18 Hole Mooreland
Course Facts: Address
Corboley
Bearna
Co. GalwaySecretary/Manager: Pat Donnellan Captain: Roy Thompson Lady Captain: Kate O'Meara Telephone: 091-592677 President: Martin Brennan Public No: 091-592766 Vice-Captain: Roy Thompson & Anne Brennan Fax: 091-592674 Hon. Secretary: John Moore-O'Connor & Catherine Connolly E-mail: bearnagolfclub@gmail.com Club Pro: Declan Cunningham Website: www.bearnagolfclub.com Hon. Treasurer: Patrick Waltzer & Mary McHugh Founded: 1996 Designed by: Bobby Brown Membership: 500 Course opening hours: Daylight hours Green Fees Midweek: €35 Clubhouse opening hours: 9.00am to Midnight Green Fees Weekends & B.H.: €50 Mobile phones: Not on course or in clubhouse Green Fees With a Member: €25/30 Dress Code: Neat casual, no denim Green Fees For Opens: N/A Catering: Full catering facilities Practice Area: Yes Days to Avoid: None Club Hire: Yes Green Fees and Societies Welcome: Midweek & Weekends Buggy Hire: Yes Pre-booking for open tournaments: 14 Days in advance Soft spikes: No
Course Description:
Bearna Golf & Country, Club opened for play in March 1997. Designed by Bobby Brown, it measures 6,174 metres par-72 with a standard scratch of 72 off the back tees. Set on 250-acres of typical Connemara landscape of bog, rock, gorse and heather, Brown used the space to create a Championship course with all 18-holes offering distinctly different challenges, indeed only the 10th and 11th run in the same direction. The short 120 metres 13th is guarded by the intriguingly named "Forbidden Lake". Although a relatively new golf course the high-quality greens built to USGA specifications, would be the envy of many a more mature course.The owner Pat Donnellan is more famous for his achievements on the GAA field than his heroics on the golf course, although he has several All-Ireland golf medals while playing for Galway Golf Club. As he was on the famous "three-in-a-row" Galway team in 1964,65 & 66. Pat were part of that legendary team, never one to "flinch" a challenge he decided to develop this magnificent golf club only four and a half miles from Galway City. Bearna has a state of the arts clubhouse where the golfer wants for nothing. The visitor is assured of a warm welcome and memorable game of golf on this spectacular golf course.
Open & Major fixtures 2008: Event
Start
Finish
Type
Duration
No fixtures until 2009
Club History
Founded 1996 affiliated 1996Bearna Golf & Country Club opened for its members on Sunday March 31st 1996, as with any major project this magnificent golf course did not just happen over night. First conceived by the owners and then officially launched on October 3rd 1991. Work commenced on Wednesday August 21st 1991 when Joe Reilly from Ballina in Co. Mayo started to lay the drainage which would cover 20-miles of underground piping. Prior to the commencement of any work on site the owners had retained Bobby Brown the renowned course architect and resident professional at Laytown & Bettystown who served as Secretary of the Irish Professional Golfers Association for many years. Bobby had John Mulqueen carry out a detailed study of the terrain prior to commencing any work and John subsequently supervised the drainage development.
Bearna is located at Corboley, until recent times a solely Irish-speaking district. The name translated from Irish means “The round hill of the milking place” it derives from a hardy breed of small dark cattle which traditionally survived in this impoverished but breath-taking countryside. In times past this breed of cattle contributed to the principal commerce between Spain and the West of Ireland, the cowhides and wool were traded for Spanish wines and salt. The terrain itself was carved out 10,000 years ago during the Ice Age and every effort was made to protect its scenic topography, its flora and fauna, its native language, its social history and folk-lore indeed on my last visit traditional Irish music was being played in the lounge.
Neasa Donnellan was retained as architect for the magnificent clubhouse, which blends superbly with the wild and rouged countryside, unlike other clubhouses that come to mind. I make this statement having practiced as an architect for over 20 years in my former life well done Neasa.
