Terenure couple triumph in husband and wife competition

NEWLANDS Golf Club in Clondalkin staged the 50th annual running of the open Husband & Wife competition recently.

Now the longest running husband and wife competition in Ireland, the tournament was won by a delighted Aislinn and John Anthony Nolan, from Terenure.

The event was a shotgun start with morning and evening sessions on the mature parkland course in Clondalkin. The afternoon starters seemed to get the best of the beautiful conditions.

On one of the hottest days the old course has seen this year, the local couple, playing off 36 and 11 respectively, combined for a total of 45 points in the fourball format, enough to take victory by a single point.

Played for the first time in 1969, the Newlands Husband & Wife competition became one of the most popular events in the ‘open’ calendar, drawing competitors from the greater Dublin area and much further afield. It is now the longest running husband and wife competition in Ireland.

“It is a wonderful day out and it is one of those lovely traditions in Leinster golf,” this year’s club captain, Lex Flavin, said.

“This has a great history. It is fiercely competitive, as all the best tournaments are, but it is also played in a spirit of fun and friendship. We see old friends and new faces every year.

“For people getting into golf, it is one of those rare sports that a couple can play together. That’s important for a lot of new members coming in to Newlands.

“We had couples here today from as far away as England. We had couples who have been together longer than the competition’s 50 years, and we had a couple who got married three weeks ago.”

He joked: “It is a great fun day and while golfers are competitive types by nature, as far as we know all the marriages have survived for now!”

Newlands Golf Club is open for membership at the moment, and anyone interested in either the competition or the club is asked to contact the office at Newlands Golf Club on 01-4593157 or email [email protected].

Newlands Golf Club was founded in 1910. It has established itself as one of the best parkland courses in Leinster.