2012

Good turn-out for AGM
Captain Sean Smith chaired the final meeting of his tenure as he oversaw the 2012 AGM. There was a good turnout of members and they listened intently as the Secretary, Treasurer and Captain made their annual reports. The Secretary give a run through of the on-course and off-course events, highlighting the excellent work carried out on the course by Donal Murtagh since taking over at the start of the year, the work being put into our juveniles led by Gareth McLoughlin and Damien Rock with excellent coaching from Barrie Trainor and the two trips to Spain and Howth.
He also reported that the Senior Cowdy competition will be held at Ashfield next year and the following year we will host one of the qualifying rounds of the GUI Pierce Purcell competition.
Seamus concluded his report by asking for a minutes silence in memory of those relatives and friends of members who had passed away throughout the year.
Captain Sean thanked all who had made his tenure a memorable one, congratulated Donal on the state of the course and wished incoming Captain Con best wishes for 2013.
President Jim McLoughlin then presided over the election of officers for 2013 and although it was expected the decision of Secretary Seamus McNulty to step down after 10 years in office was still a shock.
After some debate and a few elections the 2013 officers will be:
Secretary Paul McCann, Treasurer Pearse Maginnis, Handicap Convenor Malachy O’Rourke, Competitions Convenor Mattie Rice, Juvenile Convenors Gareth McLoughlin and Damien Rock, House Convenor Michael Smith, Finance Convenor Michael Savage. There was no dispute as to who the Vice –Captain for 2013 should be and Seamus McNulty was elected unanimously. The Captains for inter-club competitions will be Michael Smith, Raymond Murphy, Michael Savage, Aidan Carragher, and Collie Stuttard.
Captains End of Season Dinner
Saturday night saw a great turn-out for the Captains End-of Season dinner and a beautiful meal was enjoyed by all.
Presentations were made to Sean McLoughlin for Player of the Year, Garry O’Hare for his Wednesday Cup win, Garry/Paddy O’Hare for their Doubles success, Malachy O’Rourke for winning the Fred Daly and also to runner-up Aidan McKeown.
Captain Sean was eloquent in his speech and thanked all members for their presence throughout the year, The Committee and his family for their support, congratulated Lady Captain Marie on her wonderful year of office, acknowledged the work of Donal and the ground staff and Damien and Karen for the excellent quality of food and service. President Jim echoed the words of Sean and thanked Sean and Marie for their leadership throughout the year.
On the course there will continue to be competitions for meat vouchers up to Christmas, and Mattie has organised a competition plus food plus some craic on Thursday 27th so please sign up for this and don’t forget Jim’s Ryder Cup in January/February.
Had been away for a couple of weeks and only found out at the AGM about Darren McCann’s excellent return of 50(yes) points. Congratulations Darren and I must introduce you to Malachy O’Rourke!!
Finnally on behalf of all at Ashfield congratulations once again to the Management and players of Crossmaglen Rangers on another superb Ulster title.

John lifts Top Twelve title
Congratulations to John Shields who won the end of season Top-Twelve when he returned an excellent 41 points just pipping playing partner Mattie Rice by one point.
On the same day the competition for the mere mortals was won by Petesy McCoy who returned 39 points just piping myself on a count-back, so another turkeyless Christmas in our house.
This week the main action is off the course with the AGM taking place on Wednesday night and hopefully there will be a big turn-out of members to ensure that the club continues to grow throughout 2013.
On Saturday night the End-of Season Captain’s Dinner will take place and this is the opportunity for members to show their appreciation for the leadership of Sean and Marie throughout 2012. I t is important that final numbers are complete by Wednesday night so if you have yet to get your ticket(s) contact any memeeber of the Committee prior to Wednesday night.
Just a possible three weekend competitions between now and Christmas and these will be played for meat vouchers, so there is still time to secure that big bird over the next three weeks.
Hope to see a big crowd in the club rooms on Wednesday night and an even bigger crowd next Saturday night.

Final Qualifier has no major impact
The final qualifying competition of the season took place this weekend and was won with a super 43 points by Kevin McCauley who finished 4 points ahead of Larry Crilly. However in the overall position there was little change as it would seem that young Sean McLoughlin has held on to his long term held number one position in the Player of The Year. Providing this information is correct congratulations to one of our best young golfers. If it is incorrect don’t blame me Sean.
The top Twelve competition will take place next Sunday commencing at 8.30(weather permitting) so if you need to check to see if you have made the elite grouping Malachy assures me that he will have the standings updated early in the week, so check the web-site. For the rest of us mere mortals there will be a Singles Stable-ford competition for a turkey or at least a leg of one.
Congratulations to Kevin O’Neill who held on to his lead in the Electic competition despite a last day push by a number of players.
After the conclusion of next Sundays competition there will be a presentation of all outstanding prizes so again if you have a prize to collect do try to be present.
A reminder to all members that tickets for the End of Season Dinner(8th December) are going faster that Kieran Simpson’s Complaints about his handicap so make sure you get yours next weekend.
Looking further ahead President Jim McLoughlin has been pushing for a Ryder Cup style competition and this has been listed for January/February. It will be based on an area format so get your name down on the sheet in the Changing Rooms. The President demands it!!!
The AGM has been set for Wednesday 5th December at 8.00pm sharp(unless of course United are playing that night). As I state every year if you want to have your say in how things are/should be run well this is the night to show up and speak up.

Niall in Form
Young Niall Watters was the person in form this weekend as he returned an excellent 44 points to take the final leg of the Electic Competition and to secure his name on the Turkey register. I don’t think this win for Niall will give him the overall title as this rests between long time leader Kevin O’Neill and the two main chasers in Eugene McCullagh and Malachy O’Rourke. If your in a hurry to find the result check the web site during the week.
The postponed final qualifying competition may take place next weekend but this will be decided at the Committee meeting on Wednesday night so once again I will have to ask you to check the web-site to determine what next weekends competition will be.
A reminder to all members that tickets for the Captains End-of Season Dinner are now available from Secretary Seamus or indeed any Committee member. Numbers are limited and like a Westlife concert they are going very fast so get your claim in because it will be a night. Trust me it will.
Committee meeting this Wednesday Night commencing at 9.00 sharp or when Uniteds match is over!!

Malachy takes to Fred
Congratulations to Dromintee man Malachy O’Rourke who won his first Fred Daly matchplay title when he completed a three and two win over Aidan McKeown in the 36 hole final. As was expected it was a tight and very sporting affair and credit to both players for putting on a great final in what could only be described as inclement conditions.
The Doubles Final was also completed on Sunday and this was an extremely close affair, going to the 20th hole before Raymaond Murphy/Eugene McCooey eventually overcame the challenge of Garry and Paddy O’Hare.
This weekends competition was a Four-Ball better –ball format and the early leaders were Micheal McShane/Padraig Murphy but their 43 points were later equalled by Kenny Murphy/Petesy McCoy and at this point I don’t have the outright winner—will probably the old pair!
Some doubt at present if the postponed final qualifier will take place next week, so make sure you check the web-site for the most up to date information.
Congratualtions to Kieran Simpson and his Freiendly Cup team who put up a super show at Conchra Woods on Saturday, just losing out to Maanan Castle by a couple of points.

