Peter Chambers (Diageo), winners Kieran O'Brien & Michael Barrett, Club Captain Michael McGowan, Competitions Sec Dave Taylor.

This was a superbly run competition from the qualifying rounds right through to Sunday’s final and the turnout of over 100 for the dinner and presentation was great to see. Peter Chambers, the ‘Diageo man’ was delighted to see so many members enjoying a pint of the black stuff and he announced his company’s intention to continue its support for the League into the future. Great news indeed so take a bow Dave Taylor and the Winter League committee for a job very well done.

Thanks to our loyal sponsor.

Good luck to all competitors taking part in today’s final. The weather forecast is not ideal so it could be a day for the ‘grinders’ to come through.

On behalf of all participants I’d like to congratulate Dave Taylor and his committee on their superb running of this event. Hopefully see you all at the dinner and presentation this evening.

Paddy tells me that the main focus for the immediate future will be on the quality greens and tee boxes. The aim is to have firm, links type greens which will take some time to achieve but the process has started and involves a rethink on fertiliser usage and less emphasis on hollow tining to encourage the natural seaside grasses. As much reseeding of fairways as possible will also be carried out.

So simple and so vital

Good news is that the mats will be put away at the end of February. The ‘Adopt a green initiative’ will commence shortly and will be vital in supporting the work mentioned above. Una Gleeson is co ordinating this very worthwhile project that involves ‘teams’ of members taking charge of the upkeep of every hole on the course. Volunteers still required.

The biggest issue Ian McClements pointed out was the amount of pitch marks on the greens, we can’t blame the visitors for these ones! So let’s get the ‘forks’ out and get in the habit of repairing at least one mark on every green.

Conor Frazer clinched second place just ahead of William Cooper, two more good operators to watch out for in the coming weeks. Alan Gaynor must have been delighted with his 36 points playing off 6, I hate these youngsters that make this game look so easy.

Rain didn't halt play...

The weekend was pretty wet and miserable following a stormy couple of days. Isn’t it great to have two courses playable after the amount of rain that fell, underfoot conditions near perfect (maybe the odd puddle in Bomore!) and most importantly another round of the Winter League completed. Things are ‘hotting up’ in all sections with only two qualifying rounds remaining before the final on March 13th.

Pat Lyons is putting a few scores together lately and he just pipped John Gilmartin for first place in Saturday’s Singles Stableford, both having 29 points. Competitions Secretary Dave Taylor was third with 27 points. 49 brave souls braved the elements on the day.

Good to see the first of the 16 hole competitions (Saturday 19th) appearing on the fixture list, won’t be too long before the season proper is underway.

The result of his painstaking efforts, which included regular visits to the archives of the local newspapers and numerous interviews with various people connected with the club, can be viewed by clicking here. There are still a few blanks to be filled in but I think we as members owe a great debt to Noel for his contribution to the history of this great club.

If you have any information regarding the missing prizewinners please get in touch. It is interesting to note that the Captain’s Prize was a Mixed competition in the early years.

Competitors head down the first in Sunday's Winter League.

It was another weekend of below zero temperatures resulting in the dreaded use of temporary greens for both competitions. Tony Leonard was the deserving winner of the Singles Stableford on Saturday with 31 points for the 13 holes. Pat Lyons was second, a point behind and Tom A Feely finished third with 28 points. A total of 51 eager competitors played.

Round 6 of the Diageo Winter League was completed on Sunday. Ronan McAllister and Ronan Johnson had a field day on the Main course finishing a tremendous 7 up to clinch the day prize and send them to the top of Section 6 with 13 points. Aidan Doyle and Pat Forkan had  a slow start to the league but have had three wins and a draw from their last four outings. 4 up was enough to secure the Bomore prize and move them into the fourth qualifying place in their section.

County Sligo Golf Club, but what year?

The photo was published in the Weekender this week with a request for any information that any readers might have but there’s nothing doing so far. Click on the photo to view a larger version and if you have any ideas let us know by using the ‘leave a comment’ link above to get in touch.

The Day Prize winners on the Main Course were Alan Henry and Ken Henry on 3 up, they have yet to drop a point in their section. Tony Cunningham and Ger Quinlivan had a great win in Section 2 over the previously unbeaten Simon Rooney and Brendan Feeney. Their score of 2 up was also enough to take the Bomore Prize. The sections are beginning to take shape now as the race intensifies for the top five positions.

The Wednesday Society enjoyed a fine day on Wednesday last, the course was in magnificent shape and particularly the greens. Well done to all concerned. Check out the video below which demonstrates the correct way to repair pitch marks and help to keep our greens in pristine condition.