Golf club notes

Co Cavan The Fit For Golf workshop continues on Thursday next 4th December at 7pm. Next Thursday"s 4th Dec.12 hole open competition is sponsored by McGinnity Travel Ltd. and on next weekend 6th and 7th of December there will be a turkey 12 hole event in conjunction with AIB Autunm League. On Sunday 14th December our Gala 9 hole competition for ladies and gents will have 3 shotgun starts at 8.30am ,11am and 1.30pm. Entries close on Sat. 13th at 6pm. Santa will arrive at clubhouse on Sat.13 Dec. at 3pm. Please register your childs name at club office in advance. All are welcome. Tickets for Christmas draw are now on sale in the bar and from committee members. More details on all the above and other golf matters on www.cavangolf.ie Results. Thursday 27 November. 1st Seamus McConnon 22 30pts, 2nd Michael Donohoe 18 29 pts. No competition on 29th/30th due to frost Ladies Results of 14 hole Turkey Competition played on the 26th November 1st - Helen O"Reilly 31 pts, 2nd - Marie Fay 26 pts This year Santa is arriving by Fire Engine at 3 p.m. on Saturday the 13th of December. Any members with young children or grandchildren are invited to attend. This event is usually great fun with presents and dancing for all. A Christmas Raffle is being held at the Gala Day on the 14th of December. Tickets are on sale and members are requested to support the raffle, tickets are behind the bar in the Clubhouse. A weekly table quiz is being held in the Club house on Friday at 8.30 p.m., all welcome, entry fee €5 per person. Mannan Castle GC Men - International Club Champions Mannan Castle GC won the Final of the Mail on Sunday 2008 Mens Club Matchplay Competition by beating a very strong team from Neville GC England by 4 matches to 1 on Thursday last 27th November. The Semi-finals and Final of this prestigious competition was held in the famous El Rompido Golf Resort which lies on the outskirts of Seville in Spain. This was a tremendous win for the club and is clearly the biggest win in the clubs history so far. This competition started last February with an unprecedented entry of 1400 clubs from Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales drawn against each other in a straight knockout matchplay competition. Mannan Castle recorded wins against Armagh, neighbours Nuremore, Headfort ,Ormeau - Belfast, Mount Bellew - Galway, City of Derry, and in a play-off against Skerries - Dublin to win the Irish section of this competition. The quarter-final of the competition was held at the end of September in the luxurious Marriot Golf and Country Club, Worseley, Manchester, where England had four clubs remaining, Wales two, and Scotland & Ireland one. The draw was made at the official dinner on the Sunday night where Mannan was drawn against West Hartlepool, with a tee off time early the next morning. The players performed magnificently and won the match 4-1 to progress to the semi-finals and finals in El Rompidu in Spain at the end of November. The writing was on the wall at this stage as to just how good the Mannan team was, because of the relative ease in which they dispatched the highly fancied West Hartlepool club. The remainder of the qualifying clubs only managed to win their respective matches by the narrowest of margins. The squad of players travelled over to Spain on the Monday morning and after settling into their accommodation were ready for the prearranged practise rounds on Tuesday. The draw was made on the Tuesday evening after the practise rounds where Mannan were given another tough assignment in the form of the Vale of Glamorgan GC from South Wales whose team was made up entirely of county standard golfers ranging in handicap from plus two to one. The match was played in glorious sunshine, with the temperatures rising steadily, and during the back nine holes the heat became almost unbearable. However the Mannan boys got to grips fairly quickly with the winding course layout and lightning quick greens. In the end the Mannan boys became worthy winners with yet another very convincing win of 4 matches to 1 to reach the final. The final was played the next day behind the third and fourth place playoff match against Neville GC from Kent in England which included the current English Amateur Champion Todd Aldcock playing off a handicap of plus 3, and are reliably informed that he will ply his trade on the full time amateur circuit next season. The match itself was played in much cooler weather than the previous day and this suited the Mannan players much better. Mannan got off to a steady start, and after five holes Mannan were down in two matches, up in two matches, and all square in one. After thirteen holes however things had changed significantly and Mannan were up in 4 matches and down in only one with a very good chance of securing victory in this one. In the end yet again Mannan handed out another good trashing with a 4-1 victory. The team members chosen the represent the club by the team captain John Hughes were, in the order of play, Thomas Pepper, Barry McCourt, Shane Corr, Seamus Finnegan, and Mark Lambe, and to a man played brilliantly, with displays of courage in abundance and nerves of steel under the most severe pressure. It is worth mentioning that the youngest member of the team Mark Lambe played against the English Amateur Champion and managed to beat him 1 up, - a very noteworthy scalp to take by one so young and is sure to have a bright future in