The Ashfield membership joined with the whole of South Armagh in shock at the untimely death of member Barry Malone. As I, unfortunately, have had to write already this year I want to express on behalf of the management and membership of Ashfield our sincere sympathy to Barry’s wife and sons, Past President Jim, Vice-Captain Con and the entire Malone family. Barry was always a popular man on the course and a gentleman in the club house and will be missed by all. May He Rest In Peace.
As to be expected golf has been the last thing on members mind over the past week and with competitions postponed I don’t have much to report on. Next weekend sees the conclusion of both the Doubles match-play and the Fred Daly. The doubles will be a tight affair as Eugene McCooey/Raymond Murphy battle to overcome the big hitting O’Hare brothers. In the Fred Daly final Malachy O’Rourke will not have much time to research the strengths of his opponent as Michael Smith and Aidan O’Rourke play their semi-final later this week.
Looking further afield the annual end of season Captain’s dinner will take place on Saturday 8th Decemeber in the club house. Tickets will be available from next weekend.

Turkey Secured by Padraig
With the Wednesday Cup competition over but still a few weeks of daylight left it has been agreed to play a nine –hole competition over the next few weeks with a turkey as a prize. The first week was sponsored by Camlough butcher Michael Smith and was won by young Padraig Murphy. So that will be grand for Mrs Murphy and children so it is just up to Curly to win one for himself!!
This weekend was the penultimate week for the Electic competition and Eugene McCullagh made a valiant effort to secure his top two spot as he hit a super 43 points but not sure if this will improve his overall score to a great extent. Did not see forerunner Kevin O’Neill on the course but I’m sure he was out to try and secure his number one spot.
Howth here they come
Next weekend is the annual Ashfield –on- Tour weekend and I have no doubt that Seamus will have everything arranged to perfection for the trip to Howth. There will be a Single Stableford competition for any member not making the trip.

Ruiari takes Wednesday Play-off
Congratulations to young Ruairi Murchen who returned an excellent 9 hole score of 26 points to take the prize in the Wednesday Cup play-off. With Garry O’Hare already assured of taking the overall trophy for his consistent performances over the 22 weeks it was fitting that one of our younger players should take the final prize. In the other competition for the non qualifiers it was another youngster Padraig Murphy who returned the best card to secure his first senior competitive win. Secretary Seamus McNulty presented all the weekly winners with their prizes and Michael Smith presented Garry O’Hare with the Michael Smith Wednesday Cup.
Also presented on Wednesday night were the Club Classic prizes. The winners were the team of Michael Smith. Eugene McCullagh, Pearse Maginnis and Aidan Carragher, who beat the Collie Stuttard captained team on a count-back with the Kieran Simpson captained team in third place. Nearest the pin prizes went to Paddy O’Hare and Donal Murtagh.
Thanks also to all who participated in the recent Hospice trophy and a cheque was presented to the representative of the Southern Area Hospice on Wednesday night.
This weekend’s competition was a Single Stroke and Aidan McKeown set the early pace with an excellent 63, closely followed by 64’s from Niall Watters, Kevin Donnelly and Malachy O’Rourke.
Congratulations to Malachy O’Rourke who has made it through to his first Fred Daly final beating Michael McCreesh with I am told some excellent golf. Malachy now awaits the winner of the Aidan McKeown/Michael Smith tie.
As the summer season nears completion the battle for the Player of the Year is proving to be a tight affair with Sean McLoughlin still holding on from the challenge of Kieran Simpson and Gareth McLoughlin, although the latter did himself no favours as he finished bottom of the heap this weekend—presumably doing so because his made Rodney was not able to play. Seriously, best wishes for a speedy recover are sent to Rodney from all in the club.
I mentioned last week that Darren McCann had a Hole-In –One in the Club Classic but forgot to mention the birdie that Paul McCann had on the 6th hole. Not that unusual you may think but this was a different type of birdie. Can’t say any more but feel free to ask Paul!
Next weekends competition is a Single Stable-ford and is the penultimate round of the Electic competition.

Apologies to all for the lack of notes in recent weeks but was out trying my luck on the European tour!!
Club Classic
Many thanks to all the members and non-members who supported our Club Classic at the weekend and to all those who were generous in their sponsorship. A list of all our Classic sponsors is on the notice-board in the club-house. The early pace in the competition was set by the Collie Stuttard led Crossmaglen team but their excellent score of 108 points was equalled on Sunday so it will be interesting to see if this score can be beaten by some of the later teams. Regardless of the eventual winners the highlight of the weekend has to be the Hole-In –One achieved by Darren McCann on the 8th hole. Congratulations to Darren and lets hope it did not cost him too much. Full result will appear next week.
This Wednesday sees the climax of the Wednesday Cup competition with the play-off for all the weekly winners and the presentation of prizes. The overall Cup winner has already been decided and this has gone to Garry O’Hare for, I believe, the second year in a row. Congratulations to Garry.
The Classic prizes will also be presented on Wednesday, as will the donation to the Southern Area Hospice following the recent fund raiser for this very worthy cause.
Congratulations to Gareth and Damien and the juvenile team who had a great victory at Clover Hill last week. Well done to all and it is always great to get one over on the neighbours.
Next weekend is a Singles competition and this will be a qualifier towards the Player of the Year.
The Fed Day compettiton is now down to the semi-final stage and Michael Smith will take on Aidan McKeown while Malachy O’Rourke will do battle against Michael McCreesh. Both are difficult ones to call so not wishing to fall out with any of them I will make no prediction.
The final pairing in the Doubles is also decided and this is also too difficult to call as the experienced pairing of Eugene McCooey/Raymond Murphy will have their hands full against the big hitting brothers of Garry and Paddy O’Hare.

