Mens Golf Club Notes

Mens Golf Club Notes | Concrawood Golf Club | Ireland

23rd August 2022

CIARAN STEALS THE SHOW

Concra Wood was buzzing at the weekend as over ninety teams competed in the Nudie Hughes Club Classic. And while no doubt focused on their own teams fortunes, our members were keeping an eye all the while on our professional Ciaran Lavery’s exploits. Ciaran got his week off to a memorable start, shooting a new low of 63 in Concra’s Summer Series. This was just the boost his game needed as he headed off to the Irish Professional Championship at Carne Links in Mayo. All weekend long his name was up among the Tour Pros on the leader board, culminating in a seventh place finish on one over par. Congratulations to Ciaran on a fine display, and for anyone considering investing in golf lessons, this guy knows what he’s talking about.

 Meanwhile back at home, a four man team from Greenacres GC in County Antrim ran out winners in the Nudie Hughes Club Classic. Gary Cooke, Gerard McNally, Kieran Mallon and Barry Lynagh returned a score of 112, to win by eleven clear points. The next three teams all scored 101, with Tom McDermott, Brian Busby, Brendan Gargan and Barry McArdle in second place, Greg Duffy, Alan Bolger, Adrian Kelly and Alan Nugent in third, and James King, Damien Cumiskey, Eamon Burns and Nudie himself in fourth. The Ladies prize went to Jeanette Keenan, Cathryna Craig, Dorren Quinn and Martina Conlan on 97 points, while the non-Golf Ireland prize was won by Chris Monahan, Gary Doyle, Jim Egan and John Dolan on 95 points. Congratulations to our ex-Captain Thomas Brennan who had a Hole-in-One at the sixth hole. Many thanks to all our members and visitors who made our classic such a great success. And a special word of thanks to our major sponsors – Brennan’s Furniture and Carpets Clontibret, Donnelly Motors of Caledon, McEneaney Group, Thomas O’Neill’s Steel Formed Section and Fred Bishop of Cloughvalley Stores Carrickmacross.

This week it’s business as usual in our club with a singles competition, the Members’ Prize. And on Friday evening there’s a presentation of prizes in our clubhouse at eight o’clock, with the relevant prize winners to be informed by club text.

And finally for this week, some recent seniors news. On Tuesday last, we had a good turnout for our Three Man Waltz. This was won by John McGoldrick, Finbar Brohan and Junior McKeown on 43 points. Second prize went to Frank McDonnell, Jim O’Neill and Brendan Laverty on 41, while Brian McGovern, Pat Conlon and Pat McBride came in third on 39. Unfortunately, Pierce Hughes’ President’s Prize for Seniors fell foul of Monday morning’s downpour. So this event has now been re-scheduled for Thursday September 1^st, with all participants asked to sign up on the BRS system.

16th August 2022

THE NUDIE HUGHES CLUB CLASSIC AT CONCRA WOOD

Our major club fundraiser of 2022, the Nudie Hughes Club Classic takes place this weekend from Thursday 18^th through to Sunday 21^st of August. The cost per team of four is €240, which includes golf, a goodie bag and a meal in The View Restaurant for every participant. The format is simple, each team just records the best two scores on every hole. There are prizes for the first ten teams, as well as nearest the hole on all par threes, and of course the longest drive. And there’ll be one or two well known faces from the world of GAA around for the selfie hunters. Our committee wishes to thank our major sponsors, Brennan’s Carpet and Furniture Clontibret, Raymond Donnelly Motors Caledon, Seamus McEneaney, and Steel Formed Sections, whose support ensures we all have a great weekend to look forward to. All proceeds will be spent on a programme of improvements to our bunkers at Concra Wood.

Last week our men’s and ladies sections competed for the Des McGlynn Cup, a trophy named in memory of our long serving club secretary. After the hottest August week ever, our course was playing short(ish), so it was expected that there might be a few big scores in the men’s competition off the gold tees. How wrong we were, as only one golfer managed to break the 40 point barrier. Shane Farrell returned his best round ever, a score of 42 points off a handicap of 13, to lift the prestigious cup. A birdie on the first can be a blessing, and Shane certainly made the most of it, going on to record three more on a memorable day. His margin of victory was two points over no fewer than four golfers. 40 points won the Category 1 prize for Mark McCahey, Category 2 for Greg Duffy and Category 3 for Paul C.McArdle, while Patrick Tavey went home empty handed. There was better news for Eoghain McTiernan who won the Beginners’ Prize on a score of 38 points.

In our ladies’ event, Margie Carville continued her fine run of form to win on a score of 38 points. Her back nine total of 19 points was crucial, as it just edged Marie Sweeney’s 38 into second place by a single point on a countback. Third prize was won by our Lady Captain Donagh Nugent on 37 points. And the nine hole event was won by Shirley McMahon on 22 points. There is no ladies’ competition this week in order to give members an opportunity to take part in the club classic.

Members are asked to take note of the following date in your golf diaries. A presentation of prizes takes place in our clubhouse on Friday 26^th of August at 8 o’clock. All prizewinners will be contacted by club text.

And finally, our club lost a long serving member last week, with the death of Phil Sherry. Having grown up in a golfing family in Mullingar, Phil was a founder member of our club. She and her late husband Brian fulfilled many roles over the years, and she served as Lady Captain in 1998, while he was Club Captain in 1994. All at Concra send our deepest sympathies to Phil’s family. Go raibh suaimhneas síoraí aici.

9th August 2022

And finally for this week, the clock is ticking down to our major fundraiser of 2022, The Nudie Hughes Club Classic, which takes place from Thursday 18th to Sunday 21st of August. Our organising committee has already been in touch with all our members and sponsors, and if early indicators are anything to go by, we can hope for a record weekend. Our greens have all been sponsored at this stage, but tee boxes are still available. Anyone who wishes to book a team or to sponsor a tee should contact our office at 042 979485 or email info@concrawood.ie

 

2nd August 2022

CAPTAIN’S PRIZE JOY FOR TIARNACH O’NEILL

Tiarnach O’Neill produced the golf of his dreams to win Frank Nolan’s Captain’s Prize on Sunday evening. Having only just made the cut on 38 points after eighteen holes, Tiarnach was out in the play-offs opening group. However, there was a very congested field ahead of him, with only three points separating him from the leading qualifier Pauric Donaghy. Seven scoring holes eased him into contention, and then a super three – three finish gave him a total of 61 points, which no one in the following groups could surpass. The best of the rest was Pauric Donaghy who matched Tiarnach’s 61, but his final nine of 20 points was pushed into second place by Tiarnach’s 23. Third prize went to comeback kid Brian Coleman, his score of 60 points a real blast from the past. And the best gross prize was won by Sylvester Quinn who returned a one over par 73 for a total of 35 gross points.

Our ladies also took part in Frank’s Captain’s Prize over the past week. The winner, completing a unique double of Captain’s and Lady Captain’s Prize in the same year, was Moira O’Brien. She certainly needed no countback, returning a score of 67 nett to win by four clear strokes. Category 1 was won by Mary McElroy on 74, with Josephine McCahey taking the Category 2 prize with a 73. Category 3 went to Ann Cumiskey on 71, while Tracy McMahon won Category 4 on 72. The ladies also held a nine hole event, which was won by Mairead McCreesh who returned a 35 nett.

Three hectic days of qualifiers and play-offs didn’t stop our members from celebrating another great Captain’s Weekend on Sunday night. After dinner, and some memorable entertainment, it was time for the prize giving. It’s good to report that the art of the acceptance speech is alive and well in our club, with so many taking the opportunity to thank our Captain Frank for all his hard work, and to praise Peter Robinson and his staff on the wonderful condition of our course. Our Captain himself couldn’t have sounded happier as he expressed his joy and gratitude to all who helped to make his weekend such a great success. And at the end of the night, he had the very pleasant task of presenting Eileen Kerr, of his chosen charity the Monaghan Arch Club, with a cheque for €1900, donated by our members over the weekend.

This weekend it’s back to the real world for our members, who take part in The Formme Constuction strokeplay event, off the green tees.

Our seniors’ season contined last week with a nine hole singles event. The results were as follows; Cat. 1 Charlie Geoghegan 20, Brian McGovern 19 and John McGoldrick 19. Cat. 2 PJ Lambe 21, Finbarr Brohan 21 and Joe Kernan 20. Cat. 3 Pierce Hughes 25, Barney McDonald 19 and Syl Mulligan 19. This week it’s another nine hole competition off the white tees.

 And finally for this week, news of our major fundraiser of the season, The Nudie Hughes Cub Classic. This event takes place over four days, from Thursday 18^th to Sunday 21^st of August. The cost per team of four is €240, and tee and green sponsorship is also available by contacting our office at 042 9749485 or by emailing info@concrawood.ie .Members are asked to please support this classic, with all monies raised being spent on a programme of bunker improvements.

26th July 2022

A HOME WIN FOR GLOBETROTTER SMYTH

It’s a known fact in club golf, that only the most honest and upright players shoot the lights out on the weekend before the Captain’s Prize. Well we can now say for sure that we have at least two of those in Concra, after last weekend’s MC Blinds competition. Playing off the very challenging Gold Tees, both Declan Smyth and Jimmy Lacey returned super scores of 43 points. And it was our Vice Captain Declan who took the top spot, having shot an excellent one over par on the back nine. It’s been quite a year for Declan so far, as he’s golfed in the four corners of the planet, and it’s rumoured that he outscored Tiger Woods at St. Andrew’s. And now that he’s brought that form home, who’s to say he won’t win the big one next weekend? Jimmy must surely have felt that he had done the business, but on this occasion he has to settle for the Category 1 prize. Category 2 went to Brendan Carragher, whose golf continues to improve, on 38 points. And Shane Fitzsimons was very pleasantly surprised to win Category 3 on 35 points. Once again our sponsors added a Beginners’ Prize, which was won by Liam O’Doherty on 33 points.

Congratulations to Calum Callaghan who won Sunday’s Top Golfer Junior Scratch Cup with a fine score of 75, and also to Alan Bolger who took third spot on 77.

Our Seniors competed in their usual nine hole singles last week. The winners details were: Cat. 1 Martin Rafter 18, Martin Shevlin 17 and Gerry Treacy 17. Cat. 2 Pat Conlon 21, David Hutchinson 21, Paul Shortt and Jarlath Denny joint third on 20. Cat. 3 Terence McKeown 22, Gerry Monahan 22 and John Smyth 21. This week, it’s another nine hole event off the green tees.

Last week, our ladies took part in their annual Corrigan’s Kitchen sponsored event, and it produced one of this season’s great rounds at Concra. The winner, Sandra McEvoy, returned a score of 42 points – that’s three over par off a handicap of 9. The runner-up was our Lady Captain Donagh Nugent who scored 38 points, with Mona Metcalfe in third place on 35. In the nine hole competition, Alice Duffy came out on top on 23 points, while Sheila Moore took second prize on 20. This week our ladies are competing in the Captain’s Prize. All cards must be returned by Thursday.

It’s been a really tough season for us on the inter-club scene. On Saturday, our last men standing, Billy Hanna’s Junior Cowdy Cup side, bowed out of this year’s event, going down to a very strong team from Loughgall GC in their third round match. Billy would like to thank all the guys who played for him this season, and carried the flag for our club. Let’s hope the experience gained will stand us in good stead in the coming years.

The Nudie Hughes Club Classic takes place this year from Thursday 18^th to Sunday 21^st of August. This is our club’s major fundraiser of 2022, and members are asked to please give it all your support. The cost per team of 4 is €240, while green and tee sponsorship is available at €200 and €100 respectively. All funds raised will kickstart our programme of improvements to our bunkers.

And finally, this weekend it’s the big one, the Captain’s Prize. It’s every club golfer’s dream to win, even just once, but after all the restrictions of the last two years, this one feels extra special. And if our Captain Frank Nolan’s commitment to date is anything to go by, we can be sure this will be a truly memorable weekend. In years gone by, it was customary to make a prediction in this column. It was easier back then when the number of competitors was lower. And who would have guessed that Noel Boyd would stroll to victory last year? But in keeping with tradition, this year the Captain’s Prize is heading for…….Ballybay!

19th July 2022

MOIRA O’BRIEN WINS THE LADY CAPTAIN’S PRIZE

For most golfers, our course at Concra Wood becomes a little easier when our fairways dry out and there’s a bit of run on the ball. So in such wonderful conditions, it was no surprise to any of us that Donagh Nugent’s Lady Captain’s Day produced record scores at the weekend. The winner with a massive total of 46 points was Moira O’Brien. This was just enough to knock Yvonne Duffy’s 45 points into the runner-up spot. And third prize was won by Briege O’Reilly on a score of 43 points. It’s fair to say that our ladies made the most of the weekend, with huge crowds on the course, and also in our clubhouse for Saturday night’s presentation. Donagh would like to thank all the lady members who helped to raise €1100 for her chosen charity The Perfect Gift, and also her sponsors for the weekend Gribben Motors, Armagh, Tullynagrow Fuels, Culloville House, SINE Engineering and Circle of Light.

On Sunday, Donagh sponsored our juvenile competitions. The winners were: Red Group Caolan Donnelly and Eimear McGlynn. Blue Group Daniel Agnew and Daire Fitzgerald. Yellow Group Caolan O’Connor and Matthew McShane. And the winner of a special prize for girls was Bella O’Neill.

