ANNUAL DELEGATES MEETING 2017 AT HIBERNIAN HOTEL MALLOW WEDNESDAY 29 NOVEMBER 6.30 PM AGENDA

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1 ANNUAL DELEGATES MEETING 2017 AT HIBERNIAN HOTEL MALLOW WEDNESDAY 29 NOVEMBER 6.30 PM AGENDA Golfing Union of Ireland Munster Golf 6 Townview Mallow Co Cork P51 YW22 Ireland T: +353 (0) F: +353 (0) E: info@munster.gui.ie W: Facebook:

2 To: Each Affiliated Golf Club & Members of Provincial Council The ANNUAL DELEGATES MEETING of the Munster Branch of the Golfing Union of Ireland will take place at HIBERNIAN HOTEL, MALLOW, CO CORK on WEDNESDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2017 AT 6.30pm. AGENDA 1. Notice convening Annual Delegates Meeting of the Golfing Union of Ireland (Munster Branch) page 4 2. Minutes of Branch Annual Meeting held on 29 November 2016 (at back of Agenda) and matters arising page/s Nomination of Scrutineers for counting of ballot page 4 4. Election of Chairman page 4 5. Election of Officers page 4 6. Chairman s report Jim Long page 4 7. Honorary Secretary s report Barry Lynch page/s Honorary Match & Handicapping Secretary s report Dave Prendergast page/s Honorary Treasurer s Report Peter English page/s 7-11 (Including Statement of Accounts for year ended 30 th September 2017 & nomination for re-appointment of Auditors) 10. Junior Golf Report Kevin Murray Junior Convenor page/s Senior Interprovincial C ship report Captain Phil Cooney page/s Boys Interprovincial C ship report Captain Kevin Murray page/s U16 Boys Interprovincial C ship report Captain Michael Coote page/s U14 Boys Interprovincial C ship report Captain Liam Troy page Election of (17) seventeen Delegates to the Provincial Council page Notices of Motion page/s One Governing Body Update & Questions 18. Club Officer List 2018 (see attached form for completion and return to the office following AGM of Mens Club) 19. A.O.B. page 22 2

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4 1. Notice convening Annual Delegates Meeting of the Golfing Union of Ireland (Munster Branch) 2. Minutes of Branch Annual Meeting held on 29 November 2016 (at back of Agenda pages) and matters arising 3. Nomination of scrutineers for counting of ballot 4. Election of Chairman Chairman: Jim Long, (Monkstown) proposed by Munster Provincial Council, Munster Golf GUI Chairman: Michael Lawlor, (Tralee) proposed by Castlegregory Golf Club 5. Election of Officers Hon Secretary: B Lynch (Raffeen Creek) proposed by Raffeen Creek Hon Match & Handicapping Secretary: D Prendergast (Cork) proposed by Cork Golf Club Hon Treasurer: P English (Limerick) proposed by Limerick Golf Club 6. Chairman s report Jim Long It has been an honour and a privilege to act as Chairman of Munster Golf for I would like to thank the clubs of Munster for bestowing this very special honour on me. It has been an extremely busy year but one which I have really enjoyed. I had the pleasure of visiting many clubs and I thank all those clubs for their hospitality and welcome which I appreciated very much. The Provincial Council set out at the start of the year to enhance communication with all clubs and ran a number of information nights for both Standard Scratch and Handicapping and also Junior Golf. These roadshows visited four venues each and were so very well received that it is our intention to repeat them next year. The South of Ireland Championship reached a particular milestone in 2017 in hosting the 125 th staging of the South. It proved to be a magnificent tournament despite very inclement weather, culminating in a win for our own James Sugrue from Mallow. It was a very proud moment for me to witness James, a product of the Munster coaching structure, lifting the oldest and most coveted GUI Championship on the calendar. Another very proud moment was Peter O Keeffe s (Douglas) outstanding achievement in winning the Irish amateur Open Championship at Royal Country Down. Congratulations to Peter on a remarkable victory and also on his selection to represent Ireland at the Home Internationals in August. The Cups and Shields were well contested as always producing many outstanding contests before winners eventually emerged at Carton House in September. I would congratulate all clubs for the sportsmanship shown and in particular for putting their courses and clubhouses at the disposal of the Munster Branch throughout the season. Congratulations to all provincial winners and in particular to Ballykisteen, Ballybunion and Thurles who went one step further and achieved All Ireland success. Congratulations to Sean O Leary who captained the Irish Senior Team to victory in the European Seniors Tournament and to Karl Bornemann, Eamon Haugh and John Mitchell, three Munster men who contributed handsomely to this achievement and also to Michael Coote, Selector. I would also congratulate the Men s team who won the Home Internationals for a record four in a row. Well done to Captain Tony Goode, Munster playing Representatives Robin Dawson and Peter O Keeffe and also Munster selector John Carroll. I would like to thank the Captains and Managers of the various Munster teams who participated in the Interprovincials in 2017; Phil Cooney and Pat Dunne with the Men s team; Kevin Murray and John Fennessy with the Boy s team; Michael Coote and Michael P Murphy with the Under 16 s and finally Liam Troy and Jim Lyne with the Under 14 s and indeed all those players who distinguished themselves and their clubs while representing their province and also to Provincial Coach, Fred Twomey who worked very hard with all the teams. I extend all our congratulations to Fermoy on celebrating their 125 th anniversary and also to Cobh Golf Club on their new clubhouse which was built through a huge amount of voluntary help. The opening night was a most enjoyable affair and great credit is due to the club and its Officers. I would like to pay tribute to my fellow Officers and all members of the Provincial Council for their tireless efforts and hard work on behalf of golf in Munster and throughout the country. I would mention Pat Dunne in particular who is retiring from Council this year. Pat has given a great service to Munster, particularly in the area of Standard Scratch and Handicapping. I am very grateful to Margaret and Karen in the office for all their assistance and unfailing commitment throughout the year. 7. Honorary Secretary s Report Barry Lynch My election at last year s ADM as Honorary Secretary was both an honour for myself and for my club Raffeen Creek. Traditionally the Honorary Secretary s report looks back at the year but I will also be looking forward to the years ahead which will bring many changes to all aspects of both the game of golf and how we administer it. The R&A /USGA published the Draft Proposed New Rules of Golf for 2019 earlier this year and discussion and submissions were sought from individual golfers, clubs and national unions. All submissions have now been made including one from our own Union, which was compiled by representatives from provinces/districts of both ILGU and GUI. Many of the Rule changes are aimed at improving the time involved to play a round, such as time allowed for a ball search and having the choice of leaving the pin in the hole even when the ball is on the green. 4

