The GUI has released the names of the 110 Irish clubs who will share €600,000 in financial support from the R&A Covid-19 Support Fund. 

A total of €596,550 will be awarded to 110 small and medium-sized clubs— a success rate of 96 percent — but unlike England Golf, which revealed the amount received by each of the 328 successful applicant clubs there, the amount awarded to each club has not been disclosed “for reasons of confidentiality.”

English clubs received (see breakdown) between £1,493 (€1,650) and £10,000 (€11,050) each with the average grants given £2.55 million was split between 328 clubs amounting to £7,789.

The list of Irish clubs awarded R&A Covid-19 Support Funding:

• Abbeyleix

• Ardee

• Arklow

• Ashbourne

• Athenry

• Athlone

• Balbriggan 

• Balcarrick

• Ballaghaderreen

• Ballina

• Ballinamore

• Ballinasloe

• Ballinrobe

• Ballybofey and Stranorlar

• Ballyclare

• Ballyhaunis

• Balmoral 

• Baltinglass

• Banbridge

• Berehaven

• Birr

• Black Bush

• Blacklion

• Blessington Lakes

• Boyle

• Buncrana

• Bundoran

• Cairndhu

• Carnalea 

• Carrick on Shannon

• Castlegregory

• Castlerea

• Castletroy

• Castlewarden

• Ceann Sibéal 

• City Of Derry

• Clonmel

• Cloughaneely

• Concra Wood

• Connemara

• Coollatin

• County Armagh

• County Longford

• County Meath

• Courtown

• Craddockstown

• Cushendall

• Donabate

• Donaghadee

• Dunfanaghy

• Dungannon

• Dungarvan 

• Dunmore Demesne

• Dunmurry

• Edenderry

• Ennis

• Enniscorthy

• Enniskillen

• Glengarriff

• Greencastle

• Greenore

• Helens Bay

• Holywood

• Kenmare

• Kilkee

• Kilkeel

• Kilrush

• Kinsale

• Kirkistown Castle

• Knock

• Loughrea

• Mallow

• Mannan Castle

• Massereene

• Millicent

• Mitchelstown

• Mullingar

• Mulranny

• Nenagh

• Newcastle West

• Newtownstewart

• North West

• Oughterard

• Portadown

• Portumna

• Roscommon

• Roscrea

• Royal Curragh

• Rush

• Scrabo 

• Seapoint

• Shannon

• Skerries

• Skibbereen

• Slade Valley

• Spa

• Spanish Point

• St. Helens Bay

• Strabane

• Strandhill

• Sutton

• Tandragee

• The Heath

• Thurles

• Tipperary

• Tuam

• Virginia

• Westport

• Wexford

• Youghal​

Clubs who were successful in their application will receive a grant, ranging in value, and have met specific criteria including the following:

• The club is eligible for relief from income tax and corporation tax for clubs under the exemptions provided for Games/Sporting bodies in ROI and clubs registered under the Registration of Clubs Act in NI. 

• The club is member owned.

• The club is in urgent need of The R&A funding in order continue to provide facilities for the normal playing of the game for their members and visitors.

• The club has no entrance fee or an entrance fee of less than €1,500/£1,500.

• The club’s membership income is lower than €600,000/£535,00 and/or green fee/society revenue is lower that €100,000/£90,000 as reported in the clubs 2019 financial statements. 

• The club does not provide a financial return to stakeholders/owners.

• The club's subscriptions are paid up to date for 2020 to both the GUI & ILGU.

Clubs successful in their application for funding must commit to signing the Women in Golf Charter and create an implementation plan to achieve the gold standard within an agreed timeline. In addition clubs must be compliant in all safeguarding regulations and will receive a safeguarding audit.

Phil Anderton, Chief Development Officer at The R&A, said” “The pandemic is continuing to have an impact on the day-to-day operations of golf clubs and many of them have suffered loss of income due to circumstances not in their control.

“We have a responsibility to help protect golf from the effects of this crisis where we can and so we hope that our Covid-19 Support Fund will allow affiliated national associations to support clubs in dealing with the challenges of the pandemic and begin the process of recovery.”