As Donabate celebrates its centenary this year they will host the finals of the Fred Daly, Irish Boys’ Foursomes, Irish Boys’ Inter-Club and Irish Girls’ Inter-Club today, with a golfing legend taking scores.
Mary McKenna has been a member of this club since she first picked up the sport and what followed was a glittering career in the amateur ranks.
However, this week she is part of a huge collaborative effort while the community rally around as the North County Dublin parkland welcomes the stars of tomorrow, who will be hoping to emulate her feats.
“It’s been a great club to me. I’ve had huge support over the last 60-odd years,” said McKenna.
“It’s been absolutely great, it’s home from home for me. We’ve built a new clubhouse and we now have three nines, so it has extended since the early days and the work has been superb and the course is in absolutely pristine condition at the moment.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how all the youngies play.”
Donabate Golf Club was founded as a nine-hole course on 15 January 1925, however it has evolved to 27 holes over the years, capable of hosting major Inter-Club events.
“A number of years ago we hosted the Girls’ Home Internationals, which was great as well,” said McKenna.
“This is another big one and the organisation is superb. Our President is in charge of that and between getting volunteers all signed up for practice, carpark duties, scoring, it’s a big job, a huge job when you see the number of people involved.
“You couldn’t do it without the support of the community, because particularly with juniors, you’re going to have parents, friends and everybody, you’re going to have huge support from the supporters end of it, as well as from the playing end of it.”
McKenna made a huge contribution to Irish golf and won the AIG Irish Women’s Amateur Close Championship on seven occasions between 1969 and 1989.
She was one of the dominant figures in the domestic scene at the time and competed internationally too where she was runner-up in the British Stroke Play in 1976 and champion three years later.
Back in 1986 she reached the semi-final of the US Amateur while she had also more success on American soil that year, when she created history alongside her Curtis Cup teammates.
The 13-5 victory at Prairie Dunes was the first time a team from GB&I had won in the USA be it Ryder Cup, Walker Cup, Solheim Cup or Curtis Cup.
“It was always an uphill battle because America could produce ten teams the standard of ours because of their numbers,” said McKenna.
“It just went for us that year. My memory of it was, it was so hot, it was like walking into an oven when you came out of the clubhouse. Diane Bailey was our Captain, and she just kept us going.
“With the Singles, we just needed one of the matches on the second day. We had three Irish on the team, which was super.
“Curtis Cup definitely would be the one highlight, and we also won the Home Internationals and it was the first time in 20 years that we had won the Home Internationals.
“That was a big moment because I think anything that you can celebrate with a team is great. Individual wins are great, winning the British Stroke Play, it’s got to be one of the highlights and semi-final in the US Amateur, from an individual basis.
“But then you have some of the club wins as well, the Inter-Club wins, and they’re so important too.”
And it’s all about the team this week in Donabate where the stars of tomorrow will hope to create their own slice of history for their clubs. McKenna has done it all at the highest level and believes team sports are hugely important.
“Just enjoy it,” said McKenna.
“I would always encourage them to start to play golf, whether they want to continue on or anything, because it’s a game you have for life and somewhere along the way you’ll pick it up, even from a work point of view or from meeting other friends.
“It’s something that you have for life. I would always say play other sports too and don’t be totally concentrated on it, certainly from the start anyway.
“But I think just because you learn so much in team sports, they’re so important.”
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