Tuesday 16 April 2024 10:50
MASSEREENE Golf Club is one of the earliest golf clubs to be founded in Ireland.
It was officially opened on 31st August 1895 so has now been in existence for over 128 years.
For all of those years, Massereene, like the majority of golf clubs has been controlled by the members with its management and business affairs run by a Council of male members.
Ladies have been ‘associate’ members with no say in the running of the Club although they have had their own committee which organised their own competitions.
They are also active in assisting with Club events.
Two separate bodies have been responsible for the organisation of men’s and women’s golf.
The Golfing Union of Ireland (GUI) which had been established in 1891, the oldest golfing union in the world, and the Irish Ladies Golf Union (ILGU) which was founded in 1893.
Massereene became affiliated to the GUI shortly after opening while the Ladies branch of the Club became affiliated to the ILGU in 1901.
In 2021, following a consultation process the two Unions agreed to combine to form a single governing body - Golf Ireland.
Golf Ireland’s vision is simple. ‘That golf is a game for everyone – for enjoyment, for health and for life’.
At its core is the bringing together of men and women to work together for the betterment of our great sport.
The new governing body, Golf Ireland, has developed a system of Governance for golf clubs giving equal status to both male and female members and has provided advice and guidance documents to support Golf Clubs adopting what is called the ‘One Club’ model, launched in 2021.
Massereene carried out a survey of the members in early 2023 to determine their feelings about moving to the One Club system of running the Club.
The very positive outcome gave the green light to proceed and a special working group was tasked with development of a new constitution and a single management structure for the Club.
The members gave the proposal unanimous approval at an Extraordinary General meeting on 15th February 2024.
A new chapter has now been opened in the history of the Club.
All categories of membership are now open to men and women on an equal footing. These include seven, six and five day categories with discounted rates for seniors. Intermediate and junior categories are also available.
Information about all these categories may be viewed on the Massereene Golf Club website: www.massereenegc.com Further details may be obtained by contacting the Club office: 028 9442 8096.
Under the auspices of Golf Ireland there are introductory schemes in place to encourage anyone who may be thinking about taking up the game.
It may seem a daunting prospect at first to join a golf club but through the ‘Women in Golf’ programme, new members may have some coaching by the professional and assistant pro.
Similarly, juniors are supported with the help of the Massereene Junior Committee and may participate in organised competitions such as the Golf Sixes which on an interclub level culminate in Area and National finals. The Golf Ireland Safeguarding policy ensures that children and young people taking part in the sport are protected.
For details of these introductory sessions, contact the Club office or the Professional’s shop.
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