KILKEEL GOLF CLUB CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS 1924-2024

Kilkeel Golf Club celebrated its Centenary in true 1920s style on Friday past. 100 years to the very day of the inaugural meeting which established the club in the Kilmorey Arms Hotel on 3 May 1924.

Mourne Park was blessed with great weather as more than 250 past and present members participated in the celebrations. Hosts for the day, on behalf of the club, were presidents Victor Quinn and Diane McDowell and captains Robin McCullough and Lorna Orr. More than 40 past presidents and captains came along to join in the festivities. A wonderful feature of the day, which provided great atmosphere, fun and colour to the occasion, was that many members dressed in 1920s style golfing attire. The prize for best dressed lady was Fiona Campbell and Stevie Coulter for the men.

An 18-hole Stableford competition for gents and ladies ran throughout the day with a total of 170 golfers taking part.  Winners for the men were Category A – Jonathan Crutchley, Category B – William McKnight, Gross – Frank Reilly, Longest Drive (18^th) – Mark Henning, Nearest the Pin (8^th) and (15^th) Jonathan Crutchley, Hidden Holes (2,7,15,17) – Raymond Bagnall. For the ladies the winners were Division 1- Adrianne McCullough, Division 2 – Catherina Cunningham, Gross – Jayne Henry, Nearest the Pin (11^th) and Longest Drive (17^th) – both won by Ellie Russell.  The 6-hole putting competition using old hickory shaft putters, run by Noel Edwards, was won by Gary Orr. Mourne Country Park Toptracer Driving Range facilitated and sponsored a Nearest the Pin competition which was won by Sammy Allen with a shot just 8 inches from the pin.

To mark the occasion a short ceremony was held on the first tee at Noon. The Honorary Secretary Jeremy Murray, introduced the President who outlined how the club had progress from its days at Cranfield. Golf had been played there from at least 1905. The links were revamped in 1924 when the club was formed. 25 years later it moved to a 9-hole course on a 30-acre site at Mourne Park in 1949. The first clubhouse was the former Land Steward’s house, before being extended in 1972. The extension to 18-holes was completed in 1993 and a new clubhouse opened in 2001. The Lady President expressed her privilege at being part of the occasion and explained how the research had highlighted the fact that the Ladies Branch was actively involved in the club’s growth and development over its 100 years. The Captain and Lady Captain then raised a Centenary Flag and planted an oak tree near the first tee.

On 5 June 1924 the Countess of Kilmorey had hit the first drive at the new revamped Cranfield Links, so it was fitting that her great great granddaughter was asked to hit a ceremonial drive off the first tee 100 years later. Ellie Russell hit a great 5 iron shot with a slight draw, over the trees, onto the first fairway, followed by loud applause.

To bring the ceremony to a close, presentations were made to mark the link between the two courses. The family of the late Eric Quinn, one of the club’s best ever players, presented the Armstrong Cup back to the club. The cup had been donated to the club by TH Armstrong in 1933, who went on to be captain in 1936.  Eric had won the Armstrong Cup for the third time in 1949 and, as was tradition at the time, won it outright, so it was never played for again. Mrs Quinn was very keen that it should be returned to the club so it was most appropriate that her sons Colin and William made the presentation on Centenary Day to the President and Captain.

Former Lady President and Lady Captain, Mrs Nora Murphy, then presented a Dunlop 65 No 8 golf ball which had been played at Cranfield to the Lady President and the Lady Captain. Nora had been given the ball by an excavator driver when he was working in the sand dunes during the construction of Ameracam Lane.

The overwhelming consensus from all present was that the event was one of the best days at Kilkeel Golf Club in many years. Lots of reunions, sense of fun and a sense of camaraderie providing a great atmosphere on a memorable day in the club’s history.

Report by Allan McMullen