Marie has a super Day
Congratulations to out Lady Captain Marie Leonard who put on a super day last Sunday resulting in an excellent buzz around the club from early morning to late in the evening.
The men’s competition played over 27 holes provided excellent entertainment with Kieran Simpson dominating after the first 18 as he shot a level par gross score. Paul McCann proved that he could play equally well as he returned a two under par score. Darren McCann, Gerry Fegan and Kieran Watters all recorded low 60 net scores to ensure a very exciting last 9 holes.
With a big crowd assembled by the 10th Tee- box to see the 30 qualifiers tee off, there was a feeling that Kieran might struggle to survive some of the younger players. However Kieran had no such concerns and he held on to secure a great win edging out young Conor Quinn, who came out of the pack, and the consistent Darren McCann.
Winner: Kieran Simpson, Second: Conor Quinn, Gross: Paul McCann, Third:Darren McCann, 1st Eighteen: Gerry Fegan, Nines: Michael Smith, Frank Leonard & Pearse Maginnis. The first time we included an over 55 category it went to Aidan McKeown (did’nt realise Aidan was that age!!)
In the juvenile competition Niall Watters took the Senior Juvenile prize, followed home by Jason Duffy while in the Junior category Thomas Hamill was the runner-up to the very impressive Owen Reel.
Congratulations to Gareth, Damian and our Juvenile team who hosted local club Clover Hill on Saturday and secured an 8-6 first leg victory. The return will take place in Mullaghbawn next weekend and hopefully the team can put in an equally impressive display. Coaching continues of a Saturday morning with Barrie Trainor and anyone who has not availed of this during the year will still be very welcome to have a go.
A reminder to all members that our club classic takes place over the weekend of 15th/16th September and as we have invested a lot of money in juvenile coaching amongst other things this year it is hoped that all members will support this fund raiser, by securing a sponsor or putting in a team or maybe both.
Eugene Byrne secured his play off place by taking last Wednesday‘s competition, much to the annoyance of Eugene McCullagh who had targeted last week as his. Another few chances still out there Eugene, or perhaps you can take the Michael Smith stance and hope for a wild card spot.
This weekend’s competition was a Three-Man Scramble and the early pace was set by the Carrickcruppen combination of Kevin Kane, Declan Campbell and Peter Loughran but I feel they may have just being outed by the threesome of Raymond Murphy, Eugene McCooey and Joe Kindlon.
Next weekend there will be a Single Stroke competition which should favour our low handicappers—alright Kieran!!

Aidan secures excellent Fred Daly win
Aidan McKeown pulled off one of the best Fred Daly wins 0f the season when he beat young Stephen Campbell on the 17th hole on Saturday. This secured a quarter final spot where he meets the very experienced Noel Hughes and this is one that will be very hard to call. Michael Smith eventually saw off the challenge of Seamus Kane(not Kevin as I wrote last week) but it took him to the 18th to complete the task. Michael now has to face Mattie Rice and with both playing good golf at present this one will be sure to go to the wire. The other two quarter final ties see Malaachy O’Rourke take on Aidan Carragher and as Malachy may have his mind on other matters (wedding plans) this could be a big chance for Aidan to make the semi-final. The winner will face either Michael McCreesh or Niall Hughes and again this is a difficult one to call.
The Doubles competition is also nearing completion and in the first semi-final the pairing of Eugene McCooey/Raymond Murphy have to try to overcome the strong partnership of Terry Mulholland/ Frank Leonard. The brother pairing of Paddy and Garry O’Hare had a great quarter final win over Peter Loughran and Declan Campbell and await the winners of the delayed tie between Sean Smith/John Harte and Martin Rooney/Noel Nugent.
The 4th August competition won by Kieran Simpson(43) had Garry O’Hare in second place with 43 points and Collie Stuttard in 3rd place with 42 points. Congratulations to Kieran on this win as it was his last win before he hit the big 50 last Thursday. As to be expected Michael Smith had arranged a cake for him on Wednesday night and this was greatly appreciated, at least by John O’Callaghan who ate it all!!
This weekend’s competition was the annual fund raiser for the Southern Area Hospice
and as expected there was good turn out of members. The early pace was set by Pearse Maginnis who carded 39 points but this was soon eclipsed by Gerard Roe who returned an excellent 43 points and this will be a score that is hard to beat.
Last Wednesday it was the turn of Aidan Carragher to secure his play-off place as he returned 24 points over the nine with the in-form Collie Stuttard in second place with 22 points.
Kevin O’Neill continues to lead the Electic comptititon but Eugene McCullagh has tightened his grip on second place with Ruairi Murchen taking a big jump up into third. There are still two rounds of this competition left and not one as I stated last week. Where do I get this mis-information from??

Keeping it in the Family
After young Cathal’s great win last weekend it was the turn of dad Kieran Simpson to enter the winners enclosure as he returned an excellent 44 points in the ECL Bowl compettiton. This win will certainly move Kieran up the table and another big mover was John Shields whose two birdies and 7 pars will probably catapult him into the top half of the table. There is now just the one round left and the pressure will be on Kevin O’Neill and Eugene McCullagh to maintain the top two positions they have held since the first round many weeks ago.
In the Fred Daly matchplay there were wins for Malachy O’Rourke over Liam McCreesh and for Aidan Carragher over the favourite Kieran Simpson. Micheal McCreesh and Kevin Kane have to complete their match as darkness fell quickly and although Micheal is one up through twelve this match is far from over. Mattie Rice eagerly awaits the winner of this one.
The Wednesday Cup continues to attract a big turn-out with players trying to secure a win to get them through to the grand final. Pearse Maginnis eventually succeeded last week returning 24 points(yes its true). However it is still Garry O’Hare who sits on top of the table and even at this stage it is hard to see anyone pushing him off, but again you can never tell.
There was disappointment for Kieran Simpson and Gerry Fegan last Monday as they lost out in the County final of the Holmpatrick Cup beaten by just one point by our neighbours Clover Hill. Despite their disappointment they send best wishes to the boys from Clover Hill in the net round.
Next weekends competition is the annual fund raiser for the Southern Area Hospice and this will be open to members and non-members alike. So if you can make it come along to support this cause. All entry money will be forwarded to the Hospice.
On behalf of the Captain and members I pass on sincere sympathy to member Noel Nugent and his family on the death of their mother and to Pauline Smith (wife of Micheal) and the O’Neill family on the death of their mother. May they Rest in Peace.

Cathal takes his first Major in style
Congratulations to young Cathal Simpson who returned an excellent net 59 to take this weekends Major Stroke competition. This was a superb result for Cathal who is in his first year of playing senior competition and once again it shows the fantastic young talent within the club and a refection of the work put in over recent years by Juvenile convenors Gareth McLoughlin and Damian Rock and testimony to the coaching of Barrie Trainor. In second place just one shot away was Kevin Kane and his fine form will no doubt be a source of concern to Micheal Smith who has to face him in the next round of the Fred Daly.A full result of this weekends competition will appear next week or alternatively check out the web-site.
Micheal McCreesh had an excellent Fred Daly win over the very experienced John Murphy and he now eagerly awaits the winner of the Niall Hughes/Kenny Murphy tie.
A reminder that all Fred Daly and Doubles must be played by the 5th August, so make sure ties are arranged during this week. Mattie will not take any excuses.
Next weekends competition is the fourth round of the Electic competition and it will be up to Kevin O’Neill and Eugene McCullagh to see if they can hold on to the top two spots or can some players come out of the pack and apply some pressure.
There is no change in the Wednesday Cup standings as Garry O’Hare and Martin Rooney continue to dominate returning excellent scores over the nine holes.
There will be a Committee meeting this Wednesday commencing at 9.30 sharp.

