Leinster Ladies Strokeplay Championships,
 July 14th @ Athgarvan Pitch and Putt Club.

Frequenters of the grasslands, hills and burrows that surround the Athgarvan edge of the Curragh will be treated to the pleasant, if somewhat unusual sight, of 83 ladies playing Pitch and Putt on one of the most unique courses in Ireland. I’m not sure how many times in this generation that this many female players descended on Athgarvan, but it is bound to be interesting this Sunday.

Athgarvan, as already mentioned, is indeed a unique course. No bunkers, little shelter from the elements, and tight surrounds and fairways mark this down as a true Shortgrass course. It is the natural tenants that add the crowning glory however, as sheep roam this course from morning to night. Thankfully they seem to shy away when competition is on so there should be no unusual situations to deal with on Sunday. It’s a pity that unfortunately most of the trademark gorse that dissected the front 9 has had to be removed, but this now opens up the course totally to beautiful views, so perhaps where one door closes….

The first thing those who have played Athgarvan will know is that a player needs to be precise off the tee. Getting onto the green itself won’t be good enough on some of the holes, as some of the most wickedly undulating greens in the country are to be found in this quaint little venue near Donnelly’s Hollow. Jesse Dunne and his club-mates have the greens in absolutely smashing condition, and it will be three excellent putters that emerge victorious on Sunday afternoon.

There are a good variety of pitch shots in Athgarvan too. The first is slightly downhill mid-50’s hole to a decent green. Being off the green is not advisable. The second and third are relatively small, nice pitch shots. Holes 4&5 have difficulty in their distance only, while 6&7 are relatively straightforward mid-range pitches to good greens.

Then it gets interesting. Hole 8 is a hole that I have always struggled with, and pin placement is always key here, due to the severity of the green. A pitch short of the green would be the clever pitch. The finishing hole on the front 9 goes the maximum distance, but once you accept that, then it is a simple hole. Holes 10 & 11 are again in the middle for difficulty before you play a few pivotal holes. 12, 13, 14 & 15 aren’t long shots by any stretch of the imagination, but they have varying degrees of toughness from hellish to masochistic depending on where you pitch and where the cup is! Anyone that breaks par for this stretch will do well.

The final three holes are good finishing holes for a player, 16 is played downhill to a big green, before 17 goes uphill perpendicular to the previous hole. This green can be tricky but if the player is sensible it will be safe. The final hole is a straightforward one, but my advice would be to all players is to walk the course before you play.

Ladies Junior:

The three lady grades are up for decision, and as is customary the Junior ladies begin proceedings at 9a.m. As coordinator, the first instinct is usually to play the competition as expediently as possible, but Athgarvan is a tricky course to get around, the fairways are likely to be very firm, and the greens hard to negotiate. In that sense I’d advise players to take a little longer and enjoy the game.

The reigning Junior champion is Lauren Pyke from Tullamore and she returns to try and retain her title. I think that there are quite a few ladies that will feature strongly in a competition that is played over 36 holes. While Athgarvan is unique I think anyone with experience of playing on any combination of short, close-knit, hilly courses will be at an advantage. Ferbane with its gentle slope and great drainage would be a similar type of course, and therefore I think the Offaly players will be well in the hunt, specifically Pyke and McCabe.
Dublin Ladies are always strong in this section, and the Dublin Ladies Matchplay Champion Glenda Hoey surely will start as one of the favourites to land the title. Lucan’s Sandra Keogh too is a good performer and could do well. I’ve been told the Lucan captain’s night is on this Saturday, and while I wouldn’t be one to dwell on what could happen, I think it is a fair assumption that the revelries in West Dublin will be long and pleasant, so a trek to Athgarvan for the Lucan contingent could be a sobering thought on Sunday morning! The Glenville girls always enter in decent numbers (there’s enough of them), and yet again the focus will be on Dora Kavanagh and Irene Finnegan. Irene could be the Dub to watch along with Glenda Hoey.

 Other ladies I would expect to put in a respectable effort would be the Westmeath, specifically the Kilbeggan, contingent. Carton, and the two Clarke’s are well capable of scoring well, and I think Veronica Clarke might be the one that comes to the fore.

Last but not least we have the Kildare ladies. A lot of pressure usually falls onto the home players, and in this section that mantle will surely fall to Ryston Club Captain Theresa O’Keeffe. It will be a tough act to juggle, Club Captain and competitor, but there is every chance she will pull it off, and add to her Kildare Junior Matchplay title.

So take your pick from anyone of eight in the Junior Ladies. Pyke is well capable of retaining her title, and I’d expect Glenda Hoey and Veronica Clarke to push her close with Irene Finnegan as the outsider.

Ladies Inter:

The lntermediate grade always offers value for money as the range of player in the grade is so wide. It’s usually unpredictable too, with the little nuances each player have being the difference (as in every grade). What I find with the inter ladies is that some of the players have tended to be very good at specific components or skills of the sport, and play quite well on certain types of courses, but when they come to a specialised course, which Athgarvan is, if that specific aspect of their skills isn’t suited, then the wheels can come off alarmingly.

That makes it even tougher to make an informed decision. I would expect two of the local players to do well, but just because you’re local doesn’t mean you’re putting game is automatically going to be suited to the slopes and falls of the Curragh. There are a couple of courses that I personally have a mental block with, and for neither love nor money can I get my head around it. I suspect this will be a factor for some of our lady players too.

