PAST MASTER OF PORTLAOISE
History and golf go hand in hand at The Heath.
IF you believe the Annals of the Four Masters, they started swinging dangerous weapons with gusto on the site of what is now The Heath Golf Club outside Portlaoise 3,700 years ago.
Of course, old king Íriel Fáid wasn’t battering ProV1s down the par-five first at one of Ireland’s oldest and friendliest clubs but clearing the once forested plains of central Laois for farming.
There is no archaeological record for the clearance of an area that covered some 600 acres at the end of the 18th century and today covers just 426 acres, of which 130 are occupied by one of Ireland’s oldest clubs.
Ancient furrows or ridges are still on the surface of what was formerly called The Heath of Maryborough — the old name for Portlaoise — but while these date from the 11th or 12th century, the history of the area is far more ancient.
The building of the M7 motorway, which passes the club some five miles from Portlaoise, unearthed shards of pottery fashioned as long ago as 2,500 BC, underlining the historic importance of a place that is just a few miles from the fortified Rock of Dunamase.
The hill of limestone rock, now bearing the ruins of the fortification rebuilt by the Normans, is believed to be the “Dunum” marked on the earliest surviving map of Ireland, drawn up by the Roman cartographer Ptolemy in the second century.
It’s little wonder that the Rock of Dunamase is depicted on the golf club’s crest (inset right) alongside the hare and a sprig of heather, which gives The Great Heath its Irish name
— An Fraoch Mór.
The Great Heath was an area of huge significance for the people of the area for centuries — the site of ceremonial burial mounds and ring forts or raths, the remnants of which remain today.
The Heath’s 13th green is set inside what is clearly an ancient rath — Rathshane to be precise — which means that if you hit this tough par-four in two, your next shot will be from some ancient living room.
The Heath was also a great gathering place for people of the territory or ‘tuath’ in a time before towns and villages.
Great assemblies and festivals were held there — games and horseracing, as well as business and marriage alliances.
And so The Heath, remained a gathering place and racecourse into the late 19th century when the 4th Leinster Regiment, which was garrisoned in the town, built a Grandstand on the site of the current clubhouse.
The outline of the old racecourse is still clearly visible from the air and the straight is still there too, just to the right of the first fairway.
Naturally, the British Army officers were closely associated with the original golf club, the Queens County Heath Golf Club, which was founded in 1889, making it Ireland’s seventh oldest club.
An entry in the “Golfing Annual” of 1892/3 remarked that “the course consists of nine holes situated on the Great Heath of Maryborough... luncheon may be procured at the green,” before adding the following year that “there is an excellent clubhouse, originally The Grand Stand, when races were held on The Heath.”
The club was reinstituted in 1903 and registered as Maryboro Golf Club and its existence is recorded up until 1916 in The Irish Golf Guides.
There is no mention of its subsequent demise, but the present club was instituted in 1930, affiliated in 1931 and extended to 18 holes in 1971 with the clubhouse, located in exactly the same position as the old Grand Stand of 1889, rebuilt in 1991.
The course, often described as an “inland links” due to the springy terrain and the seemingly everpresent breeze, is laid out on open heathland with a natural lake and furze featuring on many holes.
It is a blaze of yellow from early Spring onwards — a hazard best admired from afar — and given the course’s excellent drainage, golf is playable practically all year round with the permanent greens always in use.
Facilities include a 10-bay driving range, a lakeside putting green and two practice areas as well as a magnificent clubhouse.
An upright piano and warm hearth give the air of a club that’s
very much a living, members’ club and with catering at Deirdre’s Bistro in the capable hands of Deirdre Duggan, the club is a regular stop for a host of societies and a popular venue for celebrations.
Given the club’s great community spirit, it’s no surprise that there is a strong pavilion membership enjoying the book club, bridge club, card club and an art club while the running of the entire operation is in the hands of the members, who offer their services voluntarily.
Greenkeeper Billy O’Connor, whose wife Bernie carries out office duties, joined the club in 1982 when seeking regular work at a time when he was looking for a mortgage.
“I loved it from the moment I started, and I’ve been here ever since,” said Billy, who is ably assisted by course manager Gerry Kavanagh and some of the club’s 600 members.
“And with Bernie in the office, it’s grand. The course drains very well and you can still see the remains of the racetrack down there.
“It was nine holes at first and extended to 18 in 1970 and it’s really unique. There is a great atmosphere here.”
Peter Doolan, a past captain and president of the club and the current clubhouse manager, explained that the club would not function without the help of its volunteers, who carry out all the jobs that are required to keep things running smoothly.
“A lot of clubs are suffering because they borrowed heavily during the boom,” he said. “But we have no real overheads here and owe almost nothing. Socially, we have a very strong club even though the drink-driving laws have affected all clubs. “Our big challenge now is to attract new golfers. Young people have so many other sports vying for their time.”
The club has had its fair share of success over the years, especially in women’s golf.
Winners of the Mid-Leinster Junior Foursomes this year, the club also won the Miele Irish Interclub Foursomes and the Ladies Senior Foursomes in 2010 and the Mid-Leinster Minor Cup in 2007 while the men won the Leinster Jimmy Bruen title and the JB Carr All-Ireland Diamond Trophy in 2000.
There has also been significant success at individual level with Mary Doyle winning the Irish Ladies Amateur Close in 2014 and Catherine Reilly reaching the Irish Seniors Close semi-final before going on to help Ireland win the Senior Home Internationals and claim bronze in the European Senior Women’s Team Championships.
Former Boys international Brian Keenan won the Irish Under 15 Boys in 2003 and the Munster Youths Championship in 2005, and the future looks bright thanks to the club’s commitment to junior golf and significant growth in the number of women playing.
“In 2015 we had 40 ladies take up the game and we do our best to encourage them,” said outgoing Lady Captain Gráinne Ryan. “We got to the All Ireland semi-finals of the ILGU Senior Cup and the Irish Senior Foursomes, so it was marvellous to get that far and hopefully there is more success to come.”