Michael takes PGA Qualifier
A superb 42 points, playing of 13, and in windy conditions was enough to secure the PGA Tankard qualifier for Michael Smith as he edged out the in-form Garry O’Hare(41 points)and Michael Savage(40 points). Michael will now go on to Downpatrick to represent the club and our best wishes go with him.
There was an excellent turn out for this competition and the quote of the week must be from Rodney Quinn who was heard to remark “thank heavens for Kieran Simpson”. If your not sure of the significance check out the scoreboard.
In the Wednesday Cup competition it is still Garry O’Hare who is making the running although his 21 points on Wednesday night was not enough as Martin Rooney returned an excellent 22 points.
There was an excellent win for Raymond Murphy/Eugene McCooey in the Doubles during the week as they beat the very fancied pairing of the Kane brothers and this win will certainly make all the remaining pairs take notice.
The date for completion of the next round of the Doubles and Fred Daly is fast approaching and there are many crunch matches to be played over the next couple of weeks. I will ensure that you get a complete up-date next week.
If you have not played the course, or indeed eaten in the restaurant lately may I suggest you make a point of doing at least one, if not both of these. Take my word for it, you will have a treat.

Sean rewarded with an excellent day
An excellent turn out of members, including our biggest group of juveniles ever, and visitors ensured that Captain Sean Smith had a super day last Sunday. The weather remained fine throughout, the course was in excellent condition and there was a genuine buzz around the club house from early Sunday morning until, well, late Sunday night. The early pace was set by the younger set of Sean Og McShane and Niall Watters but soon the old reliables of Brendan Murphy, Kieran Simpson and Paul McCann appeared on the leader-board. The story of the day was probably of the favourites who did not make the cut so the likes of Eugene McCullagh, Micheal Smith and Aidan Carragher were not going to feature later on.
The third nine commenced in good weather conditions and it was soon obvious that the winner was going to come from one of the top two groups as the quality of play was excellent. In the final analysis it was just a half a shot between first and second and it was the young Niall Watters who held both his nerve and form to hold off the challenge of the more experienced Paul McCann.
Full result: 1st Niall Watters, 2nd Paul McCann, Gross Brendan Murphy, 3rd Kieran Simpson, 1st 18 Sean Og McShane. The nines were won by Liam McCreesh, John Harrte and Pat Malone. The nearest the pin prizes went to Christy O’Brien,Gerry Fegan and Francis Simpson.
In the junior juvenile competition second place went to Eoin Reel who was edged out by Micheala Casey while in the Senior competition Conor Reel just edged in front of Joe Rock.
There followed an excellent evening of song and dance and in his speech Captain Sean paid tribute to all who had played, thanked the Committee for their support, congratulated Donal and staff on the course conditions, thanked all the staff for their work throughout the day and thanked his wife and family for their support on the day and throughout his year to date. President Jim McLoughlin and Vice-President Con McParland praised everyone connected with the day and congratulated Sean on an excellent Captain’s day. Looking forward to 2013 Con!!
This weekend’s competition was the qualifier for the Musgrave Children’s Hospital Rumble and playing their way to 88 points for an excellent win was the trio of Seamus Leonard, Wayne McClenaghan and President Jim McLoughlin. Best wishes go with the boys to the Ulster final.
Wednesday Cup remains tight.
The past two Wednesday Cup competitions were won by Sean McMahon and Malachy O’Rourke and in the overall standings it remains a tight battle between Malachy, Garry O’Hare and Kieran Simpson.
Player of Year standings.
Low handicapper Brendan Murphy remains on top of the pile in the player-of-the year
Stakes but again it is a close affair with Sean McLoughlin and Gareth McLoughlin in very close attendance. All is still to play for in this chase.
In the Electic competition after round three it is still Kevin O’Neill who leads the way, closely followed by Eugene McCullagh with Mattie Rice sitting in third place. However there is still three rounds to go and the field is very tightly packed.
Next weekend’s competition is a Singles with the winner qualifying for the PGA tankard.

There are times when all the words in the world cannot express the grief of a community. This was certainly the truth at the tragic death, at 22 years of age, of Conor McCooey.
All I can write is to convey on behalf of the management, Captain, Committee, members and staff of Ashfield Golf Club our heartfelt sincere sympathy to Past Captain and friend Eugene, Veronica, Eugene, Louise, Grace and Niamh. You will all be in our thoughts and prayers in the weeks ahead. May Conor Rest in Peace.

This weekends competition was a single Stableford and the early pace was set by Noel Hughes who returned a very competitive 40 points, two more than playing companion Rory O’Neill. However this lead was short lived as the ever dependent Aidan Carragher signed in for an excellent 42 points. This may not be the final result as there was still a number of members on the course when I had to leave.
Week ten of the Wednesday Cup saw overall leader Garry O’Hare win again as he hit 22 points to edge out Kieran Simpson on a count-back. These two continue to be neck and neck for the overall Wednesday trophy.
Petesy’s team with a lot to do.
Petesy’s McCoys Ulster-Four-Ball team will have to put in a gigantic effort next weekend if they are to overturn a 3-1 deficit suffered at the hands of Castle-Hulme G.C. in Fermanagh on Saturday evening. However Petesy is convinced that his squad is strong enough to turn the match around.
In the Fred Daly match-play the surprise of the week was Gareth McLoughlin’s win over Brendan Murphy. Brendan’s mate Aidan McKeown was on the other side of a result as he played some super golf to eliminate the big hitting Declan Campbell.
Next weekends competition is the third round of the electic competititon and this offers an opportunity to members to improve on earlier round scores. Eugene McCullagh assures me that he will be in the top two at the end of next week. Decided to put a pound against him achieving this.
The juvenile competitions continue to attract a very good turn-out and coaching continues with the popular Barrie Trainor in attendance. The juvenile Fred Daly has reached the quarter final stage and the draw for this is:
Francis Simpson v Joe Rock
Padraig Murphy v Sean Og McShane
Colm Savage v Jason Duffy
Niall Watters v Cathal Simpson
Could we have a Simpson double in the Fred Daly this year? Francis or Cathal may win the juvenile while there is a chance that dad Kieran could win the Senior version. OK, I know there is not much of a chance for Kieran but strange things can happen!!
A reminder to all members that Sean Smith’s Captains Day will now take place on Sunday 8th July.

Gerry and Kieran secure Holmpatrick Cup win
Congratulations to Gerry Fegan and Kieran Simpson who won our qualifying round of the Holmpatrick Cup by returning 42 points which was a few below the winning score last year but sufficient to see the boys through to the Ulster stage. Not sure where they go to now but best wishes from all.
Last weeks round of the Wednesday Cup was won by the same Kieran Simpson who returned 22 points beating Tom Rushe on a count-back. In the overall standings Malachy O’Rourke continues to lead the way on 76 points, followed by Garry O’Hare with 71, Aidan Carragher on 69 and Kieran sitting in 4th position with 66.
The Player of the Year table is also beginning to take shape and it is young Sean McLoughlin who leads with 121 points, followed by Darren McCann with 113, Thomas Hughes on the same total with recent President Day winner Martin Rooney on 112, one point ahead of Brendan Murphy.
In the recent Fred Daly singles there were good wins for Malachy O’Rourke, Micheal McCreesh, John Murphy, Kevin Donnelly, Seamus Kane, Kevin Kane and Micheal Smith.
In the Doubles matchplay seamus and Kevin Kane had an excellent win over the Leonard brothers, Seamus and Brendan. Declan Campbell/Peter Loughran combination proved too strong for the Keady pairing of Gerry McArdle and Brian Breen while reigning champions Eugene McCullagh and Napier Boyce lost out to Collie Stuttard and Niall Hughes.
All remaining singles and doubles first round games must be completed this week as Convenor Mattie had given an extension due to the very inclement weather last week.
There will be the monthly Committee meeting this Wednesday at 9.00pm sharp.

