All communications to the Men's Club should be channeled through the specific emails listed below where possible. For General Men's Club inquirers please email mensclub@cartonhousemembers.com.

Due to be ratified at next scheduled committee meeting on March 6th and published soon after.

No committee meeting took place in February due to the rescheduled AGM which took place on February 15th. The March meeting will be the first sitting of the new committee.

March 6th 2023 Minutes

Attendees Present: 
Allen Corcoran, Seamus Lynch, Sheamus Considine, John Ennis, Alan Leavy, John Lucid, Killian O’Flynn, Gerry Murray, Adrian Murphy, Paul Mimnagh, Austin Boyle, Padraic O’ Leary, Adrian Guckian, and Alan Leamy.

The Minutes of the meeting held on January 9th were accepted, 

April 3rd 2023 Minutes

Attendees Present:
Allen Corcoran, Seamus Lynch, John Ennis, Alan Leavy, John Lucid, Adrian Murphy, Paul Mimnagh, Adrian Guckian
Apologies were received from
Seamus Considine, Gerry Murray, Killian O’ Flynn, Padraic O’ Leary Austin Boyle, Alan Leamy

The Minutes of the meeting held on March 6th were accepted, Proposer was Alan Corcoran and seconded by Seamus Lynch


Carton / Fairmont Updates
Liam McCool was unable to attend the meeting.

1) Captain’s Update
Allen Corcoran reported that a Council meeting was planned for tomorrow evening where a variety of topics would be on the table for joint discussion – the Ladies Club would also be present. He also reported that he had been informed that the Mullen family would be at Carton House in June to celebrate the 60th wedding anniversary of John Mullen and his wife. That would be a good opportunity to update the family on the Club, its challenges and development.

2) Finance report
Alan Leavy reported that a great deal of work has now been completed on the budget for 2023 and he raised a few issues that led to further discussion and agreement. Overall income will be down this year compared to previous and it was prudent to work hard to justify each and every expenditure category to ensure a good result. A small group had already met to work through this and he would be communicating with key stakeholders to present the spending approvals in the near future. This led to a general discussion about some of the club development spend being met by a member guest team day in July. Allen Corcoran has already agreed that Fairmont will make the course available for that day. More planning to be carried out for this day.

3) Vice Captain’s Update
Seamus Lynch proposed that in future the Vice-Captain would administer the bursary programme for our leading amateur golfers. This was accepted and agreed. He is in the process of getting the suggestions through from Brian Cunningham and would draw up the programme for approval at the next meeting.

4) Social Report
Adrian Murphy reported that a very successful Drive In had been held (even if the weather dictated that no golf would be played) with 150 members attending the evening social gathering. Plans are in place for the committee outing on 21st April 2023. And the planning for the Vice Captains day on May 13th will now commence,

He had agreed with Fairmont on a suitable menu for the Interclub teams and asked that Team Captains should make their team bookings with Fairmont once the timing of each match was arranged to allow the Fairmont team to ensure good preparations.

5) Courses Update
There was no update from Padraic O Leary re the golf courses.

6) Interclub Teams
Killian O’ Flynn was abroad but had submitted his report on the expected activity for each team on the Interclub list. Men’s interclub competitions commence in May.
The club has entered 16 interclub competitions, including 4 for boys.
Killian has produced a good document which outlines all the team activity and it was agreed that this should be loaded onto the website for members.

7) Handicap report
Gerry Murray emailed a comment that he felt Fairmont were not informing him of new members on a timely basis. He has mentioned this to Seb and Liam already.

8) Software Project
John Lucid reported that Golf Genius software sat on a similar platform to Club V1 and also provided many other features. He has spoken to Liam McCool about using this and Liam felt it tied in well with the Fairmont plans. There is scope on the Fairmont website to allow a members section with our own log in for members and this might allow a more efficient site for members. More about this later.

9) Communications
Paul Mimnagh reported that he was using a new template for comms and some members had commented on this favourably. He is going to update members on how to utilise HowDidIDo site to access the club matchplays. This will allow dynamic updates as matches are played and is a great step forward from the old system.

10) Competition Report
John Lucid reported that the competition on this past weekend had been cancelled due to bad weather. He also explained there was some confusion about the comp on Sunday as it had not been set up properly by the shop.

11) Juniors Report
There was no Junior report.as Austin was away.

May 8th 2023 Minutes

Attendees Present:
Allen Corcoran, John Ennis, Alan Leavy, John Lucid, Paul Mimnagh, , Adrian Guckian, Gerry Murray Austin Boyle, Alan Leamy.

