23/04/2018
INTERCLUB – Well done to the Boyle men who had a noteworthy 4-1 victory over Ballinamore in the first round of the All Ireland Fourball on Saturday the 21st. Congratulations most especially to Seamus Gallagher and Michael Gilmartin who pulled off a victory away from home in Ballinamore and also to Pat Conroy who stepped in at short notice to manage the team. The team members were Vincent Egan, Jimmy Dwyer, Padraig O’Connell, Michael Rush, Tom Kearney, Owen Garvin, Paddy Nangle, Paddy McLoughlin, Seamus Gallagher and Michael Gilmartin. The team will be meeting Strandhill in the next round on the 5th of May. Of note, Boyle take on Ballinamore again in a different tournament, the Connacht Seniors Tournament, on the 2nd of May.
COMPETITION RESULTS – A mens Scotch Foursomes Strokeplay took place on Sunday the 22nd, won by Lorcan and Patrick Egan with a 59 nett, beating the 65.5 of Michael Simon and Gerry O’Dowd in to second place. This competition was sponsored by Boyle based business, East Brothers Machinery.
UPCOMING COMPETITIONS – Next Sunday the 29th sees the first big competition of the year, the “Voucher”, which will be played as an 18 hole strokeplay competition. First prize for both Ladies and Gents is a free single membership for the year. Only fully paid up members are eligible to win, so if you haven’t done so already , pay your membership this week to give yourself an opportunity of winning it back next Sunday. The club is very grateful to our member Tom Kearney whose business “Quality Meats”, based in the Wine Street car park in Sligo, is sponsoring this competition.
The annual fundraiser for Our Ladys Childrens Hospital, the “Crumlin Classic” will take place over the May Bank Holiday weekend. The mens’ mid week competition takes place again this Thursday, increasing this week from 9 holes to 12.
15/04/18
RESULTS – The mens’ 9 hole competition played on Thursday 12/4/2018 was won by Brendan Gaffney, with Patrick Egan and Michael Rush taking 2nd and 3rd respectively. The competition was sponsored by Patrick Egan.
The annual outing took place on Saturday 14/4/2018 to St Margarets’ Golf and Country Club in Dublin. Thanks are due to Gary Carty and Michael Rush who organised this trip. The overall winner on the day was President of the mens’ club, Michael Simon. In second and third places were Charlie O’Donnell and Ross Andrew, with the ladies prize going to Joey Mullaney. Mary O’Hara had a notable double, winning both the “longest drive” and “nearest the pin” prizes.
An 18 hole Stableford was played on Sunday 15/04/2018, very kindly sponsored by Keating Amenity Solutions. David Purser had the winning score of 41 points, just edging out Frank Casserly on countback. The gross prize was taken by David Wynne and Tom Kearney was 3rd with 40 points.
UPCOMING COMPETITIONS – On this coming Saturday, the 21st, the Boyle men take on Ballinamore in the second of their inter-club fixtures, the All-Ireland Four Ball competition. This tournament replaced the well known Cecil Ewing Shield competition 2 years ago.
Next Sunday, the 22nd of April, sees a Scotch Foursomes competition for the men and the PGA Tankard competition for the ladies. We are very grateful to local Boyle business, East Brothers Machinery, for sponsoring the mens’ Foursomes competition. The following Sunday, the 29th, sees the most notable competition of the year to date, the “Voucher”. The first prize for this competition is a free single membership for the year, but only paid up members are eligible to win, so if you haven’t paid up by that date you may be doing yourself out of a chance to win one of the best prizes of the golfing year.
COURSE WORKS – The golf course will be closed from Monday to Thursday this week to enable the postponed verti-draining to take place.