All the while, one hundred and twenty five of our male members were taking part in the annual Clement McKenna Cup. And it’s great to report on some new names in the winners’ enclosure. The winner on a super score of 44 points was big hitter Brian McGuinness. Second prize was won by Sean Cassidy, who recorded a record 28 points on the front nine, on his way to a total of 43 points. The best gross went to Mark Currie on 35 gross points. And in third position came Gavin Corrigan on 42 points. This weekend’s our men’s competition will be sponsored by M.C. Blinds, the last before our major event of the Summer, Frank Nolan’s Captain’s Prize.

Last week was Open Week at Concra, with over one hundred entrants taking part in each of our singles competitions. Results, as always, are available on masterscoreboard. As our seniors were supporting these events, they didn’t hold their weekly competition. They did, however, hold an Open Championship Sweep, which was won by Ciaran Coyle.

And finally for this week, it looks like this is going to be a very tough season for our inter-club teams. On Thursday, Paudie Kindlon’s Ulster Cup side were beaten by four matches to three by Banbridge GC. This means that Billy Hanna’s Junior Cowdy Cup team are our last men standing. They travel to Loughgall GC on Saturday, trailing after the first leg by 2 ½ points to 1 ½. While we know they have it all to do, we wish them the very best of luck.

12th July 2022

RAYMOND KERNAN RIP

Raymond Kernan was one of life’s gentlemen. In our club he was liked and respected by all in equal measure. And golf being a game of honour, it suited Raymond down to the ground. Raymond loved our club, and served our club as Honorary Secretary for over a decade, before moving on to the role of Club President in 2010 and 2011. Never one to side with any factions or cliques, Raymond sought only to facilitate others to enjoy our game. He holds the unique distinction of being the only golfer to have been a member of all three clubs in our town’s history – at Annahale, Onomy and Concra. While news of his death wasn’t unexpected, it was met with great sadness in our club. The great number of our members who stood in the Guard of Honour at Thursday’s funeral was a fitting tribute to such a loyal servant of our club. We extend our deepest sympathies to Raymond’s wife Maura, his daughter Irene and his son Gareth. Ní bheidh a leithéid ann arís.

This Saturday our ladies take part in the biggest competition of their season – Donagh Nugent’s Lady Captain’s Prize. As is traditional, Donagh sponsored our men’s competition last weekend to start the build up to the big event. And it proved to be a very high scoring weekend, with no fewer than twenty members shooting 38 points or better. James King held his Captain’s Prize of the ABW society on Saturday, and instead of sitting around the clubhouse for the day, he went out and took part in Donagh’s competition. And what a good decision that proved to be, as he put together a superb round of 45 points – enough to ensure an invite to Saturday night’s festivities. On any other weekend James would have won by a street, but on this occasion each of our category winners had a chance to better his 45, only to slip up on our tough last three holes. While he shot an excellent 43 points, Category 1 winner Patrick Tavey was three over for the last three. In Category 2 David Lennon shot four over on the final three on his way to 41 points. And in Category 3 Patsy Boyle let five shots slip over the same holes, in an otherwise super round of 42 points. Let’s hope the high scoring continues into this weekend’s competition, the Clement McKenna Cup.

This year’s Golfer of the Year competitions have been running every weekend since Presidents’ Prize. The complete scoreboard is on the competitions noticeboard. The early pace setter is Gavin McEneaney on 52 points, with Thomas Brennan in second place on 30 points, closely followed by Mark McCahey on 28 points. It’s not too late for the rest to catch up, as this competition runs right on through to September.

 Our ladies took part in the Leavy’s Pharmacy sponsored event last week. The winner on 68 nett was Patricia Hamill. Second prize went to Suzanne Cumiskey on 73 with Yvonne Duffy in third place on74. The nine hole event was won by Briege O’Reilly on 41 nett. On Sunday afternoon our ladies section hosted an open three person team event The winners were from Lurgan GC, the runners-up from New Forest, with our Lady Captain Donagh, Vice-Captain Chris Monahan and Margie Carville in third place.

And finally for this week, we’ve had a really challenging season so far on the inter-club front. On Saturday Billy Hanna’s Junior Cowdy Cup side hosted Loughgall GC at Concra in their third round first leg. It proved to be a very tough day for Billy’s men as they suffered a 2 ½ – 1 ½ reverse. They did however have something to cheer about, as Gareth Mone produced the shot of the day, chipping in over the bunker on 17 to secure a point for himself and his brother John, while Shane Fitzsimons and Lorcan Keenan sealed the other half point. Billy’s men are going to have to go some in their second leg in Loughgall on July 23^rd. We wish them the very best of luck.

5th July 2022

BARRY’S BACK IN FORM

After a season of countbacks and close finishes, we finally have a convincing victory to report. In last weekend’s Paul Hill Cup, Barry O’Reilly won by a street, with a winning margin of five points over his nearest rival. On a wet weekend our course was playing long, too long for most. But long suits Barry, and if the driver‘s not going far enough, he reaches for his secret weapon – the three wood. On this occasion he put it to very good use, on his way to a superb total of 44 points. Category 1 was won by the in-form Gavin McEneaney who returned a creditable 39 points.  The Category 2 prize went to Thomas Brennan on a score of 36 points. And the ever-improving Aidan Boyd won Category 3 on 39 points. The Hill Family would like to thank all the members who took part in this event, which is held every year in memory of our very popular past member Paul.

If it’s close finishes you like, you can rely on our ladies. In their annual Theresa McHugh Cup, there were three leading scores of 39 points. The winner was Sheila Moore who squeezed home with the best back nine. Category 1 was won by Catriona Bolger on 33 points. Jolanta McMonagle‘s 39 points won in Category 2. Category 3 was won by Briege Horgan on 31 points. And in Category 4, Tracy McMahon came out on top with the other 39 points. And the nine hole event was won by Nuala Traynor on 21 points. This weekend’s competition is sponsored by Leavy’s Pharmacy. This strokeplay event is the latest in this Summer’s Ladies’ Stroke Medal competition. And there’s an extra competition for our ladies to look forward to this weekend. On Sunday afternoon Concra is hosting a Three Ladies Team Event, a final chance for our members to hone their skills before Lady Captain’s Day on July 16^th.  And as if that wasn’t enough, our Lady Captain Donagh is the sponsor of this weekend’s men’s competition as well. Good luck with all that.

 Our men aren’t going to go short on golfing opportunities either. Next week it’s Open Week. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday our singles stableford events are sponsored by McElvaney’s Waste, Watters’ Electrical and Moneycare. On Thursday Combi-Lift sponsor our Fourball Betterball, and then it’s our regular Black Tees Friday sponsored by Concra Wood. All details are available on our Concra Wood Facebook page.

For our Seniors, Monday was Brian McGovern’s Captain’s Day. A record fifty members took part on the day. The winner on a fine score of 38 points was Thomas Brennan. The other prizewinners were: Cat. 1 Patrick Cumiskey 37, Martin Farnan 37 and Frank McDonnell 37. Cat. 2 Eamonn Tavey 33, Des Morgan 32 and PJ Lambe 32. Cat. 3  Macartan Lambe 32, Syl Mulligan 32 and Pat McBride 32.

And finally for his week, good luck to Billy Hanna and his team in their Junior Cowdy Cup quarter final first leg against Loughgall GC in Concra on Saturday. It’s been a tough season so far for our inter-club sides, so we really hope Billy’s men can give us an interest in the latter stages of this year’s championships.

28th June 2022

CONCRA WOOD PLAYS IN PINK

 Our weekend competitions at Concra Wood were fundraisers for the National Breast Cancer Research Institute, and all competitors were encouraged to wear something pink to raise awareness of their cause. Unfortunately the weather refused to play ball, and so it was pink wetsuits and umbrellas all the way. The men’s event was sponsored by Paul Murphy’s Colt Design. Most competitors hopes were blown and washed away, but two men managed to break 40 points, and it took a countback to separate them. The winner on a score of 42 points was Adrian Sewell. It’s been a while since Adrian has won a singles competition, but he’s just had a good run in the HiLo matchplay, and no doubt he picked up one or two tips from our Captain Frank along the way. The unlucky man who was pipped at the post was Paraic Craig. He surely thought his 42 points was good enough for top spot in such conditions, but his back nine of 21 fell one short of Adrian’s. There were four scores of 39 points recorded in this competition, with Gavin McEneaney claiming third prize on a breakdown. And the best gross prize was won by Calum Callaghan who returned a score of 31 gross points.

Our Ladies’ event was sponsored by Michael Smyth’s The View Restaurant. The overall winner was Carmel McAleavey who returned a score of 39 points. Once again we needed a countback to separate the top scorers, with Suzanne McElroy’s 39 just coming up short on the back nine. She has to settle for the runner-up prize on this occasion. And the third prize was won by Jolanta McMonagle on 38 points. A number of our lady members took part in the nine hole event, and the winner was Margaret Flack on a super score of 22 points.

On Monday our club played host to the North Leinster Past and Present Lady Captains’ competition. The winner on a score of 39 points was our own Josephine McCahey, with our past Lady Captain Rita O’Loughlin taking second prize on 37 points. Third prize went to Bernie Connolly of Rossmore GC on 36 points, while the Best Gross prize was won by Jill Roullier of Mannan Castle GC.

PICTURED L TO R: WINNER JOSEPHINE MCCAHEY, LADY CAPTAIN DONAGH NUGENT, LADIES SECRETARY CATHRYNA CRAIG

Most of our seniors managed to get their weekly nine holes in before the storms arrived. The results were as follows: Cat. 1 Brian McGovern 23, Johnny McGoldrick 21, Martin Allen and Johnny Redmond 20 points apiece. Cat. 2 Andy Whelan 22, Adrian Sewell 20 and Joe McGrath 19. Cat. 3 Terence McKeown 20, Gerry Monahan 20 and Tom Ryan 18. It’s nine holes again this week, and then on Monday 4^th of July it’s Brian McGovern’s Senior Captain’s Day. Any member who wishes to take part should sign up on the BRS system. We wish Brian the very best of luck – no doubt the Child of Prague is already out.

It’s mostly good news this week for our club teams. Paudie Kindlon’s Ulster Cup side have made it through to Round 3 as they won Friday night’s match with Greenacres GC on a scoreline of 4 – 3. Team Captain Paudie was the hero on the night, winning his match with a birdie on the first tie hole. They now face Banbridge GC in Round 3. Billy Hanna’s Junior Cowdy Cup team had a more comfortable victory, beating Tandragee GC by 5 matches to 3 over two legs. Next up for them, it’s Loughgall GC. But unfortunately, Jack McDonnell’s young Sam Rutherford Cup side came unstuck on Sunday, losing out to Killymoon GC by 8 holes. And James King’s Rossmore Cup team exited this year’s event, losing out to Lisburn GC in Sunday’s second leg.

And finally for this week, our next mens’ competition is the annual Paul Hill Cup, which takes place  this Friday evening, Saturday  and Sunday. This stableford event will be played off the green tees. And for our ladies, it’s the Teresa McHugh Cup, which must be played by Thursday 30^th of June.

21st June 2022

SPARKS IS FLYING

We’ve all heard it said that strokeplay favours the low handicappers. Is this a fact, or just another golfers’ myth? Well if last weekend’s C & R McMahon Construction event is anything to go by, it may well be that the latter is true. Because none of our top three golfers would consider themselves to be low handicappers, but that didn’t stop them all from breaking 70 nett. The winner on a score of 68 was Pat “Sparks” McNeill. On the same weekend as he and his foursomes partner Mervyn Brown made it through to the HiLo final, Pat laid down a marker for the Seniors – and the 20+ handicappers – with this significant result. And in the end he only just managed to squeeze past Eugene McGuigan, who also returned a 68. Eugene was flying after fourteen holes, but as so often happens in Concra, the final fours holes did for his chances of victory. Third prize was won by last year’s Captain Thomas Brennan on 69. And on a difficult weekend for the low men, Ciaran McMahon was the only competitor to break 80 gross. His 79 strokes won him the Best Gross prize.

This weekend our competition is sponsored by Paul Murphy’s Colt Design. As this is our Play in Pink weekend, all members are asked to wear something pink, and can make a donation to the National Breast Cancer Research Institute. And due to the large numbers taking part in our competitions, all competitors now have the option of competing on Friday evenings from 2.30 pm.

Our lady members competed in the annual Longfield Oil Rosebowl event. The winner on a superb score of 41 points was Anne Cumiskey. This is Anne’s second major win in a fortnight as she also won our Presidents’ Prize. Anne Lambe was runner-up on a score of 39 points, while Eileen Kerr won the nine hole event. Our category prize winners were Mona Metcalfe, Sheila Moore, Margie Carville and Mairead McCreesh. This weekend’s sponsor is The View Restaurant, and as in the men’s competition, this is a Pretty in Pink fundraiser.

Our Seniors took part in a nine hole Mixed Scramble on Tuesday. The winning team on a score of 36 were Frank McDonnell, Brigitte LeJuez and Maura Moore. Second place went to Pat McNeill (again!), Adrian Sewell and Suzanne McElroy, while third were Declan McAteer, Raymond McCooey and Liz Coleman. This week, it’s our usual nine hole competition off the white tees.

Our most recent inter-club success was in the 2019 Senior Cowdy Cup. Due to Covid this was our first chance to defend this prestigious trophy. And sadly Alan Bolger’s men have fallen at the second fence, going down by 22 points to 18 to a strong Spa GC side. James King’s Rossmore Cup team kicked off their season with a home leg against Lisburn GC on Sunday. On the day they earned a 2 ½ points to 1 ½ advantage to take into this weekend’s second leg. And Jack McDonnell’s Sam Rutherford Cup side also debuted on Sunday. They came away from Killymoon GC with a six hole deficit, which gives them every chance in Sunday’s rematch at Concra.

