To: Club Communication Officers and Honorary Secretaries

FAO: All Members

Equality at heart of first full Golf Ireland Board

• 13 member board with 46% female representation
• John White to take on President role for 2021
• Paul Haran appointed Chairperson

Golf clubs heralded a new era for the sport in Ireland today (Saturday 27 February), as the AGM of Golf Ireland, with over 900 in attendance virtually, witnessed the ratification of the first full board for the new governing body with 46% female representation.

Taking over from the Transition Board, chaired by Tim O’Connor, the first full board proper of Golf Ireland is tasked with developing a strategy for the organisation and will be accountable to affiliate clubs through the annual general meeting.

John White (Co. Armagh) takes on the honour of being the first President of Golf Ireland, a post he will hold for 2021, before Kay O’Loughlin (Castlerea) assumes the office for 2022.

Paul Haran, a former Secretary General of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, with considerable experience in both the public and private sectors takes on the role of Chairperson.

“I would like to thank Tim and the Transition Board for their great work in bringing Golf Ireland to where it is today, a modern and inclusive governing body” said Haran.

“I am both honoured and excited to be appointed as Chairperson to the Board of Golf Ireland and I look forward to working closely with my fellow directors over the coming years to build on the solid foundations set down by the Irish Ladies Golf Union and the Golfing Union of Ireland over the last 130 years.

“We have a diverse range of relevant skill sets on the board which will help us in developing and implementing an inclusive strategic vision for the game of golf across Ireland.”

Outgoing Chairperson of the Transition Board, Tim O’Connor said: “Golf in Ireland has set itself on an exciting new journey, building on the tremendous legacy of the ILGU and GUI. The way our affiliate Clubs have embraced the new dispensation, exemplified by very strong participation in the Regional Elections Process, has been very encouraging and inspiring and I have no doubt our sport is going to go from strength to strength into the future, founded on the values and principles of the Proposal of equality, inclusion and diversity.

“It’s been a great honour to chair the Transition Board and I would like to thank my colleagues on it for their sterling work over the two years of Transition. On their behalf and my own, I wish the new Board and the Team at Golf Ireland tremendous success.”

While messages of support were received from the Office of the Taoiseach, Sport Ireland, Sport NI and the legacy organisations, Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said: “I am delighted to hear that the transition to a single governing body for golf in Ireland has gone well and remains on schedule. Today’s AGM is an important milestone on this journey.

“The R&A is committed to ensuring that golf is thriving 50 years from now, but to achieve this long-term vision, we need to work collaboratively with national associations around the world. Of course, Golf Ireland has a vital role to play within Ireland, but it also has an important role to play beyond its shores in terms of shaping our sport globally.”

Additional messages received can be found attached.

The final report of the Transition Board is available to VIEW HERE

Board of Directors in full:

John White (President), Kay O’Loughlin (President Elect), Paul Haran (Chairperson), Jane Joyce, Gerri Houlihan, Barry Lynch, Peter Greene, Pauline Bailie, Teresa Byrne, Vinny Hammond, Martin Hynes, Sarah O’Connor, John Power.

For continuity and in line with good governance practices, Pauline Bailie and John Power from the Transition Board will also serve as Directors on the first full Board of Golf Ireland.

Biographies of each director are listed below.

John White, President

John is a member of Co. Armagh GC and has served on numerous committees, is a past captain and president and is currently a trustee of the club. He enjoys both the playing and administrative aspects of golf and has a keen interest in rules – having completed the Level 3 Rules Exam at St Andrew’s. Serving as a GUI Ulster Branch volunteer for over 20 years, John became Ulster Chairman in 2017. He has also acted as Ireland team manager on several occasions including a victorious European Nations (2016) and two Home International winning teams (2015 & 2017).

Kay O’Loughlin, President Elect

Kay has represented her club Castlerea GC on many fora within the ILGU during a distinguished career as a volunteer. This includes her membership of the ILGU Connacht District Committee, as Chair of the ILGU Connacht District Handicapping Committee, member of the GUI/ILGU Joint World Handicapping Committee and member of the ILGU National Course Rating Committee.

Paul Haran, Chairperson

Paul served as Secretary General of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, retiring in 2004 after a public sector career of almost 30 years. Since then he has been a Director and board member of many companies and bodies including Glanbia, National Broadband Ireland, the Irish Heritage Trust and Edward Dillon which he chairs. He served as Chairperson of the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School and as the Vice-President and Principal of UCD’s Business and Law schools.

Jane Joyce, Director

Jane is an experienced golf administrator, most recently as the ILGU Connacht District Secretary and also at club level with Gort GC. Trained in marketing and public relations, her primary experience is at a voluntary level having participated in the initial Golf Ireland Discussion Group on volunteerism.