Tony O’Flaherty was the contractor and the clubhouse, was officially opened by the present Taoiseach Bertie Ahern on July 28th 1998. His predicator John Bruton visited Bearna on April 13th 1996 and planted a tree just to the left of the first fairway.
The owners Sean and Michael Meade, Frank O’Gara and Pat Donnellan certainly overcame the challenge of the Connemara landscape, Granite rock, bog, gorse and heather to bring us this unique course within a 3-Iron from Galway City.
Location
Four-and-a-half miles from Galway City between the roads, to Spiddal and Moycullen.
Members Achievements
Bearna Golf Club made their brake-through in the Cups & Shields in 2007 when the won the Connacht Final of the Pierce Purcell Shield, mind you the club owner Pat Donnellan had been there before when playing for Galway Golf Club he won All-Ireland golf medals in 1993 and 1992 in the Pierce Purcell Shield, together with an Irish Mixed Foursomes at Courtown Golf Club in 1992. Of course Pat is better known for being a most influential part in the famous three-in-a-row All-Ireland Football Finals in 1964, 1965 and 1966.They made the long journey to Shandon Park Golf Club in Belfast to compete in the All-Ireland decider; they were drawn against Leinster Champions Donabate in the All-Ireland Semi-Final on Thursday 13th September.
First on the tee were Tim Tarpey and John Derby who halved their match with Michael Fearon and Ciaran Kirwan. They were followed by John Murphy and Michael Murray who had a bad day against Douglas Roberson and Austin Kealy when they went down by 7 and 6. Next up were Liam McGee and Eamon Kearney who had almost as bad day against Ken Bradshaw and Brendan Bowe when they lost by 6 and 5. Brendan McLaughlin and Pat Walzer played in the penultimate match against Dermot Cullen and Pat McCrudden and went down by 4 and 3. The anchor match saw Pat Ward and Shane O'Neill halve their match with Colm Browne and Joe Dowling.
So it was not to be for the men from Bearna Golf Club, Donabate went through to the All-Ireland Final the following day where they met Ulster Champions Warrenpoint Golf Club who had accounted for Munster Champions Woodstock Golf Club by a similar margin. Warrenpoint beat Donabate by 3 matches to 2 matches to win their 3rd Pierce Purcell Shield and add yet another green pennant to their already large collection.
2005 Lady Captain Mary Wyer and her Captain’s Prize winner Catherine Kelly qualified in the Volkswagen/Irish Independent Lady Captain’s Classic in this scotch foursomes format. It was off to the National Finals at The Heritage Golf Club on Monday 3rd October where they were paired with the Portumna pair of Riona Holohan and Mary Conwell.
Bearna Golf Club members won the Connacht Final of the Musgrave's Club Challenge in aid of Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, which raised in excess of 130,000 Euro for the hospital. It was off to South Africa for the National Finals in November 2002.
Bearna won the Connacht Final of the Irish Mixed Foursomes in 1999 and the Western District of the Linda Black Trophy in 2000.
Lady Captain Kathleen Kelly and her Captain's Prize winner Anne Brennan were runners-up in the regional qualifiers of the Volkswagen-Irish Independent Lady Captain's Golf Classic in August 2001. Playing the Slieve Russell shortly after the North West of Ireland Open was played there. Everybody found the course playing tough. Anne playing off 24 and Kathleen off 27 returned 29 points only to be piped on a count-back. However, it was good enough to book their place in the National Finals at Druid's Glen on the 1st of October.
Pat Ward was the Captain of the Garda All-Ireland winning team in 2000.
Nancy Holland won the All-Ireland Shell Cup and the ladies won the Linda Black Trophy in 2000.
Breda Barry won the Union Prize Bronze Medal in 2000.
