EIGCA to Meet in Northern Ireland

The hotel will also host the 2016 EIGCA Conference which will be staged on Friday 15th April. Among the subjects to be discussed will be ‘Pace of Play’ and ‘Technology in Golf’ and the role of the golf course architect in trying to handle both of these pressing issues.

For the Annual President’s Cup golf competition, the EIGCA has secured two fantastic venues. The first round will be played on Wednesday 13th April at Royal Belfast GC, the oldest golf club in Northern Ireland. The golf course was laid out by Harry Colt when the club moved to its present site in 1925 and the magnificent clubhouse is a treasure trove of golfing history.

The second round will be played the following morning at Royal County Down Golf Club. Consistently ranked as the number one golf course in Great Britain and Ireland, Royal County Down will provide a real treat and a severe test for those attending this year’s EIGCA Annual Meeting. Old Tom Morris fashioned the original 18 holes through sand dunes on the shores of the Irish Sea, although the course was later altered by both Harry Vardon and Harry Colt.

The first part of the week will be dedicated to the education of a new intake of students on the EIGCA’s Vocational Qualification in Golf Course Design Programme with two days of lectures and design tasks being overseen by the Education Board.

After the conference on Friday, the President’s Dinner will be held at Royal Belfast Golf Club and this will mark the official end of the week’s events.

EIGCA President Tom Mackenzie said; “We can’t wait to visit Northern Ireland for the first time and to experience some of the great golf that is available in this part of the world. When we asked our members where they would like to go in 2016 there was a groundswell of opinion that it was time to visit Northern Ireland and we are delighted that we have been able to organise such a great venue and to play such wonderful golf courses. I look forward to meeting up with our members once again and greeting our Industry Partners and Consultant Partners in Belfast”.