08/04/2018
The mens’ competition on Sunday the 8th of April was an 18 hole Strokeplay kindly sponsored by Ireland’s leading golf shop, Golfstyle, which is located in the Liosban Business Park, Tuam Road, Galway. Gerry O’Hara was the runaway winner with a 62 nett, beating fellow Ballinafad man Peter Leydon into second place with a 68 nett. The picture above shows Gerry receiving his prize from captain, Terry Canning.Charlie O’Donnell took the prize for best gross score and Frank Casserly was third with 69 nett. The Easter weekend Shambles fundraiser was won by the team of Paul Connolly, Patrick Egan, Conor Hamill and Moira Egan with 117 points.Second place went to Ted Hester, Frank Casserley, Lewis Shaw and Jim Callery with 112 points, and the Ladies Prize went to the team of Mary O’Hara, Joey Mullaney, Carmel Mc Garry and Carmel Conlon with 96 points. The first of the mens’ weekly Thursday night competitions took place on the 5th of April. The winner’s bottle of brandy found a home in Deerpark with Charlie O’Donnell in what has been a productive week for him. Upcoming competitions – Sunday the 15th sees the second of the new initiative of sponsored Sunday competitions for the men, this one being kindly funded by Keating Amenity Solutions. A ladies’ 18 hole stableford competition takes place the same day.The PGA Tankard competitions take place the following Sunday, the 22nd of April. In the second of this years inter-club competitions, the mens’ club are hosting Ballinamore in the first round of the All-Ireland Fourball Competition on Saturday the 21st. The course will be closed for a few days from this Tuesday while verti-draining takes place on all the greens and on some areas of cattle damage. The club wishes our member Lewis Shaw all the best in his year as captain of the Shepherd’s Crook Golf Society Charlie O’Donnell took the prize for best gross score and Frank Casserly was third with 69 nett. The Easter weekend Shambles fundraiser was won by the team of Paul Connolly, Patrick Egan, Conor Hamill and Moira Egan with 117 points.Second place went to Ted Hester, Frank Casserley, Lewis Shaw and Jim Callery with 112 points, and the Ladies Prize went to the team of Mary O’Hara, Joey Mullaney, Carmel Mc Garry and Carmel Conlon with 96 points. The first of the mens’ weekly Thursday night competitions took place on the 5th of April. The winner’s bottle of brandy found a home in Deerpark with Charlie O’Donnell in what has been a productive week for him. Upcoming competitions – Sunday the 15th sees the second of the new initiative of sponsored Sunday competitions for the men, this one being kindly funded by Keating Amenity Solutions. A ladies’ 18 hole stableford competition takes place the same day.The PGA Tankard competitions take place the following Sunday, the 22nd of April. In the second of this years inter-club competitions, the mens’ club are hosting Ballinamore in the first round of the All-Ireland Fourball Competition on Saturday the 21st. The course will be closed for a few days from this Tuesday while verti-draining takes place on all the greens and on some areas of cattle damage. The club wishes our member Lewis Shaw all the best in his year as captain of the Shepherd’s Crook Golf Society.
1/04/2018
COMPETITIONS – The competition that took place over the Easter weekend was an 18 hole Shambles team event and was played as a fundraiser for the club. Results to follow next week.
This Thursday, the 5th of April, is an important day in the golfing world with the US Masters teeing off in Augusta and the mens’ weekly Thursday competitions commencing in Knockadoobrusna. For any member that wishes to sponsor one, please put your name on the sponsors list in the clubhouse.
The competition for next Sunday the 8th of April sees a change from the fixture card in that it will be an 18 hole Stroke instead of a Stableford. In a new departure for competitions in the club, it will the first of a new series of sponsored Sunday competitions. This one will be sponsored by the west of Ireland’s number one golf shop, GolfStyle, who are based in the Liosban Business Park just off the Tuam Road in Galway. We are very grateful to GolfStyle for sponsoring the first of these competitions.
OUTING – The club outing to St Margaret’s on the 14th of April is attracting great interest with approximately 20 people signed up. There are still a few places left so please make contact in the next few days if you intend going.
INTERCLUBS – Hard luck to the men’s team who lost out narrowly to Ballaghaderreen in the Connacht 9 hole clubs’ championship on Easter Saturday.
WORKS – The verti-draining that was scheduled to take place on the greens this week has been postponed until weather conditions are more suitable.
25/03/2018
The Boyle round of the Holmpatrick Cup was played on Sunday the 25th of March. In first place were Shane Loftus and Paddy McLoughlin with 44 points, just pipping Michael Rush’s and Michael Gilmartin’s 43 points in to second place. Congratulations to Shane and Paddy who go forward to the county final. Third place went to Patrick Egan and Lorcan Egan, who also had 43 points.
Next weekend’s competition is a Club Fundraiser Fourball Shambles open to all Ladies and Gents members of Boyle Golf Club. The competition can be played from Good Friday to Easter Monday inclusive. The club asks all members to support this endeavour to raise money to spend on course maintenance and improvements.
The men’s weekly Thursday competitions resume on Thursday the 5th of April. In the same week the mens’ section take on our neighbours from Ballaghaderreen in the first inter-club match of the year. This will be a first round match of the Connacht 9 Hole Clubs Championship which was established by the Connacht branch of the GUI last year as a competition to be played for between exclusively between the 9 hole clubs of the region. A number of our neighbouring clubs fall into this category including Ballaghaderreen, Ballinamore, Ballymote, Castlerea, Strokestown and Tubbercurry.