5 The new Rules will be published in early 2018 and will come into effect on 1 January 2019.Clubs are encouraged to play some competitions,not singles qualifying competitions, during 2018 under various aspects of the new Rules so that players will be familiar with them when they come into effect in Possibly in 2018 it will be back to school for many of our referees, myself included, to become familiar with the new and modernised Rules. I was delighted to continue the Rules education by accepting invitations from a large number of clubs in the province and interacting with all the members attending in explaining the Rules with many props used.as the saying goes Seeing is believing. Discussions also continue on the implementation of a World Handicap System, which is envisaged will bring many changes to the way handicaps are calculated and maintained. The target date for implementation is currently 2020.The new system will also incorporate Slope Rating and to this end all courses in Munster will be visited by our course rating teams over the next number of years to verify the SSS and also Slope Rating of each course. Thanks to our Team Leaders, Tom Donnelly (Youghal), Kevin Glynn (Lahinch), Tom Keane (Ballybunion), Jim Nolan (Macroom) and their team members for their work which in some instances is completed in adverse weather conditions. Meanwhile efforts continue to get an even playing pitch when teams contest the various Cups & Shields in which handicap levels apply. I quote from a player who recently won his third Senior Cup medal It is the purest form of golf. There are no handicaps involved. There is nobody building handicaps to play in the Senior Cup and Barton Shield. The teams and the golfers are genuine and its straight matches. It s the blue riband of club golf. It would perhaps be a Utopian wish for the game provincially and nationally that this spirit will permeate down to all clubs and teams involved in our Cups & Shields tournaments in which handicaps are a factor. Unfortunately many players are imbued with a mind-set that the responsibilities in the UHS as regards the reporting of away scores does not apply to them and steadfastly refuse to report these scores to their home clubs and thereby maintain their handicaps at a level well above their playing ability. On a more positive note was the success of Handicap Month run by the Union in March which brought awareness to players of their responsibilities under the Unified Handicap System and which brought a good response from many clubs in the province. Another initiative undertaken by the Union was the Pace of Play Awareness Week at the start of April with many pointers given to assist players in playing their rounds in a shorter time. One of the suggestions was the use of Ready Golf in stroke play, which has proven to improve the time involved in playing a round. Of course many items contribute to slow play other than the players themselves such as difficult pin positions, starting times too tight and height of rough causing time lost due to ball searches. One statistic of note is that if all players in a three ball reduce their time to play each stroke by just five seconds the round time will reduce by twenty minutes based on an average score of eighty per player. The National Finals of the Cups & Shields are returning to the provincial rotation commencing with the 2018 finals being hosted by Thurles Golf Club after four years in Carton House. The timing of the finals will also change to a weekend, commencing on Friday and concluding on Sunday afternoon. The change in timing should be of great assistance to players having to take annual leave to participate in the finals. We wish Thurles the best of good fortune as they begin preparations for the hosting of this prestigious event in the Union s calendar. Much work has been done on One Governing Body (OGB) over the past twelve months with consultative work groups examining all aspects of how the organisation may be structured and reporting back to the Discussion Group. All clubs will ultimately play a vital role in this process as it is the clubs who will finally decide the future direction of the Union. Next February will see a historic AGM of the Golfing Union when all clubs in the Union will be invited to nominate two delegates to attend the meeting. The decision to invite the clubs to attend the AGM follows recommendations from the Strategic Review carried out over the past number of years. Looking back on 2017 the year had several highlights as regards Munster golfers and foremost among these was the achievement of Peter O Keeffe (Douglas) bringing home the winner s trophy from Irish Amateur Open Championship held in Royal County Down in very demanding conditions in May. Adding to this victory was the success of James Sugrue (Mallow) in capturing the South of Ireland trophy at a windswept and squall lashed Lahinch in July. James overcame many notable performers in his march to the title and brought great celebrations and joy to his home club whose continuing efforts over the years in junior golf was suitably rewarded. The South of Ireland has gone from strength to strength over the past number of years and this is manifested by is current ranking in the WAGR as second only in Ireland to the Irish Amateur Open. Great praise is due to the Championship Committee of the event, comprising of members of Lahinch Golf Club and Munster Golf for the unstinting work that is done to attract the highest ranked players to compete from year to year. Congratulations also to Sean O Leary (Mahon) and John Carroll (Bandon). Sean captained the Irish Seniors team to victory in the European Championships in Sweden with the final