Benjamin McCartney Shoots Fine 73

Benjamin McCartney Shoots Fine 73 To Take The Victory At Home Course

It was Benjamin McCartney's day as he lead the rest of the field with an impressive 73 (+1) which gave him a net 70. Ben began his round in steady fashion as he parred his first ten holes before dropping two shots on the difficult eleventh and twelfth holes. His round then steadied up once more with pars in his next five holes before making a great birdie four on the par five eighteenth hole. 

In second place five shots further back was John Pomeroy. John who is now playing off a handicap of ten managed to shot 85 which gave him a net 75. John made his only birdie of the day on the difficult par thee fourth hole to go along with six pars giving him a total of 85 strokes.

Two shots further back of John was Conor Hagan who shot a net 77. Conor may be slightly disappointed with this round as he felt he left shots out on the course after hitting the ball extremely well throughout the round. Two double bogeys back to back on the sixth a seventh holes didn't help his cause as he finished the front nine six over par. A good start to the back nine with three pars on his opening three holes gave Conor belief for his final six holes. However four dropped shots in a row before a par on the seventeenth and a birdie on 18 gave Conor a total of 81 strokes.

Lee Westwood Golf School Visit

It was great to have the Lee Westwood Golf School students visiting us last week. While here they were able to utilise the facilities, experience a custom fitting session in our TaylorMade Performance Center and play local courses at Royal Portrush and Hilton Templepatrick. With Belfast City only 20 mins away they also sampled what the great city has to offer. We hope to have them back with us again in the near future.

Final Week

This week is the final week of the programme with some students finishing up their two years with us at the school and some just finishing of their first year with us. It has been a hugely successful year with many highlights including the fantastic Winter Training trip to Spain along with the team finishing in the top 5 at the British Schools trip to the Forest of Arden. Progression and improvements have been made all round with targets and goals achieved.

This week the students will take part in the 54 hole Strokeplay Championship which will take place at Portrush, Hilton and Fortwilliam golf courses. The graduation ceremony will then take place around midday on Friday.

Golf & Education Programme

Interested in a Golf and Education Programme!? With a new pricing structure the DCGS is now very accessible and affordable. Contact us at info@darrenclarkegolfschool.com or phone 028 9446 6227 (0044 28 9446 6227) to find out how we can get you on the path to a great education and using some of the best golf facilities around.

Conor Hagan Claims Victory

Conor Hagan Makes Sure Of Victory With Steady Win

On what was the warmest day of the year to date windy conditions made sure to keep scoring interesting as a round of 77 (+5) was enough to give Conor Hagan 36 points and the victory by one point at the Hilton.

Conor began his round with a steady par at the par four first hole before back to back bogeys on the second and third holes left him two over par after three holes. A birdie at the par three fourth hole followed by two further dropped shots left Conor three over par through the first nine holes. Conor then made a good start to the back nine with a par on the tenth followed by another two this time at the eleventh hole. Pars at the twelfth and fourteenth with a bogey in between left Conor still three over par with four holes remaining. Three further dropped shots and a birdie to finish with on the par five eighteenth hole meant Conor finished with a steady five over par 77 giving him 36 stableford points.

In second place just one point further back was Billy Hathway and Joseph O'Neill with 35 points. Incidentally Joe won the best gross on the day with a very steady one over par 73.

Billy also like Conor shot a five over par 77 with a three over par front nine and a two over par back nine. On the other hand Joe collated his 35 points differently with a one over par 73. Joe was one over par for his front nine and finished with a very impressive level par back nine.

... Benjamin McCartney tees off at the first hole		... Billy Hathway with his approach shot at the 17th hole

Final Few Weeks Of Term

Over the final few weeks of term the students will be busy making final preparations to their games for the exciting season ahead. This week will see the completion of the final short game and long game skills testing of the term. This will give us an opportunity to measure the progress of each student over the year and give specific practice drills to everyone going forward.

Over the remaining weeks of term we will be playing some great courses each week including Portrush. Some of these events will be played as GUI qualifying competitions which will be a fantastic opportunity for handicap reductions for the students. The last week of term will be a 54 hole Strokeplay tournament to determine the 2017 DCGS Strokeplay Champion.

With the fantastic weather of late the facilities at the academy having been in immaculate condition which has provided a fantastic opportunity for each student to train on each area of their game. Over the last few weeks it would be very encouraging to see each student out making use of the practice facilities outside of class time.

North West Away Day

Cathal Simpson Eases To Victory At DCGS Away Day

North West Golf Club was the venue for our away day last Friday. Cian Lanigan who works part time for the school is a member of the beautiful links course and it was a day organised by him to thank the students for the experience he has gained from them throughout the course of the year. 

