News

Tracy McGrath v Shane Lowry Charity Challenge

Posted on 9 May '12 by Dave Hayden II

Source: ppui.ie

I wish to bring to your attention a Charity event taking place next Sunday May 13th in Erry Pitch and Putt Club, Clara, Co. Offaly, which is being presented by Clara Playground Group as part of their fundraising efforts for 2012.

Irish Professional Golfer Shane Lowry takes on Irish International Pitch and Putt Captain, Tracey McGrath of Erry Pitch and Putt Club in a 36 hole Matchplay Challenge.


I have attached a poster of the event which has been circulated locally, and which we wish to publicise to as great an audience as possible. We believe that this event is not only of great sporting interest on a local, provincial and national level, considering the unique nature of the challenge, but also that it is an event that many of your audience will be sympathetic to, as it concerns a social perspective that will resonate with many people across the country. The goal is to raise funds for improving social facilities for children and I believe that this may be of interest to your show.

I am a member of the Pitch and Putt Union of Ireland (PPUI) National Executive Council, and also a member of the Tullamore Pitch and Putt Club. The PPUI are very excited by the above Challenge - Tracey is one of the real stars of Pitch and Putt, and has accomplished much in her career so far. She is the recent captain of the Irish International Pitch and Putt Team, having captained the side to victory over our fierce rivals Catalonia in Killarney in 2011.

Tracey is the holder of the Irish Ladies International Open, and she has won just about every honour available to her including the National Double in 2009, while she is going down in the record books for her performances alongside her brother Joseph in our National and Provincial Mixed Foursomes Competitions in the past few years. Tracey truly is one of the greats of Ladies Pitch and Putt.

Shane Lowry also has a Pitch and Putt background, and he will be no stranger to the venue hosting the challenge, as he was a member of the Erry club in Clara for many years as a Juvenile before his golf career really took off. We even believe he attempted to join the Juvenile ranks prematurely such was his interest! The PPUI is always proud of the achievements of our ex-members, and many of this island's golfers come from a Pitch and Putt background, but to see a well-known local figure such as Shane Lowry winning the Irish Open as an amateur was really special.


The event is great for Pitch and Putt but even more so it is great for Clara, and the enthusiasm Shane has shown for the challenge is symptomatic of a really down-to-earth local hero willing to give back to his community. He should be commended for that. We hope that the challenge will showcase all that is good about Pitch and Putt, and it is entirely appropriate that the game takes place in Erry, as they were honored at the PPUI National Convention in February as being the recipient's of the PPUI Club of the Year, for their dedication to Pitch and Putt locally, provincially and nationally as their members are wonderful servants of Pitch and Putt, and travel far and wide, not just throughout Ireland, but throughout Europe to International Opens, representing their club and their town with pride at all times.



We also wish the Clara Playground Group the very best in it's efforts to raise money for their new playground. The PPUI is no different to any sport or community, and we acknowledge the need for the best of facilities for all children in every corner of the country; children are the bedrock of our community and wish Clara Playground Group all the success in trying to reach their goals. We hope the event will be a success for them and would encourage anyone at a loose end in the area to pop in to Erry and witness this unique event, while raising some much needed euro for this very good cause.

We extend an open invitation to any member of the media, be it print, radio or television that wish to be in attendance on the day, and we can guarantee a warm welcome will be extended to all.


Should you wish to discuss the event further, you can reply by email to myself or to the PPUI P.R.O. Padraig O'Shea on [email protected] or to Tim McMahon of the Clara Playground Group @ 0851740453.

However if this isn't something that would be of interest to your show, I would appreciate if the event was referenced by you at some stage over the coming days.

Kind regards,

Paul O'Gorman,
National Executive Council Officer,
Pitch and Putt Union of Ireland.