Breaking Points # 23. Captain s Log

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1 Breaking Points # 23 Captain s Log We at Co. Sligo Golf Club are deeply saddened by the passing of a good friend Ronnie O Hara. We will remember Ronnie as one of Sligo s great characters who never failed to entertain us with his humour and stories both on and off the course. I wish to extend our sympathy to all the O Hara and Leydon families during these difficult times. Our sympathies also go to Aiden & Roy Anderson and family on the bereavement of their mother, Brenda. May they Rest in Peace. Best of luck to Dave Dent, Michael Gillen and our JB Carr team who play Enniscrone on Thursday next (May 6). Aidan Doyle. I first met Ronnie on a flight out of Sligo Airport in the early 90 s. The noise of the plane and my body language, I have to admit, were not conducive, I thought, to conversation with the smiling stranger who plonked himself down beside me. But these were minor obstacles to a man that I soon discovered had a unique and wonderful way of connecting with people. We quickly made the link with Sheamus, whom I knew through golf, and thereafter Ronnie was up and running. It made the flight a very enjoyable and interesting one as I learned about his work with marble in the Canary Wharf development Interspersed with stories about some of the characters he worked with. We were re acquainted some time later when we both joined the fledgling Golf Club Choir. I was lucky to have shared some great times and trips with Ronnie as part of the Stout Hearted Men ensemble. To this day Choir members still fondly recall and chuckle at the hilarious R&R double act with Robbie as the ventriloquist and Ronnie on his knee as his dummy (Orville?). In the eulogy his best friend for life, Ray McSharry, summed him up. Ronnie was the most unique individual I ever knew. He was an infectious person with an ability to spread optimism and positivity wherever he went. He was a genuine people person interested in everyone and would never allow a bad word to be said about anybody. Our sincere condolences to his wife Eavan and family Graham, Tom, Bobby and Judi. To his parents Sheamus and Patsy and his brother David and to Parents in Law John and Kay Leydon and all his friends in the Choir and in this club. The song is ended, but the melody lingers on

2 The Midwest Mowers Harry Colt Trophy Sunday 3 rd May THOMAS HARTE(14) 69 FRANK GLEESON (11) RUAIRI O CONNOR (2) AIDEN TINSLEY (21) No. of Entries 78 CSS : 72 Well done to Thomas Harte on winning the Harry Colt trophy with a fine nd place went to Frank Gleeson who for the second week running just misses out on the Back 9. Thomas is the son of member David Harte who lives in Blackrock, Dublin and plays out of the Castle Golf club in Rathfarnham, Thomas was 13 on May 1st and as a present asked to play at County Sligo. Dad duly obliged and 12 bogeys and 6 Pars later we have our youngest Colt Trophy winner. Well done Thomas, a great round of golf and a great win. Thomas is shown here wearing his other present a set of wet gear B9 HARRY COLT The Harry Colt trophy is named in honour of our course architect who has been be described as the founder of golf course architecture in the British Isles. Golf obviously existed before he came along, but it was a game of straight lines and sharp angles. He softened those lines, introduced curves, and long before the art of pacing courses came into being, created visual challenges to tease and intrigue the golfer. Above all, he was the first to appreciate how golf could be a delightful walk through beautiful vistas. Colt had a few simple rules. Firstly, that early holes should not be demanding. Secondly, that using every club in the bag throughout a round is ideal, and that thirdly, the routing of the course should be determined by the land. The number of pars determined for a course fell upon the layout of the land and not any solid rule. He was engaged by Portrush to design 2 courses in His plans and their development took some time to agree and this delay played a big part in our club being able to avail of his services. He arrived in Rosses Point in June 1927 and had plans drawn up for the Council meeting of July 2nd. His fee was 42 with expenses of 9. The work progressed with speed and the following year the old original course was abandoned. Additional greenstaff were hired for the construction of the 17th and by the beginning of 1929, Colts splendid plan had become a reality. Creating Classics: The Golf Courses of Harry Colt This book was written by Pugh & Lord with contributions from Sky Commentator Bruce Critchley. It portrays Colt s remarkable influence on golf, exploring the life and mastermind behind the designs for which he became famous..

