Douglas
Pitch & Putt Club
Formed
by a dedicated group of enthusiasts in the halcyon days of the mid 1950’s
Douglas Pitch & Putt Club has over the years proved to be one of the most
successful clubs in the country.
Little
did the small group which started with a rented 9 hole course imagine that
almost 60 years later and with many course changes that Douglas
would have one of the finest courses and clubhouses in Ireland.
Over
the years the Club expanded from 9 holes to 18 holes by renting additional land.
Sadly due to housing development 2 rented sections of the course were lost and
in 1977 the momentous decision to purchase 2½ acres of land for £14,000 was
taken. Our bankers AIB Bank, Douglas
lent us £10,000 and with £4,000 contributed by way of interest free loan by
members the purchase was undertaken.
Extensive fund raising then commenced and within a short number of years
the debt was cleared. In a further development in 1996 the Club bought out its
lease and became the proud owner of 4½ acres on which the present course and
clubhouse stand. The decision to construct a new clubhouse was taken shortly
afterwards and once again the club bankers AIB Douglas Road were willing to
provide the necessary finance (naturally the amounts borrowed were a lot more daunting
than the £10,000 borrowed in 1977). Enthusiastic fund raising and a generous
grant from the National Lottery enabled the dream to become a reality. Shortly
after this in addition to servicing the current debt significant course
development was made including much needed drainage as well as an automatic
watering system. In 2008 with security becoming an ever increasing problem new
railings, an electronic gate and cameras were installed. Further improvements
have been made since then including the new feature adjoining the second
fairway
The
development of Pitch & Putt in Douglas mirrored
that of the sport itself. Even as the fledgling club matured so did the sport
and Douglas
over the years proved to be a cradle for talented administrators. In addition
to the numerous Co.
Board and Provincial Personnel that Douglas
provided the ultimate administrative honour was accorded Chris Twohig from Douglas
when he was elected President of Central Council in 1975 and 1976.
As
a course Douglas
has always been regarded as second to none. Numerous championships have been
held over the years starting in 1971 with the Ladies Strokeplay Championships,
where Douglas
provided both the senior winner in Kit O’Donovan and the junior winner in Mary
Madden. Douglas
is the course most used for the Ladies Strokeplay having hosted the event on
four occasions. The National Matchplay was first hosted in
1973 and again in 1985. Douglas also hosted the National Team event in 1975, when
Douglas teams garnered first and second place, as well as a welcome return in
1980. In 2002 the club hosted the National Mixed Foursomes another first for Douglas
to be followed in 2005 by the fourth hosting of the Ladies Strokeplay. In 2010
came another first in the co hosting with neighbors Ballinlough of the National
Scramble. In 2011 forty years after the club hosted its first National
Championships the Gents National Strokeplay Championship finally made its way
to Douglas where exceptionally large crowds enjoyed not only the superb
spectacle of Pitch & Putt but the social side of the game for which Cork
clubs are famous.
The
next major date for Douglas takes place in 2015 when the club will
celebrate its 60th
Anniversary
Pitch & Putt Ireland