Apologies were received from:
Sheamus Considine, Seamus Lynch, Killian O’ Flynn, Padraic O’ Leary, Adrian Murphy.

The Minutes of the meeting held on March 6th were accepted, Proposer was Adrian Guckian and seconded by Alan Corcoran

Carton / Fairmont Updates
Liam McCool was unable to attend the meeting.

Captain’s Update
Allen Corcoran reported that he had been in touch with Liam McCool and understood that the rough on O Meara course had grown quite tough recently and would be maintained at a lower level.

He had written to the Mullen family regarding their upcoming visit but their diary was very full and most of their activities were centered on their own wider family during the visit, however Allen felt we should pursue the idea of presenting the family with a gift to mark the occasion.

He had also agreed with Fairmont on July 21st, as the date for a fundraising member/guest event to assist with player development. A small committee would be set up to manage this event.

Finance report
Alan Leavy reported that a sum of 109k euro had been received recently from Fairmont. Some outstanding queries need to be dealt with by Fairmont but this will only have a small impact on finances.

Vice Captain’s Update
Seamus Lynch was not in attendance but had reported that almost all the arrangements for the Vice Captain’s Day were complete and timesheets would be open for Friday and Saturday.


Social Report
Adrian Murphy reported by email that a very successful committee golf outing to the Island and Portmarnock Links had taken place. He was in discussions with the Carriage House re the upcoming VC day and had arranged for a solo musical event that day.

Course Updates
Updates will now be given quarterly directly by Fairmont and through John Plummer at the quarterly council meetings.

Interclub Teams
Killian O’ Flynn was not present but reported by email that
Fred Daly team had been beaten by Elm Park
Metropolitan team lost to Elm Park
Duggan Cup team lost to Straffan
Pierce Purcell Shield team won against Kilmashogue
Senior Cup team won against Straffan
Junior Cup team won against LIsheen Springs

He thanked all the players and managers who played on these teams on what was a remarkably busy day for the Interclub teams

Handicap report
Gerry Murray reported that he had a very successful meeting with Liam and Dearbhail and drew up a process to follow for new members. He felt many of the difficulties he had encountered would now be solved. He also reported one new member application from a low handicap golfer.

Communications
Paul Mimnagh reported that he had a flurry of activity recently with regard to the team matches and all was in good shape.

Competition Report
John Lucid reported that all club matchplays were in progress and being played within the appropriate windows. He was not allowing any extensions. The procedure adopted was

• Concede or
• Toss a coin or
• Both parties eliminated.

June 12th 2023 Minutes

Attendees Present:
Allen Corcoran, John Ennis, Alan Leavy, John Lucid, Gerry Murray, Austin Boyle, Sheamus Considine, Seamus Lynch, Killian O’ Flynn, Padraic O’ Leary

Apologies were received from
Adrian Murphy, Adrian Guckian, Alan Leamy and Paul Mimnagh

The Minutes of the meeting held on May 8th were accepted, as presented.
Proposer was Alan Leavy and seconded by Killian O’Flynn

Carton / Fairmont Updates
Liam McCool was present for the Fairmont update and reported that John Plummer is happy to place sand/seed bags on the par 3’s to assist members with repairing divots on these holes. Liam stated that greenkeeping staff are working their way through improving the Monty & O’Meara bunkers and asked us for a note of the green side bunkers on Monty that we feel need most urgent attention. 

There will be 40 new rakes placed in Monty bunkers within next fortnight. Liam mentioned that Ciarán was the new tee-box starter.

1) Captain’s Update
Allen Corcoran reported that he had been in touch that he had presented the Mullen family with flowers to mark the occasion of their wedding anniversary. He also indicated that he proposed to set up a perpetual trophy for a competition in memory of Lee Mallaghan – the founder of Carton House Mens Golf Club. More than likely this will be in October and some work will be done to ensure a suitable trophy will be available.

2) Finance report
Alan Leavy reported that a substantial reconciliation had been done on recognising the database of current members with Fairmont and a short list of outstanding queries would be tackled and completed before the end of June. This will bring to an end a very substantial amount of investigation by Alan Leavy and the committee are very grateful for his hard work.

3) Vice Captain’s Update
Seamus Lynch reported on the Vice-Captain’s prize weekend which seemed to be a good success overall and thanked all for their contribution. He also walked through the key points of the Bursary for elite golfers for 2023 and confirmed that four nominees had been accepted. The final document will be presented at the next meeting.

