Tullamore Golf Club was founded in 1896 and situated at Brookfield, part of the Charleville Estate, since 1926. The game of golf was introduced to Tullamore in 1886 by Col. R.A. Craig and had been played behind the rectory of St. Catherine’s before moving to Tinnycross and on to the racecourse at Ballykilmurry where a nine-hole course had been laid out and where Tullamore Golf Club began its existence. Within ten years the club was experiencing a lull as the land was needed for tillage and a revival in 1906 saw it move to Screggan on rent free lands provided by Captain E.J.M. Briscoe who would take an active role in laying out the course and managing the affairs of the club. It would stay and experience rapid growth at Screggan for twenty years until the move to its current location as the troubles had taken their toll with vandalism and arson attacks.
The negotiations to move began in 1921 and Cecil Barcroft was asked to consider the site at Screggan, which had been offered for sale to the golf club, and Charleville Demesne. Barcroft chose the site at Charleville Demesne and drew up a map of the layout but the owner, Lt. Colonel Howard Bury, rejected the site and offered a site at Brookfield which was part of the estate but outside the Demesne. Hewson had championed the cause in an Irish Golf article for the landlord to see the merits of a golf course within the Charleville Demesne but also concluded that the Brookfield would be a good alternative albeit a mile and half further outside of the town. It was Captain Lionel Hewson who designed the 18-holes at Boookfield which was officially opened 22 September 1926. Bunkering would follow with Mr. F.E. Davies, the Milltown professional providing advice on the layout and these were constructed between 1927-1928. Following their construction Davies recommended further improvements that could be made.
Further improvements were sought and John R. Stutt was asked to submit a plan to reduce crisscrossing and speed up play but these were rejected and Tom Simpson was also approached but his expenses were seen as excessive. Finally in 1938 James Braid, who quoted 20 guineas, was invited to inspect the course and he recommended four new holes, two new greens, relocation of tee boxes, tree planting together with a new bunkering plan and these were carried out in subsequent years but the final part of the plan, a new eighteenth green, wasn’t completed until 1945. In 1941 Mr McAllister, a greens expert, prescribed a treatment for the greens to get rid of Yorkshire Fog and other weeds. In 1970 the club again considered a redesign and brought in Captain John D. Harris, a man who was clearly full of his own self-worth and wasn’t shy about letting people know, and his conclusions were pretty damning and the alterations, which were not without merit, would require additional land and the cost would be prohibitive and when asked to give his opinion in the context of the existing boundaries they were met with “..Sorry but I will not plan a damn bad layout for anyone.” The club engaged Eddie Hackett in 1973, 1989 and 1991 to suggest minor improvements to the course which would enhance its playability and the council agreed that these would be carried out on a phased basis. On Hackett’s last engagement the club had approached Christy O’Connor jnr and Des Smyth/Declan Branigan in the first instance but the quotes were beyond what they had been authorised to spend.
In 2005, Tullamore Golf Club faced a significant controversy when the Golfing Union of Ireland (GUI) suspended the club’s 550 male members due to a breach of Amateur Status Rules. The issue arose from the value of the prize presented by the club captain, which exceeded the allowed limit. The course was later upgraded in 1996, the centenary year, by Patrick Merrigan who brought seven new greens and three lakes into play together with bringing unused land into play. Merrigan was engaged again in 2007 for further improvements and to redesign the sixteenth hole to incorporate new stone walls.
Notable players for the club include Kitty Smye (nee McCann), the 1951 Ladies Amateur champion, Moira Earner, John O’Meara , Eric O’Brien, Stuart Grehan and B.P Malone who won the West of Ireland Championship in 1964. The club was a regular host of the Irish Youths (5) and Leinster Boys (3) Championships and also hosted the Irish PGA Championship in 1967.
