Ambitious Loughrea GC moving with the times

Date Published: {J}

THE great American novelist Mark Twain once said that golf was a good walk spoiled. Obviously, Twain never played the many scenic golf courses around County Galway, or in particular Loughrea. In Twain’s defence, though, he had passed away four years prior to Loughrea opening its first golf course in 1914!

No doubt, the golfing landscape of magnificent Loughrea Golf Club has changed dramatically over the last century. In its time, the club has had three golf courses, the first of which was located at Knockanima/Earlspark, close to St. Brendan’s Hospital, formerly The Workhouse.

The original club grew and prospered right up until World War II and the Emergency, at which time interest began to wane in the difficult economic climate of that era. Were it not for a few golfing enthusiasts, such as the late Paddy Corcoran and Charlie Kiernan, the game might have died away altogether. However, these men stayed the course and as a result the game of golf in the area remained very much alive.

Then, in 1954, the club established a new nine-hole course at Graigue, with the late Dr. Martin Dyar the driving force behind the initiative. This lay the foundation for the expansion of the grounds to a new 18-hole golf course in 1992, a development undertaken by renowned course architect Eddie Hackett.

Further expansion occurred in 2002 when additional land was purchased and developed, adding approximately 1,000 yards to the length of the course. Four new holes and greens were constructed while three others were also modified.

Consequently, today, Loughrea Golf Club can boast of a challenging, scenic course to rival any in the country. It is 130 acres of breathtaking parkland, comprising of rolling hills and spectacular views of the Sliabh Aughy Mountains and its surrounds. It is the kind of course that would even make a believer out of one Mark Twain.

“The course is very well managed,” explains Club Treasurer Des Keating. “We have a consultant, John O’Sullivan, who is also the consultant for Druid’s Glen. He is excellent. We also have a very good course manager, Colm Muldoon, who is dedicated to golf. He won’t open the course unless it is right, and it has seen the benefits of this every Spring and Summer. The course is not abused over the Winter like some courses can be and it is well maintained by our (five-man) course crew.”

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.