Borris Golf Club – One Hundred Years 1907 – 2007

Borris Golf Club, nestled near Mount Leinster and the Blackstairs Mountains, was established in 1907 on the McMurrough Kavanagh estate, the club boasts a mature parkland course that has challenged and delighted golfers for over a century. The club was within a mile of the Borris railway station on the Great Southern and Western Railway line. The deer (which forms there logo) roamed the land before the course was built and the ferns and nettles were ten feet high.
The story of Borris Golf Club begins with the vision of William McMorrough Kavanagh, a local Member of Parliament. Initially, he laid out the course in 1905 for his sons, but recognizing the growing interest in golf, he generously offered the land and clubhouse to the newly formed Borris Golf Club in exchange for an annual fee. This act of patronage solidified the club’s foundation and by 1909 membership had already surpassed 100.
However, the club’s journey wasn’t without its challenges. By 1925, Borris Golf Club had fallen into decline. Fortunately, Major Arthur Kavanagh, another member of the McMurrough Kavanagh family, stepped forward and spearheaded a revival effort. Under his leadership, the course was revitalized, ensuring its continued legacy.
In 1942 the refusal of the club to allow the land to be tilled for wheat in accordance with government requests for grain production compelled the landlord to terminating the club’s rights to the land and that their exemption to this request didn’t apply to him on a lease that was being rolled over on an annual basis but in the end he relented following a deputation from the club.
In 1968 Eddie Hackett visiting the club to advise on the cemetery field which he felt were suitable for a further six holes but also felt 18-holes would be possible within 2 years at a cost of IR3k but the club was unable to secure the lease. In 2003 after four tender offers Jeff Howes was engaged to layout a further nine holes but the club didn’t proceed with the project.
Borris Golf Club’s strategically placed trees along the course provide a delightful challenge for golfers of all skill levels. Though a nine-hole course by design, the clever use of alternating tee boxes Including a different par three thirteenth hole, instead of the fourth hole, creates the impression of playing 18 distinct holes, offering a unique and engaging golfing experience.
Notable players include Martin D. O’Brien was son of a dispensary doctor in Graiguenamanagh who started playing in 1946 but later moved to New Ross before winning the 1968 Irish Amateur Close Championship and the following year became only the second (Joe Carr being the first) Irish amateur to have a plus handicap. Olivia O’Leary (Broadcaster) launched the centenary celebrations with her recollections of Joe Curry, the greenkeeper, the pavilion clubhouse and how as a young girl after playing a few holes would hide her clubs and hop over the wall for a swim in the Barrow.