And finally for this week, our HiLo matchplay semi-finals were completed over the weekend. As I’ve already reported, Pat McNeill and Mervyn Brown have made it through to the final, having defeated our Captain Frank Nolan and Adrian Sewell by 3&2. In the second semi-final, Stephen McQuillan and Paul Campbell overcame Jonathan Kernan and Martin Malone to set up a very interesting final match. This has been a really enjoyable competition, with everyone who took part looking forward to more matchplay in our club.

14th June 2022

NUDIE HUGHES WINS THE PRANDY DUFFY CUP

The weekend of the Prandy Duffy Cup has been a little bit on the quiet side these past couple of years. Covid restrictions have prevented the American Friends of Concra from celebrating this special event with us. However, the weather was anything but quiet this time around, with gales blowing across our course all weekend long. And our Pro Ciaran said he thought there was a Spandau Ballet concert in his shop, as members all shouted, “GOLD! GOLD!” Yes, it was all the way back to our gold tees for the toughest of tests. And when the going got tough, Nudie Hughes got going. Nudie’s battling qualities are legendary, and once again, he put them to very good use. He returned a score of 42 points – the only 40+ score of the weekend – to land one trophy that he’ll be delighted to lift for the first time. Damien Cumiskey gave himself a real chance of breaking 40 as well, but he struggled with the challenge of our final four holes, eventually signing for 39 points, enough to take the runner-up spot. The best gross prize went to big hitter Kevin Power who returned 29 gross points. And third place went to Concra’s own resident golfer Mervyn Brown on a score of 38 points. Once again our sponsors included a Beginners’ Prize, and this was won by Ronan Peter McCarron on 32 points.

This weekend our sponsors are Ciaran and Ronan McMahon of C & R McMahon Construction. It’s back to the green tees, and this is a strokeplay Golfer of the Year competition.

Another busy weekend on the inter-club scene saw two of our teams exit this season’s Golf Ireland events. Brian McGovern’s Fred Perry Trophy side were beaten by three matches to two by Silverwood GC on Saturday, while Yvonne Duffy’s All Ireland Mixed Foursomes team suffered the narrowest of defeats to Kirkistown Castle GC. With the sides tied at two matches each, Calum Callaghan and Josephine McCahey took their match down nineteen, only to be beaten in the sudden death decider. Alan Bolger’s Senior Cowdy Cup side have it all to do in defence of their title. On Sunday they lost their away leg at Spa GC by 16 ½ points to 3 ½. So for some good news we have to turn to Billy Hanna’s Junior Cowdy Cup side. They returned from their away leg at Tandragee GC undefeated. They earned three half matches, and a priceless win from Gregg Sibley and debutant Tom McDermott. We wish Alan’s and Billy’s men the very best in this weekend’s second legs.

Our Seniors also battled last week’s winds as they took part in the annual Gabriel Moore Memorial tournament. The winner on a super score of 39 points was our Captain Frank Nolan. Frank’s round contained three birdies, including at our very difficult sixteenth hole – a truly rare bird. The category winners and their points totals were: Cat.1 Brian McGovern 37, Johnny Redmond 35 and Martin Rafter 32. Cat. 2 Andy Whelan 33, Bart McNamara 312 and Paul Shortt 31. Cat. 3 Macartan Lambe 28 and Pat McBride 27.  This week, it’s a mixed scramble on Tuesday morning at 11.10 am.

And finally for this week, while the American Friends of Concra Wood were unable to travel to Blayney last weekend, they more than made up for their absence with a magnificent gift to our club. A fabulous clock with the inscription “In memory of Prandy Duffy” now stands tall beside our first tee box. Custom built by the Verdin Company of Cincinnati, this unique timepiece was shipped from New York just in time for this year’s playing of Prandy’s Cup. “Under Prandy’s Clock” is already the must have photo on social media, and we may just have one or two of our American friends in the picture before the year is out.

7th June 2022

GRANDSTAND FINISH TO THE PRESIDENTS’ PRIZE

The crowds of members who came out to watch the play-off for this year’s Presidents Prize on Sunday evening were treated to a grandstand finish. The battle for top spot was between Gerry McCaul and Tony Brennan, who were well in front after the 18 hole qualifier on 44 and 43 points respectively. It was nip and tuck all the way, and by the time they got to the final hole, it was Tony who held a one shot lead. Tony’s tee shot came up just short, while Gerry stuck his ball on the middle of the green. And when Tony failed to get up and down, Gerry nailed his birdie putt for a total of 62 points, and a first victory in a major competition. The chasing pack had narrowed the gap somewhat, and a number of competitors returned scores of 60 points. On a countback, the runner-up spot went to Dean McMahon, with Keith Hill taking third prize. And the best gross prize was won by Christopher Brennan, who returned a score of 73 on the first eighteen.

Sunday night’s presentation was a unique event as we had two Presidents celebrating their successful weekend. Pierce and Seamus certainly seemed to enjoy themselves. It was great to see so many of our prize winners taking the opportunity to say a few words, and time and again it was Peter Robinson and his team who were praised for the superb condition of our course.  Over the weekend, our members made generous donations to the Monaghan Arch Club, and the formalities ended with our Presidents presenting the proceeds to Eileen Kerr, who will put them to good use.

So this weekend it’s back to the regular 18 hole format for the annual Prandy Duffy Cup. And after a quiet weekend on the inter-club front, our teams are back in action. Good luck to Brian McGovern’s Fred Perry Trophy side, and Yvonne Duffy‘s All-Ireland Mixed team as they represent our club.

And finally for this week, news from our Seniors. On Thursday last, in quite challenging conditions, the members took part in a Three Man Waltz! The winners on a score of 48 points were Brian Coleman, Jim O’Neill and Tom Ryan. The runners-up were Martin Farnan, Joe Quinn and Arthur McGeough on 46 points, with Martin Allen, Paul Shortt and Macartan Lambe taking third spot on 45. This Thursday is a big day in our seniors’ calendar as they compete for the Gabriel Moore Memorial Trophy. All members are asked to book in on the BRS system before noon. The golf will be followed by a meal with the presentation of prizes taking place at 5 pm.

31st May 2022

PAUL IS THE REAL DEAL

Paul Murphy has long had the potential to play off a very low handicap. He hits the ball a mile so, for him, Concra Wood is really a par 68. Last Saturday in Paddy Carville’s SINE Engineering competition, he took a major step towards fulfilling that potential, shooting a gross 75 for a total of 43 points. Scoring three birdies on his way to victory, he even had the luxury of finishing with a 6 on 18 – further proof that his new Handicap Index of 7.8 is just a start. On a high scoring weekend, Paul needed every point. Categories 1 and 3 were won by Mac Sammon and Fergal Toal who scored 42 points apiece. In Category 2 the winner was Seamus McElroy, who returned a score of 39 points. And once again we had a special category for Beginner Members, and this was won by the ever improving Gerry Hamill on 38 points.

This weekend it’s our first major competition of the year, The Presidents’ Prize. And in a unique twist we have not one, but two Presidents hosting the event. Seamus Mallon waited patiently for the pandemic to end before going ahead with his competition, and now he’s sharing the stage with his nominee Pierce Hughes. It’s rumoured that the winner is going to get two prizes on this occasion, so there’ll be no holding back. Any member who has yet to sign up is asked to get their name on the timesheet during the week.

In our Seniors section, last week’s nine hole singles results were: Cat. 1 Ciaran Prunty 20, Martin Farnan 20 and Brian McGovern 19. Cat. 2 Pat Conlon 21, Joe Kernan 20 and Finbar Brohan 19. Cat. 3 Jim O’Neill 16, Tom Ryan 14 and Brendan Laverty 14. This week’s competition is a Team Waltz, which takes place on Thursday. Members can sign up for Wednesday’s draw on the Seniors Whatsapp Group.

And finally for this week, some not so good news on the inter-club front. Noel O’Reilly’s Pierce Purcell side were beaten 4-1 by a strong Warrenpoint GC side in the second round of this year’s championship on Thursday. And then on Sunday, Stephen McQuillan’s Tudenham Cup team were edged out of this year’s event by Rathcor GC . The match was poised at 2 ½ points apiece, meaning Alan Bolger and Thomas Brennan’s match went to a sudden death play-off, and unfortunately they came unstuck at the second tie hole. Let’s hope for better news for our other teams as we head into a busy June calendar.

24th May 2022

PADRAIC PUSHES HIS CASE

Padraic Conlon was a member of the Senior Cowdy team which won the cup in 2019. This year he didn’t make the team for our first round match against St. Patrick’s GC. That despite playing with the team captain every weekend, not to mention beating him every time. He was told he had to do more. And that’s just what he did on Saturday morning , shooting a 73 for 44 stableford points, enough to win the Mace Store, Smithborough singles competition. One man who did make the team was Ciaran McMahon. Not only did he justify selection by winning home and away, he returned a round of 40 points to win this weekend’s Category 1 prize. Category 2 was won by Martin Rafter, who scored 37 points, and it all came together for Frank Bourke on this occasion, as he won Category 3 on 36 points. 

The aforementioned Senior Cowdy Cup team has made it through to the second round of this year’s event. On Sunday they won their second leg in St. Patrick’s GC by 11 ½ points to 8 ½, leaving team captain Alan Bolger with one or two selection dilemmas for Round 2. Paudie Kindlon’s Ulster Cup side also made a winning start on Sunday, beating Killymoon GC by 4 ½ points to 2 ½. Billy Hanna’s Junior Cowdy Cup team completed a very busy Sunday at Concra, winning their first leg against Lurgan GC by 2 ½ points to 1 ½. And unfortunately, Sean Malone’s Jimmy Bruen Shield side were knocked out of this year’s championship on Saturday, beaten in Round 2 by Holywood GC on a scoreline of 3 matches to 2.

This weekend our competition is sponsored by Paddy Carville’s SINE Engineering. Members are reminded to sign up for the Presidents’ Prize which takes place over the following weekend.

Our seniors have a couple of big days to look forward to next month, especially the Gabriel Moore Memorial Cup on June 9th. Last week they competed in a nine hole singles, and the winners and their points totals were: Cat. 1 Martin Shevlin 19, Brian McGovern 18 and Martin Allen 18. Cat. 2 Nicky Hore 19, Ronan McDonnell 19 and Sean Mulligan 16. Cat. 3 Gerry Monahan 25, Michael Reid 20 and Terence McKeown 19.

And finally for this week, our HiLo knockout has proven to be a great success. Members have really enjoyed the format, and have even managed to fulfil their fixtures on time. We’ve now reached the quarter-final stage, and all pairings are asked to keep up the good habits, and complete their matches by this Sunday, May 29th.

17th May 2022

KEVIN TOPS THE SCORING CHARTS

There was some proper scoring in our annual Carna Transport competition at the weekend. The winner on a score of 43 points was Kevin Power. Like so many big hitters, Kevin can reach the par five greens in two, and this time around he started with an eagle 3 at the first, and never looked back. In the end his winning margin was a single point from Francie Boylan, who returned a round of 42 points to take the Category 2 prize. Category 1 also saw a high scoring winner, this time Billy Hanna on 41 points. And Category 3 was won by Cathal Shortt on a score of 37 points.

This weekend our competition is sponsored by Aidan Boyd’s Mace Store in Smithborough. When entering scores at the computer, members can sign up for this season’s Presidents’ Prize which takes place on the June Bank Holiday Weekend. This competition will be our first Golfer of the Year event of 2022.

Our seniors took part in a scramble on May 11th. The winners on a score of level par were Johnny Redmond, Andy Whelan and Jim O’Neill. They squeezed Johnny McGoldrick, Pauric Craig and Brendan Laverty into second place on a countback. And third prize was won by Brian McGovern, Raymond McCooey and Junior McKeown on one over par. This week it’s business as usual – a nine hole singles – Monday to Friday. Andy has asked senior members to add a couple of dates to their busy schedules: June 9th for the Gabriel Moore Memorial Cup and June 14th for a mixed scramble. He would like to thank our Ladies’ Club for their generous donation of €500 to the Gardening Club, which will be put to very good use over the Summer months.

Our Seniors inter-club season got underway on Sunday with Brian McGovern’s Fred Perry Trophy team taking on Donaghadee GC in their first round match. An away win for Andy Whelan and Patrick Cumiskey was the key to victory for Brian’s men, who are safely into Round 2 on a score of 3 matches to 2. Also in action for our club was Alan Bolger’s Senior Cowdy Cup side. While they kicked off the defence of this trophy with a first leg 11 ½ to 8 ½ advantage over St. Patrick’s GC, they have it all to do in this weekend’s second leg.

And finally for this week, Concra Wood’s annual Arch Club Party has been re-scheduled for Thursday May 26th at 8.00 pm. Eileen Kerr and her committee welcome all members to come along and participate in the evening’s fun.

