Malahide Golf Club is ready to embrace the Women’s Irish Challenge with open arms from July 29-31 as a mixture of budding professionals and elite amateurs from across the country tee it up alongside pros from all over Europe.
Irish women’s golf is experiencing a boom with Leona Maguire now a multiple winner on the LPGA Tour. Lauren Walsh earned her LPGA Tour card while Sara Byrne, Anna Foster and Annabel Wilson have been joined on the Ladies European Tour by new professional Áine Donegan. Canice Screene and Olivia Mehaffey also play on the LET while two-time Curtis Cup star Beth Coulter is set to join the pro ranks.
The big challenge now is to keep the conveyor belt moving, and adding the Women’s Irish Challenge to the golfing landscape can only be a good thing going forward after a thoroughly successful inaugural staging last year at Malahide.
“The members of Malahide Golf Club embraced the competition superbly,” said Head Professional Raymond Burns. “The members loved hosting the kids coming through and putting on nice food for them. The course is playing firm and fast and is a proper test. It’s a great benefit for young Irish golfers to play in a competition on an elite golf course under tournament conditions at a higher level than they would be used to in amateur golf.”
A record number of Irish women played in the KPMG Women’s Irish Open last year with seven professionals and nine amateurs competing. Some of whom will tee it up in Malahide for the Women’s Irish Challenge as they look to form part of the next crop of talent coming through the ranks.
“The growth of the Irish ladies game is way ahead of the men’s game,” added Burns, who played on the European Tour. “I played Portmarnock recently and there were four of the Irish internationals in front of us. It was great to see it. That wouldn’t have happened ten years ago, even five years ago. It is great to see that Ireland has a long list of female golfers coming through and it is about time the boys started catching up to them.
“All golf clubs need more ladies playing golf, so it is great to have all of these options now. Malahide is doing a few things. We have Lauren Walsh doing a clinic here in July, we have up to 300 female junior members in Malahide. It’s a golfing mecca up here in this part of Dublin.”
You never know where or when you are going to come across golf’s next big thing and there is every reason to believe that the Women’s Irish Challenge will become a breeding ground for someone to shine in the future. Burns would love if Malahide could become a staple venue for Irish women’s golf going forward.
“Everybody experiences certain things,” said Burns. “Rosses Point, Lahinch, Portrush, Baltray. We have so many golfers who have come through that part of the world and hopefully Malahide in time might produce a fabulous lady or someone who comes and watches the tournament might remember who they saw. It could be a player who goes on to win a major. You want to see some Solheim Cup players and major championship players come through.
“It’s hard to get sponsors. These members are giving up their golf course in the peak of the year. It is a big ask to do that. It’s fabulous that golf courses give up their course for events.”
As for the test itself, with the scorching temperatures Ireland experienced in late June and early July there is every chance that Malahide will be playing firm and fast. This will put a premium on accuracy off the tee.
“You wouldn’t want to be missing too many fairways. There are plenty of trees, the rough is high and it is very well bunkered. The greens are like carpets — fast greens. It’s a bit like an Australian links-style course. If you hit the ball straight off the tee you will get down the fairways, but if you are offline you will be punished. The par-3s aren’t that long but they can play very difficult if you are not accurate.
“I’ve been a pro here for nearly three years. It has amazed me how much better the course has become. Eddie the GM has been fantastic, Lenny the superintendent is great and we have a good board above us. It’s a huge operation here and it is now a blue-chip golf course and golf club.”
It’s not just the golf course and its close proximity to Dublin Airport that makes Malahide Golf Club the perfect venue for the Women’s Irish Challenge. A Trojan amount of work went in behind the scenes from the members and staff to put on a blue-ribbon professional event for the players — making it the best event on the LET Access schedule.
“It’s the small things: the food, the driving range, free balls, free food, trolleys, snacks and accommodation so those who don’t have a lot of financial backing can come and they aren’t under too much pressure to get sponsorships to travel. It is expensive to do it, so the kids need a lot of backing.”
The General Manager of Malahide Golf Club is looking forward to some of the talented youngsters from abroad mixing it with Irish stars like Mehaffey, Screene and Olivia Costello.
“We are delighted to welcome back players from across the world alongside some outstanding homegrown talent who continue to inspire the next generation. The earlier date in the calendar will give young and aspiring golfers an even greater opportunity to come and watch their future heroes compete at the highest level.
“With the warm and generous hospitality of our members and a Championship Course that offers a fair but demanding test, the 2026 Women’s Irish Challenge promises to be an unmissable week for both players and spectators.”
TICKETS FOR THE EVENT CAN BE PURCHASED HERE
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