Gerri Houlihan, Director

Gerri has been Chairperson of Headfort GC having been a member there for over 25 years and serving in various committee roles. By profession she was a Medical Scientist, working for 35 years in various Dublin hospitals. She is retired since 2010, having been the Chief Medical Scientist of the Endocrine Laboratory in the Mater Hospital.

Barry Lynch, Director

Barry has been a member of Raffeen Creek since its founding in 1989 and has held many voluntary positions within the club. He also has had extensive involvement with the GUI, both at provincial and national level in the areas of handicapping, course rating, rules and championships.

Peter Greene, Director

Peter is a chartered accountant and statutory auditor with 30 years professional experience in the accountancy profession and voluntary sector, with specific expertise in corporate governance. Peter is also a member of Holywood GC and has undertaken a variety of volunteer roles within the club.

Pauline Bailie, Director

Pauline was a member of the Transition Board of Golf Ireland, chairing the Volunteering Sub Committee. She was also a member of the most recent ILGU Board, chairing the Handicapping and Course Rating Committee. Prior to this, she was involved in golf administration in her club Belvoir Park. Pauline’s professional career was in the Northern Ireland Civil Service where she has worked for over 35 years.

Teresa Byrne, Director

Teresa is a professional accountant working in the pharmaceutical industry for a number of years. She was previously a member of the ILGU Board as Finance Director until 2019 and was heavily involved in the Golf Ireland Discussion Group during this time. She is also involved in volunteering at her local club New Ross.

Vinny Hammond, Director

Vinny’s professional background is in high performance sport where he works as the Head of Analytics and Innovation for the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), primarily working with the senior national team. He also sits on their High Performance Strategy Committee. He is a member of Carton House GC.

Martin Hynes, Director

Martin has experience in golf administration at both club and provincial level. He has been involved in the management of Athenry Golf Club and has also been a member of the GUI Connacht Branch, sitting on their Championship Committee. Martin works as lecturer in Galway Mayo Institute of Technology, with a research background in high performance sport.

Sarah O’Connor, Director

Sarah is a qualified solicitor who has spent her career in the sports industry. Firstly as CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport until 2015 and more recently as Company Director and Head of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship at Wilson Hartnell. She also has volunteer experience as Chairperson of Boardmatch Ireland and as a member of Irish Sailing’s Olympic Sailing Group. She is a member of Milltown GC.

John Power, Director

John was a member of the Transition Board of Golf Ireland, having previously been involved in the Discussion Group to form the new organisation and as a member of the GUI board. He has also been involved as a volunteer with his own club Portmarnock GC. Professionally, John is Chartered Engineer and was Director General of Engineers Ireland until 2015.

Kind regards,

Golf Ireland | Carton Demesne, Maynooth, Co. Kildare W23 R8C6

T: +353 (1) 505 4000 | M: +353 (86) 086 8191

W: golfireland.ie

To: Club Communication Officers and Honorary Secretaries,

FAO: All Members

As you will be aware, the inaugural Golf Ireland National AGM is scheduled for this Saturday 27 February at 11am via online conference. Preparations for this meeting have been ongoing in recent weeks and we have been contact with your club delegates to ensure clubs are facilitated in relation to this. A key function of this meeting will be to elect the first board of Golf Ireland. This vote will be conducted electronically and delegates in each club have now received instructions in relation to this.

You will also be aware of the recent government decisions to maintain current COVID-19 restrictions. We understand the frustration and the difficult situation that many clubs are currently in with the courses remaining closed. I want to assure you all that we are engaging intensively with the relevant government departments and agencies in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland to highlight the safety and health benefits of golf. All of you did a great job last year in keeping golf safe at club level. That strong track record is really standing to us now as we make the case for golf to be one of the first sports to restart as soon as the public health situation allows. Last month, Golf Ireland made a detailed written submission to the Irish Government on how golf can be safely resumed under the various levels of its Living with Covid Plan and a similar submission was made to the Northern Ireland Executive. We will continue to work closely with the public authorities to ensure that our sport is up and running again as soon as possible.

In relation to this, Golf Ireland’s Championships team and Regional Managers have been working on a revised schedule for the 2021 season to take into account the continuing challenges posed by the pandemic. With regard to the Regional and National Championships schedule, it is planned to commence the season at the end of May, subject to public health restrictions. Online entries for Championships will open on the week ending Friday 19 March. Despite the later-than-usual start, it remains Golf Ireland’s firm intention to run a comprehensive schedule. The full schedule will be published at the end of February. Golf Ireland’s Tournament Regulations are also being updated to take account of the evolving public health circumstances and will be published along with the fixture list shortly. Golf Ireland is extremely grateful to the host clubs involved for their patience, co-operation and continued enthusiasm, without which it would not be possible to provide such a comprehensive competition programme in the circumstances that currently prevail.