victory accomplished in the last match on the 19 th green. Munster was strongly represented on the team with Karl Bornemann (Douglas), Eamonn Haugh (Castletroy) and John Mitchell (Tramore) forming part of the six man team. John was manager of the history making Irish team at the Home Internationals at Moortown in England pipping the home team on countback and winning the trophy for an unprecedented four in row victories. Munster was represented on the team by Robin Dawson (Tramore) and Peter O Keeffe (Douglas). The work of the Munster Council places extraordinary demands on its members throughout the year. A recent calculation of days spent by members officiating/refereeing at events in the province arrived at an approximate number of 364 days. Added to this are the hours/days spent by the various Council members involved in junior golf, coaching, handicapping, course rating, team selection and of course the inevitable number of meetings both provincial and national covering all these areas. So a massive thank you to all 5

6 our Council members for the tremendous commitment and also to our associate assistants throughout the province, without who s workload we could not function in an efficient manner in the running of our various championships throughout the year. However everything comes back to our staff in the Mallow office with Karen and Margaret always available to assist in all the administrative affairs of the Council. Entries to competitions, preparation of timesheets, minutes of all the various committees, to mention but a few, are handled with expertise and a smile.they keep us all on the straight and narrow with their experience accumulated over the years and we owe them our sincerest gratitude. Finally a word of thank you to Pat Dunne (Roscrea) who is not seeking re-election to the Council for the coming year. Pat s contribution to the Council over the past number of years since his election has been exemplary and to the highest standard especially in the area of handicapping and his knowledge of the Unified Handicapping System has few peers. Hopefully Pat will remain available as a consultant on these matters and also as a valued member of our East Region course rating team. Representative Honours: Mens: R Dawson (Tramore) P O Keeffe (Douglas) Boys: J Hearn (Tramore) Seniors: K Bornemann (Douglas), E Haugh (Castletroy), J Mitchell (Tramore) Team Winners: AIG Barton - Tralee, AIG Pierce Purcell -Thurles, AIG Jimmy Bruen - Ballykisteen, Mixed Foursomes Adare Manor, AIG Junior Cup - Ballybunion, AIG Senior Cup - Limerick, Junior Foursomes -Ballybunion, Fred Daly Trophy - Muskerry, Fred Daly Plate - Dooks, Munster Country Clubs - Dunmore, Michael Cashman Munster Club Four-Ball - Ballykisteen South of Ireland Open Championship: J Sugrue (Mallow) Munster Seniors: N Duke (Killiney) Munster Veterans: M Kelly (Nass) Munster Over 30 s: P Murray (Clontarf) Munster Stroke Play: B Anderson (The Royal Dublin) Munster Students: J Murphy (Kinsale) Munster Boys: A Marshall (Lisburn) Munster Boys U16: T McKibbin (Holywood) Munster Boys U14: T Higgins (Roscommon) Munster Boys U13 Close: A King (Faithlegg) Munster Boys U15 Close: F Hickey (Muskerry) Munster Boys U17 Close: R Milne (Faithlegg) 8. Honorary Match & Handicapping Secretary s Report Dave Prendergast 2016/2017 was my initial outing as Match and Handicap Secretary, Munster Golf. It proved to be a steep learning curve but with the assistance and encouragement of my fellow Council Members and the cooperation of Club Officers and members it was a most successful and rewarding experience. The year commenced in late 2016 with the Annual Handicap Review Reports from all the clubs in the Province. This was completed and checked before the 31st December 2016 deadline with the efficient co-operation of all the Clubs Handicap Committees and Munster Golf Handicap Committee. The Fixtures and Draws for the various Cups and Shields were finalized and despite some inclement weather all were completed to schedule with some very exciting and tight results. It was disappointing that we had very late withdrawals by some clubs from some of the events which disrupted the playing sequence of the remaining matches and also upset other clubs arrangements. In addition two clubs had to disqualify themselves as a result of breeches of the eligibility conditions. These were unfortunate and disappointing incidents. Clubs are encouraged to ensure their teams fulfil all the conditions of the various Competitions as stipulated prior to commencement of the various competitions. The Cups and Shields Competitions all produced excellent winners, three of whom went on to win the National pennants, My congratulations to all concerned, in particular to the Clubs who were winners of Provincial and National pennants for the first time. I take this opportunity to thank all clubs who provided their facilities and Volunteers to Munster Golf to complete all competitions in a satisfactory manner. Without your assistance and co-operation, it would be most difficult to complete these events. Handicap Information Seminars were conducted at four venues throughout the Province during April/May These nights were well attended by many Club Handicap Committees. These seminars provided an opportunity for Handicap Committees, especially new personnel to Committees, to familiarize themselves with the latest CONGU UHS requirements and how Competitions should be conducted. These events were very productive and my thanks to those clubs for hosting at very short notice. My grateful thanks, in addition, to Pat Dunne, ably assisted by Karen Walsh, E.O. Munster Golf, who conducted these seminars. 6

