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Open invite from South County Golf Club

Golf clubs around Ireland are coming to terms with the realities of the current economic environment. Many clubs have experienced a drop off in their membership numbers and it could be some time before the demand of the last 3 years returns to its peak. The South County Golf Club is one of the few exceptions and 2009 has proven to be a fruitful year with growth of over 10% in membership numbers. “We’ve had a great year and we are now looking to build on that success for 2010” was the view of Michael Diskin, General Manager at The South County Golf Club. “Central to our strategy for the next 3 years will be ladies golf and growing the number of female members within the club. We believe that ladies golf can remain a growth segment despite the recent downturn”.

The club already boasts a strong and committed ladies section and in fact, ladies make up an above average percentage of the overall membership at the club. According to the Lady Captain, Chris Adams ”The South County Ladies Golf Club (SCLGC) is a young club, with a fabulous, progressive group of ladies; we are equally committed to developing our competitive golf skills as we are to building a warm and welcoming SCLGC identity and club atmosphere”.

So what exactly is the club doing to attract ladies into the golf club? “Firstly it’s important to point out that this is a very social club, run by its members for its members’ benefit and this attracts people to join the club, both male and female. We are very proud of our equal status with our male members, but we are always looking for opportunities to attract new ladies to our club and to the game. This year, we ran two such initiatives – a ‘Juniors in Golf’ programme with the Transition Year girls in Blessington Community School, as well as a ‘Ladies in Golf’ programme for beginner ladies; both of these were very successful, creating an awareness both of golf for potential new players, and of SCLGC, its facilities and our members. Our Ladies are just as keen to develop the game for existing lady golfers- we have been pleased with the success of our first year of running Ladies Seniors Opens and we also run an innovative ‘South County White Ladies’ competition, the brain child of one of our ladies, Eileen O’Driscoll. The competition is played off the white tees and it has been so successful in our club that we plan to extend the idea in 2010 and host a White Ladies Open for other ladies to enjoy.

As well as these initiatves, we have introduced specific membership initiatives which we believe will prove very attractive. Our new Novice Membership has been designed to introduce ladies to the game of golf in a friendly, relaxed and safe learning environment and we believe that this will act as a natural feeder system into full membership. The concept includes an introductory 10 week tuition course, with golf lessons from our club professional Raymie Burns as well as on-course lessons. At the end of this programme the ladies will have the opportunity to play the course in the company of existing female members where they will learn more about the game of golf and develop a new social network. At the end of that particular year they will have the option of becoming a full member of the club or opting out, but we expect most will have enjoyed their golfing experience enough to remain”.

There is no question that this is a novel approach to developing the ladies membership and the club’s Management and Ladies Committee appear determined to make this work. “We believe ladies golf will be to the forefront over the next 3 years. 2008 was marked by the reintroduction of the Ladies Irish Open and the focus on ladies golf in Ireland will culminate with the Solheim Cup in 2011. It is also a segment that has capacity for growth whereas we forecast that the demand for male membership may decline for the foreseeable future”. The Novice Membership is designed to attract new blood to the sport in a proactive fashion. The membership has been priced at €600 and includes many benefits, to ensure that cost should not be a barrier to entry.

Other membership initiatives that Management of the club has introduced include a new Family Membership and a special 5 Day Membership. According to Diskin, “The Family Membership is designed to encourage members within the club to introduce their spouse and young children and we expect this initiative to motivate many of the existing male members of the club to sign up their wives and children; It is also an attractive offering for other families with budding golfers, not least due to the pro-active Junior Programme run in the SCGC and the focus on attracting Junior boys and girls”. The Family Membership at this golf club seems to be quite appropriate as there is a sense of a tight knit yet welcoming feel to the club. “We have made significant strides in the last 12 months to develop the club spirit and atmosphere within the golf club, a proper sense of identity which will be enhanced further by more families being involved within the broader SCGC family” commented Diskin.

The 5 Day Membership provides a more affordable option of membership and is targeted specifically at ladies who can play golf midweek. There is a vibrant group of ladies who play throughout the week, particularly on Tuesdays when a competition is held by the ladies club and on Wednesdays, when a weekly Mixed Open is held.

One really does get the sense that The South County Golf Club is particularly well positioned to grow over the next few years. The initiatives that have been introduced to support and encourage ladies golf are welcomed and Diskin, his team and the Ladies Club seem very determined and committed to making this work. A dynamic and welcoming golf club, anybody thinking of joining a new club should certainly consider The South County Golf Club. It would appear that there is no time like the present.

To book on line, log on to www.southcountygolf.ie and click Book Golf.

