Address to Seapoint Golf Club Captains Dinner
Saturday 26th November 2005
President Andy, Vice Captain Ray, Officers and members and friends first of all I would like to welcome to tonight’s AGM and thank you for taking the time to attend.
For me it has been a truly unbelievable year and one that passed very quickly. There are many fond memories, some great golf and even if our senior interclub record was disappointing this year the juniors kept the flag flying by winning the Monarch trophy.
On the competitions front I would like to congratulate Michael Doyle on winning the Captain’s prize and Peter Higgins on winning the Presidents prize. I supposed I had the distinction of the first time play had to be cancelled in the Captains prize but certainly the weather conditions for the final 27 holes were excellent and all I was afraid of was people passing out form the heat.
Overall we had another successful competitive calendar even though we struggled with Fog early in the year, had a team event washed out and part of Open Week also there were a lot of good days and some great scores. Also looking over the winners enclosure it was great to see many new winners of some of our majors and unfortunately we only managed to retain one of our Scratch cups within the club congratulations to Mark Brady on winning the Intermediate Scratch Cup but I think that’s testament to the popularity and esteem of these competitions given the broad entry we receive.
On the Interclub front we did try some new approaches but in while we might be disappointed at our level of success I was very proud of the level of commitment and passion displayed by our members in their desire to represent the club. We truly had a year where we cam out the wrong side on several tight results. There were many highs and lows to it, running Laytown and Bettystown close in the Senior cup was a tremendous feat and a fight I suspect they didn’t expect, The Junior team won two tremendous on a day when conditions were extremely tough and ran into a Co.Louth team playing some excellent golf on Sunday morning. The Barton Cup promised much and again where beaten on the 19th on the last match after L&B had holed an outrageous putt to take the match down the 19th. The Neusam witnessed a partnership being dormy 7 but still managing to take the match down the 18th and won’t repeat the score that the 18th was won with but the fighting spririt was tremendous and our JB Carr team are going to have to find a way not to draw Dundalk in the first round.
To all our managers for the time they put in , for the difficult decisions they had to make and the abuse they receive for those a very sincere thanks. None of these things happen by accident. I know the competitor within me doesn’t enjoy talking about glorious defeats, and talk of participation being the most important element is cold comfort but for me I was extremely proud of the way all of you represented our club, your commitment, your sportsmanship and if we continue to improve and learn how to prepare then I am sure competitive success as well can not be too far away.
Junior golf continues to be a success story for us in the club. Winning the Monarch U18 and almost the U15 as well was a great year. A big thanks to Brian Brodigan our Junior organizer and his junior committee of Andy Maguire PJ Campbell and Eunan Freeman as well as excellent support from David Carroll and Ray Matthews. Our Juniors are now providing many players for our interclub teams and the introduction of Intermediate memebership last year has given us many more opportunities to retain these as valuable members going forward.
To my committee and and officers thank you for a very professional job, for attending to the broad agenda of things we manage with a diligence and energy that can only be admired
To our President Andy, a man I really only got to know over the past two years, your counsel and advice was always timely and very welcome.
To the man whose fault it is that I am standing here before you our ex-Officio Alan O’Reilly thanks for the opportunity and thank you for your continued work both as Buildings chair and also Greens Convener
To our Hon. Secretary Garvan, a man whose talents with a mobile phone have already being eulogized by our resident poet Paddy Sullivan. Probably the first club to have postage removed from it’s accounts to be replaced by SMS messages. Garvan for your efficient and excellent marshalling of affairs for the year thank you.
The affairs of any club require financing to run and where money is involved trouble is often bound to follow. The role of treasurer is hugely important not just for counting the money but for actively managing the situation. To our Hon. Treasurer Sean Connell thank you for a tremendous years work and our continued solvency.
We are a Golf club after all and our primary purpose is the game and golf and the Competitions we run. We have had a tradition of excellent and extremely dedicated Competitions Secretaries and to have some follow in those footsteps is a big ask. I was delighted when my longtime friend and Fourball partner Sean Kavanagh took on the role this year. Although I did notice that since we both became more involved in the affairs of the club our performance in the 4Ball match play has declined dramatically – beware the come back. Sean thank you for the dedication and work through the year, for your enthusiastic presentations and for keeping me out of trouble. Also to all of your Competitions subcommittee particularly David Connell, Brendan Byrne Noel Kierans and also Noel Crilly, Andy Taffe, Dan Reynolds and Shay Lynn. All of these people spend many hours each weekend ensuring results are calculated and posted.
Probably the most thankless task in golf Administration is the job of Handicap secretary but it is the mark of any club the integrity, attention and dedication they attach to this role. It is one of the things that sets golf apart. My admiration for Michael Smyth and how he has performed that job for really as long as I can remember knows no bounds. Micky thank you greatly.
To Brian, and Andy an other great year with the juniors and hugely time consuming job. We are rightly proud of our juniors not just for their golfing ability but for their behaviour and that is a testament to our junior organizers.
To Noel for his work on Greens committee for what was a particularly busy year in that front and to Brendan Byrne for his continued work and running of Golfer of the Year and PJ for his contribution to the juniors and many other projects though out the year.
One of the big challenges in any organization is continuity of leadership, and without any fear of contradiction I know I am passing on the baton to someone who will be a great leader and representative of the club next year. He has always been there this year when needed and I probably called on him more often than was fair. More than he is a man who has the interests of the club at heart and many firmly held and well thought our ideas on where we need to go. To my Vice Captain – Ray one of the best decisions in the year thank you for everything and the very best for next year. I know you will also be supported well by our nomination for Vice Captain Garvan .
I would also like to take the opportunity to thanks those working with me in my other role this year on Joint Club. Particularily my fellow officers there Paul McCashin and Kevin McIntyre. There cool evaluations and sense kept me sane on more than one occasion. But to the entire Joint club committee many of whom are here tonight thank you for a contribution that is often not seen and certainly not valued enough.
Supporting the voluntary efforts of committees are of course our staff. Kevin Carrie our Secretary Manager for his help and support and nothing was too much trouble to do for me.
To our PGA professional David Carroll whose opinion I’ve come to respect highly and for the many good outings we had this year, for your support of the competitions and teams as well as the tip that sorted my putting. Thank you.
To Ester and all her bar staff for looking after us through the year both early and late, and to Patricia Byrne and all her restaurant staff for feeding us on so many occasions so well thank you – it was too good.
To conclude folks this for many reasons has been an unbelievable year. Some of personal memories are the opportunity to present a prize to Padraig Harrington when he visited with the Links and shot a unofficial 68. Working with Des Smyth on some of the promotional elements of our marketing campaign. On not having the shortest drive on the first in a fourball consisting of Des Smyth, Gary Murphy and Declan Branigan. And actually playing respectfully during it until Declan birdied 18th to win the money. As I said before it was a year of many new friendships made and old ones strengthened. And I hope none were lost.
I truly love this game of ours, the competition, the sportsmanship, the traditions and social sense of belonging to a group of like minded people committed to similar ideals. Every time you set foot on the course you learn a little about yourself and this year amplified that for me. It was the most surprising thing for me how much you learn about yourself and others in this role. That’s a testament to the many great people whose footsteps I am merely following past captains, committee members, players – it’s a opportunity I am extremely grateful for, my only regret with the way the year worked out personally is not having more time to enjoy it.
So let me thank you Gentlemen for the wonderful opportunity you afforded me to be your Captain, I hope I did not disappoint and that we will continue to build and develop the sort of club that is the envy of others and source of quite satisfaction for us.
Thank you.