3 Singles Stableford Saturday 2 nd May DAVID O HARA (18) 38 Open Singles Stableford Monday 4 th May SHANE FLANAGAN (5) 41 DANNY BROWN (12) CIARAN DALY (19) No. of Entries 60 CSS : B9 No. of Entries 14 CSS : N/A Well done to Dave O Hara from Calry, who won the Singles competition with a great score of 38 points. He started the round with 3 pars in the first 5 holes and got another on the tricky 9 th where he hit a Driver to the right fringe. He played steady from then on with pars and bogeys and managed a very good finish 3, 5, 4, on the last 3 holes. Due to weather conditions there was a very small entry as pointed out by the winner Little did I know that only 14 brave souls ventured out in the elements that morning! My playing partners - Dad Sean O Hara, Peter Maguire, and Pat Mc Daniel were great company and in fairness we were not looking for a ball all day. I did question my sanity when I heard that wind specialist Michael Cullen turned back and another gale tamer Louis Walsh didn t even tee off and got back in the car! The runaway winner of the Bank Holiday Singles Stableford was Shane Flanagan with a terrific score of 41 points. In second place 5 shots adrift was Danny Brown. It was Shanes first full 18 holes playing in a competition with Tom Flanagan and he really put on a show for da Nephew. He got his round off to a great start with a birdie on 1 and followed up with birdies on 5 and 12. He had bogeys on 8,11 and a very interesting bogey on 15. Following a good drive Shane snap hooked a knock down 5 wood and it bounced over the drain, the drain that is not in play on the 15! He then played a brilliant recovery shot to the green and just lipped out for par but was very happy with a 5. Prizegiving will take place on Friday 15 th May at 7:30pm for April and May Competitions

4 RESULTS: Due to unexpected poor weather conditions the Ladies competitions on Tuesday and Saturday had to be cancelled. It will be rescheduled at a later stage during the summer. Details later. MAY FITZGIBBON FOURSOMES Congratulations to Maeve Rooney & Maeve Kelly who won the gross prize in the Connaught qualifier held in Athlone on Saturday 25th April. Good luck to the girls who will represent Connaught in the National Finals on 27th May at Greystones Golf Club. Maeve wins Nick Faldo series. Maeve Rooney won the U16 Girls Nick Faldo Series title at Lough Erne Resort in Co Fermanagh on April 28 & 29.This ended a very intense 5 days of golf which saw Maeve play in the May Fitzgibbon Connaught Qualifier in Athlone Golf Club on Saturday and the All Ireland Schools Finals in Milltown Golf Club on Monday. Maeve had an opening round of 90 in very windy conditions but rallied with a superb 79 which included 1 birdie and 11 pars and a triple on the 8 th. This equaled the lowest round of the day posted by Irish International Julie McCarthy winner of the U18 girls. The winners of each division will join Faldo at the season-ending 19th Faldo Series Grand Final, a 54-hole World Amateur Golf Ranking event in September at a venue TBC, GOLF SKILLS 25 APRIL The first golf skills challenge was a great success. Thanks to the great advice and tips provided by Brendan Feeney, Shane Flanagan and Ivan McLoughlin, the girls gained valuable insights into the different shots. This will be of great benefit on the course over the coming months. 1st Maebh McLoughlin 22 pts 2nd Ruth Flanagan & Kate Armstrong 20 points Best Putter Ella Rose Feeney 11 points LADIES INTERCLUB TEAM NEWS On Sunday the 26th of April the Co. Sligo ladies Inter-clubs Cups and Shields season began with the Junior Cup singles matchplay (hcp 8-15). The Co. Sligo ladies led by team Captain Hazel Gillen were drawn against Strandhill in the first round. This was always going to be a closely contested match. Co. Sligo had the home advantage with 3 matches at home and two away in Strandhill. The first match was won by Miriam Mulligan away with Deirdre Connelly winning at home. Final score was 3-2 to Strandhill. They go on to meet Ballina in the next round. Junior Cup team: Home :Claudette Murphy, Deirdre Connelly, Edel McDermott Away: Miriam Mulligan, Mary Conefrey, Subs Irene O Donovan and Lea Mc Daid. The second match of the Ladies Inter-clubs season was the Intermediate Cup (hcp 16-22) held on the 2nd of May. Yet again the Co. Sligo Ladies were drawn against Strandhill with Co, Sligo having the home advantage with 3 matches at home. The ladies played in very windy conditions but unfortunately it was the Strandhill ladies that emerged the victors winning 2 out of the 3 matches in Rosses Point with the Co, Sligo ladies winning one away. Final score 3-2 to Strandhill who go on to play Bundoran in the next round. Intermediate Team: Home:Grainne Demmel, Grainne Conefrey, Michelle McGarraghy Away: Una Gleeson, Dolores Barrett, Subs Una Howley, Julie Harrison. Team Captain Mary Kennedy. Australian Spoons postponed to Tuesday 9 th of June. Please check the notice board for all changes to diary fixture list. Co. Sligo ladies played the first round of the Miele Inter-Club fourball matchplay against Bundoran on Monday the 4 th May. The format for this competition was two matches to be played in Rosses Point and two away in Bundoran.. First to win away were the dynamic duo Lady President Grainne Demmel and Mary Conefrey followed by a win at home by Niamh Cronin and Irene O Donovan. Deirdre Connolly and Grainne Conefrey brought their opposites to the 18 th in a very closely contested match only to lose by one hole. One match all, along with an overall aggregate of Holes up in the other matches resulted in Co.Sligo emerging as the overall winners. Congratulations to team captain Helen Clarke &her team AWAY Grainne Demmel & Mary Conefrey: Deirdre Connolly & Grainne Conefrey HOME Irene O Donovan & Niamh Cronin, Michelle McGarraghy & Edel McDermott Subs Una Gleeson & Una Howley

