Captains Drive In. Knightsbrook Golf Club Volume 1, Issue 4. Lady Captain s Message. Captain s Message

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1 Knightsbrook Golf Club Volume 1, Issue 4 March, 2018 Golf-shop ( ) golf@knightsbrook.com Captains Drive In honsecknightsbrook@gmail.com Captain s Message Lady Captain s Message I am very honoured to be Captain of our club for I am looking forward to playing golf with the members and representing the club at various functions and events throughout the year. Together with the Men s committee, I hope we can deliver enjoyable golf and memorable social events for the members. I wish Angela our Lady Captain and her committee the best of luck for the year. To Seamus and Jodie our outgoing Captains, who were unselfish with their time and commitment to the club over the past year and have done the office proud, a debt of gratitude is owed to them. I would like to pay a special tribute to Jonathan Cusack and the Cusack family for the fine facilities we have at Knightsbrook Golf Club. I welcome Sean O Díomasaigh as President of the club and Gerry Reilly as trustee. Both men will bring a vast amount of experience and knowledge to the Men s committee. Thank you to all the managers who have volunteered to manage our various club teams and I wish their teams and all of the players the best of luck. Welcome to all our new members and I hope their experience in Knightsbrook Golf Club will be one of warmth and friendship. As Lady Captain of Knightsbrook Golf Club for 2018, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all the Members of Knightsbrook Golf Club. I am looking forward to my year as Lady Captain and I would like to welcome my Committee for 2018 and especially our new lady committee members. It is great to see that we have increased the number of lady members playing already this year and my goal this year is to see more ladies on the golf course playing in weekly competition. I will also introduce another year for our new Get into Golf ladies which will start in early April. I am delighted that we now have our PGA Coach Emmanuel Riblet in the club to give coaching when needed. He will be a great addition to the club, especially for our new beginner ladies. This year the Golf Club will host the Irish Mixed Foursomes Leinster Finals in early August and we will also be hosting the Ladies National AIG Finals in September, for the second time. I am really looking forward to both of these events and no doubt the course and clubhouse will be at its best. On a club level, we are entering the Irish Mixed and also the North Leinster Mixed and I would like to wish all the best to our team managers and players.

2 Captain s Message Continued This year we are honoured to host the Leinster Finals of the Irish Mixed Foursomes on Sunday, August, 10th and the Ladies Cups and Shields All- Ireland Finals from Wednesday, 26th to Saturday, September, 29th. Knightsbrook Golf Club Volume 1, Issue 4 March, 2018 Golf-shop ( ) golf@knightsbrook.com Captains Drive In Our sponsors are a vital part of our club and I thank them for their continued support and I ask members to please support our local businesses. honsecknightsbrook@gmail.com Lady Captain s Message Continued The club is now starting its second year of Junior Membership and we currently have 50 junior members and at least another juniors interested in joining Knightsbrook. This is nearly one-fifth of the membership of the club which I feel is absolutely great and these juniors will be the future of Knightsbrook Golf Club. The Committee are going to hold a junior competition where other clubs will bring their juniors to play on our course during the summer months. The very best of luck to our Junior section who continue to become a very important part of our club and I am looking forward to the day when we have our first Junior Captains appointed. I am looking forward to meeting and working with the new owners and to continue on, with the great working relationship we have already with the current management in Knightsbrook. To Damien McDonnell and Marie Gordon, I hope you enjoy your year as Vice Captains. My hope for the club for 2018 is that we get the weather to enjoy our magnificent golf course. I would also like to thank last years Lady Captain Jodie and Men's Captain Seamus for a great year of golf and wish our incoming Vice Captain, Damien McDonnell and my Lady Vice Captain, Marie Gordon all the best in their roles. Lastly, I am looking forward to working alongside our Captain John Tobin and our President Sean O Diomasaigh and the Men's committee on making 2018 a good year for golfing and to increase the social enjoyment of golf in our club. Angela Reilly Lady Captain 2018 Finally, thanks to Dominic, Kate, Ronan and all of his staff for their hard work in Knightsbrook. John Tobin Men s Captain 2018 Thank You to Our Sponsors in 2018 Men s April Medal... Cusack Homes Men s May Medal... Impact Signs, Jack Kennedy Men s June Medal... Renehan Electrical Men s July Medal... Coogan s Butchers Men s August Medal... Barry Gillen Men s September Medal... Kiely's Meats Men s Gold Medal... Trimfold Envelopes Ltd. Ladies April Medal Abbey Montessori Ladies May Medal Abbey Conference & Events Ladies June Medal Pat Purcell Ladies September Medal Marcella McLoughlin Ladies Golfer of the Year Angela Reilly Ladies Captain s Prize Knightsbrook Golf Shop Ladies Scramble... Diaz-Ursula McDonnell Ladies Team Event Mary Higgins Ladies October Hamper Phil Brady Ladies Matchplay Knightsbrook Men s Club Ladies Quiz Night... Gerald Reilly Club Championship Sponsors Handicaps Gavin Hunt Handicaps Thomas Renehan Handicaps Seán Ó Díomasaigh Singles Matchplay... Oliver Perkins Fourball Matchplay... Colin McAllister Foursomes Matchplay... Joe McGrane Mixed Foursomes... Daniel & Angela Reilly Senior Golf... Dempsey Insurances Senior Medal Skane Print & Sign Good Friday Open Singles Knightsbrook Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort Easter Monday Open Singles... Linders Renault/Dacia (John MacSweeney) June 5th Open Singles... Gerald Reilly June 8th Sponsors Day Barbecue & Music September 22nd Junior Golf Fundraiser October 30th Open Singles... Noel Dempsey & Dempsey Travel (Martin Dempsey)