10th May 2022

HUGO FINDS THAT WINNING FORMULA

We golfers are forever looking for that certain something, the key to unlocking our potential, to deliver that elusive victory. Some spend thousands on equipment, others hours on the practice ground. Well Hugo Connolly seems to have come up with his perfect recipe – a lesson from our Pro Ciaran, and then escape from your regular fourball. At the weekend, in the company of his new playing partners, Hugo blazed a trail around the front nine, scoring 24 points. After a wobble on 10, 11 and 12 he steadied the ship, before the highlight of his round at 17 – a drive and a wedge to ten feet, followed by a birdie putt. An eventual total of 44 points was enough to win the annual Tavey’s Menswear Carrickmacross prize, and the three shots he lost in the process are not going to cost him a thought. Category 1 was won by Mel Currie who returned the steadiest of steady rounds, fourteen pars and four bogeys for a total of 38 points. There have been very few scores over 40 points in Concra so far this season, so David Lennon can consider himself very unlucky to only win the Category 2 prize with 41. And Category 3 was won by Patsy Boyle, who enjoyed his Busman’s Holiday so much, he scored 39 points.

This weekend our competition is sponsored by Carna Transport. Our timesheet for the weekend is chock-a-block with several inter-club matches taking place. We wish all our teams the very best of luck as they represent our club.

Our seniors played in their regular nine hole event last week. The results were; Cat. 1 Martin Rafter 20, Gerry Treacy 20 and Declan McAteer 17. Cat. 2 Joe Gleeson 19, Paul Shortt 19 and Joe Kernan 18. Cat. 3 Junior McKeown 20, Michael Reid 18 and Syl Mulligan 17. This week it’s a team scramble on Wednesday afternoon with tee times from 3.30 pm.

And finally for this week, our juvenile golfers got together for the first time this season on Sunday afternoon. Our new members got an opportunity to use all our club practice facilities, and they played the first two holes. We will have juvenile golf on most Sundays right throughout the Summer months. For further details contact our office at (042)9749485, check out our noticeboard, or come out to Concra and speak to Tom, Gregg or Chris on any Sunday afternoon.

3rd May 2022

QUINN WINS WITH 38 POINTS

It was one wet weekend at Concra. It was a tough job keeping yourself and your clubs half-dry, not to mention the various accoutrements today’s golfer carries. It was a real case of survival of the fittest in Thomas Brennan’s Consurv Building Consultants competition. And the fittest man was Sylvester Quinn who scored an excellent 38 points off a handicap of 2. Sylvester’s success was built on a superb return of four under par on the par fives, including an eagle 3 at the first. His margin of victory was a single shot from Paul Leonard. Paul was bombing along on 22 points after nine, but conditions took their toll on his way home, and his eventual total of 37 points sees him win Category 2. Category 1 was won by Gavin McEneaney , whose round of 36 points included two very lucrative twos. And Category 3 went to Michael Byrne who also returned a score of 36 points.

The May Bank Holiday weekend saw a number of our club teams kick off their 2022 season. Firstly, the good news. Sean Malone’s Jimmy Bruen Shield side won their match against Knock GC. The key to victory was an away win for Billy Hanna and Barry O’Reilly. Sean’s next opponents are Holywood GC. In the Tudenham Cup, Stephen McQuillan’s men enjoyed a 3-2 victory over Slieve Russell GC. Again it was an away win, this time by Francie Boylan and that man Billy Hanna that made all the difference. However, in the Barton Shield, Mark Currie’s side were beaten by St. Patrick’s GC, whose winning margin was two holes. And in the Junior Cup, Mel Currie’s men were beaten by 4 matches to 1 by a strong Rockmount GC side.

A presentation of prizes will take place this Friday evening in our clubhouse at 8pm. Prize winners will be contacted by text.

And finally, our seniors were away on their annual outing last week, this time to Roganstown GC. Their competition was played over 36 holes. The winner on a score of 76 points was Frank McDonnell, with both Frank Nolan and Patrick Cumiskey two points back on 74 apiece. This week it’s back to the good old 9 hole format – Monday to Friday.

26th April 2022

IT’S DAVID O’NEILL AGAIN – OR IS IT?

When the results of the Brennan’s Furniture competition were published on Sunday night, confusion reigned. For a second weekend in a row, the winner was David O’Neill, but which one? Well in the interest of clarity, it may help to introduce a couple of geography based adjectives. Last time it was Oram Davy, but on this occasion it’s Doohamlet Davy who came out on top. On Saturday he returned a score of 40 points, and in such windy conditions, it came as no surprise to the other 125 competitors that his score prevailed on Sunday evening. Category 1 was won by Noel O’Reilly on 38 points. Noel now has the great distinction of being the lowest handicapper in his storied fourball. Category 2 went to Martin Allen, who opens his account for 2022 with a round of 36 points. Category 3 was won by Patrick Hanratty, now a regular among the prizes, on a score of 39 points. And in our Beginner Category, the winner was Ronan Peter McCarron, who returned a score of 36 points.

This weekend our sponsors are Thomas Brennan’s Consurv Building Consultants, with members playing off the green tees.

Our Seniors turned out in numbers for the annual Jimmy Coleman Cup on Wednesday last. The winner on the day, on a super score of 40 points, was Johnny McGoldrick. The category winners were as follows: Cat.1 Martin Rafter 37, Patrick Cumiskey 36 and Martin Shevlin 35. Cat. 2 Bart McNamara 38, Paul Shortt 36 and Pat Conlon 35. Cat. 3 Brendan Laverty 38, Joe Gleeson 33 and Gerry Monahan 29. And Jimmy’s son Brian was on hand to present all the prizes afterwards in our clubhouse. The news wasn’t so good for our seniors in the JB Carr trophy. On Thursday, they were beaten by Rossmore GC in the first round of this season’s competition. However, there’ll be little time for them to lick their wounds, as they’re in action again on this Monday and Tuesday, this time on their outing to Roganstown GC.

Our club plays host to the Big Tom Classic on this Friday (April 29^th). We wish Oram GFC the very best of luck with this major event.

And finally for this week, our inter-club season hits top gear in the coming days. First up, it’s Mark Currie’s Barton Shield side who are in action on Friday evening against St. Patrick’s GC. Saturday sees two of our teams competing in Concra – Sean Malone’s Jimmy Bruen Shield side take on Knock GC, while Joe McGrath leads the All Ireland Fourball team in their match with Donegal GC. And then on Sunday Mel Currie’s Junior Cup side face opponents from Rockmount GC, while Stephen McQuillan’s Tudenham Cup first round match is against Slieve Russell GC. We wish all our representatives well in their matches, and encourage members to pop out to our course to support our club teams.

19th April 2022

SEAN MALONE WINS THE FIAT 500 DRAW

Our club draw took place on Monday night in our clubhouse. Captains Frank and Donagh officiated on the night, supported by local Fiat dealer Dermot McGuigan, and a large turnout of members. The winner of the Fiat 500 was Sean Malone, who made a very swift dash from Annyalla to Concra to accept his prize. Second prize was won by Danny Duffy from Ballybay. Third prize went to Ashling Woods from Annyalla. Fourth prize was won by Allen Reilly from Ardee, while fifth prize went to Tom Ryan. Many thanks to everyone who bought and sold tickets, and helped to make our draw successful. The draw itself was recorded by Billy Hanna, and can be viewed on our facebook page.

 A countback was required once again this week, this time to separate the top golfers in our Eastern Electrical competition. Both David O’Neill and Sean Farrell returned scores of 41 points, and they each had 20 points on the back nine. And so it took a check of the final six holes to establish that the winner by the narrowest of narrow margins was David. Sean, for his troubles, picks up the Category 2 prize. Category 1 went to Charlie McDonnell, who shot five birdies on his way to a 71, or 37 stableford points. 33 points was enough for Martin Rafter to win Category 3. And we had a special prize for beginners once again this week, which was won by Turlough Fitzsimons on a score of 36 points.

This weekends competition is sponsored Brennans furniture – Clontibret.  This is a Stableford competition played off the green tees.

Our seniors turned out in numbers for their regular nine hole competition last week. The winners and their points totals were: Cat. 1 Declan McAteer 19, Johnnny McGoldrick 19 and Michael Quinn 17. Cat. 2 Joe Quinn 18, Pierce Hughes 18 and Pat Conlon 17. Cat. 3 Gerry Monahan 22, Michael Reid 16 and Syl Mulligan 15. This week it’s the first major competition of the seniors’ calendar – the Jimmy Coleman Cup, which takes place on Wednesday (20^th). Wednesday also sees the return of our weekly Open Singles, which will run right through the Summer months.

And finally for this week, the draw for our HiLo matchplay is now posted on our noticeboard. Participants have a few weeks in which to get their first match played, and are reminded that they can arrange to compete over nine or eighteen holes.

12th April 2022

MALONE’S SPRINT FINISH

Concra was playing really tough at the weekend. A cool North wind was blowing in over the lake, always an indicator of lower scoring. By Sunday evening, only six out of one hundred and seventeen competitors managed to better 36 points in Noel O’Reilly’s Forklifts & Hire competition. The winner on a score of 38 points was Martin Malone. Martin looked to be heading for an OK score, standing on the 15^th tee, with 27 points on his card. But a birdie on the par five changed everything, and he finished with 11 points on the final four holes to win on a countback from Austin Curran. Austin’s 18 points on the back nine fell two points short of Martin’s total, so he’ll have to be content with the consolation of the Category 2 prize. Category 1 was won by another fast finisher. Sylvester Quinn was two under for the last four, birdying 15 and 18 on his way to a one over par round, giving him 37 points off a handicap of two. In such conditions, this was surely the round of the season so far. And the Category 3 prize was won by Pat Conlon, who also birdied the 15^th (it’s an ill wind!) on his way to a score of 37 points.

Our Easter weekend competition is sponsored by Eastern Electrical. This stableford event will be played off the green tees. On Easter Monday Concra is hosting a very heavily booked Bank Holiday Open competition. On Monday evening we’re holding a nine hole Ladies and Gents Club Singles competition from 5.00 to 6.30 pm, after which our Club Draw will be made in our clubhouse. Members are asked to please return all tickets and money for the draw to our Pro Shop or office by this Friday at the latest.

The draw for our first match-play event of the new season, the Hi-Lo Foursomes sponsored by Malone’s Cakes, is being made this Wednesday evening (13^th). So there’s maybe just enough time for members to make a last minute entry.

Golf Ireland has recently advised club handicap committees that they can set a maximum playing handicap for club competitions. Therefore our committee has decided that, from April 30^th, the maximum playing handicap in all Men’s Club competitions will be 28.

And finally for this week, our Wednesday Open Singles returns next week on April 20^th. These very popular open singles will run weekly right through the Summer months. For details of all the season’s open competitions, visit concrawood.ie and go to the visitor information section.

5th April 2022

HANRATTY WINS CORRIGAN’S KITCHEN PRIZE

Many golf clubs have reported a Covid dividend in recent times, as an increasing number of new members have found some time in their busy lives for golf. That’s certainly been the case at Concra Wood, and if our weekly scoreboard is anything to go by, quite a few are already becoming competitive. Having already won a category prize, Patrick Hanratty became the first of this cohort to win a weekend competition, as he came out on top with 41 points in our annual Corrigan’s Kitchen event. His winning margin was a single point over Cathal Shortt, whose 40 points win him the Category 3 prize. Jack McDonnell won the Category 1 prize, with a two over par round, for a total of 36 points. Category 2 was won by this season’s early bird Sean Malone, who’s in the winner’s enclosure once again with 34 points. And as an added bonus for our new recruits, our sponsors included an extra prize for beginners, and this was won by Gerry Brennan AKA “Annyalla” on a fine score of 34 points.

Last weekend also saw our first inter-club match of the new season, as Jimmy Lacey’s Senior Cup team took on Belvoir Park GC in the preliminary round of this year’s event. This was always going to be a tough task for Jimmy’s men, as their opposition had won the national title on a number of occasions. And while Jimmy’s side went down by 3 ½ points to 1 ½, there were positives to be taken, as Jack McDonnell picked up a commendable half point in the away match, while his brother Charlie enjoyed a one up victory at home in Concra over former South of Ireland title holder Simon Ward. The coming weeks will see our club return to competing in all Golf Ireland, Cowdy Area and Senior inter-club competitions. Our Captain Frank has asked that all members make themselves available for selection by Team Captains, as we aim for a record level of participation. Members will be made aware of all upcoming matches, and it would be great to see as many as possible supporting our teams on the first tee and around the greens on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

This weekend our competition is sponsored by Noel O’Reilly’s Forklifts & Hire. This stableford event will be played off the green tees. When signing in, members will have one final chance to enter our Hi- Lo matchplay, the draw for which takes place next week.

Monday was a special day for our seniors, as the new Seniors Captain Brian McGovern had his Drive-In. Due to the rather cool weather conditions, the singles event held in conjunction with the drive-in was reduced to nine holes. Once again the players were competing for the Martin Denny Sr. Cup. The winner on a score of 23 points was Martin Rafter, and Jarlath Denny was on hand to present Martin with his prestigious prize. The category winners and their points totals were as follows: Cat. 1 PJ Cumiskey 20, Declan McAteer 20 and Thomas Brennan 17. Cat. 2 Joe Quinn 21, Paul Shortt 20 and Syl Mulligan 18. Cat. 3 Tom Ryan 17, Barney McDonald 17 and Junior McKeown 15. And the draw for the driver was won by Pat Horgan.

And finally for this week, our committee has been busy in recent weeks, working on our annual draw. All members are asked to please return all tickets and money over the next fortnight, in time for Easter Monday’s draw.

22nd March 2022

MCCAUL BACK TO WINNING WAYS

Our members were treated to some beautiful sunshine as they competed in a fourteen hole singles event at the weekend. There was, however, a very chilly and challenging East wind to contend with, which ensured that scoring would at best be modest. Only six managed to better their handicap, with the top score coming from Gerry McCaul. His 31 points was matched by Patrick Hanratty, but Gerry’s stronger finish means he wins first prize, while Patrick must settle for a win in Category 3. Category 1 went to Charlie McDonnell who shot a one over par round for a total of 27 points, and Category 2 was won by the ever improving Paraic Craig on 29 points. This weekend our first 18 holes singles event of the new season is sponsored by Sealo Freight Transport.

