Round-up: Golf Monthly rankings; West Waterford's Eoin Conway; Boggan fifth; Rosses Point finds
The 13th at The European Club. The course is ranked 20th in Golf Month's Top 100 Courses in Great Britain and Ireland 2015-16. Picture © The European Club
Golf writer and course designer extraordinaire Pat Ruddy was in fine form at the recent Irish Golf Writers’ Association annual Championship at magnificent Woodbrook Golf Club.
It wasn’t that the creator of The European Club landed the Mary McKenna Trophy as the top dog amongst the scribes at this year’s Tipperary Crystal sponsored event but the presence of so many of his creations or renovations in the latest Golf Monthly course rankings clearly added a spring to his step.
No fewer than 19 Irish courses made the magazine’s list of the Top-100 Courses in Great Britain and Ireland with The European Club at No 20 behind Royal County Down (No 2), Royal Portrush (No 11), Waterville (No 15) and Ballybunion Old (No 16) but ahead of venerable Portmarnock (No 25) and Lahinch (No 26).
Of the best new builds since 1980, The European Club was second behind Trump Aberdeen with Ruddy’s Sandy Hills Links at Rosapenna at No 7 and his co-designs with the late Tom Craddock also well regarded with Ballyliffin’s Glashedy Course at No 10 and Druids Glen in Co Wicklow, No 12.
Golf Monthly Top 100 Courses in Great Britain & Ireland 2015/16
(Published November 2014)
- Muirfield
- Royal County Down
- St Andrews Old
- Turnberry
- Royal Birkdale
- Carnoustie
- Royal St George's
- Royal Dornoch
- Royal Lytham
- Sunningdale New
- Royal Portrush
- Royal Liverpool
- Sunningdale Old
- Trump Aberdeen
- Waterville
- Ballybunion Old
- Royal Aberdeen
- Woodhall Spa
- Ganton
- The European Club
rish courses in the Top 100
Irish rank (GB&I rank)
- (2) Royal County Down
- (11) Royal Portrush
- (15) Waterville
- (16) Ballybunion (Old)
- (20) The European Club
- (25) Portmarnock
- (26) Lahinch
- (32) Doonbeg
- (39) The Old Head of Kinsale
- (45) Rosapenna (Sandy Hills)
- (53) Tralee
- (59) County Louth
- (73) Ballyliffin (Glashedy)
- (75) The Island
- (76) Druids Glen
- (78) Lough Erne
- (82) Mount Juliet
- (84) The K Club (Palmer)
- (93) County Sligo
- (98) Portmarnock Links
- (99) Carne
Best New Builds Since 1980
Best new course rank (Overall GB&I rank)
- (14) Trump Aberdeen
- (20) The European Club
- (21) Kingsbarns
- (23) Castle Stuart
- (31) Loch Lomond
- (32) Doonbeg
- (39) The Old Head of Kinsale
- (45) Rosapenna (Sandy Hills)
- (53) Tralee
- (73) Ballyliffin (Glashedy)
- (74) Woburn (Marquess)
- (76) Druids Glen
- (78) Lough Erne
- (80) The Belfry (Brabazon)
- (81) Bearwood Lakes
- (82) Mount Juliet
- (83) Renaissance
- (84) The K Club (Palmer)
- (87) The Grove
- (88) The Wisley
- (90) St Andrews (Castle)
- (94) Woburn (Duchess)
- (98) Portmarnock Links
- (99) Carne
- (100) Close House
Irish Courses Ranked 101-200 (alphabetical)
Adare Manor, Ardglass, Ballybunion (Cashen), Ballyliffin (Old), Carton House (Montgomerie), Castlerock, Concra Wood, Donegal, Enniscrone, Headfort (New), Killarney (Killeen), Killeen Castle, Portnoo, Portsalon, Portstewart.
Eoin Conway (West Waterford) on the 12th tee during the second round of the 2013 Munster Youths Amateur Open Championship at Ennis Golf Club. Photo Jenny Matthews/www.golffile.ie
South East Senior Alliance - Eoin on the rise
Seamus Power might be heading for the Web.com Tour in the US but there's another star rising at West Waterford.
Seventeen year old Eoin Conway shot a super round of 68 gross to win the South East Senior Alliance event at Rosslare Golf Club recently.
ccording to our sources down south, Eoin has had a great year, winning all his matchplay matches in Junior Cup and Fred Daly Trophy. Looks like a young gun to keep an eye out for in 2015.
Found at Rosses Point
Pat Ruddy is busy carrying out major courses improvements at County Sligo and while there's some GUR to deal with, the work has unearthed some historical artefacts.
Old balls aren't usually worth much but this find looks interesting. We await a full report from the west!
@CountySligoGC #history #wildatlanticway #Sligo #westofireland1923 @shanelowrygolf @McIlroyRory @IrishGolfDesk pic.twitter.com/RtCOb7yqFD
— County Sligo GC (@CountySligoGC) November 30, 2014Successful pro debut for Ciaran Boggan
e didn't win The Invitational Pro-Am at Finca Cortesin on Sunday but Trim's Ciaran Boggan still walked away with just over €1,500 for finishing fifth on his professional debut.
The 23-year-old from County Meath Golf Club shot a five-under par 67 to take a one-shot lead over Spaniard Gabriel Canizares into the final round of the weather-affected event but ended up taking 75 in the final round. Scores
Cañizares, the 40-year-old elder brother of European Tour professional Alejandro Canizares, claimed the €10,000 top prize but Boggan can hold his head high after beating the likes of experience campaigners Bill Longmuir, Carlos Rodiles, Juan Quiros and Ballyliffin's Brendan McCarroll, who was 29th.
