Mount Juliet Golf Notes

After a lull in competitive golf the season re-opened again last week with the “drive in” of the Captains for 2012.  Alan Hoyne and Ruth Mulholland took over the mantle of Captain and Lady Captain from the 2011 pairing of James J. Brett and Margaret Twomey.  The day opened with a 2 person scramble over 9 holes with both nines being used for the occasion.  In Spring-like weather, which was a vast change from the awful weather endured in January last year, there was a very good turnout for the golf competition and the “drive-in” which followed in the afternoon.

This is also the first year that Mount Juliet has a Junior Captain and Luke Donnelly has the honour of filling this role for 2012.  Luke, who plays off an impressive handicap of 6 for his tender age of 14 years, also joined both Captains for his “drive-in” as well and drove his tee shot long and straight.

The presentation of prizes and formal induction of all three Captains took place in The Loft of the Hunters Yard after the “drive-in” and this was followed by a very enjoyable dinner in Kendals Restaurant which ran late into the night.  The new Captain, Alan Hoyne, alluded to the many moments of enjoyment he had as a young boy growing up near Mount Juliet and he felt very proud to be the first native of Thomastown to be elected as Captain of the famous course.

The competition, which was a stroke play event, produced some excellent scoring, especially on the back nine holes.  The par of 36 for each nine being equalled or bettered by a number of partnerships.  Bill Connolly had the distinction of scoring a Hole in One on the 14^th where he used a seven iron to obtain this unique achievement.

Results 2 Person Scramble

1^st Nine:

Winners         Sean O’Neill (15) & Bryan Phelan (15)                             29

Second          Catherine O’Halloran (29) & Richard O’Halloran (20)           29.2

Third              Tommy Duggan (8) & Jo Duggan (20)                            30.4

2^nd Nine: 

Winners         Paul Carty (20) & Anthony Gore-Grimes (23)                    27.4

Second          Frank Kelly (24) & Bryan Higgins (24)                             28.4

Third              Barry Hoyne (12) & Chris Clancy (13)                            29

Hole in One    Bill Connolly @ 14th

The Lady President’s (Mrs. Mary Jones) Prize was played on Thursday last in very testing conditions with a very strong South Westerly wind blowing which made scoring very difficult. The very convincing winner was Sandra Carr who returned 32 points to win by four shots from her nearest opponent. It was a case of keeping the ball in play in the conditions and Sandra executed this to her advantage over the eighteen holes. In second place came the Lady Captain (Margaret Twomey) with 28 points. No player broke the C.S.S. for the day so the competition became a non-counting one as it was deemed to be for reduction only for handicap purposes. Mrs. Jones made the long trip over from the South of England for the occasion. The evening ended with a dinner and presentation of prizes in Mount Juliet House.

This week-end sees the final of the Lexus Race to Mount Juliet with the top Irish Professional Golfers playing for the Order of Merit title which will be defended by the 2010 winner, David Higgins, and will include Kilkenny Professional, Jimmy Bolger, in the line-up. The Pro-Am takes place this Friday with the professionals taking pride of place on Saturday and Sunday.

Results of Lady President’s (Mrs. Mary Jones) Prize

Winner Sandra Carr (18) 32 points

Second Margaret Twomey (36) 28 points

Third Laura Mahony (17) 27 points

Fourth Myra Phelan (22) 27 points

1st Nine Mary Divilly (25) 14 points

2nd Nine Brenda Fitzgerald (21) 14 points

Par 3’s Hilary Hegarty 8 points

Par 5‘s Ursula Mason 9 points

Longest Drive Ruth Mulholland

The Grand Final of the Winter Series was played last week and this proved to be a triumph for popular racing commentator, Des Scahill, as he returned a fine score of 38 points over the 18 holes. Play was off the white tees and although the earlier rounds of the series were played as a 4 person team event, the final as usual, was an 18 holes singles competition for all qualifiers. Des played consistent golf in the final and had a shot to spare over his fellow club member, Shay Quinn, with Joby Kelly from Ballinasloe in third place. Des won a nice stay for two people in Mount Juliet House for his endeavours. The S.S. for the day was 36 points.

Also last week saw the first monthly competition for lady members and their guests. The format for the day was a 3 person scramble and there was a full timesheet for the competition. The team led by Vice Captain, Ruth Mulholland, won by a shot from Brona Reidy’s team of ladies with Myra Phelan’s team a further shot back in third place. The winning team finished a commendable two under par gross.

Last Sunday there was a 4 person team event for members and their guests and because of so many other sporting activities down for decision there was a smaller than usual entry. This did not deter the O’Connor family from spread-eagling the field with an impressive score of 95 points. This was a real family triumph for Padraic and Helen as they were joined by their sons Hugh and John to return the winning score. Some notable features of their round was when Hugh and Helen both birdied the 6th for a total of 8 points. Hugh then had the unique experience of driving his tee shot out of bounds at the long 10th and scoring an eagle 3 with his provisional ball which secured a further 3 points for the team.

Results Winter Series

Winner Des Scahill (9) (The Heritage) 38 points

Second Shay Quinn (17) (The Heritage) 37 points

Third Joby Kelly (14) (Ballinasloe) 35 points

Results April Ladies Invitation Scramble

Winners

Ruth Mulholland (11)

Eileen Duggan (16) (Kilkenny)

Catherine Leddy (15) (Curragh) 66.8

Second

Brona Reidy (13)

Maeve O’Reilly (14) (Powerscourt)

Pauline McEnery (34) (Gowran Park) 67.9

Third

Myra Phelan (23)

Helen Cosgrove (15) (Milltown)

Liz Hurley (22) (Charlesland) 69