GOLF CLASSIC IS A RESOUNDING SUCCESS – Dundalk Football Club

It was a day of good fun, great weather and fantastic entertainment at Dundalk Golf Club last Thursday as the 2024 Dundalk FC Golf Classic proved to be a huge success.

While final tallies are still being calculated, it is expected that the sold-out event, which attracted 40 teams, will raise a five-figure sum for the academy sides at Oriel Park.

Perhaps its biggest success, however, was the feeling of goodwill it created with the vast majority of the first-team squad attending to mingle with supporters and owner Brian Ainscough also on hand to chat with everyone at the back of the ninth green. 

This section became a hub of the day’s activity due to the brilliant smoothie bar set up by main sponsors, Dole Ireland, the burgers which were wonderfully cooked by club volunteer and supporter, Denis Molloy, and a mini-club shop that was operated on the day by Jane McDermott.

Manager Jon Daly also took part on the day, playing alongside Cameron Elliott and Zak Johnson, as well as academy coach Cian Mulligan, while there were also a few legends from the past in attendance with 1988 and 1991 league-winning manager Turlough O’Connor teeing it up alongside Alan O’Neill and former director Jack Murphy of Jack Murphy Jewellers in Newry, who kindly sponsored the nearest to the pin prizes.

Ainscough: It was an amazing day
Speaking afterwards, club owner Brian Ainscough described the event as “an amazing day” from start to finish.

He also gave special praise to the organising committee which consisted of Seamus Bailey, PJ Dooley, Tony McBride, Cormac Gartlan, James Rogers, David Caldwell and Stephen Neary, as well as club CEO Peter Halpin and Commercial Manager Nita Whelan.

“It was fantastic,” said Ainscough. “Everything went well. The best thing about it was all the people that put it together. It was seamless from the standpoint of the organisation. 

“I was just amazed at all the work that they put into it to get it off the ground. The weather didn’t hurt but between Peter and Nita and all the people that volunteered and gave up their time, it’s just amazing.

“I get to see these people only briefly in my six months here but seeing the amount of effort and time that they’ve put into today’s event, I couldn’t repay them but they’re already saying we need to get it in the calendar for next year but they’re the ones that made it work. It was seamless today. It was so professionally run, it’s a fantastic environment and it couldn’t have been a better day.

“The fact we had 160 people participating in the first one in a few years was great. Stuff like this needs to be done a lot and more consistently. I wish I was living over here so I could be out in the neighbourhood a little bit more but the fact that I got a chance to meet all the supporters and friends and family of the club today was fantastic for me.”

The Boston-based businessman said he hoped the golf classic could become an annual event.

“That would be the goal,” he said. “It was also great for our players to have the opportunity to come out and see it and Jon, our new coach. 

“He might think this is a normal thing but I was trying to explain that we have just come in and we’re sort of an unknown quantity in terms of what’s going on so putting this event on was a big deal for us. Jon has come in and I think two-thirds of the team were here today just hanging out and supporting it.

“In Kerry, we had an awards day for our academy players and our first team and we had 400 people at the event so we’re hoping to have something like that later in the year for people to come out and see what the team and what our academy players are up to and celebrate what the club is about. The bottom line is this is a fantastic day for me to be around all this stuff.”

Dundalk FC manager Jon Daly tees off at the club’s Golf Classic. Photo: Gerry Scully

Daly: Good to be on the green
Manager Jon Daly said he enjoyed the day immensely, even if his golf game isn’t as sharp as his team has been in recent weeks.

“It was nice for me to get out and play with big Zak and Cami and just have a few hours talking about stuff in general. I was playing with one of the academy coaches as well which was good as I got to speak to him about players coming through. Meeting supporters after it was great too and having little chats on the way around.

“It was a good day and a good occasion and it was well received by everyone that was there. We had a really good day in terms of weather, which was great, but from a personal point of view it wasn’t a great day in terms of my golfing, but it was nice to get out and have a little bit of downtime and to take my mind off everything else that is going on at the moment,” said Daly.

PJ Dooley, who was a key member of the organising committee and spent the day in the starter’s hut, assigning each team their scorecard and setting them on their way with a goodie bag from the first tee, hailed the event as a huge success.

