Limerick Golf Club is very proud of its significant history and how it has been documented down through the years. The following is a selection of important articles reflecting key moments in the Club's history.
1847 – 1923
Sir Alexander W. Shaw
Born in Limerick in 1847 to Scottish parents, Alexander Shaw spent his early life in Edinburgh before returning to join the thriving family bacon curing firm of W.J. Shaw & Co. As one of Limerick's most successful merchant princes, he supported a wide spectrum of charitable works. Edward VII bestowed a knighthood on Alex in 1906.
In 1884, on a business trip to Scotland, Alex visited St. Andrews and was introduced to Old Tom Morris. Persuaded to try golf, he purchased hickory-shafted clubs and brought them home to Limerick. In January 1891, the Black Watch Regiment arrived in Limerick and Shaw enlisted their help to build a 9-hole course at Greenpark. Before year's end, Limerick Golf Club was legally constituted. In 1892, Shaw and his colleagues founded Lahinch Golf Club, which they called their 'summer links by the sea'.
1891
The Formation of Limerick Golf Club
After Cork G.C. (1888) and Dooks (1889), Limerick Golf Club is the third oldest golf club in Munster. On December 11th, 1891, 32 gentlemen attended a public meeting in the library of the Athenaeum Building, Upper Cecil Street with Alexander Shaw in the Chair. The club was named The Limerick Golf Club, with subscriptions set at ten shillings.
Captains Willington and Wylie of the Black Watch Regiment laid out 9 holes measuring 2,460 yards in time for a competition on Christmas Day. Lieutenant Harvey won the first competition with a score of 107. In those early years, golf was exclusively a winter game played October to March. Eventually, after seven home moves and several financial crises, a permanent playing ground was found at Crawford's farm in Ballyclough in 1919 — the ground the Club plays over today.
1907 – 1918
Fight for Survival
By 1907, the Club was free of debt and determined to find a permanent home. A lease was agreed with the Furnell Estate at Ballyclough for £70 per annum. The E.G.M. on January 15th, 1908 was the biggest meeting of golfers ever held in Limerick City, with members doubling the annual subscription in their enthusiasm.
But turbulence followed — disputes with landlords over cattle grazing, a demand from the Evicted Tenants Association to vacate the lands, and Mrs. Crawford wanting her field back. Between 1913 and 1918 the Club attempted to change location nine times. Finally, in March 1919 under Captain J.V. Coogan, the Club purchased Mrs. Crawford's farm — the golfing ground on which the Club plays to this day.
1919 – 1939
Golf Between the Wars
Sociable inter-club matches with Lahinch, Ballybunion, Tipperary and others became a popular feature, played on a home-and-away basis with meals and entertainment. The 1920s were notable for the number of cup competitions inaugurated — the Corboy Cup, the Treacy Cup and the Ballyclough Cup among them.
The most significant event of the early 1930s was the decision to lease additional land from Miss Crawford, giving the Club 116 acres. Mr. McAllister of Portmarnock designed the new holes. On September 9, 1937, Walter Hagen and Joe Kirkwood played an exhibition match with John Burke and Stanley Martyn, opening the new holes with great fanfare. Willie Daly, with 35 years of loyal service, became the Club's longest serving employee.
1930s – 1980s
The Roberts Family
Dr. Michael Roberts, a prominent member since the early 1930s, became the inaugural captain at Castletroy in 1937. Malcolm Shaw, son of Sir Alex, chaired the founding meetings and became Castletroy's first President. Prominent Limerick members including Mickey Roberts, Frank O'Mahony and Tom Corboy were instrumental in supporting the new club.
Dr. Roberts married one of Ireland's finest women golfers, Eithne Pentony, who won national championships from 1931 and became the first Irish woman selected for the Vagliano Trophy team. In 1943, Dr. Roberts presented the cup named after him for competition between Limerick and Castletroy — a fiercely contested annual joust that continues to this day.
April 17, 1966
Pro-Am Tournament Sponsored by Danus
Peter Alliss dominated three fellow Ryder Cup teammates and a dozen Irish amateur internationals, including Walker Cup Captain Joe Carr, at Limerick GC during a unique pro-am event on Sunday, April 17, 1966, when the 75-year-old Club officially opened its brand new £30,000 clubhouse.
Alliss covered the rain-soaked Ballyclough course in imperial rounds of 68 and 66, 8-under par. Christy O'Connor and Dave Thomas competed alongside Harry Weetman. The novel format — four fourballs with each professional playing the best ball of three amateurs — drew the largest crowds ever seen at a golfing fixture in the city.
1967
Our First National Trophy
The arrival of Vincent Nevin and a winter spent in dedicated training was behind the sudden breakthrough at Lahinch in 1967 and the winning of the Munster Barton Shield and Senior Cup. At Co. Sligo in August, Nevin and Ivan Morris edged out their opponents by 1 hole, with Garry Geary sinking an 8-foot putt on the 18th to seal the Club's first Irish title.