He has also been in discussion with Lonergan’s about the supply of salvers and medals going forward and will progress this with Captain, Comp Sec and Treasurer. Finally, he reported that he was investigating if a members’ what’s app group could be set up within the rules to allow contact relating to the time sheets, interclub and other key matters.

4) Social Report
Adrian Murphy reported by email (he was at the senior cup match being played at the Castle golf club (the team lost that match later in the evening) that he will begin work with the Captain on the social format for the Captain’s Prize. A member’s away day has been planned for County Louth Golf Club on June 23rd and communications to members had gone out last week and spaces were filling fast.

5) Interclub Teams
Killian O’ Flynn reported that we started the season with eight matches in the St. Anne’s challenge in late April, which was a great success.
We entered 11 men’s inter-club competitions and have played 14 fixtures to date. We have won 9 of these fixtures (64%) and have qualified for 3 quarter finals. Two teams have second round fixtures, starting with the Barton Cup
this week. We had four first round exits this year and one second round exit. The Straffan Cup has not yet commenced and may not be played (query with organisers). It is expected that the North Leinster Senior Alliance will also play later in the year.

Upcoming fixtures:
Pierce Purcell vs. Elm Park 17/06
Barton Cup vs. Newlands 18/06
Mixed Foursomes vs. Bray 25/06
Straffan Cup vs. Lucan or Lisheen 30/06
Barton Shield vs. Greystones 02/07

He thanked all the players and managers who played on these teams on what was a remarkably busy day for the Interclub teams

6) Handicap report
Gerry Murray reported that he had received notice of 9 new members and a new members evening, which was so successful in previous years will be arranged. He also informed us that the Leinster rugby player James Lowe was one of those who had joined the club.

7) Communications
Paul Mimnagh reported by email that he had nothing of significance to report on the Comms side.

8) Competition Report
John Lucid reported that all club matchplays were in progress and being played within the appropriate windows. He was not allowing any extensions. He repeated that the procedure adopted was
a) Concede or
b) Toss a coin or
c) Both parties eliminated

9) Juniors Report
There was no major to report on the Junior section. He was planning to update the various policies that govern the junior membership of the club and would present at a later date.

10) AOB
Member Guest Golf Development Fundraising Day
Allen Corcoran confirmed that Friday July 21st is the date of our Golf Day agreed with Fairmont. The funds we gather from that event will assist in overall golf development within the club. 

Alan Leavy reported that there was a big demand to enter teams on this date and he was confident that the full quota of 32 teams would play on the day with meal and music for all after golf. The format is a scramble.

Next meeting will be on July 3rd 2023.

July 3rd 2023 Minutes

Attendees Present: 
Allen Corcoran, John Ennis, Alan Leavy, John Lucid, Gerry Murray, Austin Boyle, Killian O’ Flynn, Padraic O’ Leary

Apologies were received from
Seamus Lynch, Adrian Murphy, Adrian Guckian, Alan Leamy, Paul Mimnagh and Sheamus Considine

The Minutes of the meeting held on June 12th were accepted, as presented.

Proposer was Alan Leavy and seconded by Killian O’Flynn

Carton / Fairmont Updates
Liam McCool was not present for the Fairmont update but reported through the Captain that John Plummer hopes to continue the bunker drainage programme around the beginning of August on the Monty course concentrating on the front nine greenside bunkers.

All the greenside bunkers on The Montgomery course now have new rakes.

It will be approximately another two weeks before we get the divot boxes for the par 3’s on each course.

Still no further progress on the Golf Genius system, waiting on approval from Fairmont.  He is meeting BRS on Wednesday and hopefully we can get this over the line soon.

1) Captain’s Update
Allen Corcoran reported on a very successful club day to County Louth Golf Club where the winner was Padraic O Leary. He also commented that the interaction with the owners during their stay was good and the flowers much
appreciated.

He was arranging a Montgomerie bunker audit in the near future so that a uniform and detailed report could be given to the greenkeeper. Also that congrats to Colin Cunningham and the girls team for winner their pennant. This moved on to a discussion about creating a policy document about
how the junior teams get assistance in the future. He will prepare this for consideration at the next meeting.

2) Finance report
Alan Leavy reported that there had been a very strong uptake on teams entering the scramble on July 25th and he thanked James O’ Loughlin for his help on this matter. There was also plenty of interest in sponsoring tee boxes
on the day. He hoped that 32 teams would play on the day and the target for the day was to return a 10k profit for the fund. He also commented that the reconciliation with Fairmont on the member list as virtually complete.

