LOVELY LONGFORD SHOWS THE BENEFITS OF STAYING POWER
Club has been beating heart of the community down through years. By Brian Keogh
GOLFERS have been firing their missiles around Ireland for more than 160 years, but while the likes of Royal Curragh, Royal Portmarnock and Royal Portrush are among Ireland’s oldest clubs, there’s another that may surprise you.
County Longford Golf Club was founded in 1894 and while it was not affiliated to the Golfing Union of Ireland until 1900, it is one of the oldest clubs in the country and still going strong thanks to its deep roots in the community.
When the recent round of funding from the 2017 Sports Capital Programme was released, there was much muttering about 64 golf clubs – still regarded in some quarters as bastions of wealth and privilege – receiving €1.9m in hard-earned taxpayer’s money.
Non-golfers are unaware that the vast majority of the clubs concerned are small, modest clubs that have had to tighten their belts considerably during the most recent economic downturn just to keep the doors open.
The funds are mainly used to purchase new machinery, so it’s little wonder that there was much rejoicing at County Longford – the only club in the county – when they received €50,090 (on appeal) towards the purchase of new machinery to help keep their pristine parkland course in tip-top condition.
With the 6,700 yard, par-72 test in excellent shape, the battle to recover membership numbers continues and the club remains an important social hub, especially for the non-golfers in Longford, who have long used the club’s facilities for all manner of functions.
GAA and rugby clubs, schools and indoor bowls enthusiasts are frequent visitors to a club that first received state aid in 1971 when Bord Failte awarded them £600.
Thanks to an initial €50,000 grant in the 2014 Sports Capital scheme, the club has improved its facilities and is slowly starting to see green shoots of recovery.
Membership rates have been imaginative to make it inclusive for the population of the county and surrounding areas and there is now a proactive policy to bring golf to the schools in the club’s catchment area.
St Mel’s College engages with the club to produce a golf module for its “Transition Year” students, exposing 70 potential golfers to the game every year.
“Getting new members in the 25 to 40-year-old age bracket is the toughest task. So our goal is to get younger members back playing golf,” says club captain Brian Greene. “But it’s not easy.”
While full membership costs €699, the club offers a first-year, introductory rate of just €300 for beginners as well as a €200 ‘Get into Golf’ rate for new lady members, supported by the CGI.
This programme includes full membership of the golf club for 2018, lessons with the club’s professional, Pete Duignan, and on-course sessions with other lady golfers, who will act as mentors.
The club can even provide equipment for these newcomers, and there is also a €400 rate for former members who may have let their membership lapse during the recession years.
The club’s latest young talent, John Igoe, has now turned professional and helps nurture the newcomers at a club which has a strong presence in the women’s game with 171 ladies and junior girls on the books
It’s no surprise that women’s golf strong.
Former ILGU President Eileen Connolly and current ILGU President Vonnie Noonan, the CGI’s Anne McCormack, and the ILGU’s CEO Sinead Heraty, whose mother Anne has long-sponsored the club’s annual Classic in April, are revered members.
The club has come a long way over the last 100 years. It had just 44 members in 1915 when subscriptions were £1 for men and five shillings for ladies and handicaps of 50 and over were commonplace.
Slowly, the club purchased small parcels and expanded to 18 holes in the mid-1970’s with Eddie Hackett remodelling the course.
The refurbishment of the clubhouse in 2000 was another big move and following the purchase of more land, the club decided to completely remodel the course on 116 acres in 2005 with Mel Flanagan carrying out a project that initially cost €680,000.
The addition of a five-bay practice facility and practice ground in 2006 was followed by extensive expansion of the machinery sheds and clubhouse surrounds last year.
Thanks to the course staff and SRTI agronomist Conor Nolan, the course is now in magnificent condition and with its friendly atmosphere and strong social ethos, it’s hoping to enjoy a new lease of life.
Boasting sand-based greens, there are water hazards on ten of the 18 holes and it’s considered well-balanced, with four par-threes, four par-fives with only one challenging uphill walk.
Open competitions are held on Wednesday from April to October (€15 for visitors) with the over 55s day for ladies and men making the course very popular on Thursday
The Junior Academy for young golfers takes place on Saturday mornings with PGA professional Pete Duignan and his assistants looking after boys and girls from the age of seven.
The golf course is a joy to play, especially in summer when the trees are in full leaf and the tricky, sloping greens are running at their best.
It is not a long course from the members’ tees by any means. However, tight fairways and several well-placed water hazards mean you have to be on your game to score well.
The signature hole is the 453m (495-yard) par-five 18th, which plays uphill towards a large conifer know locally as the Christmas Tree.
A straight drive will leave you in position to lay up left of the tree and play your third over a stream which cascades from the left side into a small pond.
“That tree is like a magnet,” captain Greene says with a laugh. “It’s a huge tree, so it’s crucial you stay left. And you must then really commit to your third shot and say a little prayer.”
Coming in from the left means it makes your third a less daunting challenge though that might change slightly when work to enhance the 18th is completed by June.
“We are putting in a water feature so that the stream cascades down the hill via a series of steps into the pond which will also have a bridge and a fountain,” the captain proudly explains.
With Lady Captain Josephine O’Donnell and club President Mick Casey also forming part of a close-knit team, the future looks promising for the intrepid Longford golfers, 124 years after they first discovered the great game.