7 Handicapping issues continues to present major difficulties throughout the Province. It is most important that all Club Handicap Committees are proactive in monitoring the activities of their members. In addition it is important that Handicap Secretaries receive the necessary support of their respective Men s Committee. A number of Handicap Audits were completed during the year. I take this opportunity to sincerely thank the members of Munster Golf Handicap sub Committee, Barry Lynch, Pat Dunne, Kevin Glynn and Tom Keane, whose valuable advice and assistance is very much appreciated. In ending this short report, I will quote from a recent article that I read. Golf is a game of etiquette, a game of honour, a game where people pit themselves against a course that is laid out in front of them - hoping to do as well as they can with every single shot. However, more important than all of this, Golf is a game where a player competes against themselves. Golf tests the mind, it tests your willingness to commit, and it tests your dedication, your resolve, your sporting prowess but most importantly your honesty and your willingness to be honest to yourself and to the game. Finally my grateful thanks to Karen and Margaret in our Mallow office for their support and assistance throughout the year. 9. Honorary Treasurer s Report Peter English (Including Statement of Accounts for year ended 30 th September 2017 & Nomination for appointment of Auditors) Final Membership figures for 2017 show a drop of 810 members for 2017, a concern for the province as we have seen a reduction of 7819 (22%) members since A number of Clubs showed a decrease in excess of 100 members, eight (8) Clubs showed a decrease in excess of 50 members. Eight (8) Clubs reported an increase in membership, averaging 30 per Club; one (1) Club reported an increase in excess of 60 members. A drop of 542 junior members (11%) is of concern to the Council, 56 Clubs have recorded a decrease, averaging a loss of twelve (12) per Club. Two (2) Clubs recorded a decrease in excess of 50 junior players, with eight (8) Clubs recording a decrease in excess of 20 players, on the plus side 17 Clubs have shown growth, 3 Clubs have shown an increase in excess of 20. Adult Change Junior Change ,605 4, ,913-1,692 5, ,930-1,983 5, ,454-1,476 5, ,910-1,544 5, , , , , , , % -11% Our income is up 56,780. The increase of 2 approved in 2016 increased our Income by 50,712. Also an increase in the Coaching allocation of 7,700, and a drop in Entrance fees is down to the inclusion of the Veterans within the Seniors Open, along with drop in the revenue from the Munster Students. Expenditure We have seen a drop in Club Coaching grant take up, it has dropped to 46% against an average of 60% for prior years. The national High Performance Committee has approved the appointment of Fred Twomey as the Provincial Lead Coach along with three Provincial Coaches, to cover Junior Coaching and development. There is a new strategy to develop golfers in each province, under the same pathway, where we would have coached on a 6:1 ratio it will now be 4:1 and more time given to each group. Some notable increase in costs is as follows: South of Ireland, increase in the number of referee s to deal with pace of play and as it happened they were needed due to the inclement weather that arose during the tournament. Repairs and Maintenance includes the full change of two new laptops and replacement walkie talkies written off. Website & Photography has seen an increase due to the reduced number of support days from Carton house. Meetings have seen a significant increase; this will include handicap and junior information nights held throughout the province, on top of the Club handicap nights. There were also a number of handicap appeals throughout the year as well as a number of OGB meetings. In 2016 HQ gave a subsidy towards the OGB meetings of 3k. The increase in clothing for Council reflects the jackets bought for Council this year. Training covers the cost of Staff and Council members who attended courses for Child Protection / Welfare, Rules of Golf and course rating. Savings were made on telephone/postage, print and stationary as a result of group purchasing. Rules of Golf refund of expenses from 2015 received, team clothing - as officials were in place from previous year and did not require additional clothing. Also 7

8 computer software, 2016 charge was for two (2) years and deprecation as a number of assets have been written off and have a zero book value. We would like to thank our sponsors this year; their partnership at the various tournaments was most appreciated. Sponsors for 2017 were - Mallow Printing (U14 s) Titleist (U16 s) Gleeson s Sport Scene Limerick (U18's), Keane s Jewellers Cork & Limerick (Awards), Rathkeale House Hotel (Mid-Amateur). The outlook for next year is difficult to call as memberships have shown a decrease as against an increase the previous year it makes forecasting very difficult. Clubs should engage with CGI who have a lot of good initiatives and will help Clubs address the issues in attracting or retaining members. I would like to thank the office, Karen & Margaret for their assistance throughout the year, and Eleanor at O Brien Cahill, in making the preparation of the accounts a seamless task. 8

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10 INCOME EXPENDITURE G.U.I. Union Subs & Branch Contributions 222, ,576 Senior Inter Provincials 2,101 2,265 G.U.I. HQ Coaching Grant 77,000 69,300 Less : Contribution (1,000) 1,101 (1,000) 1,265 G.U.I. HQ Grant - - G.U.I. Cups & Shields Subsidy 20,500 18,000 Junior Boys Inter Provincials 842 1,437 Misc - - Less : Contribution (500) 342 (1,000) 437 Club Affiliation Fees Sponsorship 700 1,350 SSS Handicapping Scheme/Course Rating 1,700 3,325 Less : Contribution (1,164) 536 (2,383) 942 Entry Fees Irish Cups & Shields AIG Senior Cup 1,809 1,475 AIG Senior Cup 2,750 2,750 AIG Junior Cup 2,089 1,646 AIG Junior Cup 3,450 3,700 AIG Jimmy Bruen Shield 2,165 2,153 AIG Jimmy Bruen Shield 5,700 5,775 AIG Barton Shield 1,296 1,396 AIG Barton Shield 3,000 3,000 AIG Pierce Purcell Shield 1,976 2,563 AIG Pierce Purcell Shield 5,850 6,000 I need Spain Irish Mixed Foursomes 1,881 1,939 I need Spain Irish Mixed Foursomes 5,550 5,400 Munster Country Clubs 1,539 1,613 Irish Junior Foursomes 1,275 1,375 Fred Daly Trophy / Plate & Junior Foursomes 1,758 2,104 Munster Country Clubs Irish Four Ball ( Michael Cashman Four Ball) Fred Daly Trophy 1,325 1,250 Irish Four Ball ( Michael Cashman Four Ball) 3,525 3,900 Fred Daly Plate - 33, ,525 Irish Cups & Shield Tournaments 32,425 47,388 33,150 48,709 Munster Boys Championship 4,100 3,540 Salaries 78,123 73,454 Less : Expenditure (3,250) 850 (2,108) 1,432 Employers P.R.S.I. 9,394 10,268 Employers Pension Contributions 5,213 4,752 Irish Schools Championships 2,660 2,975 Repairs & Maintenance 4,677 1,975 Less : Expenditure (1,943) 717 (1,867) 1,108 Light & Heat 1,597 1,569 Telephone & Postage & Fax 5,620 4,952 U14 & U16 Open - U13/U15/U17 Close 6,920 6,090 Rates 2,371 2,444 Less: Expenditure (2,482) 4,438 (3,034) 3,056 Insurance 2,408 1,918 Rules of Golf & Amateur Status 427 1,628 Munster Seniors Championship 3,360 3,920 Accountancy 1, Less : Expenditure (1,829) 1,531 (2,759) 1,161 Meetings 17,400 12,184 Print & Stationery 5,391 4,786 Munster Veternans - 2,170 Website & Photogrpahy News Items 3,725 2,965 Less : Expenditure (1,796) 374 Club Visitations 744 1,440 Miscellaneous South of Ireland Championship John Brett Trophy Less : Expenditure (3,116) (2,346) (2,031) (1,236) Sponsorship & Donations 1, Staff & Council Training 2, Munster Over 30's 2,800 3,400 Clothing - Teams 8,658 9,749 Less : Expenditure (3,052) (252) (3,266) 134 Clothing - Council 4,441 2,909 Competition Software 1,000 2,000 Munster Stroke Play Bank Charges Less : Expenditure (401) 9 (267) 143 Depreciation 2,005 3, , , , ,330 THE GOLFING UNION OF IRELAND (MUNSTER BRANCH) INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30th SEPTEMBER, 2017 Munster Youths Championship 1,650 2,375 Less : Expenditure (1,451) 199 (1,946) 429 Coaching Expenses 98, , Deposit Interest Surplus for the Year 51,480 Deficit for the Year - 25,028

