CAPTAINS PRIZE 2026
Our Captains’ Prize took place last weekend, and what a fantastic weekend it proved to be. Blessed with beautiful warm weather, the celebrations got underway on Wednesday evening with the Captains’ Scramble and our regular barbecue at the first tee.
A sincere thank you to our wonderful chefs, Aisling Fennell and Martina Corkery, for all their hard work, to Michael Wall for supplying the food, and to everyone who helped in any way to make the evening such a success. The winners are listed below.
The serious competition began on Thursday, Friday and Saturday with the qualifying rounds. Nicholas Power posted an excellent score of 66 on Friday to take the clubhouse lead, which he held throughout the weekend.
From early Sunday morning, the clubhouse and car park were buzzing with excitement as competitors prepared for the 11.00am shotgun start. With everyone making their way to their assigned tee boxes, the question was whether the leader could hold his nerve or if someone from the chasing pack would emerge. After an exciting final round, a new leader came to the fore, and we congratulate Tony Fitzgerald our 2026 Captains’ Prize Champion. A full list of prize winners is included below.
The prize presentation took place following a beautiful meal in the Gold Coast Hotel. Club President Alan Darcy opened the evening and was joined by Lady President Mary Sweeney who spoke very highly of Lady Captain Bridge Walsh before Bridge gave a very flowing speech. The ladies’ prize presentation then took place. Congratulations to Deirdre Ruane, who successfully defended her lead over the weekend to emerge as the Ladies’ Captains’ Prize winner.
President Alan Darcy then in a well prepared speech introduced our popular Captain Johnny Hughes, and spoke of him in very high regard paying tribute to his dedication and commitment to the club. In his speech, Johnny’s first words of thanks were reserved for Bob O’Brien for his guidance and advice over the years. He also thanked his wife and family, the greenkeeping staff, the hotel staff, Irene Lynch, Mark Weldon and Conor in the kiosk, the McGrath family for providing such a wonderful course to call our home club led by Mark Lenihan, his fellow committee members, particularly Michael Wall and Martin Morris who do trojan work throughout the year. Johnny then presented the prizes for the men’s competition.
We thank Captains Johnny Hughes and Bridge Walsh for hosting a wonderful weekend and wish them every success for the remainder of their captaincy.
Our next major event will be the President’s Prize Weekend, beginning with the President’s Scramble on Wednesday, 5th August. Qualifying rounds will take place on Friday and Saturday, with the final on Sunday, 9th August.
JUNIOR CUP
Hard luck to our Junior Cup team, who were defeated in Muskerry last Saturday. Congratulations to the entire panel, reserves and caddies for their commitment and performances throughout the competition. You represented both yourselves and the club with great pride.
A special word of thanks goes to team managers David “Doc” O’Connor and Michael Wall for all their hard work and dedication.
VINCENT NEVIN COMPETITION
The next round of the Vincent Nevin Competition takes place at home against Tramore on Saturday, 11th July, with the match teeing off at 3.00pm.
Best of luck to everyone involved.
ON THE COURSE
Please remember the Three R’s when playing:
Rake bunkers – Always rake the bunker after use, leaving it as you would like to find it.
Replace divots – Replace and firmly press down any divots you take.
Repair pitch marks – Repair your own pitch marks, and any others you notice, to help keep our greens in excellent condition.
Your cooperation is greatly appreciated and helps maintain the course for everyone’s enjoyment.
DRESS CODE
We kindly remind all members and visitors to observe the club dress code. Full details are available in the kiosk and on the noticeboard at the first tee.