3) Vice Captain’s Update (on vacation but reported by email)
1. Bursary: the four nominees have been contacted with the details of their initial allocations for 2023 (Marc, Darragh, Keith, John C). No claim requests received yet prior to Seamus leaving on holidays. 

2. WhatsApp members group: to be progressed once
Alan/John/Gerry/Liam/Derbhail finalise the membership listing for 2023. 

3. Course audit/review: initial batch of bunkers to focus on notified to Liam after the last meeting. Will progress this discussion/reporting on my return from holidays. 

4) Social Report
Adrian Murphy reported that there was little to report at the moment (after the Baltray outing) and he was now working with the Captain to arrange the Captain’s prize details.

5) Interclub Teams
Killian O’ Flynn reported that the Pierce Purcell team had a great win against MacCreddin GC in the semi-final and also the Barton Shield won their match 10 up verus Greystones. The under 15 boys, had another good
win versus Ashbourne.

He thanked all the players and managers who played on these teams on what was a remarkably busy day for the Interclub teams

6) Handicap report
Gerry Murray reported that he had received notice of 9 new members and a new members evening, which was so successful in previous years will be arranged. He also informed us that the Leinster rugby player James Lowe
was one of those who had joined the club.

7) Communications
Paul Mimnagh reported by email that he had nothing of significance to report on the Comms side.

8) Competition Report
John Lucid reported that all club matchplays were in progress and being played within the appropriate windows. (a good response to his many warnings)

9) Junior’s Report
Austin Boyle was on vacation but reported by email
a). Girls win Leinster South All-Ireland pennant and progress to all-Irelands. Huge congrats to Colin and the team.
b). u15’s boys defeated Ashbourne and progress to next round of competition. Well done to manager Brian Cunningham and team.
c). Data cleanup of whatsapp groups and junior members list underway.
d). Electronic scorecards to be introduced in the 2nd half of July.
e). Clarification on policy for new junior members and requirement for parent/guardian to also be a member ongoing.
f). Busy schedule of junior golf planned for the remainder of the summer.

10) AOB
There were no items under AOB

Next meeting will be on August 1st 2023.

August 1st 2023 Minutes

Attendees Present: 
Allen Corcoran, Seamus Lynch (Chair), Alan Leavy, Gerry Murray, Killian O’Flynn, Paul Mimnagh, Sheamus Considine.

Apologies were received from:
John Ennis, John Lucid, Austin Boyle, Padraic O’Leary, Adrian Murphy,  Adrian Guckian, Alan Leamy.

The Minutes of the meeting held on July 3rd were accepted, as presented – proposed by Paul Mimnagh and seconded by Gerry Murray.

Carton / Fairmont Update – Liam McCool
Montgomerie greenside bunkers: meeting scheduled with Liam, John Plummer, Captain (Allen) and Vice-Captain (Seamus) on the following day, Tuesday, 2nd to discuss upgrade plans. Seamus had carried out a review of most of the greenside bunkers in the previous week and forwarded on a report to Liam and Allen which would form the basis of the meeting discussions.

July rainfall had been around four times the norm which had presented significant challenges to course maintenance and availability.

Council meeting: date to be finalised; likely to be the end of August.

1) Captain’s Update – Allen Corcoran
Captain’s Prize meetings would be held over the coming days and weeks in the lead up to the competition. There would be a reduced field of  qualifiers for round 2, probably top-72.

Charity Day will be jointly held with the Ladies club in September on the weekend before the President’s Prize.

Fundraiser Day: Allen complimented all on their contribution to making the day such a success, especially the hard work of Alan Leavy and James O'Loughlin.

2) Finance Update – Alan Leavy
Alan reported that the fundraiser day for golf development had been a great success, and with final figures yet to be confirmed, would generate €12,000 approx. He thanked all teams who had supported it, sponsors of tee-boxes, Harry, Darragh and Marc for their efforts out on the course, ticket sellers and Competitions Secretary John. Special
mention to James O’Loughlin for his effort overall. Overall, club finances are in a positive situation, with funding there to support our inter-club teams as they progress into Leinster Finals and beyond.

3) Vice-Captain’s Update – Seamus Lynch
Montgomerie greenside bunker review: Seamus walked through the document, which he prepared from observations carried out on the previous Tuesday evening.
WhatsApp member group: this is up and running and would be a work in progress over the coming weeks.
Salvers as prizes: it was agreed that we would present salvers to the winners of the Captain’s Prize, Plate, Vice-Captain’s Prize and President’s Prize at the end of the year. Other winners would receive another prize type, with John Lucid exploring options with Lonergan’s.
Hole-in-One flags: these had now arrived in Carton, and they will be completed for presentation at the end of year prizegiving.