Bad week for Doubles Champions
Last years Doubles champions probed that a year is a long time in golf as they suffered two defeats in the past week. Representing Ashfield in the 3rd round of the Daily Mail Pairs they suffered a 2 and 1 defeat at Dungannon G.C. and to further add to there misery they were then dumped out of this years Doubles in the first round, falling to the Crossmaglen pairing of Collie Stuttard and Niall Hughes.
Congratulations to Petesy McCoy and his Ulster-4-Ball team who took full advantage of an excellent 4-1 home victory to secure a good away result in the very tricky conditions at the Cairdhu G.C. This result was rounded up by an excellent result from Eugene McCullagh, at least Eugene tried to convince me of this. The boys now take on the challenge of Castle Hulme and once again this will be a difficult task but Petesy assures me that there is a very positive feeling in the team this year. The treasurer is crying!!
Thomas Hughes took the Wednesday night prize, holding out on a count-back from Captain Sean Smith. Garry O’Hare continues to lead the overall but Micheal Smith is now the one that is making a strong challenge.
As with the Doubles the defending Fred Daly champ also bit the dust as Gerry Fegan lost his grip on the title when defeated on the 19th by Malachy O’Rourke. Such a pity that a gentleman like Gerry will exit both competitions at the first round stage.
Collie Stuttard’s Rossmore Cup team had an excellent home win over a very strong Ardglass team and the return leg on the 10th June will be extremely interesting. I’m prepared to put on a bet for an Ashfield/Armagh double on this day. Any takers?
Presidents Day. If there are no details of Jim’s big day then it means that I have made the cut and you will have to wait another week. If all the details are below then I failed and have all afternoon to write the notes.
Won’t have all the details as the third nine will not be completed in time but despite the somewhat inclement weather conditions on Sunday morning there was an excellent turn out of members and visitors to participate in Jim’s day. The early pace was set by first out Kevin Watters who returned a net 66 and this was equalled by Michael McCreesh and young Stephen Campbell. Micheal Smith and Thomas Hughes both carded 67, with Curly Murphy returning one more than this. However it was local man Martin Rooney who led the first 18 as he returned an excellent net 64 and will be a strong favourite going out for the third nine. Others to qualify included Mattie Rice, Eugene Byrne, Gerry Fegan, Kieran Simpson and Michael McMahon.
At the other end of the field there were some big name causalities as Eugene McCooey, Raymond Murphy and Con McParland were amongst those who failed to make it through. Ruairi Murchan decided to confuse his Fred Daly opponent by finishing last but in this he was ably supported by Rodney Quinn. Final results will appear here next week.

Aidan provides Fred Daly shock
Congratulations to Aidan Carragher who to date has provided the biggest shock in the first round of the Fred Daly as he took out one of the pre tournament favourites Raymond Murphy. No one will relish the thought of meeting Aidan in round two. There were also good wins for Michael Savage over Danny Sherry, Con McParland ousting fellow Whitecross man Brendan Leonard while brothers Barry and Jim Malone exited at round one beaten by Kieran Simpson and Pearse Maginnis respectively. A reminder that all first round matches must be completed by 10th June.
There was also a major shock in the first round of the Doubles as many peoples favourites Thomas Hughes/Brendan Murphy suffered defeat at the 17th hole to Wayne McClenaghan/Darren McCann. The Tom Rushe/John Shields pairing had too much experience for the younger pairing of Ruairi Murchan/Kevin Donnelly. In the only other completed match Terry Mulholland/Frank Leonard proved to be too strong for the partnership of Rodney Quinn/Paul McCann.
Kevin takes Wednesday prize
Kevin Donnelly took his first Wednesday Cup prize as he returned 24 points to edge out Aidan McEntaggart with 23 points and Eugene McCooey with 22 points. In the overall Wednesday Cup standing Garry O’Hare continues to lead form Malachy O’Rourke and Kieran Simpson.
Despite an excellent effort from the Sam Rutherford team they fell a couple of hole short of what was needed to overturn the 10 hole deficit suffered on the RCD course. The display was that good that it even made Captain Michael Smith buy a round of drink. This almost proved too much for Thomas Hughes, but thankfully he survived the shock.
Next weekend will see the second of the big four competitions as we celebrate President Jim McLoughlin’s big day. If the current weather conditions continue then an excellent day’s golf/craic will be guaranteed.
There will be a Committee meeting on Wednesday night to finalise arrangements for Sunday.

Eugene and Raymond out on top
Congratulations to Eugene McCooey and Raymond Murphy who took this weekends Four-Ball Better-Ball format as they returned an excellent 46 points which was too much for the early pace setters of Gerry Fegan and Christy O’Brien who had been sitting in pole with 43 points for most of the morning.
Garry on top of a Wednesday.
Last weeks Wednesday Cup saw some excellent scores returned with John O’Callaghan keeping up his form in this 9-hole format as he returned 24 points but even this was not enough to grab a win as Malachy O’Rourke was able to better this by one point. Rarely see John feature in the 18 hole competitions, does he find it hard to get out of bed Sunday morning or will the buggy not last 18 holes?
In the overall Wednesday Cup standings it is still Garry O’Hare who is out in front, closely followed by Malachy O’Rourke, with Kieran Simpson, Aidan Carragher and Seamus McNulty in hot pursuit.
Kevin is Eclectic(not electric)
In the Eclectic competiton it is Kevin O’Neill who leads the way followed closely by Michael Smith in second place and Eugene McCullagh in third. That third spot for Eugene is worth £1 to myself, must collect it Eugene!
Michael Smiths youthful Sam Rutherford team (most of them anyhow) put up a good showing at RCD last Friday and at 10 holes down they have every chance of turning this around at Ashfield next Friday.
The Ulster Four-Ball team skippered by Petesy McCoy are entertaining Cairndhu G.C. on Sunday but no result at hand but they will be disappointed if they do not take a substantial lead to Antrim next week. Also out next weekend is the Rossmore Cup team under the stewardship of Collie Stuttard and news of both these will be given next week.
Next Sunday has been set aside for the playing of Fred Daly first round matches so opponents need to make contact to arrange a suitable tee-off time.
Finally on behalf of the Captain, Committee, members and all at Ashfield sincere sympathy is extended to Josie, children and all the family members on the recent death of our esteemed and loved member Kevin McQuaid. Sincere sympathy is also expressed to member Eugene McCullagh on the death of his wife Anne’s father. May they both rest in peace.