11 THE GOLFING UNION OF IRELAND (MUNSTER BRANCH) BALANCE SHEET AS AT 30TH SEPTMEBER FIXED ASSETS Cost Disposals Additions Agg. Dep. N.B.V. N.B.V. Buildings 152, , ,513 Equipment 67, ,225 2,923 4, , , , ,441 CURRENT ASSETS Cash in Bank 157,192 70,609 Cash on Deposit 211, ,679 Closing Stock 8,799 8,832 Debtor 3,649 72,833 Prepayment , ,305 CURRENT LIABILITIES Creditors 1,950 36,290 Accruals 62,748 64,600 64, ,890 TOTAL NET ASSETS 472, ,856 INCOME AND EXPENDITURE Balance Brought Forward 420, ,884 Surplus/(Deficit) for the Year 51,480 (25,028) 472, ,856 11

12 10. Junior Golf Report Kevin Murray Junior Convenor Safeguarding: The attention of every club in Munster is drawn to legislation under the Children First Act which is due to come into effect this coming December. From then on, clubs will be obliged to have proper safeguarding structures in place, i.e. have suitably qualified people in place as Junior Convenor, Children s Officer and Designated Liaison Person. As of now, many clubs in Munster are not compliant in this regard. Entry into the Cups & Shields in 2019 will be dependent on those clubs putting their house in order, by October of next year, in effect, when entry forms are issued for Report. The Junior Committee of Munster Golf would like to thank the many clubs that allowed us the use of their facilities during the year, whether it be for coaching, for inter-club matches or tournaments. In particular, we want to thank those that hosted any of the Provincial Championships, for the hospitality and assistance provided to the Branch during the running of those tournaments. The help provided by the many host members at these championships is very much appreciated, making the smooth running of these events so much easier. Junior Seminars. To publicise all aspects of what we do in Junior Golf in Munster, we conducted a series of junior golf seminars in March, in Cork, Killarney and Clonmel Golf Clubs, inviting officers of all clubs to attend. Several clubs sent a number of representatives but overall numbers attending were small. Nevertheless, we feel it was a worthwhile exercise and we intend to conduct another series of meetings next February/March with extended invitations to parents and to junior players themselves. Munster Schools Senior Championship 2016/17: at Cahir Park, March 6 th. Semi-finals: De La Salle Waterford bt Douglas Community School 4/1 Davis College Mallow bt Crescent Limerick 3/2. Final: De La Salle bt Davis College by 3.5/1.5. Munster Schools Junior Championship 2016/17: at Cahir Park, March 13 th. De La Salle Waterford 136 Patrician Academy Mallow 140 Hamilton High School Bandon 149 Castletroy College 149. A month later De La Salle did Munster proud by going on to complete a historic double, winning both Senior and Junior Championships at national level. Warm congratulations to Pete Munroe, Br. Killian and their teams for fantastic performances at Lucan. NB: From 2017/18 onwards the Schools Junior Championship will be in Stableford format. Munster Students Championship: at Cork Golf Club: March 20/22. This is the revamped Munster Youths revamped to provide greater access to competitive golf to third level students and to those between eighteen and twenty-one years of age generally. There was a field of 109 males, thirty two of them from Munster, and 9 ladies, with the men s cut-off coming at 2.0. For the second year running the event was weather disrupted, with the final day s play having to be abandoned because of snow and heavy rain, with the result being declared on the basis of thirty-six holes. The event was won by John Murphy (Kinsale and MU) with a score of 138 (-6), four shots clear of James McVicker (Knock) in second. Joint third were Cathal Butler (Kinsale and MU), and the holder Jack McDonnell (Forrest Little). The ladies competition was won by Mary Doyle (The Heath), with a two-round total of 146 (-2), six shots clear of Shannon Burke (Ballinrobe). The winning team was Maynooth Scholars (B), comprised of Eanna Griffin, Cathal Butler and Kyle McCarron. Munster Under-16 Open at Blarney Resort: 10/11 April This was the first running of this event at the new date during the Easter holidays and we had a full field of one hundred and fifty, fifty-eight of them from Munster. It was the first time too, that the Under-16 Interprovincial Championships were scheduled to be played over two days, with the top forty-five and ties playing on day two. The change in format seems to have been generally well received. Played in cool but otherwise good golfing weather, with Blarney Golf Resort in excellent condition, the event was won by Tom McKibbin (Holywood), with scores of 72+69, 141, three shots ahead of Jack Brown (The Heath), 67+77, 144. Three players tied a further two shots behind. The best Munster player was Fionn Hickey (Muskerry), in sixth place with 75+72, 147 a very good result from an up-and-coming Under-15 player. Daniel O Sullivan (Mallow), 77+71, 148, was a shot further back. Munster Boys Under-18 Open at Faithlegg GC: 5/7 July Our premier Boys event. We had a full field of one hundred and fifty, including forty-four from Munster. Handicap cut-off point came at 5.3. Played in warm and sunny weather, with the delightful surrounds of Faithlegg Golf Club looking at their best, the event produced an exciting finish. After two rounds, Jack Madden (Royal Portrush) and Charlie Denvir (Elm Park) were tied for the lead on 4-under, with Jack Hearn (Tramore) a shot further back and Aaron Marshall (Lisburn) and Scott Jones (Belvoir Park) a further shot adrift. For much of the final round a play-off seemed likely, with no fewer than five players tied for the lead at 5-under at one stage well into the back nine. Alan Hill (Athenry) made a wonderful charge up the leader board, standing five under for the round after fourteen holes. Bogeys at sixteen and seventeen proved his undoing, however, as did a missed five-footer for birdie on eighteen. The round of the day came, however, from Aaron Marshall. Playing in the second last match Aaron posted a fine 68 for a total of 6-under, which no-one in the final group could match. Jack Hearn finished second a shot behind, on 5-under, Alan Hill third on -4 with Jack Madden and Charlie Denvir tied for fourth on

