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The club wants to make golf a more accessible sport.
Rathbane Golf Club is swinging into action to inspire the next generation of players with the launch of its first-ever Junior Classic.
The event takes place next month and aims to raise essential funds for the club’s junior program, capitalising on the growing excitement for the upcoming Ryder Cup in Adare.
Speaking on Live 95’s Limerick Today, Colin McCarthy, Director of Rathbane Golf Club, says it’s important to make golf accessible for everyone, “I think historically there is this elitist viewpoint of golf. While there is that element, like any other sport, we pride ourselves on being as accessible as possible.”
“We really started pushing junior golf maybe two or three years ago, and it’s really grown now into something special. I think at the minute we’re very, very close to 100 junior members.”
In addition to its junior membership, Rathbane operates a “Kids Club” for children aged five to 11. This program is designed to introduce them to the sport at a local level, with support from the Limerick City and County Council, the Limerick Sports Partnership, and Golf Ireland.
⛳️ Rathbane Junior Classic ⛳️
We’re excited to announce our Junior Classic, with all funds raised going directly to…
Posted by Rathbane Golf Course on Tuesday, September 16, 2025
The Junior Classic will directly benefit young players by funding new equipment.
Colin says the new initiative will provide children with clubs as they grow. “The idea that we have now is that we will buy, we’ll just say 20 sets of clubs, they’re all different heights. When you join, you pay maybe a small deposit, and then you get to use those clubs… as you grow, you go up to the next set and so on and so forth. It’s this reciprocal kind of equipment hire that you can do, and it grows with the junior as they develop through the game.”
Colin credited the accessible nature of the club, saying it gave him an opportunity that shaped his life, “None of my family played golf. It was an access point for me. I just feel like it afforded me an opportunity, and like that, we got so many life skills of honesty, integrity, self-placing game.”
The club is actively seeking sponsorship for the event, from tee boxes to raffle prizes. All funds raised will go directly into the junior fund to purchase equipment, ensuring more children can get out and play.
“It’s a game that any fitness level can play, any age can play,” Colin added. “But if we’re able to introduce a young boy or girl into the sport at this age, it’s a skill that they can have for the rest of their life.”
Listen to the full interview here.
\u26f3\ufe0f Rathbane Junior Classic \u26f3\ufe0f\n\nWe\u2019re excited to announce our Junior Classic, with all funds raised going directly to…Posted by Rathbane Golf Course on\u00a0Tuesday, September 16, 2025\n\n
The Junior Classic will directly benefit young players by funding new equipment.\n\n
Colin says the new initiative will provide children with clubs as they grow. “The idea that we have now is that we will buy, we'll just say 20 sets of clubs, they're all different heights. When you join, you pay maybe a small deposit, and then you get to use those clubs… as you grow, you go up to the next set and so on and so forth. It’s this reciprocal kind of equipment hire that you can do, and it grows with the junior as they develop through the game.”\n\n
Colin credited the accessible nature of the club, saying it gave him an opportunity that shaped his life, "None of my family played golf. It was an access point for me. I just feel like it afforded me an opportunity, and like that, we got so many life skills of honesty, integrity, self-placing game.”\n\n
The club is actively seeking sponsorship for the event, from tee boxes to raffle prizes. All funds raised will go directly into the junior fund to purchase equipment, ensuring more children can get out and play.\n\n
“It's a game that any fitness level can play, any age can play,” Colin added. “But if we're able to introduce a young boy or girl into the sport at this age, it's a skill that they can have for the rest of their life.”\n\n
Listen to the full interview here. “,”image”:”https:\/\/mmo.aiircdn.com\/301\/67fe34ff535ff.jpg”,”datePublished”:”2025-09-20T14:31:37+00:00″,”url”:”https:\/\/www.live95fm.ie\/news\/live95-news\/rathbane-golf-club-launches-junior-classic-to-support-next-golfing-generation\/”,”publisher”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”Limerick’s Live 95″},”headline”:”Rathbane Golf Club launches Junior Classic to support next golfing generation”,”author”:{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Live95 News Team”}}