Wednesday Cup Hotting Up
The popular Wednesday Cup is really buzzing now and the revised format for the overall crown is certainly engaging a large proportion of our membership. Excellent scores were returned on Wednesday night and as Seamus McNulty quietly munched on his burger he must have felt that his 23 points was going to secure a second win in succession. However the burger turned sour(not literally) as first Kevin Donnelly and then Gerry Fegan recorded 24 points, with Gerry taking the prize on a count-back.
Best wishes to Napier Boyce/Eugene McCullagh as they travel to Dungannon G.C. in the 4th round of the Daily Mail Doubles competition.
Writing these notes early this week as I will not be around at the weekend so a full result of how our Pierce Purcell team and the Three man Scramble will appear next week. Alternatively check it all out on our web-site.
Make sure you have posted!
Mattie Rice has advised that the Fred Daly and Doubles match-play ties must be completed by 10th June. Anyone who has failed to post the fees prior to the match will be excluded (no one would do this?)
Some interesting Fred Daly matches include Martin Rooney taking on Collie Studdard, the consistent Larry Crilly meeting the in form Patrick Malone,Gareth McLoughlin and Brendan Murphy in the battle of the big hitters and talking of big hitters who would you fancy between Garry O’Hare and Steven Campbell. Have just noticed another interesting one, Damien Rock taking on brother Colm. Another one that stands out is the Gerry Fegan/ Malachy O’Rourke clash. Don’t take this personally Malachy but I hope Gerry wins this as I would not like to see him go out of both competitions in the first round!!
In the Doubles I already mentioned the tie of the round last week but there are many other interesting ties. The clash of Raymond Murphy/Eugene McCooey with Jim McLoughlin/Gareth McLoughlin should be explosive. Holders Napier Boyce/Eugene McCullagh will have it all to do against Collie Studdard/Niall Hughes. Another interesting clash will see Christy O’Brien/Michael Savage take on Mattie Rice and Aidan Carragher. Hope you get through this one Aidan and really annoy Kieran…….
Full list of ties is now posted on the notice board and if there is any problem in contacting your opponent see Mattie well before the final date.
Finally good luck to Ruairi Murchan in his battle with Michael Smith. Ruairi knows why I have put this in.

Gareth holds on
Congratulations to Gareth McLoughlin who made a welcome return as he recorded an excellent 43 points to win the weekends Single Stable-ford on a count-back from Kevin O’Neill. The superb course conditions meant that there were many high scores returned and as this competition is an electic one many members improved their score this weekend.
Congratulations to Secretary Seamus McNulty who took his first Wednesday Cup round last week with 22 points.
The Double pairing of Eugene McCullagh and Napier Boyce had an excellent win in the third round of the Daily Mail competition against a very youthful pairing from neighbours Mannan Castle. Not sure where the boys go to next but they go with all our best wishes.
I was not present when the Fred Daly and Doubles draw was made so I will give a full account next week but my good friend has advised me that the following are some of the highlights. Gerry Fegan, the current holder, takes on Malachy O’Rourke, hot favourite Kieran Simpson will have to overcome Barry Malone. Barry’s brother Jim takes on Pearse Maginnis in a battle of the oldies while second favourite Michael Smith will encounter new member Rory Murchen.
I don’t have the Doubles draw but have been informed by my partner Micael that we take on the pairing of Kieran Simpson and gerry Fegan. So I wonder who we will have in the second round!!
As already stated I will give a full account next week.

4-Ball Better Ball
Just to confirm last weeks result as at the time there were still a couple of pairs out but Eugene McCullagh/Pearse Maginnis pairing did hold on by one point to edge out the Gareth McLoughlin/Jim McLoughlin pairing. These two should win a father and son competition soon! Just wanted to put this result in as I don’t often feature in the winners enclosure!
Patrick follows in Fathers footsteps.
Young Patrick Malone proved that he has inherited some of Jim’s talent as he took this weekends single stable-ford returning an excellent 40 points in somewhat windy conditions and very fast greens. He just edged in front of Damien Rock on a count-back and Damien’s visit to collect a fish on the 17th was the big turn around for him. Gerry Fegan took third place. No prize for third Gerry but want to make sure the handicap convenor is aware of it.
Wednesday Cup
Last Weeks Wednesday Cup competition was won by Sean McLoughlin with 21 points with Aidan Carragher again been edged out on the count-back system. The current overall status will be sorted out this Wednesday and I will give full details next week.
Ulster Cup Defeated
The Ulster Cup team welcomed the Killymoon team to Ashfield on Sunday and despite a really strong performance they were unable to claw back the 5-2 score that they suffered at Killymoon. However congratulations to Kenny and his team who once again proved that Ashfield is capable of putting it up to the bigger clubs.
A reminder that there will be a Committee meeting this Wednesday at 9.00pm sharpish.

Cruppen trio take Scramble
Congratulations to Seamus Kane, Declan Campbell and Peter Loughran who took last weekend’s Three Man Scramble returning an excellent 53.7 and edging out the Dromintee team of John Harte, Malachy O’Rourke and Sean Smith. At least Sean has proved that during his Captaincy he is still going to play good golf.
There was an excellent turn out for the Wednesday cup competition and despite maintaining his recent good form by returning 22 points over the nine Pearse Maginnis was unable to halt the run of Garry O’Hare who, for the second week running, took the weekly prize on a count-back. Garry has obviously no intentions of giving up his crown without a fight. While on the subject Happy Birthday Garry.
Kenny’s Team up against it
The Ulster Cup team started the inter-club season away to Killymoon on Sunday and despite the best efforts of Eugene McCooey and Thomas Hughes they had to be content with just the two away wins to trail 5-2 going into the home leg. This will no doubt be a difficult one to turn around but this team has proved themselves over the past few years so all is not yet lost.
The club competition this weekend was a four-ball -better format and at the time of going to press I don’t have the final set of results. The early pace setters were Gareth McLoughlin and Jim McLoughlin with 43 points but this was bettered by the combination of Eugene McCullagh/Pearse Maginnis who carded one point better. However, there were still some strong teams on the course and I will not be surprised to see 44 points beaten.
Next weekend’s competition is, I think, a Single Stableford but just in case my information is incorrect check the web site.
Apologies to Sean Og McShane whose name was left off the Wednesday Cup photograph last week.
Finally it was good to see Michael McCreesh back on the course on Sunday morning. Well I say back on the course but when I saw him he was on part of the course not well travelled, and he had the cheek to say he was looking for Larry’s ball. Another partnership in danger!!!

