Friday, April 14, 2000
Rosses Point will again host the prestigious 'West' Golf championships after an absence of three years. The Easter event had to be switched to Enniscrone in 1997 when greens at Rosses Point became unplayable. Since then ten greens have been resodded with many thousand cubic metres of imported Yorkshire turf.
The West of Ireland Mens Amateur Golf Championship has attracted an entry of 144 competitors "There is a general air of excitement with having the 'West' back after it's three years absence. "The club looks forward very much to welcoming the competitors and spectators who will visit the famous course over the days and nights of the long Easter weekend," said a spokesman. Much effort has been put into bunker revetting, fairway aeration and general tidying of all aspects of the course and surrounds. "Visitors will be pleased to note the attractive use of railway sleepers notably to shore the banks of the streams guarding the approaches to the seventh, thirteenth and fourteenth greens, said the spokesman.
The work has been overseen by the club's Scots born head green keeper, George Patterson, who was appointed in 1995. His efforts on the course merited words of praise from fellow Scot - Manchester United team manager- Sir Alex Ferguson on a recent visit to the club.
First held in August 1923, the event moved to its now traditional Easter date in 1931. It has become one of the major amateur golf championships in the country and this year celebrates its 75th appearance at the Rosses Point venue.
The millennium year championships are sponsored by local IBM computer dealer, Compupac Ireland Ltd.