There was great shock and sadness in our club and wider community at the weekend, due to the tragic death of Kieran Brennan. All at Concra Wood send our deepest sympathies to our ex-Captain Thomas Brennan and his wife Sadie on the death of their son. May he rest in peace. As a mark of respect, our Arch Club party at Concra Wood, which was due to take place next week, has been postponed.

15th March 2022

BACK TO BUSINESS AT CONCRA WOOD

Did we ever think we’d see the day when we’d be toasting normality? Well that’s just what we did last Saturday, as the crowds were back on our first tee – and in our clubhouse – for our season opener, the Captain’s Drive – In. And it’s good to report that our Captains Frank, Donna and Conor all responded to the galleries with cracking tee shots – hopefully a good omen for the season ahead. Over seventy members then took part in a Mixed Scramble over nine holes. The front nine winners were Charlie McDonnell, Brigitte Le Juez, Pauric Coyle and Jamie McCann Smyth who returned a six under par card for a nett score of 25. And on the back nine Phil Branigan, Brian McGovern and Brendan Laverty came out on top with a two under par round for a nett score of 29. Our competition doubled up as a fundraiser for Down Syndrome Centre North East. Many thanks to our members who contributed €1850 on the day, which will be spent on providing programmes for the service users.

This week sees our first Open Days of the season on the two Bank Holidays, Thursday 17th and Friday 18th. Our weekend event is a singles competition, which will be played over nine or fourteen holes – depending on weather conditions. And when visiting our clubhouse, members will have the opportunity to enter our Hi-Lo Matchplay, which makes a welcome return this season. Always a great way to get to play with other members, this year’s competition is sponsored by Malone’s Cakes.

There was a very healthy turnout for our weekly seniors competition. The winners and their points totals were: Cat. 1 Martin Allen 18, Brian McGovern 18 and John McGoldrick 17. Cat. 2 Eamonn Johnson 17, Pat Conlon 16 and Pat Merrick 13. Cat. 3 Pierce Hughes 20, Brendan Laverty 19 and Junior McKeown 16. 

News this week of a significant event which is being hosted by Concra Wood. After two years of cancellations due to Covid19 restrictions, Eileen Kerr has organised the Arch Club party on Thursday March 24th from 8.00 to 10.30 pm. This event is being sponsored by our members, as this was Thomas Brennan’s chosen charity on his Captain’s Day last year. Eileen wishes to thank Sean Hughes and The Outlaws and Gerry McMahon who have committed to provide music on the night. All members are welcome to come along and join in the fun.

And finally for this week, another date for your diaries. Golf Ireland is hosting a Rules Night for members of Mannan Castle and Concra Wood in our clubhouse on Tuesday March 29th at 7.00 pm. There have been a number of changes to the rulebook over the past couple of years, so this is a great opportunity for beginners and more seasoned golfers alike, to brush up on our knowledge of the Royal and Ancient game.

8th March 2022

BUSY WEEKEND AT CONCRA

Members had to wait for the overnight frost to thaw before teeing off in our Fourball Betterball on both Saturday and Sunday morning. But once the mercury lifted, our course was chock-a-block on both days. Three pairings managed to score 23 points, and after a countback Paudie Kindlon and Brendan Carragher were declared the winners. The runners-up were Tony Brennan and Sean Malone, with Ronan and Jack McDonnell picking up third prize.

This week our Seniors competition is a nine hole singles. Members can play at any time from Monday to Friday. When signing in, members are reminded that the annual sub is now due. And for anyone who has yet to sign up for this year’s outing to Roganstown, apparently there are five places still available.

And finally for this week, anyone thinking of taking part in our mixed scramble on Saturday should have signed up by now. This is of course being played in conjunction with our Captains’ Drive-In, which takes place at 11.30 am. We wish Frank, Donagh and our Junior Captain Conor the very best of luck. No pressure!

1st March 2022

CAPTAINS’ DRIVE-IN AT CONCRA WOOD

The traditional ceremonial start of our golf season, the Captains’ Drive-In, takes place on Saturday 12^th of March at 11.30 am. Members and friends are all welcome to come along to our first tee to wish our Captains Frank and Donagh, and our Junior Captain Conor, the very best for 2022, as they launch their first drives of the golfing year. When this business is sorted, members can take part in a Mixed Scramble over nine holes. Anyone who wishes to take part should book in on the BRS system by Wednesday 9^th of March, after which time teams will be drawn. All we need now is a little smile  from the Weather Gods.

At the weekend, our members took part in a nine-hole singles competition. The winners and their points totals for both days were as follows: Saturday Cat. 1 Brian McGovern 16, Cat. 2 Thomas Brennan 18 and Cat. 3 Adrian Sewell 17. Sunday Cat. 1 Conor McCaul 22, Cat. 2 Patrick Niland 21 and Cat. 3 Michael Byrne 21. This weekend our competition is a nine-hole Fourball Betterball, and members can play on both days, but as usual, with different partners.

Our Open Competitions for 2022 get under way on St. Patrick’s Day 17th of March and Friday 18^th March, with a singles event being played on each day. Members are reminded that bookings should only ever be made when absolutely certain of playing, and should be removed early if, due to unforeseen circumstances, a player has to withdraw.

Our Seniors are back in action this week. The format is something of a novelty – a four club competition – think carefully when choosing your weaponry! Members can play at any time – Monday to Friday.

Many congratulations to our Professional Ciaran and his wife Emily on the birth of their son Zac Tiger Lavery. With a name like that, he’s got to be a top golfer!

And finally for this week, as Covid 19 restrictions are lifted, our club is taking the opportunity to finalise our club draw. Members are asked to return all tickets and monies to our Pro Shop or office in the coming weeks, or indeed pick up more tickets when they visit. The draw will be held on Easter Monday 18^th of April, and all proceeds will be spent on improving your golfing experience at Concra Wood.

8th February 2022

WINTER LEAGUE VICTORY FOR TEAM SMYTH

Competitors in Week 8 of our Winter League battled forty mile an hour winds around Concra’s front nine last weekend. Most agreed that there’d be no big scores, and that the league table would remain as was. How wrong they were! Declan Smyth’s Team 23 needed a minor miracle to win from third spot after Week 7, but that’s exactly what they produced, due in no small part to Declan’s 22 points total. This score has the unique distinction of winning three prizes – Sunday’s Category 1, the Winter League and the league’s individual prize. Quite a start to his year as Vice-Captain for Declan. The full league result can be viewed on Concra Wood’s Facebook page, but for now, here are the top three teams:

Team 23 Declan Smyth, Paul Campbell, Jim O’Neill 223 pts.

Team 3 Stephen McQuillan, Martin Farnan, Pat McNeill 220 pts.

Team 4 Paudie Kindlon, Jamie McCann Smyth, Barney McDonald 217 pts.

In the individual event, the category winners were Declan Smyth on 121 pts, Sean Malone on 117 and Pat McNeill on 108.

As usual members took part in our weekly nine hole competition. The prize winners and their points totals were as follows: Saturday Cat. 1 Brian McGovern 18, Cat. 2 Sean Malone 20 and Cat. 3 Jarlath Denny 17. Sunday Cat. 1 Paudie Kindlon 20, Cat. 2 Declan Smyth 22 and Cat. 3 Patrick Hanratty 17.

Our Seniors enjoyed the best of the weather last week. There was a great turnout for their weekly event, and the winners were – Cat. 1 Pat McNeill 18, Brian McGovern 18 and Declan McAteer 18, Cat. 2 Joe McGrath 17, PJ Lambe 17 and Joe Quinn 17, and Cat. 3 Macartan Lambe 21, Tom Ryan 20 and Syl Mulligan 18. This week’s competition is a 3 man scramble on Thursday 10^th between 10.00 and 11.50 am. All details are available on the Seniors WhatsApp group.

And finally for this week, our next competition is a nine hole aggregate fourball. Members can play on Saturday and/or Sunday (with different partners). The full list of rules can be read on our noticeboard when signing in. Good luck with that!

18th January 2022

CONCRA WOOD WELCOMES NEW GREENKEEPER

Congratulations and welcome to Peter Robinson, our new greenkeeper at Concra Wood. Peter comes to Concra with twenty-five years of greenkeeping experience, having previously been employed as course manager at Slieve Russell Golf and Country Club since 2005. Prior to that date, Peter worked on the Centenary Course Gleneagles in Scotland and at the Forest of Arden Golf and Country Club in England. We wish Peter every success in his new role.

It’s good to report that the Weather Gods smiled on us last week, and so our members enjoyed an uninterrupted seven days of golf. First out were our seniors, who played their weekly competition over our front nine holes. The winners and their points totals were – Cat. 1 Martin Allen 22, Martin Rafter 21 and John Redmond 19. Cat. 2 Finbar Brohan 22. Adrian Sewell 21 and Paul Shortt 18. Cat. 3 Eugene McDonnell 20, Jim O’Neill 19 and Pat McBride 15. Andy Whelan has wasted no time in organising this year’s seniors’ outing. It takes place on April 26 and 27, and takes in two of North Dublin finest courses, Corbalis and Donabate. Book early to avoid disappointment.

The weekend saw the return of our Winter League. It clearly didn’t take long for our members to get back into the swing, as scoring was extremely high on our normally challenging back nine. The category winners and their scores were as follows: Saturday – Cat. 1 Mac Sammon 20 pts. Cat. 2 Ronan McDonnell 24 pts. Cat. 3 Patrick Hanratty 21 pts. Sunday – Cat. 1 Eugene McGuigan 24 pts. Cat. 2 Sean Malone 22 pts. Cat. 3 Aidan Boyd 17 pts. This weekend it’s Week 6 of our league, and members can keep up to date with the latest league table on the Concra Wood Facebook page.

11th January 2022

WINTER LEAGUE RETURNS

A Happy New Year to you all. It’s incredible to think that we’re heading into our fifteenth season of golf at Concra Wood. How time flies. Our new team, headed by Captains Frank Nolan and Donagh Nugent, is up and running, making plans for what we hope will be a full post–Covid golf season in 2022. And congratulations to Conor McCaul who has been selected for the role of Junior Captain. We wish all our officers, volunteers and members the very best of luck for the year ahead.

This weekend sees the return of the Winter League, which is now in its fifth week. It will be interesting to see how well members cope with playing on the very challenging back nine over the next fortnight. Good luck to all.

One thing you can always be sure of in Concra is that our Seniors will fulfil their fixtures. Last week – in somewhat inclement conditions – they played their nine hole weekly competition. The category winners were Brian McGovern, Joe Quinn and Adrian Sewell who all returned scores of 18 points. This week, it’s back to the front nine with the usual rules.

30th November 2021

WINTER LEAGUE WEEK 2

It was a tale of two very different days for our members who took part in Week 2 of our Winter League. Saturday’s Storm Arwen was followed by a really calm Sunday, and this was reflected Big Time in the scoring. Our nine-hole category winners were as follows: Saturday Cat. 1 Billy Hanna 17 pts, Cat. 2 James King 16 pts and Cat. 3 Kevin Maguire16 pts. And on Sunday Cat.1 Dermot McBride 21 pts, Cat.2 Austin Curran 23 pts, and Cat. 3 Jack Draper 21 pts. This weekend it’s back to the front nine, which should make things a little easier. And members who enter both the league and the nine hole competition are asked to enter a card for each event into the computer after play.

Our seniors also took part in a nine-hole competition. The results were: Cat. 1 Martin Rafter 21, Brian McGovern 17 and Declan McAteer 16; Cat.2 Andy Whelan 17, Pat Conlon 16 and Paul Shortt 14; Cat. 3 Tom Ryan 18, Pat McBride 17 and Terence McKeown 16. Our Seniors Christmas Party takes place on Tuesday 7th of December at 3.45 pm. Of course there’ll be golf before that with a draw for teams on Sunday evening. There’ll be raffles and spot prizes, and someone will go away with a rather valuable new driver. It’s Paul Shortt’s final event as Seniors Captain, so let’s give him a good send off!

And finally for this week, all shareholders and members are reminded that our AGMs have been moved online due to COVID 19 concerns. All details on attendance will be issued in the coming week.

23rd November 2021

WINTER LEAGUE GETS UNDERWAY AT CONCRA

Our Winter League got underway at the weekend, with eighty-three members participating in Week 1. As usual, playing on the back nine resulted in rather modest scoring. The category winners and their scores were as follows: Saturday – Stephen McQuillan 19 pts, Thomas Brennan 18 pts and Kevin Maguire 17 pts. Sunday – Gavin McEneaney 18 pts, Gerry McCaul 20 pts and Aidan Boyd 18 pts. This means that Stephen McQuillan’s Team 3 are the early leaders of this year’s league. This weekend, it’s out to the back nine again, while weeks 3 and 4 will be played on the front nine.

Last weekend saw members take part in an unfamiliar format – the nine hole Waltz. The winning teams were: 1^st Eugene McGuigan, Sean Malone, Noel O’Reilly and Gerry McCaul 45 pts. 2^nd Brian McGovern, John McGoldrick, John Redmond and Andy Whelan 43pts. 3^rd Charlie McDonnell, Jimmy Lacey, Barry O’Reilly and Frank McDonnell 42pts.

