Golfers at the Castle are only too familiar with the problems posed by the trees which border most of the tight fairways on the course, but future generations will face an arboreal hazard on an even grander scale.
At the suggestion of veteran member Jim O'Shaughnessy, three Canadian redwoods have been planted to mark the millennium. In Irish conditions, these magnificent trees can grow to a height of 200 feet - pleasant to look at but maybe impossible to play over!
The redwoods are a new addition to the south Dublin course which already boasts such diverse tree species as weeping lime, alder, holm oak and eucalyptus.
STACKSTOWN six handicapper Tom Collins had a most successful holiday in Portugal when he took the class one honours in the annual Estoril International Golf Week.
This year's tournament featured 370 players from 23 different countries with the Irish contingent of 16 organised by Blackrock Travel. Each competitor played five different courses in the Estoril area with the best three cards to count and Collins totalled 107 stableford points.
Four-handicapper Willie Leggett from the Island, who has played in the event for each of its seven years, finished third in the gross category.
ROBERT KELLY (Slade Valley) celebrated his qualification as a PGA professional by earning his first prize money at last week's Boyne Links Alliance Pro-Am at Laytown and Bettystown.
Kelly carded a one-under-par 69 to take second place, a shot behind John Dwyer (Ashbourne) with in-form Leslie Walker (Foxrock) third on 71. Kelly kept his amateur partners happy too, helping Con Car- roll and Brendan Keenan to the top team prize. Among the amateurs, local member Gerry Grogan took the nett honours with 39 points off six and Connacht interprovincial Nigel Howley (Ballinasloe) took the gross with 32.
FANCY something different to remember your golf in the year 2000? Then how about a trip to Iceland for the Arctic Open which will take place from June 21st to 24th. The annual tournament is played on the world's most northerly grass course, the Akureyri Golf Club, and welcomes handicap players from around the world.
The unique feature is likely to be your tee time which could be approaching midnight. With the sun never setting, golf is playable around the clock and the tournament is usually timed to finish at 5 a.m. on the final day. No doubt the licensing hours are flexible so there should be little trouble getting served at the 19th even at such unusual times.