Elizabeth O'Byrne had a hole-in-one on the 18th in her Captain's (Siobhan McLoughlin) Prize in 2000
Card of the Course (yards)
Hole No Blue White Yellow Green Par Index Red Par Index 1 388 375 360 340 4 3 324 4 3 2 450 403 368 355 5 17 349 5 17 3 356 345 320 300 4 7 322 4 5 4 350 340 295 280 4 5 299 4 7 5 196 175 166 152 3 9 137 3 13 6 405 345 295 269 4 1 268 4 1 7 510 470 400 365 5 13 437 5 11 8 180 168 162 155 3 15 129 3 15 9 402 365 357 315 4 11 304 4 9 Out 3,237 2,986 2,723 2,531 36 2,569 36 10 362 315 305 290 4 8 283 4 8 11 350 328 300 255 4 4 262 4 4 12 450 440 396 395 5 12 368 5 12 13 120 115 110 105 3 18 100 3 18 14 330 305 275 248 4 14 252 4 10 15 345 338 312 290 4 2 274 4 6 16 350 336 326 312 4 6 313 4 2 17 460 425 400 366 5 16 411 5 14 18 170 158 136 125 3 10 110 3 16 In 2,937 2,760 2,560 2,386 36 2,373 36 Total 6,174 5,746 5,283 4,917 72 4,962 72 SSS 73 72 71 69 71
Men's Course Record: 68 Tom Nolan
Ladies Course Record:
Roll of Honour Liz Neville 1996 Ladies Captain Richard Hughes 1996 Men's Captain Gerry Beggan 1996 President Bernie Power 1997 Ladies Captain Tom Nolan 1997 Men's Captain Eliz O'Byrne 1997 President Geraldine McGettigan 1998 Ladies Captain Gerry Davy 1998 Men's Captain Colm McLoughlin 1998 President Linda Fahy 1999 Ladies Captain Peter Leonard 1999 Men's Captain Maeve Brennan 1999 President P. J. Kavanagh 2000 Men's Captain John Hanly 2000 President Kathleen Kelly 2001 Ladies Captain Siobhan McLoughlin 2001 Ladies Captain Noel Curran 2001 Men's Captain Breda Barry 2001 President Jane Colclough 2002 Ladies Captain Denis Kiley 2002 Men's Captain Mr. D. Burke 2002 President Mary Wyer 2003 Ladies Captain Pat Ward 2003 Men's Captain Pauline O'Donnell 2003 President Olive Leonard 2004 Ladies Captain John Collins 2004 Men's Captain Brendan Davis 2004 President Catherine Kelly 2005 Ladies Captain John O'Meara 2005 Men's Captain Noreen Joyce 2005 President Mary Quill 2006 Ladies Captain Michael Carey 2006 Men's Captain Bertie O Finneadha 2006 President Delma Carey 2007 Ladies Captain Kieran Tarpey 2007 Men's Captain Margaret Fletcher-Egan 2007 President Gina Gilligan (10) 2008 Lowest Ladies Handicap Tom Nolan (+1) 2008 Lowest Men's Handicap Stephen Keenan (+1) 2008 Lowest Men's Handicap
Holes-in-One Person Date Hole No. Club Used Distance Peter Leonard 28 June 1996 18th 6 Iron 187 m Elizabeth O'Byrne 20 August 1996 13th 8 Iron 100 m Pat Ward 21 January 1997 5th 5 Wood 175 m Catherine Kelly 25 May 1997 13th 5 Wood 100 m John Quinn 13 April 1998 13th 115 m Gearoid O'Broin 28 June 1998 8th 168 m Elizabeth O'Byrne 25 June 2000 18th 110 m Elizabeth O'Byrne 19 May 2001 18th 110 m Michael Coyne 27 May 2001 13th 115 m Gerry O'Loughlainn 21 July 2002 13th 115 m Colm Feeney 24 November 2002 13th 115 m Marian Daly 27 April 2003 5th 137 m