And finally for this week, our seniors held a charity team event on Tuesday last. Forty members took part and enjoyed a meal in The View Restaurant afterwards. 2021’s outgoing Captain Paul Shortt  announced Brian McGovern as his successor for 2022. He also thanked all the competitors for their generous donations as €1000 was raised for St. Mary’s Hospital. And the winning teams were: 1^st Brian McGovern, Martin Rafter and Joe Kernan 53 pts. 2^nd Gerry Treacy, Michael Quinn, Raymond McCooey and Andy Whelan 47 pts. 3^rd Charlie Geoghegan, Eamonn Toal, Nicky Hore and Tom Ryan 47 pts.

9th November 2021

NOVEMBER NINE HOLES

Our Winter League starts in a fortnight, so in the interim our members have been taking part in a number of nine hole events. In our Saturday Singles the winners were as follows; 1st Brian McGovern 21 pts. 2^nd Barry O’Reilly 21 pts. 3^rd Stephen McQuillan 19 pts. Beginner Robert Murphy 19 pts. And in our Sunday Singles; 1^st Greg Duffy 23 pts. 2^nd Gerry McCaul 23 pts. 3^rd Michael Byrne 22 pts. Beginner Jarlath Denny 23 pts.

Our Seniors also took part in a nine hole event, and as usual they like to spread the prizes around. Cat 1 Declan McAteer 22 and Pat McNeill 18. Cat 2 Joe Kernan 17 and Pat Conlon 16. Cat 3 Jim O’Neill 15 and Barney McDonald 12. On Tuesday 16^th there’ll be a seniors’ team event, with a meal afterwards. The draw for teams will take place on Sunday evening, with members then notified of tee times on the WhatsApp group.

And finally for this week, members have one more weekend competition before our Winter League commences. This is a four person Team Waltz – one score on the first, two at the second, three at the third, then repeat. All entrants may repeat this nine hole event – but not with the same team – Enjoy!

2nd November 2021

PJ AND GREG WIN THE SCOTCH FOURSOMES

Scotch Foursomes is one of golf’s more tactical formats. Both members of each pairing tee off, and then must select one ball with which to play out the hole – hitting alternate shots. It’s partner golf in its purest form, with no substitute for experience, and an understanding playing partner! Last weekend, forty pairings took up this challenge in the McQuillan Staircases Scotch Foursome at Concra. The winners on a score of 42 points were PJ Harte and Greg Duffy. One of our clubs most long-established partnerships, with more than a hint of Master Po and pupil Grasshopper, they certainly fit the description of foursome dream team. The runners-up were Paul Murphy and our Captain Thomas Brennan who missed out by a single point on 41. Third prize was won by Gareth McMahon and Gavin McEneaney who also scored 41 points. And the Beginners’ Prize was won by David Callan and Eoghan McTiernan who returned a round of 46 points.

Our most recent competition was a nine hole singles on Saturday. The winner was the very in-form Rory Niland on a score of 21 points. Paul Leonard equalled Rory’s 21, but takes second prize on a countback. And third prize went to Paul Campbell on a score of 20 points.

Our seniors were less fortunate with their weekly nine hole competition. Due to the adverse weather conditions, it has been decided to let it run on through to the end of this week.

And finally for this week, on visiting our Pro Shop, members can take the opportunity to sign up for this year’s Winter League. Just pop €10 in an envelope, with your name and current handicap, and stick it in the entries box. The draw takes place on Monday 15^th November, with the league starting on Thursday 18^th.

19th October 2021

SHANE’S MAIDEN VICTORY

Shane Farrell has been knocking on the door on a regular basis this season, but up until now his best efforts had fallen just short of the prizes. That all changed at the weekend, as he recorded a fine score of 42 points to win first prize in our annual McArdle Office Supplies competition. Congratulations Shane, no doubt this is the first of many. Category 1 was won by Mickey Rushe, who shot his best score of the season, 39 points. Eamonn Burns fine run of form continued as he won Category 2 on 40 points. Finbar Brohan was bombing along on 22 points after nine, only to miss out on first prize by a single point. His 41 points total is rewarded with the Category 3 prize. And Pauric McNally broke the forty point barrier for the second week in a row, taking the Year 1/2 Beginners prize on 41 points.

This weekend’s competition is a Scotch Foursome sponsored by McQuillan Staircases. This is a repeater competition – both only with different partners.

Our seniors took part in a nine hole competition last week. The winners and their points totals were; Cat.1 C. Prunty 20, M. Allen 20 and M. Farnan 19. Cat. 2 B. McNamara 19, PJ Lambe 18 and S. Mulligan 18. Cat. 3 M. Reid, T. McKeown 17, and J. Gleeson 17. This week it’s nine holes again – Monday to Friday.

And finally for this week, it’s that time of year again. The nights are closing in, and it’s time to sign up to our Winter League. Members who wish to enter, should stick the €10 fee in an envelope with their name and handicap clearly printed on the front, and post it in our competitions box in the clubhouse.

12th October 2021

IN FORM NILAND WINS THE DICK KERNAN CUP

Rory Niland did it again at the weekend. He scored at every hole in Concra. And on this occasion he plotted his way to an excellent score of 43 points to win the oldest trophy in our club, the Dick Kernan Cup. He’s not the only man enjoying a strong finish to the season. Dermot McBride won Category 1 for a second week in a row, this time on a score of 38 points. Category 2 went to Gareth McMahon, who returned his best score of the year – 42 points. In Category 3, Kevin Maguire came out on top, announcing his return with a round of 38 points. And in our beginner section, the winner was Pauric McNally, who rounded off a super weekend of scoring with 42 points.

Eleven teams took part in our Seniors’ Mixed Scramble on Tuesday. The winners were Vera Conlon, Pat Conlon, Brian McGovern and Joe Gleeson who completed the nine holes in 34 strokes. The runners-up were Bernie McArdle, John McGoldrick and Pat McBride, four strokes back on 38. This week it’s back to nine hole singles, on any day from Monday to Friday. And this week Andy Whelan is looking for more volunteers for his gardening club. Anyone interested can speak to our staff in the Pro Shop or office, and Andy will be in touch.

And finally, for those who aren’t away in Lough Erne, this weekend’s competition is sponsored by McArdle Office Supplies. This stableford event will be played off the green tees.

5th October 2021

MC ELROY’S BACK IN FORM

James McElroy is a big hitter. When he scores at all eighteen holes, his points total is likely to be massive. At the weekend, he managed to earn points at sixteen holes, and while he left one or two out there, it’s no surprise that he came out on top in Thomas O’Neill’s Steel Formed Sections competition on a score of 41 points.  It was a case of birdies and blanks all the way for Dermot McBride, as he won the Category 1 prize in typically cavalier fashion on 38 points. Sean Malone so very nearly managed to score on every hole, but a ding at our notorious eighteenth means he has to settle for the Category 2 prize on 40 points. And Category 3 was won by the steadiest of Steady Eddie’s Rory Niland, who is this week’s Teacher’s Pet, scoring at every hole for a total of 36 points.

 In seniors’ news, this week’s competition was a nine hole singles. The winners were as follows; Category 1 Gerry Treacy 18, Ciaran Prunty 17 and John Redmond 15. Category 2 Paul Shortt 18, Andy Whelan 17 and Sean Mulligan 16. Category 3 Brendan Laverty 23, Joe Kelly 19 and Macartan Lambe 16. This week it’s a mixed scramble on Tuesday at 12.45 pm with the draw for partners on the group WhatsApp page.

And so to this weekend, when members can take part in our annual Dick Kernan Cup. This stableford competition will be played off the green tees.

28th September 2021

MARTIN ALLEN DOES IT AGAIN

For a second time this month, Martin Allen has come out on top in one of our season’s major prizes. Fresh from claiming the Blayney Cup, Martin has now added Michael McHugh’s Patron’s Prize to his CV. A round of 41 points was just enough to edge Michael’s son Raymond out of the top spot on a countback. Raymond’s return to form has been one of the stories of the season, but Martin’s superb back nine score of 22 points means he will have to be content with the Category 1 prize on this occasion. Category 2 was won by Alan Nugent on 40 points – a score which sees his handicap reduced to 12 – which is quite a fall from 20 as recently as June. And Category 3 went to Martin Malone, who turned a poor start into a very decent round of 36 points. Beginners’ category was won by Gerry Hamill on 43 points.

It was business as usual for our seniors last week who took part in a nine hole competition. The category winners and their points totals were as follows; Cat.1 Ciaran Prunty 19, Eamonn Johnston 14 and Michael Quinn 14. Cat.2 Andy Whelan 18, Paul Shortt 15 and PJ Lambe 15. Cat.3 Jim O’Neill19, Brian Laide 17 and Joe Gleeson17. This week it’s nine holes again – Monday to Friday.

And finally for this week, this wekkend’s competition is sponsored by Thomas O’Neill’s Steel Formed Sections. This stableford event will be played off the green tees.

21st September 2021

DECLAN EARNS FIRST PRO VICTORY

Declan Smyth enjoyed a return to form in winning Ciaran Lavery’s Professional’s Prize at the weekend. Having seen his handicap drift over the Summer months, Declan meant business this time out, starting his round with a birdie, and finishing off with an impressive 43 points. His margin of victory was two, over Eamonn Burns. No doubt buoyed by his teams’ efforts in our recent Club Classic, Eamonn had already amassed 41 points as he stood on the eighteenth tee. But as happens so often in Concra, he drew a blank on the last, and has to content himself with the runner-up prize. The Best Gross was won once again by Christopher Brennan on a fine score of one over par. And third prize was won by Paul Murphy, just back from Portuguese training camp, on 39 points.

Our Seniors’ outing to Slieve Russell was a great success. The golf was pretty good as well. The winner over two days was Paddy Cumiskey, who returned a 36 hole total of 77 points. The runner-up was Pat McNeill on72, with Finbar Brohan in third place on 65. This week it’s back to slumming it at home, in a nine hole event from Monday to Friday.

And finally for this week, members can take a break from the Ryder Cup on Saturday or Sunday to take part in Michael McHugh’s Patron’s Prize. This stableford competition will be played off the green tees.

14th September 2021

MARTIN LIFTS THE BLAYNEY CUP WITH A 66

Martin Allen knows every blade of grass in Concra. He plays eighteen holes several times a week, and during lockdown he walked the course every day. At the weekend he put all that local knowledge – and fitness – to good use, shooting a super round of 66 to win the coveted Blayney Cup. The runner-up on 67 was Jonathan Kernan. Having played no golf in over a decade, Jonathan has wasted no time in reducing his handicap on his return – this score sees his index down to a very creditable 7.6. Another man losing a shot is third placed Gerry McCaul on 68. Now that his son Conor is giving him four shots, he’s certainly had to tighten himself! And the best gross was won by a new member David Duffin. Playing off a handicap of 6 he returned a fine round of 76.

In our seniors section, last week’s competition was a nine hole singles. The winners and their scores were as follows; Category 1 Charlie Geoghegan 20, Patsy “The New Boy” Boyle 20 and Gerry Treacy 18. Category 2 Pat Conlon 22, Joe Kernan 19 and Paul Shortt 18. Category 3 Joe Kelly 22, Michael Reid 17 and Pat McBride 17. This week it’s off to the Slieve Russell!

And finally for this week, our pro Ciaran Lavery has enjoyed a great first year in the job. This weekend he sponsors his Professional’s Prize. This stableford event will be played off the green tees.

7th September 2021

NUDIE HUGHES CLASSIC AT CONCRA WOOD

Nudie Hughes hosted his hugely successful golf classic at Concra Wood over the weekend. Over ninety teams from all over Ireland took part, among them many famous names from the world of sport. And Nudie very nearly achieved the perfect result, as he teamed up with Eamonn Burns, Damien Cumiskey and James King to produce an excellent score of 103 points. However, they were pipped at the post, as a team from Leitrim – David Burke, Ciaran Murray, Sean Murray and Ray Logan – shot a massive back nine score of 58 points to win on a countback. Third prize was won by locals Noel O’Reilly, Gerry McCaul, Sean Malone and Eugene McGuigan on 102 points. While fourth prize went to Declan Smyth, Phil Branigan, Frank Nolan and Pat McNeill also on 102 points. Many thanks to Nudie for his incredible commitment to this annual event, and also to the organising committee who made it such a wonderful success.

As restrictions are gradually lifted, our seniors have been getting back to what they do best, team events. Last Tuesday, the winners were Thomas Brennan, Pat Merrick, Michael Reid and PJ Harte on 44 points. Runners-up were PJ Lambe, Syl Mulligan and Brendan Laverty on 38 points, with Brian McGovern, Nicky Hore and Arthur McGeough in third on 38. This week it’s back to nine-hole singles, with seniors playing from Monday to Thursday. And next week it’s the annual “school tour” – two days in the Slieve Russell!

And finally for this week, our final major of this season, the Blayney Cup takes place this weekend. Sponsored by the Mulligan family, this was the big event in the days of Castleblayney Golf Society, and has been an annual highlight of local golf for over half a century. Members will play this strokeplay competition off the green tees.

