Esker Hills golf club Offaly

Members Achievements

Ella Cantwell was selected on the Irish U-16 Girls’ team to play England at Burnham & Berrow Golf Club, in Somerset on Saturday 5th October 2024. They were coached by Michelle Carroll and managed by Sara Rose Shelly.

Esker Hills Golf Club were Runners-Up in the Leinster Central Regional Final of the Irish Junior Cup when they lost out to Enniscorthy Golf Club by 4-matches to 1-match at New Kilkenny Golf Club Saturday 29th July 2023.

Young Ella Cantwell was selected on the Leinster Girls' Under-18 Interprovincial Team played at Ballykisteen Golf Club on 21st and 22nd August 2023.
The other members of the team were Caoimhe O'Grady & Niamh O'Grady (The Royal Dublin Golf Club), Anna Abom (Edmondstown Golf Club), Hannah Guerin (Royal Tara Golf Club), Ellen O'Shaughnessy (Co. Louth Golf Club) and Sinead Ni Cheilleachair (Tullamore Golf Club).
They were Captained by Stephanie McNiff (Tullamore Golf Club) and Managed by Mary Farrell (Carlow Golf Club).

The Boys' of Esker Hills Golf Club qualified for the All-Ireland deciders of the Boys' Foursomes at Ballina Golf Club on 23rd August 2022.
They met Stackstown Golf Club in the All-Ireland Quarter-Final and lost out by 2-matches to nil.
They were led out by Jamie Regan with Jack Devine who lost their match against Ben O’Mahony with Callum O’Dwyer by 4 and 2, they were followed by Scott Griffith with Myles Handy who lost out by 4 and 3 against Ryan Barry with Cillian Murray.

On Sunday 16th May 2009, Shane Lowry defied the odds when competing in his first Professional Tournament won The 3 Irish Open Championship at Baltray, Co. Louth Golf Club. In very difficult conditions he returned a score of-17 to tie the Championship with Robert Rock of England. He carded a score of 62 on the Friday, the course record stood at 64, before the 3 Irish Open was staged.

The Irish Open has had more play-offs than any on the European Tour and 2009 was no different, Shane and Rock went back down the par-5 18th playing as the 2nd most difficult on the day, the 1st play off hole was halved in par, the 74th was halved in birdie and the climax on the 3rd play-off say Shane have a tap-in to clinch the Championship, with a first prize of €500,000. As one of only two Amateurs in the field, which included Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood, Daren Clarke, Rory McElroy, John Daly and many other household names, the young man from Clara joined an elite band of first-time winners and became the second Irish Armature Golfer ever to win a Professional event, David Sheehan of Grange having done it at The Royal Dublin many years ago.

Shane is the son of All-Ireland Offaly footballer Brendan, who together with his two brothers was on the famous team that denied Kerry of the 5-in-a-row in 1982. Ironically Shane joins another band of unique Irish Golfers, whose fathers played football for their counties and became winners on the European Tour, Padraig Harrington’s late father Paddy played for his native Cork and Paul McGinley’s father Mick played for Donegal, and for good measure Noel Fox’s father, played for Dublin.

However Shane’s achievement of taking his own Open Championship as an Amateur in front of a huge partisan gallery is almost unbelievable, but somebody besides himself did believe it as he had a €300 bet at 1,000 to 1 on Shane.

Shane was runner-up to David Crosby of Royal Lytham in the West of Ireland Amateur Open Championship at Rosses Point on Tuesday 14 April 2009, when beaten on the 19th just failing to repeat Rory McIlroy’s double in 2006, 2005 and Nial Goulding in 1991 and 1990.

Shane Lowry won the North of Ireland Amateur Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club in 2008, having won the West of Ireland at Rosses Point Golf Club the previous Easter.