4) Social Update - Adrain Murphy (not present but report submitted)
Adrian has been working with the Captain to prepare for the social elements of the upcoming Captain’s Day.
End of Year prize-giving: brief discussion held on whether to move this to the end of January, which was a great success this year, as mid-December will be a busy time for most anyway.

5) Interclub Update – Killian O’Flynn
Killian reported that there had been a 65% win rate to date across all teams, with the Mixed final to come in Lucan on 5th and the Barton Shield finals in Dun Laoghaire on 13th.

Pierce Purcell: Great effort by the squad and management in the final at Wicklow GC in tricky conditions in what was a tight match for most of the day. Many thanks to Brian Cunningham and Keith Egan for their insights as part of the team preparation for the final.

6) Handicap Update – Gerry Murray
Gerry updated us on some new members who’d joined the club.

7) Communications Update – Paul Mimnagh
Paul reported that it continued to be a busy time with communications, particularly around inter-club. Some member email addresses had required change.

8) Competitions Update – John Lucid
No update as John was unable to attend.

9) Junior’s Update – Austin Boyle
No update from Austin Boyle as he was unable to attend.
Allen indicated that Austin was working a draft Junior Charter for the September meeting.

10) AOB
There were no items under AOB
Next meeting will be on Monday, 4 September 2023.

Sept 4th 2023 Minutes

Attendees Present:
Allen Corcoran, John Ennis, Alan Leavy, Gerry Murray, Austin Boyle, Killian O’Flynn, Adrian Guckian, Sheamus Considine, Alan Leamy, Seamus Lynch,
Adrian Murphy

Apologies were received from:
Paul Mimnagh, John Lucid and Padraic O’Leary

The Minutes of the meeting held on August 1st were accepted, as presented. Proposer was Alan Leavy and seconded by Killian O’ Flynn.

Carton / Fairmont Updates
Liam McCool was not present for the Fairmont update but reported Irish Ladies Open is now confirmed for Thursday 29th August – Sunday 1st September 2024 on the O Meara course. The O’Meara course will close approximately on Thursday 22nd August until Tuesday 3rd September.
The Montgomery course will close from Monday 26th August to Monday 2nd September.

Obviously, it is great news to be hosting the event and a lot of organising will be involved. We look forward to working with both the ladies and men’s clubs in preparation. Meetings will be arranged once we have dates for planning meetings etc.

1) Captain’s Update
Allen hoped that there would be improved communication about developments on course so that members will feel more updated. E.g. chipping green, divot boxes, reciprocal arrangements, and he would be able to bring these up during the Council meeting on Tuesday evening with
Martin and Liam. He also expected to learn more about the Ladies Irish Open in 2024 and if anything was expected of the members.

2) Finance report
Alan reported that he fully expected the final member database from Fairmont on Wednesday – which will be a major improvement on the poor reconciliations in the recent past. Most of the cash from the Golf Development day was already in hand and the final total would be approx. 12k Euro- a great job by Alan!

3) Vice Captain’s Update (reported by email)
Details of meeting with John Plummer and Liam McCool
• Acknowledgement of the unsatisfactory state of the bunkers on both
courses overall, including sand quality, depth and edging
• Confirmation that funding is available to address the bunker upgrade and
maintenance programme
• Montgomerie greenside bunkers – upgrade was due to occur to a number
of bunkers on the front nine during the early August course maintenance
window, but this was postponed due to the soft ground conditions caused
by the adverse weather in July. This upgrade work is now planned to take
place in October, weather permitting.
• O’Meara bunkers – a winter maintenance programme is planned to
improve the quality of the bunkers (there may well be further plans on
this due to the Women’s Irish Open planned for 2024)
• Other areas discussed – O’Meara 14th hole, tee-box and pathway to
green; new practice putting green.
• We will engage regularly with Liam and John to discuss updates /
progress. We will update the Committee accordingly.

4) Social Report
Adrian reported on the favourable reviews of the Captains Day and social and was pleased with the outcome. He is in the process of arranging the trip to Rosses Point and also
Enniscrone on October 6/7th.

5) Interclub Teams
Killian reported that the Barton Shield match Carton House v Fota Island was set for September 7th at 9 am and if successful the semi-final would be in the pm against either Galway or Slieve Russell. Best wishes for success to the men’s team from Carton House Mens’s committee.

6) Handicap report
Gerry Murray reported that an additional 19 new members had joined Carton House Men’s Club in 2023.