Sean takes Easter Prize
Sean McLoughlin continued his excellent early season form when he took the three day Easter competition by carding a superb 44 points, edging out Pearse Maginnis by just the one point. Guess who is going to purchase the prizes for this one!!
Wednesday Cup off to a good start.
The Michael John Smith Wednesday Cup competition made a welcome return last week and the good turn out of members reflected the great interest in this mid week fixture. It was fitting that Michael Smith should be the first to tee off but it was the same story with the scoring as last year’s winner Garry O’Hare opened his account returning 21 points edging out the wily John O’Callaghan on a count-back.
Next weekends competition is a Four-ball better ball format and also on Sunday Kenny Murphy’s Ulster Cup team commence what they hope will be a long trek around Ulster as they take on a very experienced Killymoon team. Good luck to Kenny and his team.
The Wednesday Cup continues this week and full details of the scoring system in place this year is to be found on the web site.
A reminder to all members that the deadline for entry into the Fred Daly and Doubles match-play is the 15th May.
As the new season gets under way it is usually a time to purchase new clothing to at least look like a golfer. Seamus McNulty will be ordering soon so if you want a tee shirt or top with the club crest/colours get your order in.

Kevin on top
Congratulations to Cullyhanna man Kevin O’Neill who took this weekends Stroke competition carding an excellent net 64 to hold on from the very steady Garry O’Hare who along with Pat Malone returned a net 65. Garry took second place edging out Pat on the count-back. Pat was the hard look story of the round as he should have taken the prize but for a disastrous last hole.
Next weekend is of course Easter and the Single Stableford competition can be played over Saturday, Sunday and Monday and members may play as often as they want, Any past members, or indeed those who have not played Ashfield recently should try and get a round in over Easter as the course conditions are excellent and the changes made recently are worth coming to see.
The monthly Committee meeting scheduled for this Tuesday has been deferred until Wednesday 11th April.  This is also the date that the Wednesday Cup commences and this popular competition is sure to once again attract a good turn out.
Congratulations from all at Ashfield to the players and Management of St Pauls and Crossmaglen Rangers on their wonderful All-Ireland victories. All of South Armagh are proud of your achievements.
Finally a Happy Easter to all and make sure you avail of the good weather.

This weekends Major Competition was blessed by both excellent weather and superb course conditions. Despite the change in the time and the celebrations after Armagh’s great win over Down on the Saturday night there was still a great turn out of members on Sunday morning, even Michael Savage was in attendance. There was some excellent scores returned but despite the excellent score of 45 points by Darren McCann he failed to win his first Major as young Sean McLoughlin was able to pip him by just one point. So congratulations to Sean who takes his first title as a Senior at Ashfield. The full result will be available next week or again go check the website.
Next weekends competition is also a Single Stableford and if the weather remains clement then we should be playing the ball as it lies from tee to green.
Next Saturday, the last day of March, will see the annual Lourdes fund raiser. This year the format is a Three Man Scramble and will cost £75.00 per team. As always members are sure to come out and support this very worthy event.
A reminder that the Easter competition is played over the three days with the best card counting and members may play as often as their spouses allow them. For the benefit of Michael McCreesh it is the best score on one round not the 36 points you are likely to get over the three rounds!!
The Wednesday Cup competition is due to commence the first Wednesday after the Easter week.

After the excitement of Captains Drive In and the possible over indulgence on St Patrick’s Day things were somewhat more genteel on Sunday morning but there was still a good turn out of members for the Two Man Scramble. The early pace was set by Eamon McCann and Gerard Roe but they were unable to hold out as first Rodney Quinn/Jim McLoughlin assumed leadership with a net 59.5 but even this was short lived as the combination of Paul McCann and Gareth McLoughlin recorded a net 58.75, which I cannot see being beaten as only a couple of pairings remain on the course.
Next weekends competition will be a single stable-ford format and the same format will apply to the Easter competition which will be held over the three days and members may play as often as they want (or are allowed).
As the brighter evenings approach members are looking forward to the commencement of the popular Wednesday Cup and details of this will be posted soon. A reminder also that the entries for both the Fred Daly and the Doubles will be open soon, so those who want to get rid of last years partner may need to be thinking up excuses soon.
Congratulations to Donal and the ground staff for the excellent course conditions.
Michael Smith was so keen to get the £50 for introducing a new memeebr that I overheard him trying to entice Patsy “Bann” to join up. Even Ashfield could not tolerate two spoofers in the club.

Larry takes first Major
Congratulations to Larry Crilly who once again demonstrated that it is hard to beat experience as he held off the challenge of the in form Kieran Simpson and the two new young guns to take Captain Sean Smith’s Drive In prize.
With three net 63 cards returned it was down to the best back nine and Larry just pipped Kieran who lifted the Gross prize with young Sean Og McShane claiming his first senior prize in second place. In third place with a net 65 was another young man, also taking his first Senior prize, Niall Watters and the performance of both these lads is testimony to the coaching put into the juveniles over the last number of years.
The front nine was taken by John Murphy with Wayne McClenaghan taking the back nine. The visitor’s prize went to Mayobridge G.C. member Gerry McAnuff.
Sean presented prizes for his Drive In and all competitions to date and thanked all members and visitors for making it such a great day. He paid tribute to management and ground staff for the excellent course conditions. He also took the opportunity to wish Lady Captain Marie all the best for her term in office.
There was an excellent turn out of members to welcome in Captain Sean’s year and with the course in excellent condition there was a range of super scores returned and even at this early stage this looks as if it could be one of the most competitive seasons to date.
At one stage there was quite a hold up around the 4th/5th Fairways and Past Captain Eugene McCooey was quick to inform me that a certain John Harte might well have to visit Specsavers as he played Eugene’s ball. Later John did confirm to me that this was true but suggested had Eugene kept to his own Fairway there would have been no confusion. Think I will side with John on this one.
Check the web site for details of next weeks competition.

Kieran warms up for the Drive-In
Kieran Simpson takes on the favourites tag for the Captains Drive-In prize as he returned 41 points to edge out Michael Simpson, with 40 points and Kevin McCauley with 39 points in this weekends Single Stableford competition.
Along with Kieran, Gerry Fegan must be a strong contender for Sean Smiths Captains Drive-In prize as he continues the steady form that made him the 2011 Player of the Year. Players such as Eugene McCooey, Raymond Murphy, Larry Crilly, Collie Stuttard can not be ruled out but I am going to side with the early season form and predict that Malachy O’Rourke will take the first Major competition of the season, with Petesy McCoy being a good outside bet.
Raymond rules in Spain
Congratulations to Raymond Murphy who once again proved that he is the man for the continental courses as he took the overall prize in what was another very successful Ashfield tour. Raymond told me his recipe for success was healthy food and early nights. Yes I believe you Raymond. Michael Savage did not enter the winners enclosure and I have been advised that this was probably due to his poor driving!!! Well Aidan Carragher told me this.
The monthly Committee meeting has been changed to Thursday night at 8.30 due to a variety of reasons, Manchester United is not one of them.
Sincere thanks to all sponsors and horse purchasers and to all who turned up on the night to make a very successful nite @ the races.
Best wishes to both Captains for next Sunday and lets hope for good weather conditions and an excellent turn out of members.