31st August 2021

MEMBERS’ PRIZE VICTORY FOR ALAN NUGENT

Sky Sports viewers who sat up late on Sunday night were treated to one of the great golf play-offs, as Patrick Cantlay overcame Bryson De Chambeau at the sixth tie hole. In an ideal world, every tournament that ended in a tie would be decided in a similar fashion. However, such are the practicalities of club golf, that we have a somewhat less dramatic method of determining who comes out on top. The countback prioritises the stronger finish, meaning the golfer who performs best on the back nine is declared the winner. It’s tough on the golfer who misses out, but as Harry Hill would say, “You gotta have a system”! In our annual Members’ Prize at the weekend, this countback system was not only called into action, it was put to the test. Alan Nugent and Conor McCaul, two of our most promising young golfers, chose the same weekend to produce their rounds of the season. Both playing off the same handicap of seventeen, they recorded identical scores of 45 points. And to complicate matters further, they both scored twenty-two points on the back nine. In such circumstances the scores over the final six holes are compared, and it was there that Alan’s seventeen points gave him victory by the tightest of margins. To the victor the spoils, but as every golfer learns, a good round of golf is the greatest prize of all. Not surprisingly, the rest of the field was a long way back. The best of the rest was Kevin Power who took the Category 1 prize with 38 points. Conor McCaul has the consolation of the Category 2 prize, while Category 3 was won by the in-form Darren McQuillan who also scored 38 points. And in our beginner category, Jonathan Kernan came out on top with 38 points.

Our juveniles took part in their final competition of the season, the Canon Morris Cup, on Sunday afternoon. This year’s winner was Caolan Donnelly, with Daragh O’Connor coming in in the runner-up spot. In the Blue Group, first prize was won by Daragh Fitzgerald, with Keira McLoughlin in second place. And it was a family affair in the Yellow Group, with Erin Carragher in first place, ahead of her sister Eabha in second. This year’s Golfer of the Year is Caolan Donnelly, who enjoyed a wonderfully successful Summer of golf. Most Improved Golfer went to Erin Carragher. The future of Golf looks bright for Concra Wood with large numbers of talented juveniles coming through. New members are always welcome, and enquires can be made at the Concra Wood office. Tom McDermott, Chris Monahan and our juvenile committee would like to thank our Junior Captain Jamie McCann-Smyth and his good friend Conor McCaul for all their help throughout the year. And a big thank you to all our sponsors and volunteers each week, without whose support we could not make our juvenile golf the success it is.

In seniors’ news, this week’s competition is a team event. This takes place on Tuesday 31^st, with a draw for partners at 1.30pm.

And finally for this week, our timesheet is looking pretty impressive for this weekend’s Nudie Hughes Club Classic. All we need now is for this fine spell of weather to make it through to Sunday evening, so that our all our competitors can enjoy Concra at its very best. Anyone who wishes to make a late entry, or to sponsor a tee box, should contact our office at (042)9749485 or email info@concrawood.ie

24th August 2021

ROBERT ROMPS HOME

How many holes does it take to win a golf competition? Well it seems for Robert Heavin it only takes fifteen. In our most recent event, which was sponsored by Brendan McEleavey’s Culloville House, Robert walked off the fifteenth green with forty points on his card. Little did he know at the time, that he had already scored more than enough for victory. So he went on an added another four on the final three holes, for a six point winning margin. A number of golfers scored thirty eight points – among them Category 2 winner Gareth McMahon, Category 3 winner Phelim Quinn, and Beginners’ prize winner Kevin Lawless. While Category 1 was won by Ciaran McMahon on a score of 36 points.

This weekend our competition is the annual Members’ Prize.

On Monday Paul Shortt hosted his Seniors’ Captain’s Prize. The winner on the day was Eamonn Johnston, who returned a superb score of 44 points. As always in the seniors section, there were plenty of prizes to go around, and so the winners in all three categories and their scores were as follows; Cat. 1 Martin Allen 37, Patrick Cumiskey 37 and Declan McAterr 34. Cat. 2 Joe Kernan 35, PJ Lambe 35 and Nicky Hore 34. Cat. 3 Syl Mulligan 36, Macartan Lambe 34 and Michael Reid 32.

No doubt many of you have already signed up to this year’s Nudie Hughes Club Classic. For those who haven’t, a visit to concrawood.ie will provide all the details of how to take part in our major fund raiser of 2021.

And finally for this week, congratulations to Chris Monahan who won Sile Moore’s Lady Captain’s Prize on Saturday. A victory for hard work and commitment if ever there was one!

17th August 2021

DARREN WINS THE LADY CAPTAIN’S PRIZE FOR MEN

Darren McQuillan has worn a lot of hats at Concra Wood. He’s been captain, manager, director and treasurer in his day. However, he hasn’t been a prize winner quite as often as he would have liked. And he certainly hasn’t wanted for advice! So victory in Sile Moore’s Lady Captain’s Prize for Men at the weekend tasted particularly sweet. Darren put together a score of 41 points for the narrowest of narrow winning margins. Bart McNamara and Seamus Leonard both matched Darren’s points total, but couldn’t compete with his back nine score of twenty one points. This is yet another countback disappointment for Seamus, who has become something of a front nine specialist. There’s only one thing for it Seamus – come and join the seniors! Bart and Seamus took the spoils in Categories 2 and 3 respectively. In Category 1, Raymond McHugh continued his fine run of form, taking top spot with 38 points. And we wish Sile and all in our Ladies section the very best of luck for this Saturday, when she hosts her Lady Captain’s Prize.

This weekend our men’s competition is sponsored by Brendan McAleavey’s Culloville House.

Our Seniors competed for the Gabriel Moore Memorial Cup on Tuesday last. This year’s winner on a score of 38 points was Declan McAteer. The category winners were as follows; Cat 1 Gerry Treacy, Ciaran Prunty and Charlie Geoghegan. Cat 2 PJ Lambe, Larry Coleman and Paddy Niland. Cat 3 Macartan Lambe, Paul Shortt and Jim O’Neill. This week it’s a nine hole competition with no draws. And then next Monday it’s the seniors’ main event – Paul Shortt’s Captain’s Day. Competitors should sign up on our BRS system between 10 am and 12 noon.

And finally for this week, a reminder that the Nudie Hughes Club Classic takes place at Concra Wood on Friday 3^rd, Saturday 4^th and Sunday 5^th of September. The cost is €250 per team of 4. To enter a team, contact our office at (042)9749485 or email info@concrawood.ie

10th August 2021

JONATHAN PIPS SHANE IN THE RAIN

Irish weather. If there’s one thing you can rely on it to be, it’s unreliable. In the past fortnight we’ve gone from heatwave to flood. Not only did this halve the turnout in Mark Currie’s Formme Construction competition, but it meant that only our hardiest golfers managed to complete their rounds. When all cards were checked on Sunday night, just three members had managed to better their handicaps. And it took a countback to separate the top two – Jonathan Kernan and Shane Fitzsimons, who both returned rounds of 70. Having finished four – four, Shane had every reason to be optimistic, but Jonathan went five better, parring every hole from 12 to 18. This gave him the first victory of his long awaited comeback. And spare a thought for Shane, who finds himself in the runner-up spot for the second time in as many months! It can only be a matter of time. The best gross was won by Christopher Brennan, who shot a round of level par in the very toughest of conditions. And third prize went to a new name in our club, Dean McMahon on a score of 72.

This weekend, our competition is the Lady Captain’s Prize for Men. We wish Sheila Moore the very best of luck as she hosts all her big events in the coming weeks.

 And news this week of another major event in our club. The Nudie Hughes Club Classic takes place on the weekend of the 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th of September. Team slots can be booked by contacting our office at (042) 9749485, or you can catch up with the man himself, and he’ll sort you out with a time.

And finally for this week, our Captain Thomas would like to thank all the participants in his Captain’s Prize for their generous donations to his chosen charity, the Monaghan Arch Club. On Sunday night last, he presented a cheque for €1520 to their local President Donal Kenny and our own Eileen Kerr. All proceeds will be spent on Arch Club social events, including our local Christmas party at Concra Wood.

3rd August 2021

NOEL BOYD WINS THE CAPTAIN’S PRIZE

It’s surely every club golfer’s dream. To stroll onto the final green, and sink the winning putt in the Captain’s Prize to the cheers of the packed gallery – British Open style. Well that’s precisely how it was for Noel Boyd on Sunday evening. And he even had an eight points winning margin, which left him stress-free to savour the moment. Noel had done most of the hard work on Saturday. He produced his best ever round of golf on the big day, returning a massive score of 47 points. This gave him a lead of four points over Raymond McHugh on 43, with Frank McDonnell in third on 42, and Phil Branigan a further shot back on 41. So it was this foursome that made up the final group in Sunday evening’s nine hole play-off. And Noel got off to the perfect start, with a par on the first to settle the nerves. He continued to pick up points at every hole, and still held a five shot lead over Frank McDonnell after six. And then any hopes that the chasing pack may have still held were blown away, as Noel birdied the seventh, leaving him with that comfortable stroll to victory.

Noel’s final points tally was 71. The runner-up prize was won by Frank McDonnell. He chipped and putted his way to a final nine score of 21, for a total of 63 points. Frank Bourke played the best golf in the penultimate group, scoring 22 points, just enough to leapfrog the other challengers into third place on 62. And the best gross was won by Ciaran McMahon. This prize is always awarded for the lowest round over the first 18 holes, and a 74 did the trick for Ciaran.

The turnaround from golf to presentation was the quickest on record. And it had to be as all formalities took place outdoors. Our Captain Thomas Brennan began by presenting the winners in the ladies and junior sections. Congratulations to Marita Kiernan and Conor McCaul who won these two prizes. And then it was over to the men. Thomas was absolutely thrilled that a record number of 170 competitors had taken part in the event. And it’s good to report that the art of acceptance speaking is alive and well in Concra Wood, as each prize winner took the opportunity to thank the team who had organised such a wonderful weekend of golf. The star of the show as usual was the course itself, with enormous praise reserved for Patsy Boyle and his greens team. In his closing comments our Captain Thomas summed it all up, saying that in these two most difficult years, the hard work of our committees had turned all the many challenges into successes.

This weekend, it’s back to business as usual. Our club competition is sponsored by Mark Currie’s Formme Construction.

And finally for this week, eighteen teams took part in our seniors’ mixed scramble on Tuesday last. The winners on a super score of three under par were Joe Kernan, Paul Shortt and Josephine McCahey. Second place ended in a tie between our Captain Thomas Brennan, Lady Captain Sheila Moore and Pat McBride and the team of Frank Nolan, Brendan Laverty and Yvonne Duffy. And there’s lots more seniors golf to look forward to in August. On Thursday 12^th it’s the Gabriel Moore Memorial Cup. And then on Monday 23^rd it’s Paul Shortt’s Seniors Captain’s Prize. Members should book times on the BRS system.

27th July 2021

SEAMUS SHOOTS 45 POINTS

Our Club President Seamus Mallon picked up a very nice souvenir of his year in office at the weekend, winning first prize in the MC Blinds sponsored competition. In blisteringly hot conditions, he left everyone else in his wake as he completed a round of 45 points, for a winning margin of four shots. He even had a two at the sixth, in a round that ticked all the boxes. Category 1 was won by Adrian Kelly, who had four birdies on his way to a total of 39 points. Category 2 went to Mark Conlon, Seamus’s nearest contender, on a score of 41 points. And in Category 3, Brian Sherry made a long awaited return to the winners’ enclosure, with his round of 40 points.

This weekend, it’s the big one – Thomas Brennan’s Captain’s Prize. As usual this is a 27 hole contest, with the best 18 scores, and equals, after round 1 qualifying for Sunday evening’s nine hole play-off. For all details on eligibility and format, members should read the notice in our clubhouse as they sign up to the timesheet for the event. In these days of protocols and restrictions, Thomas and his committee have organised an outdoor weekend – so let’s hope the weather continues to play ball, and may the best man win.

  In our juvenile section, congratulations this week to Caolan Donnelly, Dillion McMonagle and Aodhan Finnegan, all winning their respective groups on the 18th of July. This competition was kindly sponsored by our own club professional Ciaran Lavery. We have a break next weekend for both the Juvenile Sunday golf and Monday camp due to Captains Weekend, but will return on Sunday the 8th of August.

And finally for this week, our regular Seniors event had a lower turnout than usual last week, no doubt due to heat exhaustion. Of the twenty-two who did brave the heatwave, the following were the prize winners; Cat. 1 Charlie Geoghegan 20 and Ciaran Prunty 20. Cat.2 Nicky Hore 24 and Larry Coleman 17. Cat. 3 Jim O’Neill 20 and Pat Bolger 18. This week our competition is a mixed scramble.

20th July 2021

MCMONAGLE PIPS LEONARD TO LAND THE CLEMENT MCKENNA CUP

We had the closest of close finishes for top spot in the Clement McKenna Cup at the weekend. We needed a countback to separate Jody McMonagle and Seamus Leonard, who both withstood the heat, to return scores of 41 points. And while Seamus had it all his own way on the front nine, where he led on 23 points, nobody could match Jody’s back nine of 20 points. This was just enough to clinch his maiden victory, and to lift one of our most prestigious prizes in the process. It’s certainly one Seamus would love to win, but then again, there’s always next year. Third prize was won by James Carville, who finished a point further back on 40. The Best Gross prize went to Mark Currie. He shot a level par 72 for a total of 36 gross points. And there was an extra prize for beginners this week, which was won by Kevin Lawless on a score of 38 points.

Our Open Week was our most successful ever, with over one thousand golfers taking part. All results can be viewed on Master Scoreboard and on our club’s Facebook page. Many thanks to all who took part, and remember our Open Wednesdays continue right through to October.

Our Seniors took a week off in order to take part in Open Week. But normal service is resumed this week, with a nine hole event on this Thursday and Friday.