Meanwhile, there has been a greatly encouraging response from golf clubs to the opening of entries for the 2021 Inter-Club competitions. Over 370 clubs have entered these competitions, and at the end of this month the Regions will conduct the draws for the competitions, which will then be published on the week ending Friday 19 March. As things stand, we anticipate the deadline for completion of first round matches in most events to be set no earlier than mid-May, again depending on when matches will be allowed to commence due to public health restrictions. With regard to the four All-Ireland inter-club competitions that were suspended in 2020 at the semi-final stage due to public health restrictions, it remains Golf Ireland’s intention to conclude these before the clubs involved commence their participation in this year’s matches.

Kind regards,

Mark Kennelly

Chief Executive

Golf Ireland | Carton Demesne, Maynooth, Co. Kildare W23 R8C6

T: +353 (1) 505 4000

W: Golfireland.ie

Hello Fellow Golfers.

Well what a year!  A year that started off with me getting presented with my Captain’s jacket and looking forward to representing Antrim Golf Club.  But then, as everyone knows Covid 19 put a stop to everything in March.  No golf, no GUI competitions where I could support our teams, no socialising at the bar after 18 holes on a Saturday or Sunday and none of the banter which goes with this.  All these had to be sacrificed so that everyone could stay safe.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow Committee members who continued to have monthly meetings using Zoom, especially Kenny Lee, Victor Watson and Bob Tweedale for their efforts when we eventually got back to playing again.  Also all the Centre staff, who helped to get us back, playing safely on the course again.

So now, with Christmas approaching, we maybe have some light at the end of a dark tunnel with the roll out of a vaccination for this terrible disease.  So with the hope that sometime next year we will get back to some sort of normal, I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy (covid free) New Year.

Regards, David Glass.

IMPORTANT: Service Update

Dear More Leisure Member, Following the announcement by the NI Executive on the 17th December, all of the Council’s Leisure facilities including golf will close from the 24th December for a period of 6 weeks. Membership fees will continue to remain suspended until at least March 2021 and this will remain under continuous review. Members can continue to avail of the More Live programme. Classes will continue to be available on-demand throughout closure with access available through the website. In addition, a Fitness Class workout plan is available to help you to stay on track with your fitness goals. Simply Click here to download the programme to get started. Should you have any questions regarding this email please contact More@antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk. Regards Matt McDowell Matt McDowell Head of Leisure

Dear Member,

You are reminded of the following Club Rules.

Not Honouring Time-Slot

Following the decision made at the AGM on 5^th December 2006 to change the Time Sheet from a weekly to a monthly basis, the Committee has amended the penalty for a member not honouring his time-slot to the following:

Failure of a Club Member to honour his Club time-slot twice in a rolling calendar month will result in that Member’s right to book a Club time-slot in Home competitions on the next posted Time-Sheet (MONTHLY) being suspended.

Cancellation of time-slots will be acceptable up to 7.00pm on the THURSDAY immediately preceding the weekend of the competition.

Monthly Timesheets (March 2014)

Please note that if you are unable to use your competition tee-off time you must remove your name from the timesheet before 7pm on the Thursday prior to the competition (this will allow other members to book the slot). You can remove your name in person or contact reception and ask a member of staff to remove your name on your behalf. You cannot remove another members name without permission and Centre staff have been asked not to remove another members name at your request.

Time Sheet Conditions of Use

ALL Members booking a slot on the Club Time Sheet must enter the Club Competition. Failure to adhere to this condition will result in the withdrawal of the Member’s right to enter the Club Competition or use a slot on the Club Time Sheet the following Saturday.

Returning Scores

From the beginning of December, members are requested to return their scores no later than 7pm on the day of the competition.

Removing your name in a timely manner is especially important at this time as our Club Slots are oversubscribed and it is important to give others the chance to rebook the slot being vacated.

Keep Safe,

Kenny Lee

FAO: Members of Affiliated Golf Clubs
Re: World Handicap System

On November 2^nd, the World Handicap System (WHS) will come into effect in Ireland alongside the other Home Unions of England, Scotland and Wales.

While the previous CONGU Handicapping System was an incremental one, the WHS is an averaging system based using the best 8 of the last 20 scores on your record.

This new system will provide maximum enjoyment for all by enabling all golfers, from anywhere in the world, to play and compete with others on a fair basis.

At this point, all handicap records are in the process of being transferred to the new WHS system, which will replace Golfnet. Here are some things you will need to consider in preparation for the new system.

Do I need to do anything to transfer my handicap to the new WHS?

No, your handicap records will be automatically transferred and your club has been given access to the WHS platform in advance.