GENTS RESULTS
Tues. 30th June Open Singles
1st Aodh O’Murchu (7) 41
2nd Liam Clancy (24) 39
3rd Delcan Hallahan (17) 38
4th Denis Conway (11) 38
1st Lady Kris Hayes (22) Lee Valley 40pts
Wed. 1st July Captains Scramble
1st Brian Fahey, Inseun Kim, James Lynch, Anne Keane
2nd Martin Morris, Ger Hallinan, Ned O’Connor, Breeda Murphy
3rd Ml Kavanagh, Leanne Bumster, Kevin Power, Catherine Hyland
4th Mary Kiely, Darren Power, Paddy Walsh, Mary Dunbar
5th Katie Kiely, Miriam Matthews, Thomas O’Brien, Liam Clancy
Fri. 3rd July Open Gents Singles
1st Breda Flanagan Waterford Castle (23) 41
Gr Eugene Blanchfield Clonmel (9) 29
JOHNNY HUGHES CAPTAINS PRIZE RESULTS 2026
1st Tony Fitzgerald (22) 137
2nd Dave Conlon (16) 137
Best Gross Neil Dermody (+1) 149
3rd Phil Kinsella (18) 138
4th Michael McCarthy (18) 139
Cat 1 (0 to 8) John Hallinan (7) 142
Cat 2 (9 to 14) Nathan Whelan (11) 140
Cat 3 (15 to 20) Conor O’Brien (15) 144
Cat 4 (21 +) Nicholas Power (24) 139
Past Captain Roy Ware (11) 149
Committee Alan Darcy (10) 142
Best Thur/Fri Cillian Tobin (22) 69
Best Saturday Brian O’Connor (17) 70
Best Sunday John Kiely (5) 68
Over 70 Jim Grace (22) 70
GENTS FIXTURES
Tues. 7th July Open Singles
Fri. 10th July Open Singles
Sat. 11th July Club Comp
Sun. 12th July Club Comp
SOCIETY BOOKINGS
Gold Coast Golf Club warmly welcomes societies and green fee guests. We look forward to hosting you and your friends for a fantastic day of golf.
Our individual rates and group packages offer excellent value, ensuring a memorable experience. To discuss your 2026 requirements, contact Irene Lynch at 058 44055 or email golf@goldcoastgolfresort.com.
DUNGARVAN GOLF TRIANGLE
Experience three championship golf courses, all within 10 minutes of Dungarvan town for unbeatable value. Play three rounds of golf for just €90 with this exclusive deal available daily. For more information, contact Goldcoast Golf Club at 058 44055 or email golf@goldcoastgolfresort.com. It’s the perfect choice for your next golfing getaway.
LADIES NOTES
FIXTURES
18 Hole Club S/F Competition Sat/Sun
10 & 18 Hole On-Going Competition
Open 18 Hole Singles for Ladies and Gents every Tuesday & Friday
RESULTS
18 Hole S/F Club Competition No 8
1st Mary Kiely 38pts
2nd Mairead Curran 36pts
Gross Katie Kiely 22gross pts
Lady Captain’s Prize 2026 presented by Bridge Walsh
1st Deirdre Ruane (14) 136
2nd Karen Darcy (11) 139
Gross Rosie Murphy (6) 164
3rd Angela O’Connor (23) 140
4th Catherine Ruane (16) 142
Day 1 Catherine Hyland (34) 72
Day 2 Breda Veale (14) 75
Cat 1 Esther McGuckian (13) 151
Cat 2 Inseun Kim (17) 145
Cat 3 Rena Landers (27) 154
Past Capt. Elaine Nash (14) 152
Comm. Member Martina Corkery (18) 156
Plate 1st Ann Purcell
Plate 2nd Margaret Mulhearne
GOY LEADERBOARD
Mary Kiely 39
Katie Kiely 37
Betty Joyce 31
Karen Darcy 27
Esther McGuckian 27
A full list of competitors is posted in the kiosk, well done to all to date and it’s now starting to get interesting!!
CAPTAINS PRIZE WEEKEND
Our Lady Capt. Bridge and Capt. Johnny kick started their very special occasion with the scramble and BBQ on Wednesday evening in perfect golfing weather. There was a great turnout for the golf with a party atmosphere, music and fabulous food cooked by our resident chefs, Aisling and Martina.