this wonderful game. Credit must also be given to the many other players who represented the club in the earlier rounds including John Clarke, Gary Morgan, Eamonn Gibney, and the Club Captain P.N. Brady who managed to record a win against his brother Philip who happened to be playing for Headfort! Mannan Castle Ladies November is a busy time of the year within the running of the Club. The annual Dinner Dance was held in the clubhouse on l5th and a great crowd attended. As usual it was a really good night and the music and dancing went on till the wee hours. Great tribute must be given to the caterers who provided us with a delicious dinner, served to us as a change this year. As usual Rosemary had the room arranged beautifully and each table decorated with lovely flowers. The two Captain"s gave wonderful speeches and golfer of the year, Mary McNamee; singles matchplay winner, Carol McMahon; and doubles matchplay winners Gill Rouiller and Bridie Fitzmaurice were all presented with their trophies. A great night was had by all. On then to the AGM and the serious business of the running of the ladies club over the past year and for next year was discussed. A large number of ladies attended, great to see how interested our members our in our club. Captain Ann Feeney, in her final address as Captain, thanked all who had given her great help and support over the past year. It has been a year full of happy memories, the highlights being her Lady Captain"s Day(s!), the Charity BarBque, the hosting of the Ardee Millenium Cup to name but a few. The support and courtesy shown to her by Captain Noel Brady and the men"s committee and also President Jim Hanratty was really appreciated. Her committee got a special thanks, and she mentioned each one and their individual contribution in helping and supporting her during her busy year. She congratulated all the teams that participated in competition events during the year, especially Elmar Marron who as Captain, seems to have made the Intermediate Hilton Shield her own! She congratulated all the prize winners during the year, especially Louise Hanratty, winner of her Captain"s prize. Finally she handed her reins over to Captain Jo Morris, wishing her well in the year to come. Rita O"Loughlin then made her secretary"s report which dealt with all the events and competitions that the ladies club were involved with. As Rita is stepping down as secretary, we would like to thank her for the hard work she undertook carrying out her duties with great efficiency and diligence throughout the year. It is a tough job and very time comsuming, however Rita was always on hand with great enthuasiasm and we would like to wish her well during the coming year. Finally Captain Jo Morris took up her new position, thanking Ann for the opportunity to be Lady Captain, a position she is looking forward to. She announced her committee, giving special thanks to Mena Marquis (treasurer) and Mary Cassidy (ex-officio) who are stepping down. The committee is as follows: Captain Jo Morris; Vice Captain and PRO Margaret Bourke; Secretary, Marie Sweeney; Treasurer, Vera Kelly; Handicap Secretary, Anne Carragher; Ex-officio, Ann Feeney; Rita O"Loughlin, Mary McNamee, Sheila McCrory, Rosemary Barry, Gill Rouiller, Mary White make up the remainder of the committee. After all of that, our Kris Kindle day is happening on December 10th when we will find out all the winners of the Winter League. Also Candy Holton will be giving us a Christmas Floral display on that evening. Tickets are €10 and we would encourage as many of you and your friends to come and support this evening. Finally we would like to send our congratulations to The Mail On Sunday team from our men"s club who excelled themselves this week with a tremendous win in Spain. Slieve Russell Winter League Play off Saturday December 6th Team1 - Paul O Neill, Ollie Malone, Ray Mc Gloin, TP Feehan. Team 2 - Eamon Cox, Seamus Haverty, Dennis Clarke, mark Gilleece. Team 3 - Johnny Costello, Alan Richardson, Michael O Reilly, Ciaran Cox. Team 4 - Val CAssidy, Sean Conaty, David Dobson, Dermot Cribbin. Team 5 - Pat O Connor, Mark Curry, Mark Goldrick, Maurice Cassidy Tee Times 10am Paul O Neill, Eamon Cox, Johnny Costello, Val Cassidy 10.08am Pat O Connor, Olly Malone, Seamus Haverty, Alan Richardson 10.16am Sean Conaty, Mark Curry, RAy Mc Gloin, Dennis Clarke 10.24am Michael O Reilly, David Dobson, Mark Goldrick, TP Feehan 10.32am Mark Gilleece, Ciaran Cox, Dermot Cribbin, Maurice CAssidy, If any individual can"t make the play off, please notify Maurice Cassidy or Eamon Cox well in advance so arrangements can be made to slot in another golfer. Fixtures December 6th, 12 Hole Christmas Hamper December 13th, Club Scramble - Draw at 11.45am. Presentation of prizes at 6pm on December 13th. Clones Golf Club Men"s AGM The men"s club AGM was held on Sunday last and outgoing Captain Mr. Paul Fitzpatrick thanked everyone for the courtesy and friendship he had been shown over the last year. He thanked his outgoing committee for all their hard work and support. He congratulated Gene McEnroe and his squad for their Ulster 4-ball victory and thanked Mary Logue for her hard work behind the bar. He singled out Vincent Lynch for particular praise in his efforts selling lotto tickets and so far this year Vincent has sold over 11,420 tickets. Paul Fitzpatrick then introduced the incoming Captain Mr. Leslie McConkey. Leslie thanked Paul and said that