IRELAND TEAMS NAMED FOR EUROPEAN DISABILITY CAMPAIGNS
Tom Doherty during the ISPS Handa Irish Open for Golfers with Disabilities. Photo: James (Crombie/Inpho)
Golf Ireland has named its teams for the upcoming European Team Championships for Golfers with Disability and European Nations’ Cup for Golfers with Disability, which will take place at Golf Club Genova in Italy from July 16-18.
The Irish squads will travel on July 14 ahead of three days of competition against some of Europe’s leading nations, with both events showcasing the continued growth and strength of golfers with disability across the continent.
The European Team Championships for Golfers with Disability will see Ireland represented by Dianne Conway (Shandon Park), Tom Doherty (Killarney), Paul O’Kelly (Portmarnock) and Ian St John (Tramore).
The Irish team competing in the European Nations’ Cup for Golfers with Disability comprises Cian Arthurs (Roganstown), Kate Daly (Temple), Conal Flynn (Athenry) and Caolan Munnelly (Tullamore).
Both teams will be captained by Paul Kelly, with Gerri Houlihan serving as Team Manager. Ian Stafford and Mary Doyle will support the teams as coaches.
“It’s a great week, competition and experience for everybody involved. This time around we have a few returning faces but also three or four new faces which has brought a new dynamic to the group. We are hoping to use that energy over the course of the three days of the competition,” said Kelly.
“We have had the high-performance panel going now for a number of months. The players are coming from that pool, bar one, and it means we are better prepared in terms of how to prep pre-event, nutrition, hydration, skills, all those things which many a year ago weren’t as well drilled and defined.
“Hopefully that means when we go away we are with a team that is a bit more high-performance based. But we also want to keep a certain amount of the camaraderie, the relaxed atmosphere and the basis of any good Irish team which is to be highly competitive on the day and try and get the job done.”
The first ISPS Handa G4D High Performance Panel marked another significant milestone in the sport. The establishment of a dedicated G4D High Performance Panel reflects Golf Ireland’s commitment to providing structured support to players competing at the highest levels of the game.
Ireland will face strong international opposition in both competitions. The European Team Championships field includes England, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, while the European Nations’ Cup will feature Belgium, Czech Republic, England and hosts Italy.
And with more high temperatures predicted for Italy that week, Kelly knows getting the right preparation in has been crucial to the outcome.
“The group have been getting support from Golf Ireland and Amy O’Donnell. She has provided nutritional advice to the high-performance panel,” said Kelly.
“For a lot of these golfers that don’t play three days in a row, they are going to be playing three days in a row and it could be quite challenging temperature wise. The idea of rest and recovery, managing effort, energy expenditure. How we could get people back and fit and raring to go day on day, is certainly a task for us as a management group.
“It’s something we have been aware of and we are talking to the players a lot about. A lot of it is their own responsibility but it would be a responsibility on us to try and keep hammering home that message.
“You are playing three days, most EDGA events are only two, so for most of them you have got to factor in a third day of competition.”
European Team Championships for Golfers with Disability
Dianne Conway (Shandon Park)
Tom Doherty (Killarney)
Paul O’Kelly (Portmarnock)
Ian St John (Tramore)
Captain: Paul Kelly
Manager: Gerri Houlihan
Coaches: Ian Stafford and Mary Doyle
European Nations’ Cup for Golfers with Disability
Cian Arthurs (Roganstown)
Kate Daly (Temple)
Conal Flynn (Athenry)
Caolan Munnelly (Tullamore)
Captain: Paul Kelly
Manager: Gerri Houlihan
Coaches: Ian Stafford and Mary Doyle