GoGolfing congratulate Shane Lowry, who together with Paul Cutler (Portstewart Golf Club), Gareth Shaw (Lurgan Golf Club), Niall Kearney (The Royal Dublin Golf Club), Jonathan Caldwell (Clandeboye Golf Club) retained the European Amateur Team Championship at Turin Heat on Saturday 5th July 2008, when they beat England in the final by 4½ matches to 2½.

GoGolfing would like to congratulate Shane Lowry on being part of the victorious Irish Team that won the European Amateur Championship at Western Gailes on the Ayrshire Cost, on Saturday 7th July 2007, when they overcame a strong French team by 4 ½ matches to 2 ½ matches. Ireland had not won this Championship since 1987, the other members of the team were Rory McIlroy (Hollywood Golf Club), Jonathan Caldwell (Clandeboye Golf Club), Richard Kilpatrick (Banbridge Golf Club), Simon Ward (Co. Louth), well done lads and we will continue to follow your progress in the years to come.

Having won his first Amateur Major in the AIB Irish Amateur Close Championship at Cork Golf Club in 2007 when he record a 4 and 3 win over Niall Turner of Muskerry Golf Club, Shane Lowry begun the 2008 season in some style. He won the Radisson SAS Sligo West of Ireland Amateur Championship at Co. Sligo Golf Club when he beat Des Morgan of Mullingar Golf Club by 2 and 1on Wednesday 26th March.

He and his fellow Irish team-mates then travelled to Royal Sotogrande in Spain to compete in the European Cup of Nations where he followed up Rory McIlroy’s achievement in 2007, to clinch the individual title when he beat the European Champion Benjamin Hebert at the fifth play-off hole.

The Irish team comprised of Niall Kearney The Royal Dublin Golf Club, Cian Curley Newlands Golf Club, Paul Cutler Portstewart Golf Club, they finished 2nd behind Scotland in the overall result, well done lads.

Shane Lowry won the Connacht Youths' Open Championship at Ballinasloe Golf Club 31st August 2006, he returned rounds of 73 and 68 to beat T. Walsh of Claremorris Golf Club by a single shot.

Shane Lowry was selected to represent Ireland at the Boys' Home Internationals played at Woodhall Spa, Lioncolnshire from 2nd to 4th August 2005.

Members who played representative golf for Country or Province;

Shane Lowry represented Ireland as a Senior International from 2006 to 2008 playing 29-times won 18-matches halved one and lost 10-matches accumulating 37-points. He represented Ireland at international Youths level in 2006 playing 4-matches, won 3-match halved one accumulating 7-points. He represented Ireland at Irish Boys level in 2005 playing 9-times won 4-matches halved two and lost 3-matches accumulating 10-points. He represented Leinster at Senior Interprovincial level from 2006 to 2008 playing 18-times won 10-matches halved two and lost 6-matches accumulating 22-points. He represented Leinster as a Youth Interprovincial from 2006 to 2007 playing 12-times won 5-matches halved one and lost 6-matches accumulating 11-points. He represented Leinster at Boys' Interprovincial level from 2004 to 2005 playing 11-times won 8-matches halved one and lost 2-matches accumulating 17-points;

History of Esker Hills

More than 10,000 years ago the unique landscape of Offaly was powerfully sculpted by the awesome natural forces of the dying Ice Age. As the great glaciers retreated, they left in their wake narrow ridges of sand and gravel which were deposited by the streams of water that had once flowed in tunnels beneath the melting ice. These ridges now comprise the magical Esker Riada, from which the course gets its name.
Research has shown that a nine hole golf course existed for a number of years adjacent to the present 16th tee. The revival of golf in this ideal natural location was the brainchild of the Molloy and O'Brien families. Christy O' Connor Jnr commenced his work in 1994 and working with Tom Byan as main contractor, he has with minimum soil disturbance plotted a marvellous course through natures own sandhills and sweeping valleys.
Excellent, natural drainage is one of the more obvious advantages the terrain offers golf-course construction. Then there are the dramatic undulations of valleys and plateaux which, along with natural lakes and woodlands, provide splendid design features.