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In the 1980s, Dublin County Council identified that there was a lack of amenity land in the greater Blanchardstown area, and the County Council purchased the Barrett farm which was for sale at that time along with a portion of land adjacent to Dunsink Observatory which had been owned by Jimmy O’Connell, for amenity purposes.

 

The land and house at Barrett’s farm were owned by the family of the former and first President of Elmgreen Golf Club, Frank Barrett. The pathway between the existing first and twelfth holes had an exit to the River Road. Part of the land was used as allotments by the Council before the course was built.

 

It was decided in the late 1980’s that these lands would be used to fulfil the amenity needs in the area, and the idea to create a golf course and golf centre was formed. The idea was that golf, which was seen at the time as an elite and expensive sport, would become more accessible to the general public at affordable rates. Around this time plans for Sillogue and Grange Castle golf courses were also being developed in addition to the municipal pay and play courses already available at Corballis and Stepaside. Plans for the Elmgreen Golf Centre, comprising a golf course, driving range and pitch and putt course were made, and the Elmgreen Municipal golf centre came into being.

 

Dublin County Council parks staff along with golf course architect Eddie Hackett commenced work in 1991. J B Carr, a well-known amateur golfer was also introduced to the project as consultant. The company we now know as Carr Golf was formed in 1989, and also contributed to the development of the municipal golf facility at Grange Castle, and the re-development of Corballis Golf Links.

 

Like many golfers I took up golf in my thirties when I was getting too old for football and joined the work Golf Society. Around this time I also took up Bridge with a friend of mine, the first Secretary Elmgreen Golf Club, John Lambe. John and I were regular Saturday morning players in Corballis until Elmgreen opened in 1995. My first memory of Elmgreen is when I walked the course in 1993 with the head of the Council's Parks Department, Michael Lynch, who had overseen the construction of the course.

 

In order for the course to be recognised by the Golfing Union of Ireland the course had to have an affiliated club playing there. Fingal County senior staff in conjunction with Carr Golf decided to form a Golf Club. Through my friendship with John Lambe I became one of the founder members of the club and have been a member ever since. Unfortunately John passed away in 2005 and a bench in his memory is located beside the putting green. The other founder members included Senior Council staff, County Councillors, and members of the Carr family.

 

The course was opened to the public in early 1995, and my first memory of playing there was in February in typical Irish weather, rain and hailstones and we adjourned to the Tolka House after golf. I played that day with John Lambe, John Burke, who later spent many years as secretary, committee member and Captain, and my fellow Council work colleague Shay Barker. The course has undergone many changes since it first opened. Many of the trees on the course and along the fairways were small spinneys marked with blue stakes and players had a free drop from these areas.

 

The Golf Centre was then officially opened to the public on 18th September 1995 by the Cathoirleach of Fingal Tom Kelleher. The Official opening included an Invitation 4-man team competition. The players included many well-known sporting stars including Roddy Carr who at that time was making his way onto the PGA Tour. Carr Golf were granted management rights to Elmgreen and Gerry Carr, another founding member, became manager of the centre. Gerry later became Captain of the Club. Fingal County Council staff maintained the facility and ran a considerable area depot from Elmgreen. In the intervening years Carr Golf competed with others in procurement competitions for the management rights to the facility. This procurement process happened every five years.

 

I became a Trustee of the Club in 2009 and one of my first tasks was the negotiating and signing of a license with Fingal County Council on behalf of the club. Around this time the current 7th, 8th and 9th holes were brought into play. A few years later the 1st hole was extended to the current green which was previously the 4th hole. A new pot bunker like you would see in St Andrews was installed as part of the redesign. The new bunker caused such hardship that it was very quickly filled in and its location can still be seen in the grass area to the right of the green, and that old 3rd par three hole is now a practice hole..

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The club used to hold fund raising Golf Classics and raffles to help fund the operations of the club. In 2011 I won a prize in the club raffle which was a weekend for two in London to see the FA Cup Final in Wembley. In 2014 I won the Captain’s Prize when Tony Garrigan was Captain with a net two round score of 131. The prize that year was a weekend for two in Ashford Castle and I still have the Titleist 3 golf ball that I used. The prize was also well received by my wife!!

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Up to 2016 the Club had a licence with Fingal County Council to use the course, and the Golf Committee paid a substantial license fee to the County Council for use of the golf course. This fee equated to approximately 66% of every membership subscription, and amounted to over €200,000 per annum. The club also paid a monthly fee to a golf administrator to manage membership and GUI affiliations.

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In 2016 Fingal County Council decided to put the management and maintenance of the facility out to tender. The successful tenderer would be liable for all costs associated with the management and maintenance of the facility and the Club would be responsible for club affairs, handicaps, competitions etc. The successful tenderer would receive income from member subscriptions, green fees and driving range income. Carr Golf were again successful and had this contract with the County Council for a seven-year period. This contract was renewed in 2023 following another procurement process. The Council continues to retain ownership of the facility and Carr Golf is responsible for all running costs associated with the management and maintenance of the centre.

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The golf club committee went through a period of negotiations with Carr Golf from October 2016 to January 2017 regarding the running of the club and the use of the golf course. Following these negotiations an Access Agreement was drawn up between the Club and Carr Golf and signed by the club. In accordance with the Access Agreement which is renewed annually. Carr Golf now maintains the golf course, manages the golf club membership and Golf Ireland affiliations, and also manages the time sheet for the sum of €1 per annum.

 

The Golf Centre was relaunched in 2016 with Carr Golf as the managers and course operators. This period saw an investment in new course maintenance machinery and a huge improvement in course maintenance and presentation. Prior to these new arrangements the club operated out of the Hut, the building beside the practice chipping green. As part of the new arrangements the house was developed as a pro-shop and restaurant, and the club was given the use of accommodation upstairs. Membership subscription rates and green fee rates are set and collected by Carr Golf, and the club committee has no role in setting these rates. The new arrangements were presented to and agreed by the members at the AGM which was held in the Castleknock Hotel in January 2017.

 

The club no longer had any income from member subscriptions and its only source of income was competition entry fees. The new arrangements took time to settle in and the first year under these new arrangements was a difficult time for all involved. The club no longer had a paid Administrator and committee members had to take on additional roles and tasks and a number of committee members decided to step down from the committee, and some left the club.

 

I became Club Captain in 2018. In an effort to move the club along and to fund initiatives such as coaching for inter club teams and enhanced social events around Captain’s and President’s days, with the help of the Vice Captain, John Burke and the Handicap Secretary, Al Stein, the competition fees were increased to €5 and a new Saturday competition was introduced. A few years later a Friday competition was introduced. My Captain’s Prize was won by John Elliott.

 

Another of my golfing memories in Elmgreen is having a hole in one on the 5th hole in a Saturday Open Competition on 13th July 2019 for which I received a Hugo Boss watch. I also had a hole in one on the 11th on 25th August 2003 in a casual round of golf with friends, and I won the May medal in 2024 with a score of net 63.

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During my time on committee since 2009 I have had the pleasure of working with many hard-working committee members and great clubmen, too many to name and also for fear of forgetting someone!

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In recent years I have played a lesser role on the Committee due in many ways due to the influx of younger, more energetic and tech savvy members who are bringing the club forward and I know I am leaving the club affairs in good hands.

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I would like to thank the members of Elmgreen, and Carr Golf, for their recent presentations to me. They are very much appreciated. I am now hoping to spend more time on the fairways of Elmgreen with my regular Sunday morning fourball, Damien Drumm, Maurice Power and John Burke.

 

Eamon Farrelly