Cashen on course for €4.2m upgrade

MAJOR changes to the Cashen Course are proposed in a plan that the Ballybunion Golf Club council will present to its members at a special general meeting to be held in the town on Friday week, July 4th.

The council is proposing the adoption of design plans as outlined by the English golf course architect Martin Hawtree and the appointment of his company to implement them at a cost not exceeding €4.2m. The project will be financed by a combination of bank borrowing, membership levy and new memberships. If approval is forthcoming, the work is expected to take place over a three year span beginning next October. A subcommittee was set up at the 2003 AGM and has come to the conclusion that the ranking of the Cashen course should be significantly enhanced.

The hope is that the redevelopment will generate additional green fee income and reduce dependence on the famed Old course.