7) Communications
Paul was absent.

8) Competition Report
1. Match Plays are on target to finish all rounds on time
2. Plaques for match plays are agreed and ordered
3. Seamus Lynch has agreed the medal plaques also
4. Need to review time sheet for Wednesday golf as evening will be
getting dark earlier
5. We need to discuss next month about Winter golf - Xmas Turkey shoot and Hampers etc and perhaps more Sunday evening prize-givings.

9) Junior’s Report
Austin reported that Tom Doyle – a junior boy from Carton House, had won the under 10 All Ireland final. Having recently won the Munster Trophy, young Tom Doyle has done it again by winning the U10 All Ireland Trophy on the KPMG Irish Kids Golf Tour. A three-hole play-off was required when the leading pair shot the same score and a countback couldn’t separate them. Tom came through the playoff to win brilliantly.

That’s 3 in a row All Ireland trophies for Tom in the Irish Kids Golf Tour. Also, a fantastic 79 (+5) from another Carton Junior, Tim Benz-Smyth to get 3rd place!

Austin is working on developing a junior charter which would cover both boy and girl members of Carton House – more about this at a later meeting.

10) AOB
The Pink Day – a charity event for Breast Cancer and Prostate Cancer will be held on Sat 23rd September and captain Allen has organized a sub committee to organize everything for the event.

President’s Prize for men will be held on Friday 29th and Sat 30th

Next meeting will be on October 2nd 2023.

Carton House Men’s club

October 2nd 2023 Minutes
Attendees Present:
Allen Corcoran, Seamus Lynch, John Ennis, Alan Leavy, Gerry Murray, Austin Boyle, Killian O’Flynn, Sheamus Considine, Padraic O’Leary, Adrian Murphy, Paul Mimnagh and John Lucid

Apologies received from Adrian Guckian and Alan Leamy.

The Minutes of the meeting held on September 4th were accepted,
as presented.
Proposer was Austin Boyle
Seconder was Paul Mimnagh

1) Carton / Fairmont Updates
Liam McCool reported that due to some conflicts the timing of the Ladies Open which will be held in Carton in 2024 is now fixed for September 5th-8th 2024. He also indicated that the process to fix the 2024 fee was underway and he would welcome any input which the mens’ committee wished to offer, and it would be passed to Fairmont. A general discussion then took place on this point and it was agreed that a small sub-committee would help to produce this report this week.

Some concern was expressed that the previously outlined timeline for remedial action on the bunkers on Montgomerie had slipped and now some
work will be undertaken inhouse on the O’ Meara bunkers. Liam also confirmed that Fairmont were going to implement Golf Genius software which would replace the previously installed South African platform and the reporting package from this new software should be dramatically better.

2) Captain’s Update
Allen reported that some concern had been expressed by members who were in the Carraige House on last weekend that they were not able to have uninterrupted viewing of the Rugby World Cup. And furthermore, there was no notice that this might happen. Many members had banked on being able to watch the match in that area. He also was very pleased to announce that the income from the Charity Pink Day would be about 16k Euro and this would be split evenly between the two chosen charities – Breast Cancer and Prostate Cancer.

Allen is aware that Club V1 will no longer support the old website from November onwards, and we will be progressing to build our own website to replace the legacy platform we use from Club V1. This change will be driven by Alan Leamy. Alongside this we will also move to Golf Genius software which is approved by Golf Ireland and adopted now by an increasing number of other clubs.

3) Finance report
He also reported that expenditure was running within budget but the shortfall of members would mean that income under members heading would be less than planned. He was also pleased that the Development Day was successful and this would plug the gap this year. He also confirmed that the change to Golf Genius for the Men’s Club would mean significantly less work would be required to keep the Member database for Fairmont and the Men’s Club aligned and up to date at all times.

4) Vice Captain’s Update
Seamus reported that he had begun the process for appointing a new Vice Captain to replace him for the new season, and an announcement would be made no later than mid-November.

Work has begun on the diary / calendar of events for 2024 in conjunction with John L and the Ladies Club. A meeting is due to take place in the coming days with Allen, Seamus, Liam and John Plummer to discuss the current course conditions and planned works for the coming weeks and months.

5) Social Report
Adrian reported that the recent President’s was very enjoyable and also commented on the quality of the meal presented. He also stated that the arrangements for the Sligo trip were now complete and those who are travelling will enjoy both Enniscrone course and the Rosses Point course.

There was a general discussion about best date for the end of year social and this will be confirmed at a later date.