19/03/2018
RESULTS – An 18 hole Gents Stableford was held on Sunday the 18th of March. In first place was Vincent Egan with 36 points, Michael Simon took second with 34 points. Charlie O’Donnell took the gross and Owen Garvin came in 3rd with 34 points. The birdie tree winners were Sean Heslin and Charlie O’Donnell.
OUTING- If there are people interested in playing in the club outing on the 14th April to St Margaret’s, we would ask them to put their names down, the trip will be cancelled if there is insufficient interest.
THURSDAY COMPETITIONS – The mens’ weekly Thursday competitions will be starting again in a few weeks. This has been a very popular competition over the years, usually taking the format of 9 hole competition for its first few weeks in April and early May, then lengthening to a 12 hole as the evenings get longer. It is a welcome sign of the approach of summer when we see a crowd waiting around the first tee-box at 6 o’clock on a Thursday evening. A list for sponsoring the men’s weekly Thursday night competitions is on the noticeboard in the clubhouse. The club asks all men who play in this on a regular basis to consider putting their name down to sponsor one.
11/03/2018
RESULTS – An 18 hole Gents’ Foursomes competition took place on Sunday the 10th of March. Results to follow.
MEMBERSHIP – We would be grateful if any memberships due could be paid in the next few weeks. For any new members, membership rates are available on www.boylegolfclub.com, with particularly competitive rates for those who are taking up golf for the first time. We have been happy to see some new faces playing golf in Boyle in the past few weeks and the Mens’ Committee meeting this month approved applications for 5 new members.
UPCOMING COMPETITIONS – A Gents 18 hole Stableford will take place on Sunday the 18th of March, followed on Sunday the
25th of March by the Boyle heat of the Holmpatrick Cup for the men. There will also be an 18 hole Stableford for the Ladies that day.
The Easter weekend will see a club fundraiser, playable from Saturday the 31st of March to Monday the 2nd of April inclusive. The format will an 18 hole Fourball Shambles (i.e on each hole all players on the team drive off, all then play their second shot from their teams’ best drive and complete the hole as per a scramble). All members are encouraged to enter and to recruit any of their friends in other clubs that may be interested in playing.
The first of the Interclub matches for 2018 takes place in early April with the Boyle men hosting Ballaghaderreen in the Connaught 9 hole clubs competition.
There is a sheet on the noticeboard for all members interested in going on the club outing to St Margaret’s on the 14th of April.
WORKS ON THE COURSE – There will be a meeting held in the clubhouse in the coming weeks to organise volunteers for various duties during the year. Volunteers are absolutely essential for the running of the club and members are encouraged to consider contributing a few hours of their time during the year, whether it be behind the bar, on the course or maintaining the clubhouse and its immediate environs.
Weather permitting, it is hoped to carry out some verti-draining in the first week in April to include both the greens and the areas damaged by cattle in December. This work requires sand to be brushed in to the holes created by the drainage machine, and the club requests that any members who may have some spare time that week to bring a brush and help out for a while. A new shed is currently under construction to the rear of the existing one and it is also hoped to commence the finishing touches to our new practice chipping green shortly.
04/03/18
Deepest sympathies are extended to Fred’s family and many friends.
The Golf Course remained closed this past weekend and the Spring League was reduced to just two rounds due to the poor weather conditions. Congratulations to Brendan Gaffney, Vincent Egan and Moira Egan who are this years winners. Next Sunday, the 11th of March will see the start of the 18 hole Competitions with an 18 Hole Mens’ Foursomes.
25/02/18
The 2018 Captains Drive-In took place in perfect conditions on Sunday the 25th of February. Captains Terry and Marie hit 2 well-struck drives up the 1st fairway, thus launching the golfing season in the traditional manner. They would like to thank the members for the great turnout on the day. After the ceremonial start, a social 9 hole scramble was played. In first place was the team of Brendan Gaffney, Paul Connolly, Margaret Loftus and Owen Garvin. Second place went to Lorcan Egan, Willie Tiernan and Fiona Keenan, and in third was the team of Captain Terry Canning, Lady Captain Marie Hanmore-Cawley and Michael Rush.
Thanks very much to Jim Mooney who took the photos of the Drive-In.
Next weekend, the 3rd and 4th of March, sees the final round of the Spring League. Vincent Egan, Moira Egan and Brendan Gaffney are the in-form team at present, but they have a tight lead over the next 2 teams.