3 Knightsbrook Golf Club Captains Drive In Volume 1, Issue 4 March, 2018 Golf-shop ( ) golf@knightsbrook.com honsecknightsbrook@gmail.com A Celebration of Irish Golf On Monday, January 15th, the seventh annual awards ceremony of the Golfers Guide to Ireland was held at Portmarnock Golf Club. In what was described by club Captain, John Tobin as a thoroughly entertaining evening with excellent company, Knightsbrook Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort in Trim, was awarded Best Golf Resort in Leinster (Knightsbrook Golf Club Captain, John Tobin and Lady Captain, Angelia Reilly display a specially commissioned piece of Tipperary Crystal in recognition of Knightsbrook's achievement Best Golf Resort in Leinster Award alongside RTE Golf Correspondent, Greg Allen). All awards are won on the basis of an All-Ireland poll undertaken from within the golf and golf related business community. A recent Failte Ireland golf tourism report estimated that over 163,000 visitors played golf while here in Ireland and accounted for almost 200 million in revenue last year. Guest Speaker, Fine Gael TD, Mary Mitchell O Connor, Minister for Higher Education, congratulated all prize winners in her Official speech and commented upon the record number of golfers who have visited Ireland in Overall tourism numbers are up close to 9 million visitors resulting in thousands of new jobs nationwide.

4 President s Message Is it a great honour to be selected to serve as President of Knightsbrook Golf Club. As we embark on a new phase in the history of Knightsbrook Golf Club, I want to thank, Jonathan Cusack for his immense contribution to the club over the past five years as President. He has borne the torch, lit by his late father, Mr. John Cusack and his extended family with great pride and distinction. The town of Trim and its environs has benefitted enormously from the Cusack s vision for progress and the family can be very proud of Jonathan s contribution to the club during difficult times. On behalf of the all members, thank you Jonathan. Best wishes to Captain John and Lady Captain, Angela for John s commitment to the club is evidenced by all the work he has done since he joined the club and in particular since becoming a committee member in Angela is no stranger to the Lady Captain s blazer; this will her third year in the role and a testament to her dedication to the club and the game of golf. She and her committees have been very proactive in promoting the club and striving to increase ladies membership through a range of initiatives including Getting into Golf. The inauguration of the Junior Section of the club has been very successful and I wish it every success this year. I also welcome the appointment of Gerald Reilly as trustee of the club. He was Knightsbrook Golf club President in 2007 and has been very supportive of the club since its foundation. Today s Drive In marks the beginning of the golfing year and I hope all members have a very enjoyable time playing golf, socialising and making new friends. Welcome to all our new members and I hope your experience in Knightsbrook Golf Club will be one of warmth and friendship. Members will have noted the ongoing improvements to the golf course in recent weeks including new signage and fairway markings, the cleaning of ditches, the removal of ivy and hollow coring. The bridge on the 15 th is due for refurbishment also. As members, we should try to match the commitment by the owners, to continue to improve the course, by ensuring that we replace divots and pitch-marks and do our best to keep the course litter free. Great credit is due to Ronan and his staff for the ongoing maintenance of the course. Finally thanks to Dominic and Kate for their ongoing support to the club members. They work hard to ensure that club events and competitions run smoothly. Regrettably I cannot be at the Captains Drive In but I wish both captains well and hope you all have an enjoyable day. Sean O Diomasaigh, President Portrait of the late John Cusack We had a successful presentation night in the club on Saturday, October 28th. President Jonathan and his mother Marie unveiled a specially commissioned portrait of the late John Cusack, founder of Knightsbrook Golf Club. John Cusack s vision for developing the area is epitomised by the jewel in the crown, Knightsbrook Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort in Trim, County Meath. Members of the Men s Committee 2017, pictured alongside Marie & Jonathan Cusack are (John Tobin, Colin Rayfus, Alan Kirwan, John Nolan, Ray Murray, 2017 Captain, Seamus Lanny & Anthony Farrelly). Page 4 Captains Drive In Newsletter, March 2018.