Quite a few of the ladies in this section are good solid players, falling between the two stools of being too good for inters and not quite at the level of senior. A few have the experience of playing at the highest level, while a few more have made the transition well from Junior to Intermediate grade.

I’ll start with the Offaly players, there are a number of players who have Senior and Inter-county experience and will not be fazed by the occasion. Anne-Marie Farrell, Ger Ryan and Eileen Guerin are all very tidy players, and Farrell could be the pick of the bunch if she can find her game. Linda Flanagan of course is the Leinster Matchplay Champion which she won on her home course of Erry. She will be up close to the honours table also.

The Dublin Strokeplay was played out last weekend in blistering hot conditions on a course that is reknowned for its toughness and the penalties that slack shots reap. A perfect lead- in to this weekend for the Dublin intermediates.  The winner last weekend was Marie Shiels from Ringcommons, and while that win doesn’t make her unbeatable all of a sudden, it is a real indication of realistic prospects. Her clubmate Patsy Quinlan can be inconsistent in the scoring, with some blistering scores followed or preceeded by less acceptable cards, a trait that affects a lot of the Dublin ladies more so than their country cousins. Of course now that I’ve mentioned it, it’s bound not to happen! Mary Fullam and Antoinette Campbell are both good players that suffer the inconsistency, while Betty Cody will also be a threat. The real dark horse I’m told could be Therese Flynn from the Ierne club, I’ll be as interested to see this myself as you all will I’m sure.

Of the other counties the challengers will be isolated I feel. Carol O’Brien is one who I would expect to score well, but I’d worry that the conditions and the terrain might be her undoing. I think there is good competition, and has been for a while amongst the Louth girls, Ward, Carroll and Fagan, and I think they’ll all be expected to do well. Any of the three can be considered a dark horse, with Carroll maybe the best bet.

The Kildare ladies are sure to feature strongly, and in Bernie Dunne and Esther Martin they have two players who know what it takes to succeed at this level. Martina Loakman I’m nearly sure is a former Athgarvan member, and I remember playing alongside her in a National Mixed Foursomes in the very, very, very distant past. Loakman is a solid player and another to be watched as the round progresses.

So time to hand my betting slip in. I’m going to go with Marie Shiels for the win, with a small each-way bet for any two from O’Brien, Dunne and Carroll for the other medals.

Ladies Senior:

The Leinster senior ladies events are like pseudo-Nationals, such is the quality in the ranks. Every group has a quality performer, a player that could conceivably medal. This is going to be a very tough podium to get onto for the non-Kildare players, as they will have the upper hand on their rivals given their intimate knowledge of the venue.
That said, on reflection of my articles of recent past, I perhaps tend not to give due credit to the Portmarnock duo, and could be even accused of dismissing them recklessly, and I’m not going to make that mistake this time. Sheelagh performed heroic s in the National Matchplay and proved that discounting her from the reckoning should be done at one’s peril, while Ger Ward just keeps clocking up the majors and shows no sign of relenting.
Chrissie Byrne may be the double World Champion, but the Irish record haul of majors belongs to Ger Ward, and that is what counts in the general opinion bank. It will be fascinating to watch these two players at close proximity and only one group will separate them on the course so they will surely be aware of each other.

30 players entered the senior grade, a decent return, and roughly half of the field will feel they have something realistic to play for. Sheelagh Elmes is likely to set a good marker for the others to aim for, it would be no surprise to see Sheelagh go close to breaking 50, and it will give playing partner Liz Bloem an idea of where she is at presently.
Likewise in the next grouping Margaret Hogan will surely be near the summit of the leaderboard and thus will keep Mairead O’Toole keen over the 36 holes. Marian Byrne was unlucky in the Leinster Matchplay, before winning her county Strokeplay with an exceptional score, before being a plucky runner-up in the National Matchplay. She is in form and will go close on Sunday. A back injury looks likely to prevent ever-improving Linda Thomson from making a challenge.

It’s hard to know if playing with Ger Ward will be a hindrance or a bonus for Tara Dillon; she is certain to score well herself, although playing beside Ward means she will be scouted early if  she does start notching birdies, and it is unthinkable that Ward won’t be challenging.
Young Claire Keating comes into this event with little form, and definitely under the radar, and playing with two solid stalwarts could help her. A top 10 finish is not beyond her reach.

Chrissie Byrne plays just after her, and it will be interesting to see just how she reacclimatises to the cool Northern conditions after her sojourn to Galicia. She will be the marker that most will gauge themselves by. Certainly anyone that finishes ahead of her will medal.

Pauline Balfe and Marie O’Toole play alongside each other, not for the first time I’d bet, and both are on the precipice of breaking a major medal. Certainly Pauline has upped the ante in Dublin this year, and while she might lack a bit of the killer instinct, she certainly makes up for it in passion, hard work and force of effort.
This lady has infused a lot of enthusiasm wherever goes, and there would be no player more popular if a medal found its way back to Lorcan O’Toole Park on Sunday evening. Maree too is just always a shot or two away from claiming a big prize. That just leaves Tracey McGrath to bookend the field, and while she’s waned slightly, she is actually going for the Leinster double,

That the grade is over 36 holes allows the possibility that someone can have the 36 holes of their lives and the prospect of a surprise winner increases slightly. I’m caught between a rock and a hard place on this. Ger, Sheelagh, Margaret, Tara, Chrissie, Marian and Tracey are those who should challenge.
I can see Marian back in the winner’s circle, with Chrissie and Ger duking it out behind her. After that the order could be any which way.