North West Golf Club runs along the shores of Lough Swilly on the Wild Atlantic Way. Established as an 18 hole links course in 1891 it is one of the 9 founding members of the Golfing Union of Ireland. North West has several outstanding holes and it provides a tough test for any level of golfer.

Friday provided a very challenging layout from the championship tees that was hugely penal in extremely tough conditions. The Round of the day came from Cathal Simpson who shot a remarkable level par 70, giving him a net 64.

Cathal who also won last weeks competition has been in fine form of late and again produced another excellent display to shoot a level par round of golf at a course that was very tricky and unfamiliar to him. Cathal started off his round in steady fashion with seven pars in a row before a dropped shot on eight and another par on nine to finish one over par for the opening nine holes. An excellent birdie on ten followed by two disappointing bogeys on the 12th and 13th holes left Cathal two over par with five holes left to play. After an excellent finish to his round last week there was plenty of optimism that Cathal could once again do the same. He certainly didn't let anyone down on this occasion again though as he finished with three pars and two birdies to leave him with a level par 70. As it was our away day we had handicap reductions in place thanks to the golf club which mean Cathal has now seen his handicap reduced by a full shot from six to five.

In second place six shots back in a tie with a net 70 was Oliver Doherty and John Pomeroy. In third place a further three shots back in a tie was Aaron Lennie and Ted Harman with a net score of 73.

Well done to all the students who took part and thanks to their efforts in taking part in a successful trip.

... Oliver Doherty teeing off on the par 4 5th hole	... Group picture on the first tee	... Conor Hagan takes driver off the 5th tee

Cathal Simpson Wins At Hilton

Cathal Simpson Eases To Victory At Hilton Templepatrick Strokeplay

It was Cathal Simpson who claimed a comfortable victory at the Hilton last week with a superb nett 68 (+2).

Ironically Cathal began his round with three bogeys in his first four holes to find himself in the imperious position of three over par with fourteen holes left to play. Two birdies in the next five holes helped Cathal to settle back into the round and to ensure that he was just a couple of shots over par through the first nine holes. However once again Cathal got off to a bad start on the back nine with three further dropped shots in the next five holes to leave him five over par with just the remaining four holes left to play. Cathal however found some belief within and finished with three fantastic birdies in his final four holes to leave him finishing with a very steady two over par 74 strokes which was enough to give him a nett 68 winning by a comfortable margin of four shots.

In a tie for second place was the inform Sean Dimmick and Golf Performance student John Pomeroy. Sean got his round immediately off to a flyer with three birdies in the first six holes to find himself three under par. Two back to back bogeys on the seventh and eighth holes saw Sean return to one under par through the first nine holes. A great start to the back nine with pars on the tenth and eleventh holes followed by birdies on the twelfth and thirteenth holes meant Sean once again for the second time in the round found himself at three under par. However four dropped shots in his next three holes meant Sean was over par for the first time in the round with just one hole left to play. Two solid shots onto the par five eighteenth green followed by two putts meant Sean finished the round with a birdie to give him a level par round of 72 strokes which playing off a handicap of scratch also gave him a nett 72. It was a very good score for Sean however it left him wondering what could have been if he could have eradicated a few of the mistakes on the final stretch of holes.

John Pomeroy who's form has dipped of late after an excellent start to the year winning the DCGS Matchplay Championship showed some signs of his old form with a nett 72 to claim a share of second place. John got his round off to an excellent start with three solid pars in his opening three hole. However a triple bogey on the par three fourth hole followed by three further dropped shots on the remaining holes on the front nine left John with a lot to do heading into the back nine. Five solid pars on the back nine coupled with just four dropped shots left John finishing with his best score in some weeks with a nett 72.

The Countdown Has Began With Just Six Weeks Left Of The School Year

For many students it will be the end of their two years and for other students it will be the end of their first year with us here at the school. For all it has been a great experience and a fantastic learning curve and certainly there are plenty of positives to take away. As coaches it has been a fulfilling year to watch each student grow and develop into better golfers and even better people. It is now vitally important for each individual to make the most of the final six weeks here with us and to ensure that they leave the school with no regrets with reference to their work ethic and commitment. We now look forward to the run in with plenty of activities and tasks planned.

Sean Dimmick With Impressive Performance At Dorset County Open

Second year Full Time student Sean Dimmick has been in impressive form of late with his latest big result coming at his home Dorset Open Championship.

The Dorset Open Strokeplay Championship which is played over 36 holes took place on Sunday 7th May at Dudsbury Golf Club. It was a very competitive field of 59 players with no fewer than five professionals taking their place among the field. Sean who was playing off a handicap of 1 had every reason to be confident heading into the tournament with a top 5 finish under his belt at the British Schools and Colleges Championship just two days prior.

