Gary Duffy is acting Course Manager at Blainroe Golf Club since September 2020 and has worked within the Maintenance Division of Carr Golf as a Course Manager and Head Green Keeper since January 2018. On May 28th 2021, he documented a day in the life for us at Irish Golfer to give us an idea of the work that goes into the picturesque Co. Wicklow course.
Our Chief Financial Officer, Alex Saul spoke to the Irish Times about how clubs in Ireland can learn from and leverage golf’s participation boom over the past 12 months.
As Ireland excitedly prepares for golf’s re-opening on Monday 26th April, our chief revenue officer Alex Saul talks to the Irish Examiner about how clubs must be flexible and adapt to sustain the 2020 participation boom.
Golf participation is set to surge again when Irish fairways reopen on 26 April. New and returning players bring a different type of challenge. Our Chief Revenue Officer, Alex Saul shares his thoughts in the Sunday Independent on how clubs must adapt if they’re to thrive.
Irish Golfer Podcast recently hosted a roundtable discussion with figures from Ireland’s golf industry including Pat Finn of Left Field Sports Consulting; Paul Vaughan, Director of Golf at Ardglass Golf Club; Mark Ruddy, General Manager of Lucan Golf Club; and our own Ed Pettit, Managing Director of Carr Golf’s course maintenance division. Among other topics, they discussed the impact of COVID-19 on Ireland’s golf clubs and the challenges club’s face as the country emerges from lockdown.
Carr Golf, specialists in golf course maintenance, is continuing its drive in the domestic golf market with the announcement of several long-term deals with leading golf courses across Ireland. Over the past six months, the industry leader has been enlisted by five clubs: Ardglass in Down, Blainroe in Wicklow, Edmondstown in Dublin, Ardee Golf Club and Seapoint Golf Links in Louth.
Iain Ritchie, Regional Superintendent of Carr Golf discusses the differences from his experience between setting up a Parkland course Vs. a Links course for tournaments.
Marty Carr speaks to the Irish Times on increase in membership applications as “an unforeseen benefit” but one that had come after a difficult period for golf clubs.
Stephen Nelson of Carr Golf who commented that;  “As soon as the Government said that golf could reopen, we saw a membership spike for all our venues. At one point we were receiving between 30-40 enquiries a day, it was unprecedented. Â
It doesn’t take a greenkeeper to tell you that grass starts to grow in the spring, grows even more in the summer, before then falling back in autumn and winter. It’s a straightforward seasonal pattern against which greenkeepers have had to manage for generations.