13 Munster Under-13 Close Qualifiers at Macroom 1 (July) and Adare Manor (17 June). Even with the format this year changed to stableford (gross), this event continues to struggle. Only twenty-one players took part at each qualifying venue forty-two players in all, coming from a total of twenty-two clubs. With eighty clubs in the province, this means that fifty-eight clubs did not send a player to the event. The leading players from each qualifying venue took part in the Under-14 Championship in Kanturk on July 11th, carrying forward their qualifying scores. (NB: next year, qualifying scores will not be carried forward). Under-13 Close Results: 1 st Alex King (Faithlegg), 2 nd Eoin Magill (East Clare), Best Under-12 Eoin Cassidy (Kinsale). Munster Under-17/Under-15 Close at Kinsale GC: 31 July. With a field of ninety-nine and a two tee start, the winners were as follows: Under-17: 1 st Rory Milne (Faithlegg), 2 nd, Luke Walsh (Killarney), 3 rd Jack Egan (Muskerry), Best Under-16, Micheal Troy (Dungarvan). Under-15: 1 st Fionn Hickey (Muskerry), 2 nd Alex Dinneen (Cork), 3 rd Robert Walsh (Kinsale), Best Under-14 Zak Collins (Douglas). Munster Under-14 Open/Under-13 Close at Kanturk Golf Club on 11 July. An entry of ninety-nine, forty-three of them from Munster. The event was won by Thomas Higgins (Roscommon) with 66, one ahead of Edward Rowe (Tandragee) and seven ahead of third. Best of our own players were Alex King (Faithlegg) and Zak Collins (Douglas) who finished in a tie for 8 th. Under 18/16/14 Interprovincial Championships: (See separate Team Captains Reports for the details, but it is worth noting here that we made significant progress this year at Under-14 level, finishing second in the matches - easily our best performance to date. This is tribute to the hard work put into this cohort by team captain Liam Troy and Provincial Coach Fred Twomey). Junior Foursomes. Fifty one clubs entered. Again, there were two qualifiers per venue, which seems to be generally accepted as fair. Castletroy, Tramore, Fota Island and Ballybunion came through their respective areas to qualify for the finals at a beautifully presented Fermoy on August 1 st. In the semis, Castletroy and Ballybunion were winners over Fota Island and Tramore respectively, with Ballybunion defeating Castletroy by 3 holes in the final. Ballybunion went on to beat Athenry by 3 holes in the national semi-final at Rockmount, but were beaten by 7 holes by a strong Lisburn team in the final. Fred Daly Trophy: Fifty three clubs entered, with five withdrawing before the off. In the semi-finals, also at Fermoy, an understrength Muskerry team defeated a highly fancied Waterford Castle 3.5/1.5 in the first match, with the defending champions Limerick coming through 3/2 in a hard fought battle against Ballybunion. Muskerry continued after lunch as they had started, and completed a giant-killing day by defeating the holders in a nail-biting contest, winning matches one, four and five. Team captain David Taylor accepted the pennant amid scenes of great jubilation, telling us that Muskerry had only started a team-building programme this year and that this win wasn t supposed to happen for another two years. So a marker has already been set down for next year! There was an added dimension to the occasion as Peter Fenlon, the man who has done so much work for junior golf in Muskerry over many years, looked on as his son Frank, by coincidence this year s Captain of Fermoy, presented the medals to the winners. Congratulations to Muskerry on a terrific win. At the national finals in Bray, however, Muskerry, still understrength, would go down in the semi-final to eventual winners Athenry. Fred Daly Plate: Twenty-two clubs qualified for the Plate, a further four rendering themselves ineligible under the revised conditions of entry by virtue of having given a walk-over in the first round of the Fred Daly Trophy. The final was played in a wet Macroom on 23 September, between Bandon and Dooks. Although Bandon had convincing wins in the first two matches, the strength in depth of the opposition proved too much, and they took control of the back matches early on, running out welldeserved winners in the end. To the considerable jubilation of the sizeable contingent from Kerry present for the event, Dooks took possession of their first ever Junior pennant. Since the introduction of the Plate into the schedule a few years ago, it has proved to be a great success, giving increased participation in team golf to many junior players, particularly from the smaller clubs. International events: Munster players who took part in the following international events. Fairhaven Trophy: Jack Hearn, Sean Enright Quadrangular International: Jack Egan Henry Cooper Young Masters: Edward Walsh, Jack Hearn McGregor Trophy: Jack Egan Assessment Day: To spread the net as widely as possible in our search of talent in the province, we invited fifty-four junior players who hadn t been on any of our coaching panels to an assessment day in Mallow on 1 October. For the most part they were players about whom we knew very little. Ages ranged from under 13 to under 17. We consider the day to be very worthwhile and a small number of the players will make it to some of our Regional panels for the coming year. The feedback from parents was very positive, commenting on how beneficial it is to junior players to play a new course in the company of their peers, giving them a feel 13