5 Interclub News 2018 To our Interclub Teams and Managers best wishes, good fortune and good golf for the competitions year ahead in Please Note Interclub Notice Sheets are posted on the Men s Notice Board in advance of all competitions. Members interested in representing the club are encouraged to place their names on those notice sheets. In accordance with Team Manager Guidelines all managers should invite members of their panel to participate in practice matches before a final team is picked to play in the competition. Team Coordinators For further details please contact Hon. Handicap Secretary, Anthony Farrelly & Hon. Treasurer, John McEvoy. Central Towns Trophy Team Managers: Nick Power/Francis O Donoghue Qualifier: Draw TBC Date: 1st round in May. Barton Shield Team Manager: Stephen Rayfus Qualifier in Black Bush GC Date: May 26th. Junior Cup Team Manager: Colin/Stephen Rayfus Qualifier in Dundalk GC Date: June 3rd. Barton Cup Team Managers: Peter Whelan/Eamonn O Brien At Home to Moyvalley GC Date: 1st round before April 14th. Jimmy Bruen Shield Team Managers: Richard Wheeler/Eugene Healy. Qualifier in County Meath GC Date: June 16th. Pierce Purcell Shield Team Manager: Francis O Donoghue Qualifier in Royal Tara GC Date: May 12th. Irish Mixed Foursomes Team Managers: Seamus Lanney/Jodie Coughlan At Home to Hollywood Lakes GC Date: 1st round before April 8th. The Nationals Team Manager: Thomas Renehan Qualifier in The Heritage GC Date: April 9th. North Leinster Mixed Foursomes Team Manager: Damien McDonnell/Anne Geraghty Draw: Skerries GC Date: 1st round before May 20th. Walker Cup: Team Manager: Brian O Neill Draw: TBC in Co Meath GC Date: August 17th. Tudenham Cup: Team Manager: Seamus Ennis/Davey Maguire Draw: TBC Final in Mullingar GC Date: 1st round in May. Newsam Cup Team Manager: Leonard Flynn/Rodney Trenwith At Home to TBC Date: 1st round before May 29th. Duggen Cup Team Manager: Alan Codd/Stephen Doris Draw: Edenderry GC Date: 1st round before April 22nd. South Meath Ladies Challenge Cup Team Manager: Marie Gordon Draw: TBC. Final in South Meath GC Date: 1st round in June.

6 Junior Golf News Junior Golf Members Photograph The Junior committee held an Information Day in the lobby of the Golf Club on Saturday, February 3rd. The purpose of the meeting was to inform the parents, guardians and Junior members of Knightsbrook Golf Club, of the safeguarding measures that we must have in place for the year ahead. The Junior section is in need of help for the oncoming season. This year will be the clubs first full season and all help is greatly welcomed. We will host a Safe Guarding 1. course on March 15th, in the club. This course is a statuary requirement and any member wishing to participate within the Junior section must have this certificate, along with Garda clearance. The course takes three hours at a cost of Twenty euros only. Emmanuel Riblet was introduced as the new PGA coach. He is now giving lessons to the Juniors each Saturday. It was also decided that the start date for our Junior golf season is March 24th at 3pm and continuing each Saturday afternoon. Yours in Golf, Richard Wheeler Junior Golf Convenor (David White, Aaron Wheeler, Katie Wheeler, Ellen Higgins, Kiera Murray, Kosie Kirwan, Sara Hyland, Anna McManus, Fionn Murphy, Saoirse McAuley, Conor O Reilly, Ailbhe Hannon, Donal Yeates, Rachel Hannon, Evan Malone, Ben Grogan, Eoin O Reilly, Tara Murphy, Eamonn Yeates, Grace Reilly, Blathnaid Hughes, Ruairi McCaffrey, Matthew McDonnell, Liam Chatten, Cathal O Reilly, Harry McKenna, Evan McGrath, Lucy McGrath, Rebekah Clavin, Adam Engelke, Ella Byrne, Chloe Bell, Kai Duffy, Gareth Reilly, Tadgh Clavin, Lucy Clavin, Erin Burke, Oisin Blathnaid, Steffi Duffy, Sam Lanney). Pictured alongside our Junior Members in 2017 are: (2017 Men s Captain, Seamus Lanney, 2017 Lady Captain, Jodie Coughlin, 2017 Men s Vice-Captain, John Tobin, Junior Conveyor, Richard Wheeler, Executive Committee, Joe McGrane, 2017 Lady Vice-Captain, Angela Reilly & Children s Officer, Elva Leavy, Junior Committee Members, Chris Duffy, Ronan Bell, Mark Hyland & Peadar McCaffery). Newsletter designed by 2018 Hon. Secretary, Colin Rayfus Page 6

