SWING celebrates thirty years
SWING (South West Ireland Golf) celebrate 30 years in business this year and host a birthday celebration on Friday next at Ballybunion Golf Club where invited guests will participate in a game of golf on the famous old course followed by a meal in the club house.
Founded by Denis Brosnan (CEO of Kerry Group at the time), the premier golf clubs in the region, the Irish Tourist Board, and Shannon Development, SWING began life as a marketing company to promote golf in the South West region on a world stage, but it has since grown to become the largest and most renowned golf vacation handling agency in Ireland, bringing tens of thousands of golfers to Ireland in the past quarter of a century.
SWING represents Adare, Ballybunion, Cork, Ceann Sibéal, Dooks, Doonbeg, Dromoland, Killarney, Lahinch, Old Head, Ring of Kerry, Tralee and Waterville, operating a highly professional ground handling and tee-time reservation service, where golfers can also avail of a range of other services including friendly advice and planning, tee time reservations and the organising of complete golf vacations and golfing packages.
SWING’s operations today cover golf in all of Ireland and not just the South West where they cater for individuals, groups and corporate.
For many years, the late and much-lamented Paddy O’Looney was the public face of SWING and in the beginning, his knowledge of the golf industry and his many contacts world-wide helped to put the fledgling company on a very solid footing.
These days, the company is headed up by Chief Executive Brendan Keogh from Killarney, a business graduate from UCC, who a self-confessed sports fanatic and a single-digit handicap golfer.
Brendan who has been with SWING for many years, worked under Paddy O’Looney and today is as well-known throughout the golfing industry as his famous predecessor.
The South West Region today is Ireland’s most popular golfing destination boasting some of the world’s finest courses and SWING has certainly played its part over the last thirty years in the huge influx of tourism to this region. Long may it continue.