A round-up of today's other stories in brief...
Family land golfer-of-the-year titles
THE golfer of the year crown is always a much coveted title, something special to cherish, no matter what else you achieve in your golfing career.
However, the honour this year had special significance for one particular family as incredibly, they ended the 2010 campaign with three different golfer of the year titles, two of them at the same club.
Neville Atkinson won the golfer of the year at Woodbrook Golf Club, his daughter, Sandra, won the ladies golfer of the year also at Woodbrook, while his daughter-in-law, Ann, won the ladies golfer of the year at Fermoy GC, Co Cork, to complete what is surely a unique hat-trick of titles.
* THE North Dublin Golf Club Captains Association will hold their Christmas outing next Tuesday, December 7th, at Clontarf Golf Club.
The timesheet is available from 9am to 1.30pm. Their agm is at 5pm, while the dinner will follow at 6pm.
O'Reilly edges home at Milltown
LOCAL knowledge certainly proved highly beneficial last Monday as the Leinster Ladies Alliance held their President’s Prize at Milltown golf club.
On a day of competitive golf the top two prizes were claimed by members of the host club. Taking the honours and winning Rhona Fanagan’s main prize was nine-handicapper Ursula O’Reilly, who fired 33 points to just edge out her club-mate Penny Gleeson (7) on the back nine. In third place was Laytown and Bettystown’s Phil O’Gorman, playing off four, who was a further point adrift with 32 points. The gross winner was Sheena McElroy (3) of Grange with 29 points.
Golf Channel focuses on Irish courses
GOLF Channel recently announced its tee-time business, GolfNow.com, will expand further internationally next year with top golf destinations Ireland and the UK leading the way.
GolfNow, working with more than 2,500 partner golf courses that have booked more than four million rounds in the United States and Canada in 2010 so far, will make their Ireland and UK service available to inbound travellers from North America, as well as local golfers. With an initial focus on golf courses in Ireland, Golf Channel plans to integrate and promote the top courses in these destinations to its vast on-air and online audience.
Carr Golf Travel will oversee the operation in Ireland. Carr’s primary responsibilities will include developing relationships with golf courses. Through easy-to-implement solutions, GolfNow.com helps golf courses sell more rounds, increase revenues and, in turn, helps grow the game.
Closing date for Ryder ticket holders
TODAY is the closing day for those who were at the Ryder Cup on Friday, October 1st, to obtain their complimentary DVD of the contest in addition to two complimentary day tickets for any one of a selection of European Tour events next year, including the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, The Celtic Manor Wales Open and the Irish Open.
The offer applies only to those who had day tickets valid for October 1st and series-2 day tickets (Thursday/Friday).
Richard Hills, the European Ryder Cup director, said: “Ryder Cup Europe appreciates the patience and consideration shown by all spectators on the Friday of the 2010 Ryder Cup when a total of seven hours 18 minutes play was lost due to the appalling weather.
“We would like to pay tribute to the loyalty of all our fans and we hope this gesture for those seriously disadvantaged by the exceptional conditions on the Friday goes some way to offering them the recompense we feel they earned.”
All ticket holders wishing to take up these offers need to register their interest through www.rydercup.com
Ticket holders will need to enter the “Ticket Ref” printed on the front of their ticket and their surname via the link and log-in to make their selection of which European Tour event they wish to attend.
Korea once again the dominant force at the Asian Games
KOREA swept the board at the Asian Games golf championship in China over the weekend, winning all four gold medals, just as they did at the last Games in Doha four years ago.
In the men’s competition, Kim Meen-whee, who is currently ranked 147th in the world, led the way on a 15-under-par total of 273. The 18-year-old shot rounds of 69, 68, 67 and 69 around Guangzhou Province’s par-72 Dragon Lake Golf Club to claim victory by a remarkable nine strokes. The Philippines’ Miguel Luis Tabuena, who had been the first-round leader, finished in second place, ahead of Chinese Taipei’s Hung Chien-Yao.
In the men’s team competition, where the best three from four scores counted, Korea were even more dominant, winning by 32 shots from India on a 22-under-par total of 842. Chinese Taipei finished a solitary stroke behind India on a combined score of 11 over par.
In the women’s individual event, Kim Hyun-Soo won by 10 shots on 11 under par from China’s Yan Jing and compatriot Kim Ji-hee, after rounds of 70, 70, 65 and 72.
New publication recalls history of Newlands GC
TO mark their centenary, a book detailing the 100-year history and development of Newlands Golf Club from its foundation as the Robin Hood Golf Club in 1910 was recently launched.
Before moving to its present location at the Newlands Demesne, the Robin Hood Golf Club was situated on the site of the present Red Cow Hotel complex on the Naas Road.
The author of the book, golf historian Col W H Gibson, who also published Early Irish Golf in 1988, said, “The hidden history and struggles of the old Robin Hood Golf Club are revealed at last and current members owe a deep debt of gratitude to those early pioneers, who had the foresight to institute and revive that club.
“The connection with many of those associated with the War of Independence and the emergence of the Irish Free State are of major historic interest and has only come to light as a result of this review of the Newlands Golf Club archives.”
The club president, John McKernan, welcomed Julie Muir, the great grand-daughter of James LJ Hughes, the first captain of the Robin Hood Golf Club.
Launching the excellent production Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh said: “The book was a very comprehensive and enlightening account of the development of Newlands Golf Club from its foundation in 1910 to the present day.”
