The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Kenmare Golf Club announce huge Classic
FOLLOWING the recent success of their 1903-hole golf marathon last month to raise funds for the re-building of their clubhouse which was destroyed by fire on June 1, Kenmare Golf Club are reporting that their rebuild fundraising is progressing well.
Temporary changing facilities and an office are now in place, while plans for a clubhouse rebuild are advancing, so the next step of their fundraising effort is what they hope will be Munster’s largest Golf Classic of 2020, running for four days between July 22 and 25.
The Kenmare club, founded in 1903, is one of those rare clubs that it is located in the heart of the town and it is member-owned with deep roots in the community.
Their clubhouse, recently destroyed by fire, was originally used as a cricket pavilion in India but had been shipped over to Ireland and located at Rossdohan near Sneem.
The committee at Kenmare had approved the erection of a new clubhouse in late 1925 and had planning permission to do so, but decided to purchase the pavilion in 1926 and erect it on-site at the course at a cost of £165 for the materials and labour, making it one of the most iconic clubhouses in Irish golf with its rather unique wooden veranda.
Originally a nine-hole course with all of the holes located on the Lansdowne estate on the clubhouse side of the Killowen Road, the club then purchased lands on the opposite side of the road in the early 1990s and expanded to an 18-hole course designed by renowned Irish golf architect, Eddie Hackett, whose work is no stranger to Kerry golfers as he carried out design work at Ceann Sibéal, Dooks, Ring of Kerry and Waterville.
In the past forty years or so the club has become famous, not only nationwide, but world-wide, for the hosting of its Three Brothers Golf Classic, which began in 1978 with just fifteen teams, but nowadays it attracts up to sixty, with players from all over the world making it one of the most important, if not the most important, fixture on the club’s calendar.
In more recent times, the club has also added a Two Sisters Golf Classic, which will no doubt gain huge momentum in the coming years.
However, like most golf clubs during the Covid-19 crisis, Kenmare is in financial trouble and the accidental fire on June 1 added to their woes, destroying their clubhouse, and the impact of this could be catastrophic.
Although the club was covered by insurance, their claim will take some time to process, and this is time that the club cannot afford as income is being lost from both members and visitors which might never return and could result in Kenmare Golf Club ceasing to operate unless serious action is taken.
A hugely successful GoFundMe page and the Golf Marathon on June 12 have resulted in excess of €70,000 in donations, and while Kenmare Golf Club extend thanks to all of their members, the local community and kind supporters of the club, this is simply not enough, and they are now appealing to the wider golfing community for help with this upcoming golf classic.
Temporary changing facilities are in place, and naturally after the eight-week rest during lock-down the quality of the golf course is as good as it has ever been, so golfers from everywhere are invited to play in this unique event which has various categories to suit everyone.
There are prizes for Men, Ladies and mixed teams, teams containing two brothers, and teams containing two sisters, and it is ideal preparation for those intending to compete in the 2020 Three Brothers, or the 2021 Two Sisters Competitions.
Entry for a team of four costs €200 and all players must have an official GUI or ILGU handicap. Two scores to count on each hole and the handicap limit for men is 28 and 36 for ladies with step-downs permitted.
For any further information or details, contact Kenmare GC PR Officer Charlie Vaughan on 085 8766554 or visit the club’s website kenmaregolfclub.com and follow the links to visitor booking.