6) Interclub Teams
Killian reported that all team matches have concluded for what has been a very successful year for Carton House.
The new interclub season will now get underway with the first match for the North Leinster Alliance on October 12th.
With the demise of the Straffan Cup competition, Killian felt there was an age grade gap in the competition’s available for Carton Members and he along with Adrian Murphy will try to rekindle interest in the previously
named Straffan Cup – even the possibility that Carton would run the event and invite other club participation.

7) Handicap report
Gerry Murray had nothing of significance to report on the handicap side.

8) Communications
Paul is happy with the communication side, and also with the new what’s app group for members. This will prove to be a very important communication tool for quick and sometimes live reports on team performance in matches.

9) Competition Report
John reported that the Match Plays had proceeded according to plan and had now reached the final stages. He also hoped to have some Xmas Turkey Shoot and Hampers on the Winter run up to Christmas and perhaps Sunday evening prize-givings.

He also announced that the Order of Merit / Golfer of the Year was approaching a conclusion and the winner would be announced in the next few weeks.

10) Junior’s Report
Austin reported that the Junior Captain’s Prize had been completed last Sunday and the Junior Captains – boys and girls – had been chosen.

11) AOB
A discussion took place about creating a protocol for any announcements about local golf related businesses who wanted to offer free of charge items to members. A small sub-committee was formed to investigate this matter and report back to the Men’s committee.

Next meeting will be on November 6th 2023 at 7.30pm

November 6th 2023 Minutes

Attendees Present:
Allen Corcoran, Seamus Lynch, John Ennis, Alan Leavy, Austin Boyle, Killian O’Flynn, Sheamus Considine, Padraic O’Leary, Adrian Murphy, Paul Mimnagh and John Lucid, Alan Leamy and Adrian Guckian.

Apologies received from Gerry Murray

The Minutes of the meeting held on October 2nd were accepted, as presented.
Proposer was Allen Corcoran
Seconder was Alan Leamy

1) Carton / Fairmont Updates
Liam McCool updated the timing of the Ladies Open which will be now be held in Carton in 2024 is August 29th to September 1st 2024. He also indicated that some Mullen family members would be in Carton next week and more than likely the 2024 member fees would be fixed at that point. He also confirmed that the Golf Genius software project was underway. He hoped to meet John Plummer during the current week to progress his report on course matters.

2) Captain’s Update
The Captain reported that the Christmas social was being planned for December 16th and would be preceded by a Turkey Shoot with a possible shotgun start and prize presentation about 4.30- 5.00pm.

3) Finance report
Alan Leavy reported that the finances were on plan/budget and he could not see any significant deviation between now and the year end. He hoped that the accounts would be complete in time for the 2024 AGM.

4) Vice Captain’s Update
Seamus reported that he had met with John Plummer and Martin Mangan and stressed the need for regular comms to the members on the various projects being undertaken. Due to the announcement about the Ladies Open, some work will shift now towards O’ Meara bunkers and it is envisaged that the greens staff will complete this work. Seamus has already seen work on the 9th and 11th O Meara holes. It is hoped that all this work will be complete by March 2024. He also hoped to announce the name of the new Vice Captain for 2024 in the next few days.

5) Social Report
Adrian Murphy explained that plans were in full flow for the Joint Captains dinner dance and that 110-120 tickets had already been sold, band booked and menu agreed. Next social event will be on 16th December alongside the golf Turkey shoot planned for that day.

6) Interclub Teams
During the last month, Team Carton won its first two matches in the North Leinster Senior Alliance league, against Kilcock and Ardee. This is an eight-round tournament played between October and March. Team Carton currently top of the league table. In other news, Golf Ireland surveyed interclub captains during October about the structure and format of its competitions.

Looking back over the year to date, Team Carton won three Leinster South pennants: Barton Shield, Mixed Foursomes and Girls Interclub to add to its three pennants in other competitions last year. It also finished as runner-up in the All Ireland Barton Shield and Leinster South Pierce Purcell Shield. The Mens Club played 36 matches in 11 interclub competitions during the calendar year, winning 24 (67%) of the matches played.

7) Handicap report
Gerry Murray reported by email that the annual handicap review had begun and would be completed during November. He also stated that no new members had been accepted into Carton during the past month.

8) Communications
Paul reported that all was ok on his side and comms were being published on a regular basis.

9) Competition Report
John reported that the Match Plays had all been completed and a comms would be sent out to announce the various winners.

10) Junior’s Report
Austin reported that progress had been made on the junior charter for boys and girl members and will be completed shortly. He also suggested that the junior fee for 2024 should rise to 100 euro. This was agreed unanimously pending alignment with the ladies club on doing the same for the girls club.

