KILLARNEY GOLF and Fishing Club are assessing the damage to the Killeen course, host to next summer’s 3 Irish Open, after the horrific recent weather caused the closure of two of the three courses at the Co Kerry venue.

Both the Killeen and Mahony’s Point courses have been closed due to flooding, leaving members and visitors restricted to play on the Lackabane Course, which enjoys an elevated location away from the lakes.

The main clubhouse is also out of bounds, with the club’s business being run from the Lackabane clubhouse at present.

Killarney secretary manager Maurice O’Meara has been at the club for over two and a half years, but points out that this is a freak event in the club’s history.

“No one here has seen anything like this in their lifetime,” said O’Meara yesterday, while inspecting the damage to the course.

“There’s a lot of debris and peripheral damage at the moment along the lake shore, but we’re pretty sure we can fix it all. The first and the fourth hole are the most affected on the Killeen course and the 18th green at Mahony’s Point.

“The rain and the prevailing winds meant the shoreline got a hammering. We’ve lost a metre of rough here and there but nothing that will affect the course long term. We’ll have to do a lot of tidying up,” he added.

With a break in the weather, O’Meara is hopeful that the Killeen and Mahony’s Point courses will reopen within the next eight to 10 days.

The moving of the Irish Open from its traditional May date to the Bank Holiday in August will also help the club get the course back in top condition for the €3million event.

“It’s not going to affect the Irish Open, we have the timescale and the staff and the skill to get that work done,” added O’Meara.