Rebuilding on deeper foundations
That’s the only way to describe what has been happening at the former Limerick County Golf Club, now re-christened Ballyneety Golf Club. A club that lasted less than 20 years before becoming one of the many victims of the Celtic Tiger crash is back on it’s feet with the facility set to reopen to its 500-strong membership and visitors in the coming weeks.
Designed by Ryder Cup star Des Smyth and opened for play in 1994, Limerick County flourished for many years before the wheels came off at much the same time as the country’s finances hit rock bottom, before finally closing its doors in 2010.
Limerick already had Limerick Golf Club, Castletroy, two Adares and Shannon to look after its golfing requirements and despite widespread regret at its demise, few foresaw the revival of Limerick County. However, that wasn’t the way several of the former leading members — led by Liam Lawlor, Minie O’Brien and professional Donal McSweeney — viewed the situation and their initiative and dedication to the cause led to a remarkable and healthy transformation over the past 12 months.
Four public meetings were held in 2012 to test public interest in reviving the club and, impressed by the numbers who turned up and their enthusiasm for the project, Cork-based Quintas Wealth Management came up with the necessary finance to re-acquire the site from the liquidator. The would-be members were asked to come up with €300 to cover their membership for 2013 in the knowledge that use of the course and clubhouse would be severely limited. Three hundred obliged and that number has now swelled by another 200.
The new club has been affiliated to the Golfing Union of Ireland and the only significant change from its former status is that it will now be known as Ballyneety Golf Club. Fourteen holes have been open for the past four months on a temporary basis and the full 18 will be up and running from September.
From what I witnessed on a recent visit, all the indications are positive. The original Des Smyth design has been faithfully retained, the fairways are already close to peak condition, the greens are also looking the part, a whole host of men were working on clubhouse refurbishment and the driving range under the watchful and caring eye of Donal McSweeney is again proving to have a magnetic influence on golfers in the area.
“Ballyneety Golf Club has risen like the phoenix thanks to the vision of a few and the support of many,” is a point well made by the respective captains, Tim Smyth, a lecturer at UL and a member of the original Limerick County club, and Bessie Lawlor, wife of Liam. “It is a work in progress. It will be as good as we make it.”
It is as if all concerned have taken those words very much to their hearts. Those who walked the site at the beginning of this year cannot believe what has happened in the intervening months.
What looked like a wilderness has been developed into a very viable and excellent golf course. The dedication of the Lawlors, Minie O’Brien, Donal McSweeney and a host of members prepared to voluntarily lend their labours has worked wonders.
“The GUI agronomist and our own agronomist, Ronan Branigan, have been here and described themselves delighted at what they saw,” explains Liam Lawlor. “We have re-turfed four of the greens and with the weather proving helpful, the whole project is coming along very nicely. Financially, too, we are optimistic.
“There was a remarkable leap of faith from our members, most of whom were closely associated with Ballyneety in the past. They have demonstrated a great love for the place and we are especially proud that the former head greenkeeper John McMahon and administrator Sinead O’Donnell are back on board.”
As can be well imagined, deep scepticism greeted news of the resurrection of Ballyneety as a viable golfing concern and it took courage and belief to proceed when the inevitable obstacles arose.
“People said we were mad to take this on during a time of recession but we were all very confident we could pull it off until we can now claim that it really is a minor miracle,” says Liam Lawlor.
Captain John Dynan and his team at Lee Valley are gearing themselves up for one of the biggest weeks in the history of the course at Clashanure, Ovens.
Beginning next Tuesday (July 23), the Senior and Boys Interprovincial Championships take place over the testing Christy O’Connor Junior-designed layout. The people at Lee Valley have never done things by halves. Having hired O’Connor to design the course, they then signed him up to take on Fred Couples for the official opening in 1993 as a reenactment of the pair’s famous Ryder Cup clash at The Belfry four years earlier. No doubt thrilled at touring the course in 64 strokes, Couples spoke in glowing terms of his visit, noting especially “some of the most spectacular views in the south of Ireland”.
Various course alterations followed in the past 20 years, invariably strengthening the previous layout. Course record holders have included Couples and Paul Russell in the pro ranks and amateurs Kieran McCarthy (Kinsale), Karl Bornemann (Douglas) and home club members Pat Power and Niall Gorey while Shane Lowry numbered the Lee Valley Scratch Cup in 2009.
With water coming into play on seven holes and undulating greens and fairways along with strategically placed bunkers, the cream of the country’s amateurs can be assured of a serious test. For Munster captain Phil Cooney, it will be a momentous week as he led the side to a surprise win at Royal Co Down a year ago and is a member of Lee Valley.
It helps his cause that the chosen side shows only one change in personnel from last year, with Skibbereen’s Kieran Lynch coming in for Ian O’Rourke of Cork. Most focus may be on West Waterford’s Kevin Phelan, who recently qualified for the US Open. Cooney’s team is completed by two other Waterford golfers, Gary Hurley, the defeated finalist in the North of Ireland Championship at Portrush on Saturday, Alan Thomas, Geoff Lenehan (Portmarnock and Waterville), Niall Gorey (Muskerry), Gary O’Flaherty (Cork), Pat Murray (Limerick) and Kieran Lynch.
Though the fortunes of the Limerick hurling team were dominating his thoughts in recent weeks, JPMcManus (pictured) is understood to be close to announcing hisworld-famous pro-am will returnin 2015.
That is great news not just for golf and golfers but also for the multitude of worthy causes that have benefited from the enormous sums of money generated by the event since it first took place at Limerick Golf Club in 1990.
It remained at the Ballyclough venue in 1995, when Tiger Woods made his first appearance, and again in 2000. Woods remained faithful to his great friend McManus when the event moved to Adare Manor in 2005 and again 2010. Tiger’s presence lent the pro-am a very special cachet but he was just one of an amazing number of world-class players who turn up in Limerick every five years.
Even more astonishing is the money that has been raised. In 2005, it totalled €31.5m, five years later that increased to €41.2m.