“It was absolutely fabulous and it was really a wonderful thing to be involved in with the love of my life, Dundalk FC, and the second love of my life, Dundalk Golf Club!” said the Dromiskin man.

“It was lovely to see the two local institutions coming together and supporting each other fabulously.

“The good Lord was very good to us to keep the weather right. That was so important but what was more important was that the Dundalk Football Club supporters get a chance to support their club and help our new owner to get the place flying again.

“There was great work by a lot of people and by the staff in the football club. They were fantastic. Denis Molloy on the burgers was unbelievable and Dole with their smoothies were wonderful. Everyone was just so supportive, it was fantastic.

Dave Mackey, Turlough O’Connor and Alan O’Neill pictured at the first. Photo: Gerry Scully

“The event went well. The golf club put on lovely food, the course was magnificent as always and hopefully we can renew it again next year and keep it going and make it even bigger.”

It had been around 15 years since the club had last hosted a golf classic and the winner on that occasion, Gerry Goodman, was delighted to be involved again this time around as one of two family teams with son Paul also playing in the group behind him.

“Fifteen years ago our team was Tony O’Connor, Tony Clarke, a chap called Charlie Smith, who passed away a couple of years ago, and myself and we actually won by about five or six shots,” he smiled.

“We just played very well on the day. It was a big field but it’s great to see it revived again, especially when it’s for the youth. It’s marvellous I think.

“My granddaughter Emma has been playing from U12 and now she’s one of the U19 goalkeepers. She loves the football and loves the club. I’ve been going to Oriel Park since I was six or seven and I’m a great supporter.

“I think an annual golf classic for the academy is important so that the locals realise that the money is going in for the children to bring them through. That’s very important.

“Forty teams was unbelievable and it was so well run by PJ Dooley, Seamus Bailey and all the other people and it’s a credit to them.”

The winning team
Like with the last Golf Classic, the winning margin was also six points with an all-female team consisting of Mary Dooley, Oonagh Quinn, Mary McDonnell and Niamh Maguire taking the bragging rights on the day with an excellent score of 107 points.

Team captain Mary, whose father Jimmy McArdle was an FAI Cup winner with Dundalk in 1942, singled out teammate Niamh Maguire for special praise after she put on a display of putting on the day that Nelly Korda would have been proud of.

Zak Johnson celebrates at the ninth. Photo: Gerry Scully

“We are delighted to win this,” she said at the well-attended presentation in the clubhouse afterwards.

“We had one lady today who could not miss a putt. It didn’t matter where it was on the green, everything sank and we had a 10 on the ninth and nine points on the 18th which was a great help. The rest of us pitched in on different occasions.

“Thank you very much for the beautiful prizes and to the sponsors. It was a lovely day for Dundalk FC. We were blessed with the weather and I have to say I’ve been a supporter for a long time. My father played football for Dundalk many moons ago and as a child, I had a season ticket.

“I’m glad the day was so successful and that we helped raise money for the academy,” said Mary.

Special praise was given to the caterers, D’lish, for putting on a top-class meal afterwards for all participants while at the end of the event, a bouquet of flowers was presented to Nita Whelan for her assistance to the committee throughout.

2024 Dundalk FC Golf Classic Results
GUI teams 1st place: Mary Dooley, Oonagh Quinn, Mary McDonnell, Niamh Maguire – 107 points; 2nd place: Alan Uzell, Ray Pepper, Colm Garvey, Ciaran McAteer, Oliver Dullaghan – 101 points; 3rd place: Oliver Dullaghan, Johnny McKeown, Kevin Maguire, Tom Ward – 98 points; 4th place: Michael Coburn, Pat McGuinness, Trevor Giff, Gerry Murray – 97 points; 5th place: Seamie Walsh, Yassin Ting, Donald Grimes, Amanda Baker – 95 points. Non-GUI teams 1st place: Ken Byrne, Sean Dullaghan, Stan Grimes, Fintan Dullaghan – 86 points; 2nd place: Brendan Kelly, Paul Litchfield, Larry Hanratty, Brian Mulholland – 83 points. Par 3s closest to the pin, kindly sponsored by Jack Murphy Jewellers, Newry: 5th hole (ladies) – Niamh Maguire; 9th hole (men) – Mike Flynn; 13th hole (ladies) – Amanda Baxter; 17th hole (men) – Gerry Murray.