This collage from Captain Tim Callanan's dinner menu reflects the immense pride of the Club — the Barton Boys (Vincent Nevin, Ivan Morris, Garry Geary and Billy Rice), the wise men, selectors, and a gallery of dedicated members who made the long journey to support their team.
1967 – 1988
The Golden Years
Between 1940 and 1988, Limerick GC compiled a proud record of success — twenty-eight Munster titles and nine Irish titles including three Irish Senior Cups, two Barton Shields and four Irish Junior Cups. The story of the 1976 double, the near-misses, and the extraordinary depth of talent that powered through Munster year after year defined the Club's golden age.
Names like Nevin, Rice, Harrington, Morris, Carew, Fitzgerald and Geary became synonymous with Limerick's winning tradition. James Carew's four Irish Junior Cup medals remain a record. The arrival of each new generation of players ensured the Club's competitive legacy continued to grow.
1976
The Sweet Double at Last
The addition of Jackie Harrington in 1976 bolstered the SCT squad significantly. At Lahinch, a rampant Limerick side demolished Muskerry in the Munster Barton Shield final. The senior cup final against archrivals Cork was a vibrant, nip and tuck affair, with Ivan Morris's birdies at the 13th, 14th and 15th turning a one-hole deficit into a two-up lead.
At the Irish Finals in Tramore, Limerick won its second Barton Shield before facing Shandon Park — a club they had never beaten — in the senior cup. With Harrington and Rice in command, and Nevin fashioning a superb birdie on the 18th to force tie holes, Limerick finally broke through. The Leinster champions, Island, were then dispatched in the final. The long-awaited double was secured.
1980
Glory in Europe
As winners of the 1980 Irish Senior Cup at Lahinch, Limerick GC represented Ireland in the European Clubs Cup at Santa Ponsa, Majorca. In dreadful conditions of high winds, severe cold and occasional snow flurries, the team of Jackie Harrington, Ivan Morris and Vincent Nevin battled against 16 other nations over four punishing days.
Harrington was the hero over the first two rounds before being laid low by illness. Barely able to walk, he came to the 17th of the final round needing two pars to clinch victory. He dropped a shot at the 17th only to fashion a magnificent birdie at the 18th. Limerick became the first Irish Club to win the European Club Championship, beating the German holders by a single stroke. Champions of Europe!
1988 – 2002
The Nearly Years
Although the years between 1988 and 2001 were all 'nearly ones' for national titles, Munster champions' pennants continued to fill the clubhouse walls. Between 1996 and 1998, the club reached four All-Ireland finals but on each occasion had to settle for silver.
The arrival of 16-year-old sensation Cian McNamara in 2002 sparked a new surge of ambition. At Galway, all five Limerick players finished unbeaten to claim a fourth senior cup title. In 2008, the Pierce Purcell Shield was won for the first time thanks to an amazing fight back by the middle order pairings against holders Warrenpoint.
1990 – 2000
First Home of the JP McManus Pro-Am
Since 1990, when he first conceived the idea of organising a Pro-Am Golf Classic at his home course to raise funds for local charities, an uncontrollable 5-year itch has afflicted J.P. McManus. The 1990 event raised £2 million, while the 1995 edition raised IR£3 million.
In July 2000, Tiger Woods arrived at Ballyclough having flown through the night from Chicago. The atmosphere of expectation was unforgettable. Tiger put on a delightful display of shot-making on the wind-swept, tree-lined layout, shooting a 64 to break the long-standing course record by 3 strokes. A crowd limited to 8,000 was rapturous.
Heritage
Roxborough Castle
Called Crawford's Castle for some time before it was demolished, Roxborough Castle was situated where the Limerick Golf Club clubhouse now stands. Built in the 19th century by the Russell family — flour and shipping merchants — it was believed they took full advantage of the view from the top to keep an eye on the happenings in Limerick Docks.
In the 1870s and '80s, the castle served as a parochial house for Mungret Parish. The last owner was Miss Hester Crawford who sold it to Limerick Golf Club around 1964. The castle was demolished to make way for the new clubhouse. Ironically, the castle lay in the townland of Ballyclough while Roxborough Townland lies on the other side of the Roxborough Road.
Leadership
Our GUI & ILGU Presidents
Limerick Golf Club has made a remarkable contribution to the governance of Irish golf. Edward (Ned) Treacy became the first Limerick member to chair the Munster Branch in 1963. Tommy O'Donnell succeeded him and as GUI President presented Limerick GC with its first national title, the Barton Shield, at Co. Sligo.
Patrick J. McPolin rose to the GUI Presidency in 1973 and was non-playing captain of the famous 1976 double-winning team. Jack V. Lynch, a 1-handicapper who joined in 1971, became GUI President in 2002 and proudly presented the Irish Senior Cup to his own Club. Mrs. Colette Holmes, Lady Captain in 1972, became President of the ILGU in 1995/96 — the only Limerick member to serve in that position.