7 Knightsbrook Golf Club Dublin Road, Trim, Co. Meath Tel: All members have now received their Annual Men's Club Invoice which is due for payment before March 31st. Please note; all members who have paid their Men's Club fees by the March 31st will be entered into a draw for free entry to all Club competitions for The Men s and Ladies Committees, on behalf of the members, would like to thank Golf Operations Executive Dominic and Assistant, Kate whose efforts ensure that our enjoyment of Knightsbrook Golf Club is greatly enhanced. Updated Competitions Rules 2018 The 2018 Competitions Committee under the guidance of Hon. Secretary, Anthony Farrelly have been busy reviewing and updating Knightsbrook Golf Club Competitions Rules Competition Rules Information: Pre-entry Positions for Prizes in all golf club competitions including Major Competitions. New Knightsbrook GC Competition Guide Planner. Gold Medal Competition and eligibility criteria for the Final. Continuation of the Super Sunday Series to run simultaneously with the Four Golfing Majors of the Year in 2018 Reviewed Local Rules Section and design of new Golf Cards. Reviewed Nine Hole Re-entry Competition Schedule. Reviewed Senior Golf Competition Schedule Competitions & Sub-Committee Members: Hon. Handicap Secretary, Anthony Farrelly Alan Kirwan, Donal Geraghty, Eamonn O Brien, Joe McGrane & Sub-committee member, Pat O Rourke. Special Points of Interest Social Events Social event details will be posted on the Notice Board, sent by or text and included on the Club website. Golf Clinics Last summer the Club ran a series of short game clinics with PGA Professional Jussi Pitkanen. These lessons were subsidised by the Club. This year if there is enough interest expressed from members the club will look to do something similar. Golf Clinics include: Short game and Bunker play. Driving and Iron play. Putting lessons. Ladies Get into Golf The Get into Golf programme was rolled out in our Ladies Club back in Encouraged by the Confederation of Golf in Ireland, the main aim of the programme was to encourage more ladies to sample the game of golf and possibly join Knightsbrook as Lady members. We are now two years into the Get into Golf programme and phase 3. will recommence in April under the guidance of PGA Professional Emanuel Riblet. For more details of the 2018 Get into Golf programme, please contact Lady Captain, Angela Reilly. Winter League Series 17/18 Congratulations to Leonard Flynn who won the clubs "Singles Stableford Winter League Series Competition". Leonard had three points to spare over the field with (228pts). In second position was Colin Fitzmaurice with (225pts) and back in third position was Alan Kirwan with (223pts). Ray Murray took fourth position with (221pts) and Alban Lawless and Francis O Donaghue were both tied back in fifth position with (217pts) respectably. Inside the top ten were: 7th, Colin Rayfus (215pts), 8th, Joe Griffin (212pts), 9th, Chris Duffy (211pts) & 10th, Ronan Fitzsimons (211pts).

8 2017 Newsam Cup Team finalists are: (Dominic Martin, Pat O Rourke, Joe McGrane, Joe Heavey, Eamonn O Brien, Thomas Renahan, Stephen Murray, Billy Tindall, Rodney Trenwith, Desmond Farrelly, Manager, Brian O Neill, Men s Captain, Seamus Lanney, Manager, Leonard Flynn & Colin Fitzmaurice). Seamus Lanney, Captain s Prize Winner 2017, Kyle Byrne Jonathan Cusack, President s Prize Winner 2017, Chris Duffy Seamus Lanney, Captain s Prize to Ladies Winner 2017, Mary Higgins Jodie Coughlin, Lady Captain s Beginner Prize 2017, Svetlana Kostodinova