The scramble of mixed teams was great fun, very sociable and enjoyed by all. There were some great scores returned, with some spectacular ones which is the norm every year. A full list of winners will be posted in men’s notes.
Our Lady Capt. was delighted with the turnout, the food and the music provided, thanks to the organisers and our chefs for yet another great event! Thanks to the members for making it such an enjoyable night!!
Friday brought glorious sunshine for the first of the qualifiers with Deirdre the leader in the clubhouse with 69nett and Margaret leading in the Plate. We also heard that Nick was leading in the men’s section with a 66nett, the birthday must have worked wonders!!
Saturday brought another fabulous day for the qualifiers and the Plate with Inseun, Karen and Catherine R bringing in 71nett each. Ann brought in another great score for the Plate, so everything was up for grabs going into Sunday’s shotgun start at 11am.
Bridge really worked her magic in providing a sun filled weekend for her special competition, the weather truly reflected our wonderful Lady Captain who is a whirlwind of joy and love!! Her prizes which were commissioned and designed by Maria Conroy were absolutely stunning. They were a selection of Resin Art scenes from around the Gold Coast which made a really wonderful display.
DEIRDRE WINS CAPTAIN’S PRIZE
The Presentation of prizes took place after the meal and the welcome address was made by President Alan who thanked all involved in making the weekend such a success. Lady President Mary spoke about our lady Captain Bridge and her commitment to the job and the club. Bridge spoke warmly about her role in the club and how fortunate she was to be our Captain, she thanked her wonderful committee and all the members who came out in large numbers to help where possible. Special mention to the ladies who provided home bakes and treats, to the ladies involved in doing the results and to Isobel and Bernie for the fabulous flowers which graced every available spot!!!
Presentation of prizes took place to resounding applause for all the winners especially Deirdre who took the honours with two fantastic scores of 69 on day one and 67 on second day. She has now completed the triple lock as she has won in Dungarvan GC and West Waterford GC to add to her accolades!! Her acceptance speech was brilliant as she spoke warmly about her playing partners on the day and how she was worn out trying to keep up with them to a thunderous applause!!
Captain Johnny spoke about the club and it’s wonderful location near the sea and how fortunate we were to have such a friendly club with members willing to help out for any occasion. He thanked the course staff, hotel staff and especially Irene and Mark in the kiosk for their hard work in keeping the show on the road. Congratulations and well done to Tony Fitzgerald who secured the Captain’s Trophy.
Beautiful music was provided by Johnny’s talented family which was a real treat to the musical ear!! It was a wonderful weekend of great golf, plenty of sunshine, gorgeous food, beautiful music and two very happy and tired Captains!!
BIRTHDAY WISHES
There was another celebration on Wednesday night when my fellow PRO Nick celebrated a very notable birthday. There was great excitement and birthday cake presented on behalf of the members to a very shocked Birthday Boy!! Congratulations and Best Wishes on your very special occasion and here’s to many more!!
CLUB FOURSOMES
Our club foursomes will be starting in July to get us all involved in a match-play tournament. It’s a great format where you are relying on your partner’s skills to keep the ball in play and keep your own concentration on every shot!! All details, terms and conditions are posted in the kiosk, please add your name to sheet for draw, you can also add your name to the poll online. Wishing everyone the very best of luck!!
GOLD COASTERS
Due to the excitement of the Captain’s weekend and scramble, no Gold Coasters! Back to normality again next week!!
OPEN TEAM EVENTS
Our next Open 3 Ball will take place on Wed 22nd July handicap limit of 36 and entry for visitors is €20. Our Play In Pink Day is scheduled for Sunday 27th September. We are giving you plenty notice to invite your friends and golf buddies and get your teams in for the above events.
NEW MEMBER DEALS 2026/27
Ladies, thinking of taking up golf, now is the time to do it! Our Lady Captain Bridge or any committee member would be delighted to take out potential members on the course. New lady member fee of €408 including Golf Ireland fees for year 1 are on offer now, please contact our Director of Golf Irene or Mark in the kiosk on 058 44055 for more information.