The Professional Golfer’s Association has entered into an agreement with the new Palmerstown House golf course, which will see the new location become the home of the PGA in Ireland. As part of the agreement the new course becomes ‘The PGA National at Palmerstown House‘ with immediate effect.
The agreement was signed on 4th November by Jim Mansfield, owner of the new course, and Michael McCumiskey, secretary, Irish Region PGA, on behalf of the PGA. Mr Mansfield also owns the City West golf complex in Dublin.
The PGA National at Palmerstown House, which is currently open for limited play, will be officially opened in Spring 2005. The course, which measures 7,419 yards from the championship tees, has been designed by Christy O‘Connor Jnr., working with technical assistance from the Nicklaus Design Company. It is constructed on the magnificent 800 acre Palmerstown House estate near Naas in County Kildare and makes extensive use of the many mature trees on the estate.
This is the first time the PGA has given its name to a golf course in Ireland. Currently the PGA family consists of PGA National at the Belfry and PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles. As part of the agreement the PGA will relocate its Irish headquarters, currently in Dundalk, to the PGA National at Palmerstown House.
The PGA will also be heavily involved in setting up the first PGA Golf Academy in Ireland at the new course. This will open in 2005. The PGA National at Palmerstown House will become the home of the PGA for its many activities in Ireland. There will only be one PGA National designation in Ireland.
Speaking on behalf of the PGA National at Palmerstown House Gary Silcock, director of golf, said, “We are delighted that the PGA has decided to choose Palmerstown House as the PGA National for Ireland and the organisation’s official Irish headquarters. The criteria for choosing Palmerstown House was extremely rigorous and one of the key specifications used in the decision process was that the chosen golf course must be in the top ten golf courses in Ireland. Furthermore for Palmerstown House to be considered to be of equal stature to other world famous PGA courses such as Gleneagles and The Belfry is a wonderful accolade and a testament to the high quality of this golf course.”
Speaking on behalf of the PGA, Michael McCumiskey, said that he believed that the agreement was a major milestone for the PGA and its members in Ireland. “For some time we have been looking to forge such a partnership with a suitable course. We are confident that we have found the right partner. We also believe that the agreement will provide a major platform for the development of the PGA in Ireland.”
“The agreement will see us working in many different ways with PGA National at Palmerstown House. While it is early days we have been discussing plans not alone for the PGA Academy but also in relation to an annual tournament, a range of facilities for PGA members, interaction with the PGA courses in the UK, and the creation of a PGA Travel Service to name but a few. We have always enjoyed working with Jim Mansfield and his team at City West and we are delighted that we can now formalise and deepen that relationship.”
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