Adult Golf Coaching here at the DCGS

Another year of the DCGS has come to an end.  This is the 10th year of operation for the school and it's been another very successful one indeed.  We have seen excellent handicap reductions, vast improvements to techniques and ball flights, a very enjoyable warm (ok not so warm this year!) trip to Spain back in January which seems like years ago now, a brilliant effort from our lads at the British Schools finals at Forest of Arden and a wonderful final week 54 hole event.

Class of 2016/17 -happy bunch.  Some of the current year's students have been here for the past 3 years and have made life long friends along the way. 

The DCGS experience continues to develop and improve with each passing year.  The students all have these amazing facilities to use and hone their games as well as a host of other impressive indoor areas such as the sports hall.  Time does fly when you're having fun but this year's group certainly has made excellent progress.  Of those who are graduating the paths are varied, one is off to the USA college system after gaining an impressive scholarship. Another is heading to the tournament golf college in England to further his studies, two have gained jobs within the golf industry already and several others are going to continue to play and practice while getting part time jobs to support themselves.  What ever the path they'll all be welcome back to the DCGS in the future and we look forward to keeping up with how they all get on.

We are busy recruiting for our new school year at the moment and have what is shaping up to be a great year to look forward to starting in September. If you would like to enquire about becoming a student here at the school please contact the office 028 9446 6227 (0044 28 9446 6227) or info@darrenclarkegolfschool.com.

Check out our website at www.darrenclarkegolfschool.com

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.