A new era at Knock...

My assistant Andrew Gilmour worked his last day on Sunday and will be replaced by Ian Mckeown (pictured). Andrew is going back to selling cars. I would like to thank Andrew for his help over the last year and I know the members will miss his friendly banter.

Ian started on Tuesday in the pro shop so pop in and introduce yourself to him. Like anything it will take a few weeks to train him up, but Ian is very keen to make a good impression in his new role and I am delighted to have him on board. Ian is a member of the club and a very keen golfer with a great knowledge of golf.

The Challenge Cup

Sunday saw the final of the biggest matchplay event at the club the Challenge Cup. Pictured is finalists Ronnie Andrews and Ryan Warburton. It was a top quality match with young Ryan winning the cup by a two hole margin. Congratulations to Ryan who has had a very steady season and nice to cap it off with the Club Matchplay silverware. As for Ronnie, he wasn't bitter at all as he told me he was giving away 43 years and NO shots taken, haha.

   

Nellie Garret Foursomes

Knock hosted the finals of the Nellie Garret foursomes with all the Ulster clubs sending their winning pair to fight it out for the Ulster final. I'm delighted to announce the Knock pair (pictured) of Eileen McKay and Hilary Graham won the whole thing with an impressive 34 points on a blustery day of high scoring. They also had the only two of the day paying out over 40 balls. Congratulations to the two champions, so much for preparation as Hilary even forgot her battery on the day.

Club Sweeps

This weekend was the start of the Club Sweeps, an 18 hole stableford competition. The winning score with 40 points on the better back nine was James Patterson (an impressive 67 gross) from the sun burnt Trevor Price. Colin Fairweather picked up the best gross with a 72 and Don Wright Snr won the Anno Domini prize with 33 points. The McMullen Cup ran alongside the sweep on Friday and Saturday and Shaun McMorran picked up the trophy with a nett 68 to pip young Ross Latimer nett 69 by one. A special mention must go to Richard Shiels who purchased a new set of Titliest AP2 irons on the Saturday morning and shot 39 points on his first outing with them to take second place in division one. Good to see instant success Ricky!

Senior Cup/Ulster Bank

This weekend our Senior Cup squad head to Carton House to compete in the GUI All Ireland Finals. Knock play Limerick in the semi-final on Friday, 18 September teeing off at 8.45am. Pictured is the outfits the boys will be wearing kindly sponsored by Ulster Bank. The FootJoy garments look fantastic and special thanks to Mr Tom Reid for arranging the sponsorship. Chris Moutray the team captain has a full squad to pick from and the boys are excited to get going. May I wish the team all the very best and hope they enjoy the occasion!

 

Winter Maintenance

This week saw the winter maintenance kick off on our greens for me it's a sad time of the year and like many I go WHY? The greens are great. Unfortunately it needs to be done to keep the surfaces good for the winter to help with drainage and to keep the thatch layer under control. The idea of doing them this week is that Lee hopes with the soil temperatures still high they will recover ASAP. It was amazing to watch just how much soil is actually removed whilst hollow tining and how efficient the team is at it. Our green keepers completed all 18 greens in two days to cause as little inconvenience as possible!

  

What is happening at Knock this week?

Click here to find out what is happening at Knock this week on and off the course.

 

New in store

With the temperature dropping. New autumn stock is arriving. The new Mizuno linned sweaters (below) are incredibly warm without being restrictive and the new waterproofs from ProQuip are exceptional value for money! They come in blue and black and also in grey and black and come standard with waterproof zipping. Trousers and jackets can be sold separately and I have all sizes in stock. Call in in have a look this weekend!