14 for what the standard out there is like in their age-groups. We have already decided to hold a similar day next year, but lowering the age bracket to under-12. Representative Honours: Jack Hearn was selected to the Irish Boys team for the Boys Home Internationals and European Boys Championship. [As of the date of this report, the Junior programme for the year nationally, is not yet complete. Under the revised schedule for the national Championships, the Connacht Boys and the Ulster Under-14 Boys Championships is scheduled for the first week in November]. Order of Merit Winners: Under-18: TBD, Under-16: Jack Egan (Muskerry), Under-14: Zak Collins (Douglas). Selected to National Panels for 2018: Edward Walsh (Mallow) U18, and Mel Deasy (Bantry Bay) U16, Coaching: During 2016 the entire national coaching structure has been radically altered. The county coaching programme as we have known it has been replaced by a regional structure, to be conducted by our three newly appointed Regional Coaches, Paul Kiely, Michael Collins and Ian Stafford. Our long-standing Provincial Coach, Fred Twomey, has been appointed our High Performance Branch Lead, and as such will oversee the whole programme but will also be actively involved in coaching of all three age-groups. Another major change as a result of the restructuring is the reduction in the size of each of our underage panels, with the setting of quite tight handicap criteria for selection to each panel. Provincial Coaches and 0fficials will have some limited discretion, but much less than in the past. One big positive outcome of the review is that it gives us much greater access to Fota Island Academy which has been designated the Munster Centre of Excellence. In particular, greater access to the outstanding short-game facilities at Fota should stand to all of our teams in the future. For too long we have been at a major disadvantage in the short-game area, compared to the other provinces, especially Leinster and Ulster. We also have secured a limited number of memberships of the Academy. A number of locations around the province have been identified as possible Regional Centres of Excellence, but no decisions have so far been taken in that regard. On 2 November Mel Deasy (Bantry Bay), had a fantastic win in the Ulster Under-14 Boys Championship at Hilton Templepatrick. Three birdies in the last five holes, including one at the last, would see him return a fine two-under-par 70 to win by a shot from Ewan McArthur (Massereene), making the long trip north well worthwhile. Warm congratulations to Mel. Alex Dineen (Cork) and Rory Fives (Fathlegg) finished tied 13 th. Zac Collins (Douglas), Lestyn Winn (Ballyneety) and Sam Hogan (Fota Island) completed the six-strong Munster representation. Finally, a few words of thanks; to the members of the Junior Committee for their help on so many occasions during the year. To Fred Twomey, the best golf coach in Ireland for his outstanding commitment to Munster golf and to all of our players. And last, but it should be first, a big thank you to Margaret Sugrue, our Administrative Officer, for her ongoing hard work and patience in dealing with all the queries, all the s, all the phone calls, as well as keeping a very busy Junior programme on track over the course of the year. 11. Senior Interprovincial C ship Report Captain Phil Cooney Carlow GC 3-5 July TEAM Selectors Eanna Griffin (Waterford) Geoff Lenehan (Waterville/Portmarnock) John Murphy (Kinsale) Andrew McCormack (Castletroy) Gary O'Flaherty (Cork) Peter O'Keeffe (Douglas) Jack Pierse (Lahinch/Portmarnock) James Sugrue (Mallow) Phil Cooney (Captain), John Carroll, Michael Coote Pat Dunne (Roscrea/Templemore) Manager I once again had the privilege of captaining the Munster Senior Interprovincial Team in Carlow Golf Club. I want to thank Jim Long as Chairman for giving me this privilege. The venue and the facilities were first class. We were greeted on our arrival by the Captain of the Club and former President of the Golfing Union Barry Doyle. He facilitated me with everything I needed and for that I am very grateful. The Hotel and the rooms were first class. The food in the Golf Club was excellent. 14

15 After last year s disappointing performance on home soil in Fota Island out team was determined to correct that with a solid performance in Carlow. On the Monday morning, we were pitted against the Champions Leinster. Our team performed excellently except for the 18 th hole which seemed destined to upset our plans from the off. This hole cost us dearly on both Monday and Tuesday. We ran Leinster very close and they edged us out by 6.5 to 4.5. On day two we were pitted against Ulster and again our team performed excellently and this time it was the 9 th hole which saw us share the points with Ulster. On the final day, we had a very good match with Connacht and we came out on top in this encounter. Overall it was a great performance by the lads in blue and with a small bit of luck we could have come out as champions. We had some new faces in John Murphy and James Sugrue who were excellent for their first time taking on the big guns from the other Provinces. Gary O Flaherty and Geoff Linehan who have been with me all the way through this journey were not found wanting when it came to grinding out a result. Eanna Griffin who lost out last year came back with a bang this year and recorded some big wins against stiff opposition. Jack Pierse who joined us this year as runner up in the West of Ireland gave it everything he had even though he had a few back problems on Tuesday. In Peter O Keeffe, we had the current Irish Amateur Open Champion who led from the front from the word go with his playing partner from Castletroy Andrew McCormack who played his heart out for the team. I cannot praise the team members enough. They were excellent ambassadors for the Province and for the game of Golf. They gave of their best and did not relent in pursuit of victory until it was impossible. They showed how the game should be played and how opposition should be respected even in the heat of battle. All I can say is that it was a privilege to be Captain of a team who showed respect for me as Captain and for themselves as players. I want to thank John Carroll and Michael Coote Selectors who were very helpful to me over the year and when I was out of action. I want to thank my Team Manager Pat Dunne who made sure that every member of the team did not want for anything over the three days for that Pat I am very grateful. In Fred Twomey we have one of the best if not the best coach in this Country. He was of immense help to me over the three days and was present each morning to oversee the boys in the practice area and solve any problems as they arose. Margaret, you were a star when it came to updating the order of merit and of course I cannot forget Brian Hurley who compiled the results and forwarded them to Margaret. People have on several occasions complimented me on the way our teams are turned out for the Interprovincials. It would be remiss of me to exclude the excellent Office staff in Karen and Margaret who are responsible for the way the lads are turned out. It is only right that a team representing the Province should be dressed appropriately for the occasion. Thank you very much ladies for your efforts. Finally, I want to thank the other three Provinces, their Captains Managers and Players for the respect they showed and acknowledgement of a good stroke. This was something which the Captain of the Club referred to in his speech. 