Once again Sean showed signs of his continued improvement and his current level of confidence with a three under par first round of 68 strokes to lead the field. Considering the course standard scratch for the day was 73 this is evidence of just how good a round it was by Sean to be five strokes better off than the average of the field.

A second round of five over par 76 was not what Sean had in mind but bearing in mind he had just played two big tournaments in quick succession this was an excellent effort and one that he should certainly be proud of. It was enough to secure him a tie for fourth place and reduce his handicap from 1 to scratch.

Sean began his time here at the school as a very talented 3 handicapper and a golfer who showed huge potential. A fantastic work ethic along with an even more impressive attitude has seen Sean reach a lot of the targets that he had set himself in the early stages of his time with us. In his first year at the school Sean's handicap was reduced from 3 to 1 with some very impressive performances and results over the season and now with just two tournaments played at the beginning of this season he has already seen his handicap reduced to scratch. With such a big schedule of events now planned for Sean and a further six weeks left of his time here at the school Sean has a huge amount of opportunities in front of him and we are sure he will take them.

Sean Dimmick pictured above competing in last year's Telegraph Junior Golf Championship Final played at Quinta Do Lago, Portugal.

Top 5 Finish For School At British Schools and Colleges Final

In what was a huge build up to this years British Schools and Colleges finals we were very confident in going out there and bringing back the trophy. After 15 long rounds of qualifying the team was picked and we were satisfied that we were taking the best team possible to represent the school at the national finals. With all of the team showing great form in the lead up to the event we had every reason to believe it was going to be our year.

The event was to be played over 36 holes at the very prestigious Forest of Arden course in Birmingham. The first round was to be played on the Aylesford Course with the second to be played on the Arden Championship Course. It was a 4 man team with the 3 best scores to count each day.

After pretty smooth travel arrangements on the Tuesday morning we arrived at the Marriott hotel mid morning which was situated on site at the golf course. After a nice leisurely walk around the front 9 holes of the Arden Course we made our way into the clubhouse to have lunch. After lunch we then proceeded to play a practice round on the Aylesford course which was the course where the first 18 holes of the event where to take place. The practice round enabled the boys to have the opportunity to take notes on the course and to prepare fully for the first days play.

After a nice relaxing breakfast on the Wednesday morning the boys made their way to the practice area in preparation for their tee time at 10.30am. The first of the boys to tee off was Sean Dimmick followed by Brendan Lawlor, Joseph O'Neill and Aaron Lennie. Conditions were a lot tougher than to be expected with a strong wind blowing throughout the day. Through the front 9 holes the boys were playing some solid golf with the best of the scores coming from Joseph through 9 holes. With just 4 holes left to play Sean, Brendan and Joseph found themselves well in contention with good scores on the horizon. A good finish was required if we wanted to be leading after day one. However a disappointing finish to their rounds seen the team sitting just 1 shot behind the leaders going into the final day.

... Sean Dimmick on his was to a 2 over par 73 on the final day	... Aaron Lennie putting for par on the tricky par 4 16th hole	... Brendan with his first tee shot on the first day

The final round was to be played on the Arden Championship course where we found ourselves at the other end of the draw and teeing off early morning. It presented an entirely different challenge with the Arden course playing well over 1000 yards longer than the Aylesford course we played the previous day as well as a much stronger wind to contend with. If we were to overtake the leaders and forge a gap at the top of the leaderboard before they teed off later in the day we needed each player on the team to play to their potential. Unfortunately on the day this was not the case and a few too many mistakes on the front 9 left the team with too much to do on the back 9 meaning we fell short in terms of where we felt we should have been. The two best scores over the 2 days came from Joseph O'Neill 71 (+1 Aylesford) and Sean Dimmick 73 (+2 Arden).

A lot of good play from the boys over the 2 days was enough to finish in an excellent 5th place out of 27 teams in the finals. There were plenty of positives to take out of the trip especially the way in which the boys conducted themselves throughout. They can be very proud of themselves both in their golf and their attitude and they certainly are a credit to the school. Well done boys!

DCGS Highlights Edition 26

Brendan Lawlor Wins The Battle At Ballycastle With Excellent 39 Points

On a tough and tricky day at Ballcastle it was Brendan Lawlor who excelled with a one point advantage over Alex Hanneffy shooting a level par 71 giving him a total of 39 points.

Brendan began his round in steady fashion parring the first three holes before dropping two shots on the difficult par four ninth hole. However Brendan soon got his round back on track with three pars and two birdies in his next five holes. With seven pars, one birdie and just one further bogey in his remaining nine holes it ensured that Brendan finished with a fantastic level par round to take victory by the small margin of just one shot.

