Adapting sport for a time and attention short next generation is all the rage in sport at the moment. 5-a-side football and Rugby Sevens have both crossed over into mainstream and yesterday in Dundrum the irish Minigolf Association launched the first ever Irish Mini Golf Open.
We’ve all played in holiday resorts and watched with despair as the ball rolls away from the Dragons mouth at the wrong time, haven’t we?
Well Rainforest Adventure Golf has brought the game out of the sunshine and into a purpose built facility as part of Dundrum Shopping Centre and is proving a hit with Leinster rugby players.
Sean Cronin was there to officially launch the inaugural Irish Open which will have prize money not of an ice cream cone but of €3,500 when it is played on the weekend of the 18th and 19th of February.
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We learnt yesterday that Irish International Ian Madigan holds the best record on both the “Aztec” and “Mayan” courses Dundrum but they will surely be challenged by the professional mini golf players, really, that will be flying in to take part.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for people to discover the sport of minigolf and to learn and compete with some of the best in the world,” said Cronin.
This will be Ireland’s first World Minigolf Federation event, with the competition set to attract players from across the U.K. and Europe. Rainforest Adventure Golf have also named Make-A-Wish Ireland as their charity partner for the event, which will see the charity receive a sizable donation from Rainforest following the Irish Open.
With two titles up for grabs; Irish Open Champion and Irish National Champion, Rainforest are encouraging players of all levels to compete. International players will compete in the Irish Open while Irish players will compete across both categories.
“This is something we are all very passionate about and we’ve been working on pulling this together for the past number of months,” said Darrin O’Toole, General Manager of Rainforest Adventure Golf and Chairman of Irish Minigolf Association.
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“We want to encourage as many people as possible to enter and take part in the tournament, which is why we decided to have two titles up for grabs, The Irish Open Champion and The Irish National Champion.”
“The title of Irish National Champion is open to players of all levels who would like to compete. We want this competition to be fun and inclusive for everyone, no matter what level they play at.”
The competition format will be an eight round cumulative strokeplay competition on a single course in Rainforest. Five rounds will be played on Saturday February 18th with the remaining three rounds to be played on Sunday. Only the Top 18 players of the tournament will be eligible to play the final round. Rainforest have also waived practice fees with Free Open Practice available during the week leading into the competition.
Interested golfers are encouraged to register online via the Rainforest Adventure Golf Facebook page. Participation for international players is €40 while Rainforest Adventure Golf are subsidising 50% off the fee for local players to encourage participation, bringing the entry fee down to €20. The competition is open to both males and females aged 16 years or older.
Padraig Harrington lives just around the corner from Dundrum. Just saying…
Join us with our Sport Tourism Group for a look at the potential of Adventure Sport in Ireland on Friday January 26th for a morning of learning, networking and insight on the world of sports tourism Reserve your place now.
