2009 - a great year thanks to Kieran McGurran

The away outing is the final round up of the golfing year in Tyrrellspass Golf Society and the start of a new year as the new captain is installed into office, but more about that later. 2009 has been a great year for Tyrrellspass Golf Society and most of that is due to the commitment of captain, Kieran McGurran.His dedication to the Society is and has always been of the highest calibre. His drive and ambition is infectious and it brings the best out in everyone and that is why Tyrrellspass Golf Society is still improving and getting better despite the dreaded recession. The Society provides golf for the competitive golfer and the golfer who just wants a game with no pressure at a competitive price and the system we have seems to be working as numbers are staying well up.Killkenny Golf Club was the venue for this year's outing and the Society camped out in the Springhill Court Hotel. Captain Kieran must have a hot line to God as on Saturday the sun shone brightly and the temperature was in the mid-teens as has been the case for all the outings for 2009, a first ever! As with all the outings this year we had a great turn out and the standard of golf was very high and the results very close, on a course that nobody had ever played before.The prize that everyone was playing for was the Majella Feery Memorial Cup that was put up by past Captain, Seamus Feery and his family in memory of his sister, Majella. Captain Kieran McGurran had his first win of the year and was over the moon to have beaten off some stiff competition to collect the perpetual cup and a trophy he can keep. In second place not very far behind was Ray Flanagan.Cat 1 winner was Vivian Quinn and proved a night driving a taxi is better for your golf than a night with too many pints. Jim Slattery took revenge on the bionic man, Frank Nally by winning Cat 2, with Fireman Sam, Jim Gilhooly getting second in the category and Frank in 3rd place. Kieran Mohan brought his wife with him and, unlike the last time, she did not have to hide his wooden spoon in her handbag as this time Kieran won 1st in Cat 3, Junior Oxley showed he had great staying power because the previous night had little effect on his golf and he took second in the category.Third in Cat3 was Adrian Dunne who we would hear more about later in the night. Paddy Cunningham was the dark horse and slipped in to win the front 9 and a surprise winner of the back 9 was Willie Gavigan. Even Willie himself was surprised. The nearest to the pin was Ray Flanagan.After the day's presentation came the two that are played for through the whole year, the player of the year and the most improved golfer of the year.The player of the year was very close this year with four different players being in contention at different times and only a point or two separating them at any one time, but consistency won out in the end and The Player Of The Year for 2009 went to Murty Quinn. Well done Murty.The most improved golfer for 2009 was Adrian Dunne. This man not only improved on the golf course but he stepped in in a crisis and took over one of the hardest jobs, handicap secretary and made a great job of it and showed his commitment to the Society by being at all the courses at least an hour before tee time and had all the cards done out. Well done Adrian and many thanks.With the presentations all done Captain Kieran McGurran thanked everyone for their support for the year and all the committee for all their help and then it was time to present the Captain for 2010 and he called on Kieran Mohan to step up and handed over the Captain's badge to him.Mr. Mohan said it was a great honour for him to accept the position and would hopefully keep it running as well as Kieran McGurran had done. He compared the Society to the Ferrari formula 1 team and said his job would be to drive it and he would do his best not to crash and burn.Outgoing Captain Kieran then did the members draw which is jointly sponsored by Kieran Mohan and ONCU property developments and Tyrrellspass Golf Society, This draw was the brainchild of Kieran Mohan and we are in our third year of the draw and find it not only unique but very successful for the Society.The only thing you have to do is be a member and then every time you play you are entered into the draw, so if you play once you have one ticket in the draw but if you play in all seven outings you have seven tickets in the draw.This year's lucky winner was Owen Dargan. Congratulations to Owen and to all the winners in the golf, and we are all winners as we belong to the best Society if not in the whole of Ireland but definitely in the Midlands, until the next time Happy Golfing!