Portumna’s investment in its Golfing future

By Shane Brophy

This past month has seen Portumna Golf Club at its absolute best. The parkland course, which stretches to almost seven thousand yards for its power players, is annually among the top fifty courses in the country according to the golfing gospel, Irish Golfer Magazine.

They aim to go much higher off the back of a significant financial investment, both on and off the course, which is already having the impact of making Portumna Golf Club one of the best golfing experiences in the country.

While attracting more people from outside its hinterland, which includes areas of North Tipperary such as Lorrha, Terryglass and Borrisokane which provides almost thirty percent of the clubs’ membership, the ethos of the club is firmly about looking after its members, first and foremost.

“It’s all for the members,” says the clubs Director of Golf David Byrnes at a recent media day to unveil the new additions to the course and facilities.

Earlier this year, the club unveiled a strategic plan which is already having an immediate impact with considerable investment in new greens on the 3rd & 18th holes, new course machinery, a new pro-shop, as well as refurbished changing rooms for members and players, only just recently opened.

“The big thing was to create the product and service,” added Byrnes who joined the club via Adare Manor where he was caddie manager and assistant club professional. He has brought many of the initiatives from the 2026 Ryder Cup venue to the club on the northern shore of Lough Derg.

“Trying to attract new people in, there was no point in trying to sell the place to people and then they come here and say this isn’t up to standard. So, we have completed the main internal works of the clubhouse with the new changing rooms, pro-shop, and outside seating area, with the restaurant and bar to be upgraded in time.

“The unglamorous side of the strategic plan are the machinery, but they are essential for what we do. The golf course is pristine, at the moment, but it wouldn’t be without investing in the machinery, an aerator arrived this week costing €40,000, last year we bought a new mower for €70,000.

“The Strategic Plan sees an investment of €500,000 over five years and we have a lot of that spent already with €400,000 spent over the last four years alone, a lot of that funded through Golf Ireland grants and government grants. It would be very difficult to operate without those grants.”

The club has also spent €20,000 on marketing this year to create a new brand for the club which includes a new club crest (above), an updated website, plus a new Instagram page, of which almost 20% of the followers are from Dublin as the club looks to attract outside players and members to play on the weekends.

BOUNCING BACK

Golf, more than most pastimes, suffered from the economic crash of 2008 and Portumna was no different with its membership falling to as low as four-hundred. However, they have recovered impressively with over seven-hundred members in 2023, helped, inadvertently by Covid-19 when it was one of the first sports to resume from where it attracted a lot of new players, particularly younger ones which had been an issue.

From this, a new intermediate membership rate for those aged between 25-35 was established, cheaper than full membership, with the club having 80 of those members which has quadrupled over the last three years.

Byrnes, who is also involved with Cappataggle GAA club, admitted the new GAA split season has also helped as club golfers can play up to end of July before the club championships take their focus.

Since the resumption of golf after Covid, turnover at Portumna Golf Club has increased by over €200,000, boosted also by very strong society golf and competitive green fees rates which is very important in such a competitive region with clubs such as Birr, Nenagh, Roscrea, East Clare, Loughrea, and Ballinasloe relatively close by.

“We are not very expensive compared to local courses, but we subsidise that through societies and green fees. We have increased that by €80,000 in three years which is our profit,” Byrnes added.

“With all the work that has been done, costs go up as well as you need more staff to run it, both inside and outside.

“We are lucky with the team that we have, a strong team. Kenneth Kelly is our head greenkeeper and has worked at a lot of prestigious courses such as Carton House. He comes with a good pedigree.”

As good as the facilities now are at Portumna Golf Club, the fabulous course remains it’s the selling point, and it showed its best at a recent Open Day to show off its improvements, which included players from overseas which is another area the club are aiming to tap into

“The aim to attract a better type of golfer, also an international player,” revealed James O’Meara, the clubs marketing & subscriptions convenor.

“We are starting to see a lot more American and European members as Portumna is a place that attracts a lot of German golfers.”

On that day, there were three guys from Texas who just had finished their round and were busy in the pro-shop buying their crested merchandise which gives Portumna another promotional benefit from where the friends of these three gentlemen may head this way for Golf in the future after hearing all about that Portumna has to offer.

What would help with attracting more international golfers would be if the nearby Shannon Oaks Hotel was to open up again after it was destroyed by fire in 2011. There have been many false dawns with regard to it being reopened but, in the meantime, Portumna Golf Club aren’t waiting around and have forged connections with a number of hotels further afield, including the Loughrea Hotel & Spa in terms of stay and play packages.

For the moment, summer 2023 is a busy time for Portumna Golf Club as it continues to grow and will be added to later in the year when it hosts its first ever Pro-Am, which takes place on Friday, 15th September where many of the best golfers in Ireland will descend on the course, and for those playing it for the first time, they won’t be disappointed.