he had been an excellent ambassador for the club over the last 12 months. Leslie then introduced his vice-captain Mr. Ollie Walsh. The Committee were duly elected and Kevin Hickey remains as Secretary, Pat Fee Treasurer, Frankie Dolan Competition Secretary, Colm McMahon Functions Organiser, Micky Dowds Handicap Secretary, Ivor Lendrum Juvenile Convenor, Ollie Walsh PRO and the elected members were Paraic Geoghegan, Tommy Harte, Ollie McLoughlin and George Rice. Captain Leslie McConkey thanked those who put themselves forward for election and said he was looking forward to working with them next year. Finally Leslie thanked everyone who attended the AGM and reminded them that the Joint Club AGM will be held on Sunday 14th December. Ladies Week 7 League Results We are now into the final 2 weeks of the Ladies League and the 6 teams have really enjoyed this competitive format. Still in the lead with 233 points are The Cannibals with Lynn Whelan carding 16 points and Anne McCarthy 15. Just 10 points behind in 2nd place on 233 points are The Iron Maidens and a great score in from Caroline Bailey 17, Caroline is doing really well considering she only started with us in the beginners classes recently. Great score Caroline. Also scoring was Irene Rooney with 16. In 3rd spot with 218 points are The Pink Ladies and very consistent scoring from Una O"Reilly 18 and Mary McGuigan also 18. Well done ladies. The Lazy Bees have really turned the team around and are slowly climbing up the leader board now in 4th position with 212 points. Ann Keating scored 16 points and our new Lady Vice Captain Elaine Hamilton returned a respectable 15 points. In 5th spot on 204 points are Cathy"s Kittens with Doli Maguire returning 17 points are Helen Connolly 14 points and finally holding up the league are Class Act with 199 points despite Lady Captain Teresa Fitzpatrick really pulling out all the stops and producing the sort of golf that is befitting to a new Lady Captain with 17 points and Vera Tighe with her usually steady golf producing 15 points. Class Act have their work cut out to get off the bottom of the league BUT they are determined to keep going to the bitter end! Ladies the presentation of Hampers and other prizes will take place on Thursday 18th December at 8.30pm. Congratulations to Leslie Lady Captain Mrs. Teresa Fitzpatrick and the ladies club would like to congratulate Mr. Leslie McConkey on recently taking up the position as Captain and wish him and his new vice-captain Ollie Walsh all the very best for the coming year. Santa is Coming Children Santa Clause will make a brief visit to Clones Golf Club on Sunday 21st December at 3pm before he gets ready for the big expedition on the 24th! If you wish to see Santa please put your name, age and gender on the list in the clubhouse to make sure he has a little gift for you. Juveniles" Tuition There will be a bonus tuition Saturday in the Spring for the youngsters who paid for professional tuition as they missed out due to the hard frost last weekend. Details to follow. Belturbet Last week saw a very exciting finish to Week 8 of the Autumn League. The following top nine teams qualified for the play-off on Sunday next, December 7. They are Team 10 - Greg Brennan, Tony Gorby, Dessie O"Rourke; Team 3 - Matt Boylan, Noel Traynor, Brian Rahill; Team 5 - Patrick Flynn, Willie Lynch, Sean Henry; Team 13 - Joe Rowan, Liam Crotty, Seamus Minogue; Team 2 - John Scott, Eddie Murphy, P.J. Cahill; Team 1 - J.J. Foster, Hubert Tinneny, Vincent Walsh; Team 8 - Robert Richardson, Terry Leddy, Mark Conway; Team 4 - Sean McGowan, Nevin Traynor, Phil Devine; and Team 12 - Brian O"Reilly, Paul Hickey, Kevin Smith. The time of the play-off will be held at 10am on Sunday morning, December 7. All of the above players please be at Belturbet Golf Club at least 20 minutes before start. The start will be a shotgun start. The winner of Week 8 was Greg Brennan with 25 points. Runner up was Kevin smith with 23 points on a countback. Overall winner of the Autumn League was Greg Brennan and runner up was John Scott. Presentation of prizes will take place in Clubhouse after play-off. Refreshments will be served before prizegiving. 9 hole hamper competition continues for month of December. €5 to enter, €5 to repeat. Any member who wishes to enter club draw for life membership please contact any club officer for tickets. McCabe Golf Society Our final outing of 2008 was in Ardee Golf Club. 42 members participated and it was a great success. Congrats to Ardee, the course was in excellent condition. Overall winner, Steven Smith; 2nd, Oliver Reilly. There is a Turkey Shoot on Saturday, December 6, in Crover House Hotel and Golf Club. Tee time 10.30am, 3 bar scramble. All members are requested to attend. Captain Ted Lydon and incoming Captain Kevin Moynagh would like to thank the members, visitors and especially the sponsors for their support throughout 2008. The Committee would like to wish a very happy Christmas and a prosperous golfing year in 2009. Crover Golf The winners of the Winter League was Team B. They were Padraig Clinton, Micheal Campbell, Tom O"Brien, Kevin O"Reilly, Ollie Gilroy and Padraig Farrelly. There will be a turkey competition on for the next two weeks and on the weekend of the 20th and 21st we have our Christmas hamper. Our A.G.M. is on Friday, December 5 , in Crover. All members please try and attend. All outstanding prizes will be presented at this meeting.