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Writer's pictureDamien Connolly

Grange Castle Golf Club celebrates 20 years in business.



In the year of its 20th anniversary, Grange Castle Golf Club, located in the heart of Clondalkin in South Dublin, has been voted 99 in the top 100 golf courses in Ireland, the first for any public golf course in the country. Owned by South Dublin County Council, but managed and maintained since 2014 by Synergy Golf, the professional golf course management specialists, the 18-hole championship course, with an additional 7-hole course, is in an elite league, showcasing public golf at its very best.


Opened in 1998 by Ireland’s esteemed professional golfers, Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley, Grange Castle now boasts over 800 members while thousands of golfing aficionados from across the city come to play each year. Designed by the late Patrick Morrigan, the par 72 championship course has an established reputation for providing outstanding golfing conditions and is known for being an enjoyable test of golf for everyone from single figure golfers to beginners. The additional 7-hole course (Home to the Eastern Region Special Olympics Golf League), is specifically designed for beginners, families, and those looking for a quick game before or after work.



Speaking at the 20th anniversary fundraising Special Olympics Pro-Am event at Grange Castle on Saturday, Andy Kenny, Director at Synergy Golf, says:

To celebrate the occasion of Grange Castle’s 20th Anniversary and to mark its place in the Top 100 Courses in Ireland, we wanted to create an event that socially included everyone in golf. A “Mini Pro-Am” in the morning gave opportunity to the Special Olympic athletes from the Eastern Region to play alongside PGA Professionals John Kelly (St. Margaret’s) and Donal Murphy (Grange Castle). An afternoon masterclass with John Kelly and former European Tour Winner Simon Thornton (Tulfarris Golf Resort) was a treat for all the members, visitors and the athletes. We followed the exciting morning activities with a PGA Ireland Pro-Am, won by Simon Thornton with a new course record of 65. Following our pro-am fundraising event, we were honoured to present a cheque for €5K to Mr. Matt English (CEO) of Special Olympics Ireland.


In reply to Grange Castle’s Twitter Post – CEO of Special Olympics Ireland Matt English said:


“Most wonderful day at ProAm (Grange Castle). First class hospitality. Highly professional event on every level. Tremendous funds raised for @SOIreland. Fitting celebration of 20th anniversary & Club’s status in the top 100 courses. Special Olympics Ireland athletes treated like #Royalty.


Mary Maguire, Senior Executive Officer, of South Dublin City Council says:


“South Dublin County Council originally built the golf course as a public golf facility to make golf more affordable and accessible for the residents of South Dublin, and Synergy Golf took over the management and maintenance of the facility on our behalf in 2014. Since then they have worked tirelessly to build a reputation for Grange Castle of which we are extremely proud. The achievement of being the first and only public course to be positioned in the top 100 golf courses in Ireland is a testament to their dedication, professionalism and ultimately their passion for golf. They have a combination of course management and business development expertise which allows them to run the course and club to the highest of standards, and to identify ongoing investment requirements to ensure the long-term development and growth of the course. The success recently achieved under their stewardship is beyond our expectations, and we are really delighted and proud to celebrate Grange Castle’s 20th Anniversary with Synergy Golf, Special Olympics Ireland and Grange Castle club members with such accolade. We hope it has cemented its future for many years to come.”


Synergy Golf, set-up by Directors Andy Kenny, Garrett Donnery and Ronan Brannigan in 2012, is the Irish owned professional golf course management specialist, at the forefront of course maintenance and golf club management in Ireland.


“Grange Castle is a huge part of who we are as a company. Myself and fellow Director, Garrett Donnery, grew up in Clondalkin and Grange Castle was the reason we started playing golf. We were 16, and there was a lot of difficulty getting into golf at the time, but as a public course, Grange Castle was welcoming. Fast forward 20 years and it now sets the standard for municipal golf courses in Ireland and we are delighted to see it voted by an esteemed panel of experts as no. 99 in Ireland and be the first public course to ever make the list. Since taking over the contract, we have invested significantly in the club and course, most recently with the addition of a new 7th, a new 10th and a new 18th tee, we have lengthened the course by approx. 70 yards and boosted its overall appearance. We look forward to our continued relationship with South Dublin County Council, Special Olympics Ireland and what the future holds for Grange Castle, as our home from home.”

- Andy Kenny, Company Director | Synergy Golf


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