Athenry News & Views Winter 2025

Athenry News & Views

As 2025 draws to a close, it marks another successful and memorable year for Athenry Golf Club — one that brought both challenge and triumph. It will be remembered not only for being one of the best golfing weather years in over a decade, but also for the remarkable spirit and teamwork that defined our members and staff throughout the year. Athenry Golf Club – Challenges and Triumphs

Storm Ewoyn – A Challenging Start The year began when Storm Ewoyn struck Ireland’s west coast on Friday 24th January leaving a lasting mark on the Club. By the following morning, as members and ground staff made their way around the course, the full extent of the damage became clear where more than 400 trees had been flattened overnight. The sense of shock and disbelief was felt throughout the membership as images and updates spread quickly across social media. Yet, in true Athenry spirit, staff, members, and volunteers immediately rallied together to restore the course to its former glory. Within a week, Axe Forestry Contractors were engaged, and work began shortly afterwards. Thanks to an extraordinary effort from our Course Staff and countless volunteers, along with a welcome spell of perfect weather, the course was almost fully reopened within six weeks and back to full play by midsummer. Resilience and Renewal Throughout the year, members expressed great ap preciation for the restoration and improvement work carried out. From clearing fallen timber to reseeding and reinstating disturbed ground, the results speak for themselves. The teamwork and dedication shown by all involved was truly exceptional and a source of great pride for our Club. Looking ahead, exciting plans are already in motion for 2026 and beyond including course enhance ments with fewer trees, soft fescue grass, and improved bunkers and tee boxes. As the saying goes, “a change is as good as a rest” — and members can look forward to fresh challenges and an even better golfing experience in the years ahead. Membership and Development One of the standout successes of the past year has been the strong retention of adult members and the continued growth of our junior ranks. This progress reflects the hard work, enthusiasm, and commitment of our Junior Convenors Pat Coen, Alan Joyce, Paul O’Malley, Marie Ann Shivnan, Karina McDonnell, and Marian Hosty whose dedication to nurturing young talent at both boys’ and girls’ levels has been excep tional. A special word of thanks goes to Basil Holian for his continued support and encouragement of Junior golf within the Club. His contribution, along with that of our convenors, ensures that the future of golf in

President Peter Sheedy, Lady Captain Patricia Murphy & Captain Ian Kelly

Athenry remains bright and full of promise. Our Get Into Golf (GIG) and Stay Into Golf (SIGS) programmes have also gone from strength to strength, providing an enjoyable and inclusive introduction to golf for players of all ages and abilities. If you’ve ever thought about giving golf a try, there’s no better time to get involved! Sincere thanks to Helen McCormick, Flan Kelly, Marie Mogan, Mary Kenny, and all the dedicated volunteers who give their time so generously to make these programmes such a continued success.

The clean up following Storm Ewoyn