12. Boys Interprovincial C ship Report Captain Kevin Murray (Tramore) Blarney Golf Resort July Team Selectors Greg Barrett (Mallow) Adam Boland (Mallow) Jack Hearn (Tramore) Ian Halpin (Cahir Park) Jonathan Keane (Lahinch) Andrew Mulhall (Waterford Castle) Edward Walsh (Mallow) Kevin Murray (Tramore) Captain John Fennessy (Clonmel) Manager The lead-up. Preparations started in October with the selection of a panel of twelve players, and another Development Panel also of twelve. For the main panel there were coaching sessions at Blarney Driving Range in November, January and March. Another, scheduled for Killarney in early March, was cancelled due to bad weather. For the Development Panel, four sessions were provided from December to March. On 17 March a combined Under-18/Development Panel challenge match took place at Blarney Golf Resort, venue for the Interpros. This match was preceded by a rules session conducted by Tom Donnelly. After this match a review of both panels was carried out resulting in the formation of one twelve-player panel. In March also we held our annual challenge match 15

16 against Leinster in Tramore, both provinces putting out largely development teams. We simply don t have the depth of talent that Leinster possess and we took a fairly heavy defeat, but this match is still a very useful exercise. Further coaching sessions took place in April and May at Fota Golf Club, and again in early June for all players except one, who was doing exams. This session was attended by Walker Cup Selector Michael Burns who spent the day with the players and conducted a question and answer session at lunchtime. This was a most valuable input into our preparations, and a big thank you is due to Michael. The Matches. We drew Leinster in the opening match and could hardly have got off to a worse start, suffering a heavy defeat by 7.5 to 2.5. In truth, the margin in no way reflects the quality of the golf played by our team, but we were simply blown away by the putting blitz put on by Leinster. At least a dozen putts from outside fifteen feet, and a few much longer, were holed against us by a quality Leinster team. In the foursomes Ed Walsh and Jack Hearn halved their match, as did Adam Boland and Andrew Mulhall. In the singles however, only Ed managed a win, by 3/2 over John Brady, and Greg Barrett halved his match against Robert Moran. Although three of the other matches went at least to the 17 th, we could not match Leinster on the greens. Leinster would go on to the win the Championship, beating both Connacht and Ulster by 6.5 to 3.5. Next up for us were Connacht, who had beaten Ulster on Day 1. Here too the greens did us no favours. Alan Hill holing a monster on the 18 th for a foursomes win over Ed Walsh and Jack Hearn to give Connacht the foursomes 2/1, Andrew Mulhall and Greg Barrett having won the top match. We would win four of the singles, however, with Jack Hearn (2/1), Andrew Mulhall (2 holes), Greg Barrett (4/3) and Jonathan Keane (2 holes), all winning their matches for a half overall, 5-5. Two of our losses were on the 18 th, another on the 17 th. Taking stock that night, we knew that while a win in the Championship was beyond us, if we could beat Ulster next day and hope for a close result in Leinster s favour in their match with Connacht, second place could still be secured. We delivered on the first part, in what would be a good win in quite breezy, testing conditions. The foursomes we won 2-1, with wins from Jack Hearn/Jonathan Keane and from Ed Walsh/Adam Boland. In the singles we had wins from Jack (2/1), Jonathan (5/4) and Ed (3/1), with a half from Ian to put us over the line. The week ended as it started, in a neat piece of symmetry, when Ulster s Jack Madden rolled in a forty-footer on the 18 th for a half in his match with Greg Barrett. In the end it wouldn t matter, with Connacht beating us by a point on a countback to take second place. The opening day s deficit was just too much to recoup. Ulster came fourth. To all the players I want to say a big thank you for their commitment to the campaign right from the start. They were a credit to themselves and to Munster and can hold their heads high. To Alan O Mara, Professional at Blarney Golf Resort, a big thank you for all his help during the year. He could not have been more helpful. Likewise Club Captain Gary O Donovan and Club President Paul O Neill for the support they gave us at all times. To Margaret Sugrue in the office for her untiring help in coordinating the entire campaign from the start, a huge thank you. To my Manager and fellow selector, John Fennessy, a big thank you too, for all his help in the lead-up to, and during the matches. And finally to Fred Twomey, the best golf coach in Ireland, for the excellence of his coaching, the rapport he has with all the players, his total commitment to our teams and to Munster, a big thank you. Kevin Murray (Boys Captain). 13. U16 Boys Interprovincial C ship Report Captain Michael Coote (Tralee) Blarney Golf Resort July Team: Selectors: Philip Byrne (Ballybunion) Jack Egan (Muskerry) Fionn Hickey (Muskerry) Rory Milne (Faithlegg) Daniel Raher (Dungarvan) Luke Walsh (Killarney) Michael Coote (Tralee) Captain Michael P Murphy (Newcastle West) Manager Our year started in October 2016 with a squad of 13 players at Blarney Driving Range under the guidance of Head Coach Fred Twomey and Physio Johnny Glynn. Practice match against U18 squad at Blarney Golf Resort proved positive with a narrow win. Our training was focused on playing at Blarney where the Interpros were held in July. Eventually we reduced the squad to 6 players to represent the province. Throughout the Tournament we did not play to our potential and were beaten in all matches. Lost to Ulster 3/2 Connaught 4/1 and Leinster 3 1/2-1 1/2. 16