Hills alive with success of local hero Shane
It was here that he honed the skills which took him to glory as an amateur at the Irish Open three years ago and then to his debut European Tour win as a professional at the Portugal Masters in Vilamoura on Sunday.
And there were plenty of faithful fans from the Faithful County urging him on every step of the way, according to Esker Hills’ managing director Donal Molloy.
Molloy explained: “There was a big group out there from the club and they were absolutely over the moon with the day and the win. Every year, since Shane joined the tour, a group from the club heads off to Portugal for this event and it is always a great experience. But it is an even better one now.”
Molloy wasn’t amongst the group with the sunshine on their backs but he had a ringside seat in the clubhouse as the drama unfolded. “There was a good crowd watching it early in the afternoon and as the drama unfolded the numbers began to grow and grow. There was some atmosphere by the time he was walking down the 18th. It is great that he got the win at such a significant event and achieved it in the manner he did. I don’t think the issue of not having a win as a pro was something that weighed too heavily on his mind over the last couple of years. But now that he has achieved this success it is one less thing he has to worry about.”
Though Lowry’s official ties with Esker Hills may no longer be in place, the fondness between both parties is as strong, perhaps stronger than ever.
Molloy explained: “It was incredible in the hour or so after he won on Sunday the amount of phone calls we received in the club offering congratulations for Shane’s win.
“That reinforces the link people still have between Shane with Esker Hills. Someone from the club put up a picture on Facebook and by Monday morning it had already received somewhere in the region of 10,000 views. “He was here a few weeks ago at a prize ceremony and the excitement that created had to be seen to be believed. He is, and always will be, one of our own.”
But Lowry’s impact on golf at Esker Hills is much more tangible than the wonderful portraits recording his success on the clubhouse walls.
His heroics at Baltray in 2009 sparked a surge of interest amongst a new generation keen to follow in the big man’s footsteps.
“On the back of his success, a very active junior golf set up came into being here,” Molloy explained.
“Nearly from a standing start it has jumped to about 60 children in the space of three years.
“Shane’s father Brendan got behind this and has put in a huge amount of work in developing the next generation of talent. The kids are looked after superbly and we are delighted at the progress they are making.
The U18s reached a Leinster foursome finals in the second year of existence, an incredible achievement. All junior captain’s prizes are sponsored and presented by Shane Lowry, which makes for a great day.
And just like Shane Lowry, Esker Hills is facing the challenge of taking on the big boys in the world of golf with bucket loads of enthusiasm.
Molloy continued: “We are probably lucky we have such unique terrain and free draining. Even with bad weather the course copes very well, so it is almost playable year round. Indeed our business in winter is nearly as good as it is in summer because of the condition of the course.
“The course is very links-like in many ways and now we are undertaking major work to develop a sustainable greens programme with the introduction of fescue grass which will be better environmentally and will also help eliminate the need for hollow tining. But we have a lot of deals in place and big linkage to the local hotels here in Offaly. Needless to say Shane’s achievements and the publicity it generates is no bad thing either.”
* For more details log onto: www.eskerhillsgolf.com
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