The 26th Ireland Golf Tour Operator Association (IGTOA) awards were held at the refurbished Slieve Donard Hotel overlooking Royal County Down earlier this week and there were major awards for Druids Glen, The K Club, Tralee Golf Club and the KPMG Women’s Irish Open.
Laytown and Bettystown’s Cian Geraghty opened with a five-under 67 to lead the 112th Irish PGA Championship by two shots from Brian McElhinney, Richard Weldon and Neil O’Briain on Carne Golf Links’ Wild Atlantic Dunes course.
Though separated by thousands of miles, two courses with a unique connection will celebrate their alliance in the summer of 2021 by hosting national championships: The US Hickory Open will be held at Gearhart Golf Links on the north Oregon coast from Sept. 12-14, 2021, while Gearhart’s sister course, Carne Golf Links in Belmullet, will hold the Irish PGA Championship on August 4-7, 2021.
Keep an eye out for these US veterans as they play golf and head from Rosapenna to Carne, Mount Falcon Estate, Enniscrone, the Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa in Galway and the Galway Bay Golf Resort, all with the support of Failte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, over the next few days.
It's time for the annual "debate" over the Golf Digest Top 100 rankings and while there will be many who disagree with the order, it has to be said that the readers had a big input this time with 80 golfers from an entry of 2,628 having their views heard.
Everyone knows Ireland’s big links courses. Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Portmarnock, Ballybunion and Waterville are on every golfer’s bucket list. But there are three gems in the north-west that offer an unforgettable golfing experience - Carne Golf Links, Enniscrone and County Sligo.
Eddie Hackett is widely regarded as The “Father of Golf Course Design” in Ireland. Few, if any have had such an influence over the game of golf in Ireland and how we play it to- day. Already in his late fifties before designing his first 18 hole course, there is little doubt that his legacy lives with us today.