Your opportunity to play in AIB Ladies Irish Open ProAm

Fancy a chance to play on the renowned Jack Nicklaus designed Killeen Castle. You can have the chance to tee it up alongside Europe’s star players in the Pro-Am by competing in the AIB Ladies Irish Open Club Challenge next May and June.

All you have to do is form a team of 3 with your friends from your club and register it by Friday 30th April on www.aibladiesirishopen.ie. Qualification for the competition will take place through any sanctioned 18-hole singles competition in your club taking place from April 1st to May 17th 2010. The top 120 teams nationwide will go forward to play in the following AIB Ladies Irish Open Club Challenge Regional Finals:

• Thursday 27th May - Galway Golf Club
• Tuesday 1st June - Dun Laoghaire Golf Club
• Tuesday 8th June - Cork Golf Club
• Friday 11th June - Slieve Russell Golf Club

The winning teams from each Provincial Final will then qualify to play in the AIB Ladies Irish Open Pro-Am on Thursday 5th August 2010 at Killeen Castle, Dunsany, Co. Meath.

Details have been sent to all club secretaries so check it out and be part of the 2010 AIB Ladies Irish Open.

LISBURN SQUARE “TEES OFF” NEW GOLF OUTLET

Lisburn Square, in Lisburn City Centre has expanded its retail offer with a new store dedicated to golf clothing, leisurewear and accessories. Bringing the concept of outlet shopping to the city centre, the 1600 sq ft “Golf Outlet Fashion Leisurewear” store will offer an extensive range of men and ladies internationally renowned brands all priced at up to 50% less than high street prices.

Former Miss Northern Ireland, Catherine Milligan, helps tee off the new Golf Outlet store with fellow model James McDaid.

Golf Outlet also at Junction1.

Faithlegg, Suirside splendour

Nestled in mature woodland, on the banks of the River Suir, sits Faithlegg House Hotel and Golf Club. Afour star luxury retreat, Faithlegg’s 18th century mansion has been sensitively refurbished to form the centre piece of a little piece of heaven in the South East.

Boasting 14 master rooms in the original house, the hotel also includes 65 guest rooms in a new wing as well as two junior suites and a fully equipped leisure and health centre beauty salon offering a wide range of treatments.

Body treatments at the Estuary Club include Therapeutic and Aromatherapy massage, Reflexology and Reiki, Body Wraps and Mud Treatments while beauty treatments include Facials using the award winning French Matis range of products, Waxing, False Tanning, Manicures and Pedicures, Eye Care and Makeup.

And for the golfer, a 18 hole championship golf course forms the perfect setting to make a visit to Faithlegg the ultimate experience. This Paddy Merrigan designed par 72 layout boasts some wicked slopes and borrows on immaculate greens and with some testing holes like the 432 yard index 1 17th or the testing dogleg 18th, Faithlegg is a superb test of golf for all levels.

The course has hosted a number of professional events from Irish PGA tournaments to the Ladies Irish Open as well as the EuroPro tour and with a wonderful landscape, mature trees, rolling parkland and five lakes, Faithlegg is a golfing wonder.

After a round, the welcome surroundings of the refurbished coach house provides the setting for a impressive finish to what will be a testing but memorable round of golf.

Faithlegg offers discounted green fees to residents and the resort also boasts a collection of 65 various self catering houses which offer great facilities and units with up to four bedrooms for groups of all sizes.

Ladies European Tour

The Ladies European Tour (LET) is thrilled to be competing in Ireland. Last year, Portmarnock Hotel and Links proved a magnificent venue for the AIBLadies Irish Openand we can expect another tremendous display of women’s professional golf this summer.

Ladies Golf Times has been supporting women’s golf in Ireland for many years. It is the only golf magazine produced solely for Irish lady golfers and we are delighted that the Ladies European Tour’s players feature so prominently. Thanks go to Geraldine and her team at Ladies Golf Times for publishing stories on the action from the Ladies European Tour and for highlighting the exciting accomplishments of our talented members.

Women’s golf in Ireland has come a long way in the last few years thanks to the dedicated individuals who give so much of their time to making it happen. We owe a debt of gratitude to the Promoter and Event Organiser, Roddy Carr and Twenty Eleven, as well as to the title sponsor, Allied Irish Bank (AIB) and Fáilte Ireland Sports Tourism Initiative, who are supporting the AIB Ladies Irish Open in the run up to our staging of The 2011 Solheim Cup at Killeen Castle.

We are all looking forward to returning to Ireland over the coming years in the lead up to The 2011 Solheim Cup, but first there is the small matter of The 2009 Solheim Cup at Rich Harvest Farms in Illinois, this August. We hope that you will join us in cheering on Alison Nicholas and her 12-woman European team as they attempt to win The Cup for the first time in the United States.

Thank you for your continued support of our players and organisation.

Alexandra Armas
Executive Director
Ladies European Tour