11) AOB
There was no other business to discuss.

Next meeting will be on December 4th 2023 at 7.30pm

Attendees Present:
Allen Corcoran, John Ennis, Alan Leavy, Austin Boyle, Killian O’Flynn, Sheamus Considine, Padraic O’Leary, Adrian Murphy, Paul Mimnagh, Alan Leamy and Gerry Murray

Apologies were received from Seamus Lynch, Adrian Guckian and John Lucid

The Minutes of the meeting held on November 6th were accepted, as presented.
Proposer was Padraic O Leary
Seconder was Sheamus Considine

1) Carton / Fairmont Updates
Captain Allen Corcoran explained that Liam McCool could not attend to give the update from Fairmont but did confirm that the renewal emails were being sent out today to members. The early payment date which used to be end of January was now brought forward to January 15th. He also confirmed that Fairmont had purchased the Golf Genius software and that this would allow a smooth changeover from the current BRS booking system as it had a similar start screen.

2) Captain’s Update
The Captain reported AGM was being was being planned for January 17th 2024. He also confirmed December 16th for the pre-Christmas social and this would be preceded by a Turkey Shoot with a possible shotgun start and prize presentation about 4.30- 5.00 pm. More about this later.

3) Finance report
Alan Leavy explained that there was nothing of significance to report on the finance side. He did suggest
that the men’s club fee for 2024 should be increased to 265 from 245 to take into account the lower number of members in the club. This should be presented as a motion to the membership at the AGM. It was unanimously agreed that this motion would be included.

4) Vice Captain’s Update
Seamus reported by email that he had requested an update meeting with J Plummer for mid-December to discuss progress on the O’Meara bunkers and to discuss plans for the Montgomerie bunkers. 

End of Year prizes: ongoing discussions with Lonergans on the salvers, medals and crystal trophies. Hole in one flags are completed.
Committee 2024: all current members are staying on, which is great news. He has identified a new Committee member to replace ex-officio Sheamus Considine, which he will confirm in due course.

Work was ongoing in the background to determine the best way to create a new website for the men and ladies clubs at Carton House.

5) Social Report
Adrian Murphy reported that members had enjoyed the Joint Captains dinner dance (even though the number attending were down). He would come up with some ideas about the whole event – timing etc for review by the committee in the new year. Next social event will be on 16th December alongside the golf Turkey shoot planned for that day.

6) Interclub Teams
Killian reported that Carton lost to Royal Tara in round three of the North Leinster Senior Alliance league this month (making it 2 wins and one loss today). The competition will recommence in January. 

Golf Ireland have announced changes to some inter-club competitions for 2024. Stroke play qualifiers will be introduced for the Senior Cup and Barton Shield. The handicap range has been adjusted downwards for the Pierce Purcell Shield, with the Leinster Four-ball being reintroduced at a higher range. A new Irish Mixed Four-ball competition will be launched in addition to the existing Mixed Foursomes. The Fred Perry and Metropolitan trophies will be reconstituted as the Leinster Senior Men’s Inter-club (over 50s) and the Leinster Men’s Trophy. Many of the foursomes and four-ball competitions will now be played by teams of eight (four pairs rather than five). 

These changes will be considered by the men’s club before submitting competition entries in January. It is hoped and expected that the club can continue to participate in a wide range of competitions with an option for players of every age and handicap index. The men’s club has played almost 80 inter-club matches over the last two years combined and has won eight pennants across men’s, mixed and junior club competitions.

7) Handicap report
Gerry Murray reported by email that the annual handicap review had been completed and he was satisfied by the outcome. He had received a good letter back from Golf Ireland, congratulating him on its completion and also offering some nice sentiments about the winning teams from Carton House during the year.

8) Communications
Paul reported that all was ok on his side and comms were being published on a regular basis.

9) Competition Report
John was not present but had emailed to say there was nothing major to report and all plans were in place for the December end of year event and prize giving.

10) Junior’s Report
Austin reported that he had been in contact with the girls convenor and there was resistance to raising the fees at the present time and instead that he would look into a fundraiser for juniors to help with their costs.

11) AOB
The secretary reported that a special committee (as laid out in the constitution) meeting was called and held remotely on November 9th to ratify the selection of Adrian Murphy as incoming Vice Captain. Adrian received congratulations from all present on foot of this news and he looked forward to fulfilling this role in the Men’s Club.

Next meeting will be on January 8th 2024 at 7.30pm