This weekends competition was a Four Ball Better ball format and despite the fact that there was a big number of members touring Spain there was still an excellent turn out and some excellent cards returned. Captain Sean Smith and John Harte were the early pace setters with 44 points but this was soon overtaken as Martin Rooney and Terry Mulholland carded one point better and it seemed as this would be sufficient to take the first prize. However in the second to last grouping Larry Crilly and Michael McCreesh were able, despite Michael’s inability to use the modern technology, to card 46 points. What will Michael be like if he ever learns how to use that scope, might I suggest Michael that you focus on the actual hole your playing!!
A reminder to all members, partners and friends that Saturday night is nite @ the races to please ensure your support.
According to Mattie’s calendar next weekend will see a Single Stableford and then we have the official start of the 2012 season with the Captain’s Drive-In on Sunday 11th march and this will be a Stroke competition.
I will be giving a run down of the potential big winners for 2012 and hopefully a report on the Spanish trip in next weeks notes—not to be missed.

Malachy picks up second win
Congratulations to Malachy O’Rourke who got his second win of 2012 when he returned an excellent 44 points edging out Michael Smith who had carded another excellent 43 points. Michael had an excellent round just let down by finding the river at the 17^th.
Look out Spain
Many EC countries have been in the news recently for economic reasons but Spain may well encounter bigger trouble next week as the annual Ashfield tour hits the country. There will be four days golfing for the 18 man squad but Seamus McNulty assures me that it will be a case of early nights and a strict limit on alcohol consumption. Have a good time boys and I fancy Eugene McCullagh to be the overall winner, closely followed by Thomas Hughes.
A reminder to all members that a nite at the races will take place on Saturday 3^rd March, commencing at 9.00 sharp and there will be a light supper provided.
Coaching for the juveniles with Barry Treanor commences next Saturday and Gareth tells me that the juvenile membership is really healthy this year. Rememeber keep in touch with all club activities by logging on to the web-site.
Congratulations from all at Ashfield to the Crossmaglen Rangers club on reaching another All-Ireland final.

A good Rumble
This weekend’s competition was a three-man-rumble and with the weather remaining kind to golfers there was an excellent turn-out of members. Have not got all the cards returned at this point but it will be difficult for any threesome to beat the 86 points returned by Aidan Carragher, Kieran Simpson and Eugene McCullagh. Lying in second at the last count was the 82 points returned by Thomas Hughes, Terry Mulholland and Con McParland. Next weekend we revert to a Singles competition.
Past Captains Raymond Murphy and Eugene McCooey would be considered two of our biggest and best drivers of the golf ball, pity I can’t say the same about their ability to park their vehicles!!
A reminder to Committee members and any other member interested that there will be a meeting on Thursday night reference arrangements for a nite @ the races due to take place on Saturday 3^rd March. Any member who has yet to purchase a horse is asked to contact a Committee member before Thursday. Remember your £20 purchase could turn into £200.
Looking ahead a reminder that it is planned to have the Captain’s Drive –in on the second Sunday of March. Juvenile coaching plans are well under way and all juveniles are asked to check the web site for details.
Happy St Valentines Day to all but especially to the special one—you know who you are!!

Garry continues good form
Garry O’Hare continued his 2011 form as he teamed up with new member Peter Daly to win last weekends Four Ball better Ball Format. Just goes to prove that Garry is not just a good Face-book player.
This weekend was a Single Stable-ford format but after a couple of holes it was obvious that the greens were not going to thaw out quickly so the Convenor took the right decision to halt the competition to safe guard our excellent greens. Next weekend will be a Three Man Rumble and Mattie will probably take account of this weeks fees paid—the treasurer may think otherwise.
The Captains Drive-In has been pencilled in for the second Sunday in March, weather permitting, and a big turn out will be expected to honour Sean and Marie.
The nite at the races is going to go ahead on the 3rd of March and all members are asked to ensure that they have purchased a horse for the occasion. Michael Savage has assured me that they are absolutely no trouble and only require the minimum of cleaning out. They could not possibly produce as much s—- as most members talk every Sunday morning!!

Another super weekend for golf and members turned out in force to compete for the Single Stableford prize. Once again the course conditions were excellent and Gerard Roe made full use of the playing conditions as he returned 40 points, edging out Eugene McCullagh who hit 39 points.
Next weekends competition is a two man scramble.
A reminder to all members that the club will be running a night at the races on Saturday 3rd March and support by purchasing a horse and attending on the night will be very much appreciated.
The club’s web site has been updated and members are asked to make use of this for all club information.
Competition Convenor Mattie Rice is currently drawing up the year’s competition formats and this will be posted on the web as soon as it is finalized (click here). Club membership fees are due and these should be paid to the Treasurer as soon as possible.

Competition Convenor Malachy O’Rourke has been working hard at updating the Ashfield web page and it will have all the competition details, results, dates for match-play competitions etc. It will be our intention to put a list of our sponsors on the site as soon as all are finalised so members are asked to get into the habit of visiting the site.
Juvenile convenors Gareth and Damian have entered the club in the Ronan Rafferty and Fred Daly Plate so there will be lots of opportunities for the juveniles to show their talent this year. It will be the Convenors intention to invite Barrie Trainor to continue with his coaching this year so all juveniles will have the chance to improve their game. All juvenile information will be found on the website, if we can teach Gareth how to type!
Nite at the Races
Finance Convenor Michael Savage has plans in place for a nite at the races fund raiser and it will be expected that all members support this by buying a horse in advance and attending on the night.
This weekend saw a 4 ball Better ball format and once again there was a big turn out of members making use of the good weather and excellent course conditions. While a number of pairings returned 42 points, Collie Stuttard/Joe Kindlon returned an excellent 44 points but this was two points short of Rory Donnelly/Liam McCreesh whose 46 will hardly be beaten, even though at this point all cards are not returned. Could Larry and Michael return 47?
Next weekend will be a singles Stableford format and again a reminder for members to ensure that they make use of the web site—it will soon make me surplus to requirements.
The owner of the wedding ring found by Martin Rooney last week has been identified.

What a contrast to this time last year when golf was non existent. This weekend saw a great turn out as members made full use of the excellent weather conditions and the super course conditions. There is already evidence of the plans that the new management have for the course and members are looking forward to season 2012.
Last weekend saw a three day compettion and this was won by the new Handicap Convenor (no I’m not making any point) Malachy O’Rourke with 42 points, just edging out Eugene McCullagh who had returned a creditable 41 points.
This weekend Mattie had put in place another Singles stableford and this time it was Garry O’Hare, who showed that he has lost none of his 2011 form as he returned 42 points just winning from Joe Murphy.
From the first couple of weeks results it is obvious that to win in 2012 is not going to be any easer than in 2011.
The first Committee meeting of 2012 will take place this Thursday night at 8.30pm. All Committee members are to take this as official and yes it is a change from the usual Wednesday night slot—no United are not playing.
On behalf of Captain Sean and all the Committee I would like to extend to all readers a prosperous and peaceful 2012.