In second place with another great score of 73 (+2) giving him a total of 38 points was Alex Hanneffy. Alex has been playing very well of late and this was another round to illustrate this. The opening nine holes for Alex was mixed with birdies and indeed dropped shots. After opening his round with two pars Alex bogeyed the tricky par four eighth hole before parring the difficult ninth and dropping two shots on the short par three eleventh. However three birdies on his four remaining holes on the front nine ensured that Alex finished one over par for the front nine. Three more birdies coupled with four dropped shots left Alex finishing the back nine also one over par to give him a total of two over par 73.

In a tie for third place four points back on 34 points was Aaron Lennie and Conor Hagan. Both Aaron and Conor have been showing great signs of improvement of late and their scores over the last couple of weeks suggest this. With a total of seventeen pars and four birdies between them it suggests that there is some very good golf being played but with seventeen dropped shots between then it is evident that there are also some improvements still to be made.

Alex Hanneffy Maintains His Good Form With An Impressive 40 Points At The Hilton

It was a tale of two nines for Alex last Friday as he produced yet another fine display to blow away the remainder of the field on his way to victory at a difficult Hilton Templepatrick.

Alex began his round with three bogeys in the opening four holes. A birdie on the par five fifth hole followed by another dropped shot on the par four ninth hole left Alex with a lot of work to do at three over par. A solid start for Alex on the back nine saw him par the opening four holes before making back to back birdies on the fourteenth and fifteenth holes leaving his just one over par for his round through fifteen holes. Two pars and a birdie in his final three holes ensured that Alex finished with a brilliant level par 72.

In second place three points further adrift was Billy Hathway. Billy finished with a steady four over par 76 to claim another good finish. With a total of ten pars, two birdies and three dropped shots on either nine it left Billy with a total of 37 points. Billy finished with two birdies in his remaining three holes which was enough to nip into second place.

In a tie for third place just one point back was Brendan Lawlor and Harry Thompson on 36 points. Brendan has been playing some very impressive golf of late and Harry has certainly been showing some excellent signs of progress. With Brendan finishing with a three over par 75 and Harry finishing with a six over par 78 there is obvious signs of some good golf being played in tricky conditions. This was certainly a very pleasing score of Harry as he continues his recuperation from his damaged foot that he injured at Portrush earlier on in the year.

British Schools Leaderboard

It was another week of changes at the top of the British Schools leaderboard as two further rounds of double points took place at Ballycastle and Hilton on Thursday and Friday.

It was Brendan Lawlor who finished the week at the top of the leaderboard on 40 points as rounds of 71, 75 where enough to secure him a further fifteen points. Following closely behind just one and a half points back is Sean Dimmick. After his impressive 69 (-3) last week at Galgorm Sean backed it up with rounds of 75, 75 which was enough to open up a considerable gap between himself and third place.

In third place a considerable fourteen and a half points back from second place is Joseph O'Neill. Joe shot rounds of 77, 76 to move up one place on the leaderboard.

In fourth place making his way into the top four is Aaron Lennie. Last week Aaron finished with steady rounds of 76, 76 to open up a three point gap ahead of Benjamin McCartney in fifth place.

There is only one round of double points remaining which will be played at Portrush this coming Thursday 6th April with the team due to be announced on Friday 7th April.

Golfer Of The Week

Last weeks golfer of the week was Alex Hanneffy. With the excellent progress Alex has been making over the last number of weeks in all aspects of his game it is clear to see why his results are starting to follow. As well as two excellent scores last week at Ballycastle and Hilton Alex also improved on his short game skills result from last term.

Since joining the school in September as a Golf Performance student Alex has made a lot of technical changes to his swing and with a lot of hard work and commitment the results are now beginning to be evident. We hope that Alex now continues this hard work on to the end of the year to give him the best possible preparation heading into the new season. Well done Alex.

Short Game Skills Testing Results

Last week the students completed their second short game skills test of the year. The testing is a fantastic way for coaches to evaluate the progress of each student and to also identify any areas for improvement. The test is also a fantastic tool in giving students confidence once they are able to measure the improvements they have made.

There were some very positive signs with 60% of the students improving their scores with their previous test. However it still highlights the importance that there is still progress to be made and that there is a lot of hard work to be done between now and the end of the programme.

Easter Holidays

With the Easter break just under a week away here is a reminder of the holidays. The students will finish at 4.00pm this Friday 7th April and commence again on Monday 24th April at 9.00am.

It is vitally important that each student is in attendance on Friday 7th April as specific events and competitions are planned.