to call upon – if needed. Category 1 was won by Jimmy Lacey, who would have had a couple more than his 40 points, if it hadn’t been for the new golf phenomenon of putts bouncing out off the pin. Category 2 went to a new name – Sean Hughes – on a score of 36 points. And the same total was enough in Category 3 for Frank Bourke, whose game seems to have benefitted from the enforced break.
And finally for this week, our seniors kicked off their season with the Martin Denny Sr. Drive-In on Thursday last. For many it was their first opportunity to sign into the new WHS system, which we will use in all our competitions this year. This 15 hole event was won by Pat Conlon, who returned a fine score of 32 points. In Category 1 the prizes went to Pat McNeill, Ciaran Prunty and Joe Quinn, in Category 2 Paul Shortt, Des Morgan and Bart McNamara, and in Category 3 Pat Bolger, Michael Reid and Joe Gleeson. Many thanks to Jarlath Denny who sponsored this competition in memory of his father Martin, who was a very popular Past Captain and President of our club. We are delighted to announce that Jarlath has committed to make this an annual event.
04th May 2021
IT’S GOOD TO BE BACK
I don’t think any of us have ever seen so many happy golfers as we have in the past week. Monday 26th of April was an absolutely perfect day for the return of golf at Concra Wood. T-shirts and shorts were the order of the day, as the beautiful Spring sunshine provided us with a little slice of Heaven. And for those of us who were lucky enough to get our names onto the timesheet, the number of club volunteers out working on our course was a sight to behold. So many improvements have taken place while we were away. Our Greens’ team have been very impressed by the commitment of our course consultants, who have been visiting the course several times each week. It’s clear to see the improvements in our fairways and rough, and we hope to see the benefits of their programmes in all other areas in the weeks and months ahead.
Our Seniors were the first to get back playing, with a very good turnout for our first week. A big welcome back to Joe Kelly. Special mention must be made of the efforts of Rita and Nicky Hore, who litter pick around Concra Wood each day on their walks. It’s very much appreciated.
Our winners this week were as follows; Category 1. 1st Johnny Redmond. 2nd Brian McGovern. 3rd Martin Allen. Category 2. 1st Larry Coleman. 2nd Pat Conlon. 3rd Andy Whelan. Category 3. 1st John Smyth. 2nd Michael Reid. 3rd Joe Kelly.
This week’s competition is the Martin Denny Senior Drive In, which takes place on Thursday. No doubt Andy will keep everyone up to date on WhatsApp.
At the weekend, there was a chance for members to put their new WHS Apps to the test, as they took part in a Handicap Qualifier. The top scorers were Jack Carragher and Patrick Niland Jr. on 40 points, closely followed by a very generously handicapped Tony Brennan on 39. Our Handicap Convenor Dessie Duffy has never been so busy, and I’m sure at this stage all members have received his email encouraging interaction – and patience – with the new system.
And finally for this week, Golf Ireland have issued an updated Return To Golf Protocol for the Republic of Ireland, which is effective from May 10th. All forms of fourballs are permitted, inter county travel is allowed, and guests and visitors are welcomed back in all clubs. They remind all golfers that the principle of Arrive – Play – Depart should continue to be implemented.
20th April 2021
BACK TO CONCRA
The 26th of April. It’s been circled in red on every golfer’s calendar for the past month. When our timesheet went live on Sunday night, so many members were ready to book their return to Concra, that it only took a few minutes for the first one hundred to sign in. We wish all our members well, and hope it doesn’t take too long to get back into the old swing.
As all golfers are no doubt aware, Golf Ireland has issued guidelines for our return to golf. Members are advised to read all about them at www.golfireland.ie/covid-19 before playing your first round at Concra.
A huge amount of work has been done on our course over the past four months. Improvements in drainage have been made, which will hopefully enhance every golfer’s experience of Concra Wood in the coming season. There have also been a number of areas on our course re-designated as Penalty Areas under The Rules of Golf Rule 17, which was introduced in 2019. These areas are marked by a single row of red stakes. Again, members are advised to study the changes at www.randa.org/Rog/2019/Rules/The-Rules-of-Golf/Rule17 Maps of these changes will be posted on our noticeboard.
In our Seniors section, members can take part in a nine hole event from Monday to Friday each week. This will be played on the front nine, with members sending all scores to Andy. In the coming weeks, a new Seniors event, the Martin Denny Memorial Drive-In will take place. For further details, watch this space.
And finally for this week, we wish Ciaran Lavery the very best of luck as he takes up the position of Golf Professional at Concra Wood. Ciaran has served his time as assistant over the past three years, and now assumes the senior role. Let’s hope for Ciaran, and for all our members, that this time we’re back for good.
