Top cats get the cream at Golfers Guide Awards
THE annual GUI Champions’ Dinner takes place at Carton House tomorrow evening.
But it’s not just teams and individuals that earn plaudits at this time of year but the people and places that make Ireland an attractive destination for thousands of overseas visitors every year.
Last Monday at Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links, the winners of “2018 Golfers Guide to Ireland Awards” were presented with their trophies by Mary Mitchel O’Connor TD, Minister of State for Higher Education.
Decided by a poll of the wider golf community, the winners received a specially commissioned certificate in recognition of their achievements.
The Palmer Course at The K Club and County Louth Golf Club won the overall Best Parkland and Best Links categories
Druids Glen was named Best Resort with Kilkea Castle the Best Newcomer in that category while Rosslare Golf Club was named Ireland’s best Hidden Gem.
As for food, drink and lodging, the Ballyliffin Lodge & Spa Hotel on the Inishowen Peninsula got a timely boost in the build up to the Irish Open as the Best Boutique Hotel in Ulster.
The winners in the Best Golf Restaurant category included The Village at the Lyons Estate in Co Kildare, not far from the spot where Daniel O’Connell fought (and won) what turned out to be a deadly duel in 1815, killing John D’Esterre.