EIGCA

Christy O'Connor Jnr 1948 – 2016

| In Memoriam

Estimated reading time 2 min

Christy O'Connor Jnr (right) receiving his Senior Membership Certificate from the then EIGCA President, David KrauseThe European Institute of Golf Course Architects was greatly saddened this week to hear of the death of Christy O’Connor Jnr. As well as being a highly successful and popular professional golfer, with seventeen tour victories during his career, Christy O’Connor Jnr was also a well-respected golf course architect and Senior Member of the EIGCA.

Christy began his golf course design career in 1986, creating a nine hole course at Haarlemmermeersche Golf Club in The Netherlands. Over the next twenty years he built up an impressive portfolio of courses working in Ireland, France, Portugal, Hungary and the Caribbean. He was most prolific in his home country of Ireland, where he designed or co-designed eighteen courses. Perhaps a mark of the quality of his work is that thirteen of these are rated in the Top 100 Courses of Ireland.

Golf Courses by Christy O’Connor Jnr:

    Bantry Bay Golf Club (Co-designed) – Ireland
    Budapest Gate International Golf & Country Club* – Hungary
    Carstown Golf Club* – Ireland
    Citywest Championship Course – Ireland
    Concra Wood Golf & Country Club – Ireland
    Esker Hills Golf Club – Ireland
    Fota Island Golf Club (Co-designed) – Ireland
    Galway Bay Golf Resort – Ireland
    Glasson Golf Hotel & Country Club – Ireland
    Gort Golf Club – Ireland
    Haarlemmermeersche Golf Club – Netherlands
    Headfort New Golf Club – Ireland
    Hollywood Lakes Golf Club (Re-design) -Ireland
    Knightsbrook Golf Club – Ireland
    Lee Valley Golf & Country Club – Ireland
    O’Connor Jnr Course Doeuil Sur le Mignon* – France
    Oceanico O´Connor Jnr. – Portugal
    Mount Wolseley Golf Club – Ireland
    Roganstown Golf & Country Club – Ireland
    Rosslare Golf Club (Re-design) – Ireland
    Palmerstown Stud Golf Club – Ireland
    Rathsallagh Golf & Country Club (Co-designed) – Ireland
    The Residences at The Ritz Carlton* – St. Lucia
    Tuam Golf Club (Re-design) – Ireland
    *Projects in design

Tom Mackenzie, EIGCA President, said: “I was saddened to hear that our friend and colleague Christy O’Connor Jnr has passed away. Christy has been a valued member of the EIGCA for the last 6 years and we will miss him greatly. Professional golfers do not always make great golf course architects but Christy was an exception. His talent, enthusiasm and dedication to the sport made him one of the most prolific architects of recent years and his loss will be mourned by the whole of the golf industry.”

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