Our juvenile competition on Sunday last was kindly sponsored by Thomas O’Neill’s Steel Form Sections. The category winners were Caolan Donnelly, Dillon McMonagle and Erin Carragher. Our juveniles’ Summer Camp continues each Monday morning from 9 to 11 am, with all details on our noticeboard.

Belated congratulations this week to Pat McNeill, who recorded a hole-in-one at the 6^th hole in the recent Des McGlynn Cup. You never lost it, Pat!

And finally for this week, news of our upcoming events at Concra Wood. Firstly, this weekend’s competition is sponsored by MC Blinds. For many, this will be the last chance to sharpen up for Thomas Brennan’s Captain’s Prize, which takes place on Friday 30^thand Saturday 31^st of July, and on Sunday 1^st of August. The timesheet for the weekend is on our noticeboard, and when signing up, all participants are asked to read the rules on eligibility and this year’s format. Let’s hope the weather holds for what is planned to be an outdoor weekend.

13th July 2021

GERRY MCGEOUGH WINS THE DES MCGLYNN CUP
Experience was clearly the key to success in the Des McGlynn Cup at the weekend. Gerry McGeough, who won’t at all mind being described as a veteran, enjoyed a very welcome return to form, coming out on top with 42 points. His back nine of 21 points was just enough to squeeze past Martin Farnan on a countback. They don’t come any more experienced than Martin, whose association goes right back to the days of the Castleblayney Golf Society. On this occasion he’ll have to settle for the Category 2 prize. Adrian Kelly now also ranks as a senior, but he’s still capable of quality golf. His one over par round earned him 41 points, and the Category 1 prize. And Category 3 was won by another stalwart of the old club, Adrian Sewell. He too flew the flag for the seniors on a score of 40 points.
Martin Farnan is most certainly the man in form at the moment, as he also topped the leaderboard in this week’s seniors’ competition. The full results were as follows: Category 1 Martin Farnan 21, Gerry Treacy 20 and Ciaran Prunty 19. Category 2 Paul Shortt 19, Pat Merrick 17 and Patrick Niland 17. Category 3 Syl Mulligan (again) 17, Macartan Lambe 16 and Michael Reid 15. There’s no seniors competition this week as our members are taking part in the Open Week events.
This weekend our competition is the Clement McKenna Cup. Members can take part on Saturday or on Sunday morning.
And finally for this week, a great number of our members took part in the club’s Guard of Honour which escorted the funeral cortege of Vincent Heavin from his home to St Mary’s Church in Blayney on Thursday last. It was a fitting tribute to Vincent and his family, who have been at the centre of all our club’s activities for many years. Having served on various committees, Vincent became our Club Captain in 1998, and went on to fulfil the role of Club President in 2004 and 2005. And he remained a very active member, continuing to enjoy his golf when we moved out to Concra Wood. Our Captain Thomas, Lady Captain Sheila and everyone in our club extend our deepest sympathies to Vincent’s wife Mary, to his sons Eddie, Robert and Dermot and to his daughters Faela, Marese and Auriel on their sad loss. Ar dheis De go raibh a anam dilis.

6th July 2021

CONCRA WOOD’S PRETTY IN PINK

Our annual Colt Design competition doubled up as a fundraiser for the National Breast Cancer Research Institute’s Pretty in Pink campaign at the weekend. Members never looked as well as they did in pink, most notably Greg Duffy, who will no doubt be signed up to front all future promotions (see Concra Wood Facebook page). And it’s good to report that a cheque for €1053 is now winging its way to the aforementioned charity. Congratulations to all who took part. And particular congratulations to Pauric Coyle who won this competition on a mighty score of 45 points. Bagging three birdies is great in any round, but it was especially sweet for Pauric as they just squeezed him past Johnny Redmond, who would surely have fancied his chances of victory when he signed for 44 points. Hard luck this time Johnny – the Category 2 prize will hopefully prove a pleasant consolation. Category 1 was won by Billy Hanna – one of many to return a score of 38 points. And Category 3 was won by Nicky Hore, who’s no stranger to the winners’ enclosure, and not going to be long of Category 3, returning yet another quality score of 42 points.

Last weekend, members competed in this year’s Paul Hill Memorial Cup. This was won by Noel O’Reilly who matched Pauric’s haul of three birdies on his way to a total of 43 points. When there’s a bit of run on the ball, Noel is a hard man to beat, as many an opponent has recently found to his cost. The Category 1 prize was won by big hitter Brian McGovern who shot a score of 40 points. Category 2 went to Liam O’Connor. His forty-two points shows that sibling rivalry is alive and well in Concra Wood. And Category 3 was won by recent winner Aidan Boyd, whose handicap is falling like a stone, on 41 points. Our very generous sponsors and committee added an extra prize for beginners in this event, and this was won by Pauric McNally on a score of 37 points. Keith Hill and his family would like to thank all who took part in this event, which is played every year in memory of his brother Paul, who was one of our keenest golfers back at our old home in town.

A great turnout of 50 seniors played in our annual Jimmy Coleman Memorial Trophy last week and enjoyed barbecue food alfresco after the round. The results were as follows. Popular overall winner was Kevin McCooey with a great score of 42 points. Category 1; Brian McGovern 39, John McGoldrick 38, Declan McAteer 37. Category 2; Andy Whelan 41, Pat Conlan 36, Nicky Hore 36.
Category 3; Jim O’Neill 41, Ciaran Coyle 36, Barney McDonald 32. Elizabeth Coleman presented the prizes, and Seniors Captain Paul Shortt spoke of how popular Jimmy was in our club. Jimmy held the position of President at Castleblayney Golf Club when we played at the old course. And finally sad news of the passing of one of our long time senior members, Heber McMahon. Rest In Peace Heber, from all your senior friends at Concra Wood.

In our juvenile section, congratulations to Katie Scarlett McCaul, Heather McDonnell and Eabha Carragher who were the winners in their groups on June 20^th, and to Joe Donaghy, Aaron Gurn and Eoghan Duffy all winning their respective groups in our competition on 27^th of June which was sponsored by SteelForm Sections. Our Sunday golf got cancelled this week due to the bad weather, but we will return next week, when our competition will be sponsored by the Mens Golfers at Concra Wood. There will be no Juvenile golf camp on Monday the 12^th of July due to the club Open Week, but we’ll be back in action on July 19^th at 9 am.

 And finally for this week, there may be just one or two spots left on our Open Week timesheets for last minute entrants. It takes place from Monday 12^th to Sunday 18^th of July. The competitions and their sponsors are as follows: Monday 12^th – Singles Stableford (Green Tees) McElvaney Waste. Tuesday 13^th – Singles Stableford (Gold Tees) Watters’ Electrical. Wednesday 14^th – Singles Stableford (Green Tees) Moneycare.  Thursday 15th – Fourball Betterball Combi-Lift. Friday 16^th – Black Tees Friday. Sunday 18^th – Ladies Three Person Team Event. And before all that, our members will take part in the Des McGlynn Cup, which will be held on this Saturday (10^th) and Sunday (11th). Good luck  to one and all!

22nd June 2021

AIDAN BOYD WINS SHOE CITY PRIZE

Concra was as dry as a bone at the weekend. And while a bit of run on the ball is always welcome, chipping and putting could only be described as treacherous. One or two tempers frayed – and strokeplay only added fuel to the fires. So huge credit goes to Aidan Boyd who was the clear winner of the Shoe City competition on a superb score of 65 strokes. This is Aidan’s third prize-winning performance of the year, but this time his consistency has been rewarded with a maiden victory. Only four other golfers out of a field of 107 managed to break 70. The pick of them was Shane Fitzsimons. He returned a round of 68 strokes, enough to take the runner-up prize. Shane’s 31 nett on the back nine squeezed Phelim Quinn’s 68 into third spot on a countback. The best gross prize was won by Mark Currie who returned a 76 playing off a handicap of 1. And congratulations this week go to Raymond McHugh. On Saturday his 8 iron tee shot went straight into the hole at the 14th for a very well celebrated hole in one.

Congratulations also to Noel O’Reilly’s Ulster Cup side who enjoyed a comfortable victory over Slieve Russell GC in their second round match on Saturday evening. Winning all three home matches, Noel’s men needed only one away win, and Eugene McGuigan duly obliged. Their quarter final draw takes place in a fortnight.

 Concra Wood’s fiery fairways and fast greens seem to suit the seniors, if this week’s scores are anything to go by. Another big turnout last week, and with all competitions now on the computer, the handicaps are starting to stabilize. And just in time for our second major of the season, which is the Jimmy Coleman Memorial Trophy on Monday 28th June. Michael Fish has guaranteed sunny weather. The time sheet is filling up – so get your name in soon. Last week’s winners and their scores were as follows; Cat.1 Johnny McGoldrick 23, Donal McGuigan 20 and Ciaran Prunty 20. Cat.2 Larry Coleman 19, Nicky Hore 19 and PJ Lambe 19. Cat.3 Syl Mulligan 15, Joe Gleeson 15 and Jim O’Neill 15. This week’s competition can be played on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday.

In Juniors News, congratulations to Darragh O’Connor, Rian McGrath and Eabha Carragher who won  their respective groups on the 13th of June. We had another large turnout for last weekend’s juvenile golf sponsored by SecureGate, results for which will get posted later this week. A reminder that our Monday summer camp begins on the 28th of June from 9-11am with our club professional Ciaran Lavery – a great opportunity for kids to develop their golfing skills. Thank you to all our volunteers, and see you all next Sunday for more juvenile golf sponsored by Steel Form Sections.

And finally for this week, this year’s Open Week takes place from Monday 12th to Sunday 16th of July. The competitions and their sponsors are as follows: Monday 12th – Singles Stableford (Green Tees) McElvaney Waste. Tuesday 13th – Singles Stableford (Gold Tees) Watters’ Electrical. Wednesday 14th – Singles Stableford (Green Tees) Moneycare.  Thursday 15th – Fourball Betterball Combi-Lift. Friday 16th – Black Tees Friday. Sunday 18th – Ladies Three Person Team Event.

15th June 2021

CIARAN MCMAHON IS THE TOP GOLFER

On a really busy weekend, Concra Wood played host to the latest Top Golfer Junior Scratch Cup. And while the vast majority of the participants were visitors, it was a pair of locals who did battle for the top spot. Playing partners Ciaran McMahon and Alan Bolger were neck and neck all day long, with Alan enjoying the narrowest advantage as they faced into Concra’s sternest test – our final three holes. And it was Ciaran who finished the stronger with a bogey and two pars for a round of 74 and a two shot winning margin. Alan has the consolation of the runner-up prize for a score of 76. Ciaran wore another hat over the weekend as his company C & R McMahon Construction were the sponsors of our club weekend singles. Category 1 was won by Shane Donnelly, matching Ciaran’s score of 74, which gave him a points total of 38 off a handicap of 4. Second prize was won by Philip McCague, who was just one point back on 37. In Category 2 we had the highest points total of the weekend from Sean Hughes who returned a score of 43 points off a handicap of 17. It was pars and bogeys all the way for Sean, who is definitely benefitting from the Currie factor. Runner up in this category was Cathal Crowe, who recorded a fine score of 39 points. And Category 3 was won by Tom McDermott on 41 points – a reward for all this year’s hard work! Second place went to Aidan Boyd on a score of 39 points.

This weekend our competition is sponsored by Shoe City. This strokeplay event will be played from the green tee markers.

On Sunday we kicked off our competitive juvenile golf for 2021 with a large turnout. This weekend was kindly sponsored by Beauty World. Congratulations to all the players who took part and results will get posted during the week. Thank you to all our volunteers and see you all next Sunday for more juvenile golf, kindly sponsored by SecureGate.

Thirty four senior members took part in another nine holes singles competition in the last week. The winners and their points totals were as follows; Category 1 Mickey Quinn 20, Pat McNeill 19 and Frank McDonnell 19. Category 2 Adrian Sewell 21, Des Morgan 19 and Paul Shortt 19. Category 3 Pat McBride 23, Jim O’Neill 19 and Tom Ryan 18. This week’s singles can be played on either Tuesday or Thursday. And Andy and Nicky are busy collecting deposits for the outing to the Slieve Russell. All those travelling are asked to put €50 in the senior’s box in the pro shop.

The inter club season got underway at the weekend, with two of our teams taking part in Round 1 of Golf Ireland’s tournaments. Unfortunately James King’s All Ireland Fourball side fell at the first fence, going down to Killymoon GC on a score line of three points to two. However there was better news in the Pierce Purcell Shield, as Sean Malone’s men overcame Slieve Russell GC. Away wins for team captain Sean and his partner Declan Smyth, and the pairing of Eugene McGuigan and Gerry McCaul, built a very strong foundation for their 4 – 1 winning margin. Their reward is a very tricky second round test against Aughnacloy GC.

And finally for this week, some dates for your diaries. Next Tuesday (22^nd June) sees our club host a Mixed Over 50s Open Singles. As usual there’s an Open Singles on Wednesday. And our major club competition of the season – Thomas Brennan’s Captain’s Prize – takes place over three days, Friday afternoon 30^th of July, Saturday 31st of July and Sunday 1^st of August.

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 9^th) sees the first of this season’s midweek opens. On Friday (June 11^th), 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 (7^th) . This will be followed by our regular Wednesday opens, the first one being held on June 9^th. For anyone seeking the ultimate challenge, our Black Tees Friday is back on June 11^th. 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 10^th of May onwards, clubs can welcome back visitors, organise competitions, and all fourballs are allowed. From June 7^th 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 26^th 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 10^th. 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 26^th 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.