5 ALL IRELAND SCHOOLS SENIOR CUP Well done to Jenny Demmel who won the best net senior prize at the 2015 Irish Schools Senior & Junior Cup Finals at Milltown Golf Club. Jenny had 38 pts net. The team of Niamh (19 gross), Maeve (21 gross) and Jenny (10) finished 4th in a very competitive and low scoring competition. St. Michael's Grammar School Lurgan retained their title with Irish Internationals Niamh McSherry and Niamh Ward returning 32 points which when aggregated saw them lead the field by 7 points pts. CSS = 35pts MOTHER AND BUNNY COMPETITION The Mother and Bunny completion was a great success with over 60 participating and showing the talent of the new generation of young golfers with some good performances from the more senior golfers also. A great display of prizes were on offer with something chocolatey for all the young golfers thanks to Patricia McLoughlin and her team of Emma and Karen. Tom Flanagan and Alice came through the Whites Section. Alice complimented Tom by saying he was a pleasure to play with. Another winning family combination was Frances Sproule also won the Reds Section Competition First Second 9 Hole Whites ALICE FLANAGAN & TOM FLANAGAN 20 PTS KAREN CRONIN & DANNY CRONIN 17 PTS 9 Hole Reds FRANCIS SPROULE & EMILY MCGRATH 15 PTS MAURA DEMMEL & JENNY DEMMEL 13 PTS 9 Hole Greens MIRIAM MULLIGAN & MAEBH MCLOUGHLIN 23 PTS GER CONNELLY & DONNCHADH O'BRIEN 18 PTS 5 Hole Greens NIAMH FITZPATRICK & ROISÍN FITZPATRICK 9 PT (B3 ) HELEN MCNAMARA & JOHN PAUL FLANAGAN 9 PTS

6 Psychiatrist to his new receptionist "Just say we're very busy. Don't keep saying 'It's a madhouse.'" What in the honour of God, possessed me to put my name down with these two. I am going online now to remove my name from next weeks timesheet before they notice! Last weeks Mystery Member was trustee Ann Bradshaw. Modesty forbids me to name the 1990 Jackson Cup Winner!!What about this boy GOLF QUIZ FROM LAST WEEK Under Rule 22-2 a player may have another ball lifted if the ball interferes either physically or mentally with his play. Great observation from Dr Kevin that the current holders of the Volvo World Match (Ilonen) and WGC Cadillac Matchplay Championship -Rory are previous winners of the West of Ireland.. Picture above from the 1949 Walker Cup at Winged Foot, shows Ronnie White of the GB&I team (that included Cecil Ewing) in a stymie situation chipping over the obstructing ball. Best wishes to the President Padraig and Sheila on the forthcoming marriage of their daughter Patricia to Brian Henry on Friday 8 th May. The stymie occurred in match play when one player's ball blocked the path of another player's ball on the green. The obstructing ball was not lifted and instead the player had to (akin to snooker) attempt to slice, draw or chip his ball to avoid the obstacle ball. If the player failed, even hitting their opponent's ball, his next shot would have to be played from where his ball now lay. If contact happened, the player's opponent, when it was his turn to play, had the choice to take his putt from his ball's original position or its new lie. Likewise if the player's ball knocked the obstructing ball into the cup, his opponent was considered to have holed out. The stymie was finally removed from the rules effective in 1952, when the USGA and R&A established a joint set of rules. (Thanks to A Bradshaw) Photo courtesy of Shane Flanagan The Compupac Club Championship Fourball Matchplay Millenium Trophy Entry Fee:20 Euro per pair. Closing Date: 17 th May Please put envelope into Competition Box with names and entry fee CommsVCaps The Inaugural Mens Committee Versus Mens Team Captains match takes place this Friday afternoon.

