The Leinster Under-16 Inter-County Championship takes place today in Kilbeggan Pitch and Putt Club in the heart of the Pitch and Putt Midlands, with the Leinster Strokeplay Championships, sponsored by Eamonn Birchall and Brophy Bros. Builders, Blessington, taking place on Thursday afternoon. This marks the beginning of a fortnight’s play where under-16 players around the country take centre stage.

It is always a pleasure to travel to the big-hearted club on the banks of the River Brosna. From the moment you approach the beautiful stone wall that guards one side of the course, and enter through the gates, there is just a lovely welcoming feel to this great club. The perfect setting for a Championship that evokes fond memories and that has always had a great vibe about it.

Of course, a club can be welcoming as much as it wants however if they don’t have the course to match. Kilbeggan have that course! The course designer got full value for money when planning the layout of this famous venue. Perhaps not as expansive as some courses, but you never feel tight for space at “The Lawn” as it’s affectionately known. However this course has a bite in it from the first hole well into the back nine. Brute force will not serve you well in Kilbeggan, you need subtlety from the tee, a skill I’ve yet to master here!

Kilbeggan has become a more regular host of our Championships, and it is definitely a favourite amongst administrators as there is nothing left to chance. You just know that you will be afforded a great reception from the tireless committee, and sure enough as I wandered over for a final look yesterday morning, the finishing touches were being added to the course.

The front nine here has an imposing start with a short downhill pitch to the first green, before a horrid pitch back up the slope. Holes 2, 4, 5, 7 and 8 all need caution, and it will be confident pitching on these holes that will be the winning or losing as the two days wear on. The back nine is definitely the scoring half with good opportunities for birdie throughout the nine. However there is huge danger on the 14th hole, and an accurate pitch is required, although the final closing holes do allow scope to recoup any mishaps.

While it is safe to say that this has definitely been a season of transition for the juvenile game, and probably hasn’t worked out like a lot of players and mentors would have hoped or expected, these championships are what the season is all about, and with a bit of fortune with the weather, hopefully the event will run smoothly.

I am consciously not going to reference any players as I would normally do in the run-up to a Championship event. These boys and girls (and their parents) expend enough energy just taking part, without the added pressure of being name-checked on the National Governing Body’s website.

What I will say is that is excellent to see some new clubs providing finalists, along with the traditional powerhouses of the underage game. This competition has been the catalyst for some of the games brightest players to shine, or to provide glimpses of talent that shone magnificently in the adult game, no better example than that of our recently crowned National Intermediate Strokeplay Champion Brendan Lawlor who won in Royal Meath a couple of years ago.

4 of the Leinster counties send teams to compete today; close-neighbours Offaly play with Dublin, while the holders Louth play with hosts Westmeath. The following day sees a change in format in more ways than one with the Strokeplay Championships.
Normally held on a Saturday, it was decided by the NEC to run this event as a midweek start, to afford administrators involved with adult county teams a break instead of 3 days continuous play. However this places a strain on both mentors and parents, so moving to the afternoon time slot allows more players to play and it was also decided to experiment with a shotgun start to further increase the numbers playing.
We would be delighted to hear the thoughts of anyone involved with the Juvenile game over the course of the two days.

Live-scoring will be provided on course and on the PPUI website over both days if you are unable to make it down to County Westmeath.

To our President, Eamonn Birchall, and to the Brophy Brothers Builders who continue to provide this event with the valuable sponsorship, I am grateful, and hopefully the members of the PPUI can return some opportunity to Brophy Bros. who are a long-time sponsor of the PPUI. Many thanks once again to Kilbeggan who have made their course available for these Championships.

Finally, on behalf of the officers of the NEC I would like to take this opportunity to offer my best wishes to all the boys and girls taking part, and to thank the mentors, parents and coaches for all the time and effort they give to allow these players perform to the best of their ability.