Ballinasloe Golf Club – Garbally to Rossgloss 1894-1994

Ballinasloe Golf Club was founded in 1894 and is one of Connacht’s oldest golf clubs, boasting a rich history steeped in tradition. The Earls of Cloncarty were at the time landlords in the area for over two hundred years but when the fourth Earl died in 1891 the young and more amenable Viscount Dunlo, who had married an actress Belle Hilton, became the fifth Earl. When he was approached by the locals with the proposal for a golf club not only did he agree he gave them land on the Garbally Demesne rent free for almost thirty years. The golf club was constituted at a meeting of the fourteen founding members on the 5 November 1894.

Ballinasloe was a nine-hole course within a half mile of the railway station which was a three hour journey from Broadstone station, the terminus for the Midland Great Western Railway, in Dublin. In 1924 the golf club moved to the Hession Estate (William Hession was President of the golf club at the time) at Rossgloss. Lionel Hewson was engaged to design the course and he recalled it in the Irish Golf magazine in 1943: “quite a lot of years ago I went to Ballinsloe to lay out a course there and was looked after by Father Cogavin of the college there.” In 1979 the club purchased more land with a view to extending the course by way of loans from the members and A.T. Cross providing an interest free loan. They engaged Eddie Hackett at a cost of £250 and further drainage works and additional land purchases meant Hackett services were needed for advise and for a subsequent redesign involving seven new greens and tees which opened for play in 1992. A further reconstruction of the first two holes was done under the guidance of Eddie Connaughton. The club’s mature parkland layout has been shaped over the years to provide a challenging and enjoyable golfing experience.

Ballinasloe has hosted a number of the Connacht and Irish boys and girls amateur championships and was home to some prominent golfers such as Nigel Howley, Mark Staunton and Shane O’Grady who earned his name as a very successful teaching professional to many successful golfers including the Maguire sisters.