A 9 hole stableford competition for the men will also be played on Sunday the 4th of March. On Sunday the 11th of March there will be an 18 hole Mens’ Foursomes competition.
18/02/18
This weekend saw round 3 of the Spring League take place ( round 2 has been postponed til the weekend of March 3rd and 4th due to the inclement weather conditions of last week). The leaders after round 1, Moira Egan, Vincent Egan and Brendan Gaffney continue to be the pacesetters with an aggregate score of 119. Charlie O’Donnell, Ted Hester and Michael Rush are a close second on 122.5 , with the last podium place currently occupied by Willie Tiernan, Tommy King and Jim Callery.
This week saw a meeting take place in the Clubhouse to discuss some proposed changes in the layout of the course. There were no objections and the club has already initiated some of the changes, starting with new out of bounds areas behind the 1st green and to the right of the 6th fairway, and the widening of the “spinney” water hazard to the right of the 2nd fairway. The other changes will be seen over the next few months and include open drains in front of the 5th and 9th greens, trees between the 2nd and 4th fairways and introducing areas of rough around some tee-boxes. Other work planned this year includes the finishing of the recently constructed chipping practice area by installing drains and preparing the surface of the green. A practice driving net will also be installed beside this green.
The club has arranged a social golf outing to St Margaret’s Golf and Country Club in Co Dublin on Saturday the 14th of April. Boyle member Gary Carty works in St Margaret’s and has obtained a great deal for us for 18 holes of golf followed by a 2 course meal for 40 euro. All members are invited.
Next weekend sees the official launch of the golfing year with the Captains’ Drive-In. The draw takes place at 12.45 pm with tee-off at 1. The bar will be open and food will be available.
11/02/18
Weather conditions akin to a succession of biblical plagues resulted in many of the 2nd round matches from the Spring League not taking place this week.
All members are invited to attend a meeting in the clubhouse this coming Wednesday the 14th of February at 7.30 pm to discuss a number of proposed changes to the layout of the course. A full account of the proposals is available on the club website under the “Course” section. Many of the proposals are acknowledging the reality that some areas of the course never dry out fully in the course of a year and that cutting and maintaining these areas has become disproportionately labour intensive. It is proposed that several such areas be left uncut throughout the year. In the same vein, it is proposed that 2 open drains be created on both the 5th and 9th holes to protect the 5th green from flooding and to improve drainage on the 8th and 9th holes in the area near the 9th teebox. There are a few other proposals including some tree-planting, re-aligning semi-rough areas and widening of hazards.
The Captains Drive In takes place on Sunday the 25th of February.
04/02/18
Round 1 of the clubs Spring League competition has concluded with the two leading teams separated by the tightest possible margin. Currently in first place are Brendan Gaffney, Vincent Egan and Moira Egan on 60.5, just ahead of Charlie O’Donnell, Ted Hester and Michael Rush on 60.6. In third place this week are Jim Mooney, Pat Conroy and Fiona Keenan on 62.7. The full leaderboard is available on the club’s website. The Spring League continues over the next 2 weekends and is followed by the “Drive In” on Sunday the 25th of February. Captains Terry Canning and Marie Hanmore-Cawley will get the 2018 golfing season off to its official start that day and welcome all members to join them.
28/01/18
The winners of the Gents Fourball Betterball played on Sunday the 28th of January were Ross Andrew and Gerry Carty with 42 points, closely followed by Vincent and Lorcan Egan with 41 points. The club would like to thank all those involved in getting the course re-opened after recent damage incurred.
The draw for the Spring League competition also took place on Sunday the 28th, with the competition to take place over the first 3 weekends in February. There are the usual “notable” draws in this….Conor Hamill has the added responsibility of ensuring Captain Terry and Lady Captain Marie are still on speaking terms by the time the drive in happens, and Brendan Gaffney will similarly have to tread carefully. Good luck to all in their various golfing and peacekeeping endeavours!
15/01/18
The course remains closed for necessary renovations. The membership rates for 2018 are now available and include a competitive rate of 170 euro for first year beginner members, 60 euro for Juniors and 185 euro for “distance members” – i.e someone who resides over 50 km from Boyle. The distance memberships are especially popular among people from the area who no longer live here but who visit occasionally, and these members are considered an integral part of our club. Contact Terry on 086 8297496 or Paula on 086 6038638 or info@boylegolfclub.com.
Our fixtures have been released for 2018, upcoming highlights include the Spring League taking place over 3 weekends in February and the Captains Drive In on the 25th of February.