12 minutes. That’s how long it took for all five of the KPMG Irish Kids Tour events to sell out once registration opened in 2025, so with the 2026 series opening for bookings this Sunday February 22 at 2pm, it will be a case of fastest fingers first to gain entry for what will be the 10th staging of the series.
The season kicks off with the Leinster Trophy at Meath’s Headfort Golf Club on April 8, before returning to PGA National Slieve Russell in Cavan for the Ulster Trophy on June 21 and to Strandhill Golf Club in Sligo for the Connacht Trophy a week later on June 29.
Former Irish Open venue Fota Island in Cork is once again the venue for the Munster Trophy on August 10, with the season coming to a close at the All-Ireland Trophy which takes place at Killeen Castle, a former Solheim Cup host venue and the site of the 2025 and 2026 Irish Challenge tournaments on the HotelPlanner Tour, on August 24.
“It’s unbelievable, really,” said Gordon Smyth, Head Professional at PGA National Slieve Russell and the Raflewski Academy, and the co-founder of the KPMG Irish Kids Tour. “Last year, we sold out all 500 places across the five venues in 12 minutes, and had a further 280 or so on the waiting list.
“But we’ve been doing this for 10 years now, so it’s built up gradually and now we’ve got kids coming from all over the country to play in each of the events.”
Nine separate playing categories – seven-and-under, then eight through 13 for boys, and 10-and-under and 13-and-under for girls – and trophies for the leading three players in each category means that 27 prizes in total are distributed on the day, with each Category winner also receiving a €60 McGuirks Golf voucher.
Additionally, all participants are given a Srixon hat, a PRG pitchmark repairer, and a sleeve of golf balls, while VPAR online scoring provides a real-time leaderboard, adding a big-time, professional feel to the event.
And the KPMG Irish Kids Tour has proven to be a strong breeding ground for future internationals. To date, more than 40 former Irish Kids Tour competitors have gone on to represent Ireland on the international stage, while Sean Keeling and John Doyle were selected for Junior Ryder Cup participation in 2023 and 2025 respectively.
“I remember them all winning trophies when they were little nippers,” Smyth fondly recalled. “When you see them go on to do great things at U14, U16, U18, and adult level, it’s a great reward. The ultimate dream is that we’ll see one of the kids who started playing competitive golf with us go on to play and win on tour.
“When we started, there was no real competitive outlet outside of their own clubs – if they even are able to become members of clubs – for kids under the age of 12 or 13, so we just wanted to get them into a competitive space, playing on really good golf courses, and with kids their own age.
“We set the golf courses and tee markers to suit the specific age categories, and it’s often under-par gross scores that are winning. We’d like to think that any extremely talented youngsters will be identified at the earliest possible opportunity and this will help them on their journeys if that’s the way they want to go.
“KPMG has been the title sponsor from the start, and they’re involved in golf at every level, from grassroots levels such as ourselves, to Leona Maguire and the Women’s Irish Open, PGA Tour stars and major championships. ‘Inspiring the Future’ is one of their taglines, and this is living proof that they practice what they preach.”
For more information or to register for events, click here.
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