As the site comes online, which is likely to be during the afternoon or early evening on 2^nd November, you will be able to create a new WHS system account. You will do this using your eight-digit CDH number and 4-digit PIN, both of which are printed on the rear of your GUI/ILGU Member Card. This will allow you to view your handicap index and further details of where to create this account will be shared on November 2^nd.

If your PIN is missing from the back of your card, you can look it up on Golfnet or ask your Handicap Secretary to get it for you from Golfnet.

If you have lost your card then your club must order a new card for you.

What if my handicap has changed significantly?

Don’t panic!

It is likely that your handicap index will change from your current CONGU handicap. This change is not an exact science as the data from an old system (CONGU) has been used to calculate new WHS Indices. While this has been done as accurately as possible, there will be some anomalies.

The Handicap Index you view on November 2^nd will fluctuate as you begin to submit eligible scores under the new system.

However, if you feel that your handicap index is significantly inaccurate there is a recommended process to follow:

1. Members should first address their query to their Handicap Secretary/Committee.

Your club knows you and your playing ability. In the vast majority of cases your club will be able to make an adjustment to your Handicap Index and resolve the situation for you quickly. It must also be noted that this transition has been a huge effort for your club Handicap Secretary/Committee, all of whom are volunteers. We ask that you consider this workload when asking for your query to be addressed.

1. If the Handicap Secretary/Committee cannot answer the query, the Handicap Secretary should forward it to the ILGU Handicap Advisor or GUI Handicapping Convenor/Branch Office.

1. If the Handicap Advisor/Convenor/Branch cannot answer the query it should be forwarded to handicapping@golfireland.ie for the attention of the National Handicap Committee.

1. If necessary, Golf Ireland will refer the query to the WHS Committee.

The process of accurately assigning scores to courses/tees has been challenging. Scores from the old system were never linked with a course/set of tees. So, we’ve had to apply a set of rules to try to map scores to courses in the new system. Whilst this process has worked for the vast majority of scores, there are some scores that have been assigned to courses/tees other than those played on the day. In cases where this has a material effect on the calculation of the WHS Index, we’re working with your Handicapping Committee to apply a fix. Please bear with us over the coming weeks, while we complete this process.

How do I use my new WHS Handicap Index?

Golf Ireland have provided Course & Slope Rating tables to all golf clubs. These tables should be positioned in clear locations around the club making it simple for golfers to find prior to beginning their round.

You simply have to choose the tees you are playing off that day and cross reference your Handicap Index on the Course & Slope Rating table to ascertain your Course Handicap. Different tees on the same course could have varying slope ratings. Your Course Handicap determines the number of strokes you give or receive off the tee set you intend to play from.

Then, depending on the format you are playing (singles, fourball etc.) you will apply a handicap allowance to your course handicap which will present you with your playing handicap.

For example: The recommended handicap allowance for individual stroke play events is 95% which means a player could have a course handicap of 15 but a playing handicap of 14.

More information on the World Handicap System can be found at www.golfnet.ie/whs

Alan Kelly

Communications & Academy Manager

Golfing Union of Ireland

Note: This is for clubs in the Republic of Ireland. Other clubs copied for information.

FAO: All members

Statement from GUI and ILGU

4.45pm Wednesday 21^st October 2020

Following intensive engagement over the past 48 hours, we have been informed this afternoon by Sport Ireland that, very regrettably golf clubs must close under the new level 5 restrictions.

Essential course maintenance is permitted to continue under level 5. We have sought clarity on the issue as to whether ranges/practice facilities can remain open for exempted activities. We will update clubs on this as soon as possible.

FAO: All members, handicap committee, staff

To assist in spreading the messaging about the World Handicap System, I have prepared a podcast which will take listeners through the most relevant parts of the system and it should help understanding ahead of the launch on 2^nd November.

I would appreciate it if you could copy and paste the message below and send it to all your members and post it on your social media channels.

Many thanks
Alan

*
The World Handicap System starts on 2^nd November. We encourage you to listen to the podcast below which has been prepared by the GUI and ILGU.

Listen here: https://soundcloud.com/guigolf/world-handicap-system-what-it-means-for-you

Check out www.golfnet.ie/whs for more info. #WHS
Alan Kelly

Communications & Academy Manager

Golfing Union of Ireland

FAO: All Members and Handicap Committee

Thank you for your help so far in getting the message out there about the World Handicap System which arrives in Ireland on 2^nd November 2020.

Don’t forget that everything your members need to know about WHS is available at www.golfnet.ie/whs and we encourage you to let your members know about this resource. We have a Frequently Asked Questions document, presentations and the Rules of Handicapping book available for download.

Attached are six more graphics which you can use on your social media channels, club website and internal club newsletters to all members.