7 JB Carr Team Enniscrone V County Sligo County Final 1 st Leg PIERCE PURCELL PANEL The following is the Pierce Purcell panel who have held their first practice session. It is not to late to join please contact Team Captain Neil Gaynor on to do so. FIRST MATCH V Enniscrone Saturday 23 May 2015 Thursday 7 th May at 2:30pm 5 Matches Away D Doyle & P Neary D Cunningham & S O Donovan T Gavin & P Flanagan V Nally & M Cullen P Carr & M Barrett J Durcan & M Gillen Team Captain : Dave Dent 1 PAT FORKAN 12 2 PAURIC HANLEY 12 3 THOMAS KELLY 12 4 MICHAEL MC DONNELL 12 5 NOEL MC TERNAN 12 6 DEREK WYNNE 12 7 JOHN SHEEHY 12 8 DAVE DENT 12 9 SEAN MOYLAN 13 10PADRAIG FLANAGAN 13 11DONAL BARRY 13 12GERRY MC MANUS 13 13KIERAN MC DONAGH DENIS O SULLIVAN 14 15DAMIEN HIGGINS 14 16JIMMY HENRY 14 17PAUL ROBINSON 14 18JOE KEYES 15 19KIRK POTT 15 20MICHAEL MC NAMARA 15 21ROB HEELAN 15 22JOHN CLIFFORD 16 23HUGH O NEILL 16 24CIARAN O GARA 16 25AIDAN LAWLEY 16

8 Day Date Competition Sat 09-May Downes Cup Sun 17-May Hanley Cup Sun 24-May Junior and Intermediate Scratch Cups Sun 31-May Visitor Cup Sat 13-Jun Captains Fourball Sun 14-Jun Hermitage Cup Sat 20-Jun Lady Presidents Day Fri&Sat&Sun Jun - Connacht Senior Cup Qualifier Thu 02-Jul Captains Prize to Seniors Sat 04-Jul Captains Prize Mon&Tue&Wed FIXTURE LIST Atlantic Coast Challenge (6-8 July) Sun 12-Jul Campbell Cup Thur 16-Jul Veteran's Cup (Bomore) Sat 18-Jul Lady Captains Day Sun 19-Jul Henderson Cup Sat 25-Jul Presidents Prize Sun 02-Aug Cecil Ewing Trophy Mon 03-Aug Champion Cup Wed 05-Aug Coombe Cup Thur 06-Aug Scotch Foursomes Fri 07-Aug Open Singles Sat 08-Aug Soden Cup Sun 09-Aug O'Connor Cup Sat 15-Aug PGA Tankard Sun 16-Aug Centenary Cup Thur 20-Aug Lisroyan Cup (Bomore) Sun 23-Aug Club Champion & Minor Cup OVERSEAS Members - JOHN &CATHERINE TODD John and Catherine Todd met with Past Captain on a recent visit to the club. Anton noted that John is a very useful 14 handicap with an unusual but deadly side-saddle putting stroke. He is rumoured to have advised PGA member Hubert Green on improving his putting stroke some years ago at a British Open! I followed up with John to get some more background on their relationship with County Sligo. Our relationship with Sligo is due to Catherine's father who was Irish and whose surname was Siberry and had lots of relations in Glencar. To this day there are three Siberry's farming in Glencar and a few more living in Sligo. Catherine holidayed in Glencar for most of her childhood and since we got married 32 years ago we have carried on the tradition. Catherine's father Desmond Siberry and I used to treat ourselves to an occasional round at Rosses Point and I fell in love with the course many years ago. I am a member of Ashridge Golf club here in Hertfordshire - which was where Henry Cotton was the professional when he won the British Open at Royal St Georges, Sandwich in 1934 with a round of 65 - which resulted in Dunlop naming their ball the Dunlop 65. When I retired and sold my IT business, in 2013, I applied for overseas membership and now am lucky enough to get over to play at Rosses Point 3 or 4 times each year John Todd.

9 COURSE REVITALISATION 10 th Green Extension and 11 th Tee Extension to 10th green as you approach it Looking back to 10 th tee from behind green New bunker on Left Hand side Behind green cleared to new 11 th Tee - 11 th Tee New 11 th Tee View from 11 th Tee

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