Entries for the 2026 Naas Trophy are now open as anticipation grows ahead of the fifth edition of this unique and highly successful event.
The Naas Trophy is an inter-club competition held at Naas Golf Club and it is designed for golfers between the ages of 19 and 29 as an initiative to provide competitive team golf for a category of players who might not get the opportunity to play in inter club competitions after youths level.
In 2022 the Men’s Committee in Naas Golf Club agreed that there was a lack of competitive club golf for players in this age bracket to play alongside and against each other so they decided to initiate a new competition.
Four years ago, Naas invited Kilkenny and Tullamore to compete in the inaugural edition with all three clubs celebrating their 125th anniversaries the year previous. The competition was won by Naas and since then it has gone from strength to strength.
What started as something small has become a very popular competition. In 2023, Kilkenny reigned supreme as the entry list increased to seven clubs while 2024 saw fourteen clubs compete as Carlow won.
Last year, Milltown became the fourth different winner of the event with a record twenty-four clubs competing. Milltown captain, James Moore, said: “Milltown GC entered an intermediate team into the Naas Trophy for the first time in 2025. The competition is exceptionally well organised, with qualification rounds ensuring that every team enjoys valuable match play experience as well as the opportunity to visit and play new courses.
“Every match was played in an excellent spirit, a characteristic of the competition.
Naas Golf Club were outstanding hosts for the final, showcasing their challenging course, which deserves recognition as one of Ireland’s hidden gems. While we were delighted to win the Naas Trophy, the greatest reward was the camaraderie it fostered within our intermediate section: a bond that will endure for many years.”
The feedback and buy in from other participating golf clubs has helped the competition grow while Naas captains and members have been very enthusiastic, often travelling to matches between clubs and the hope is that the competition will attract its largest field of clubs to date.
The Naas Trophy Convenor, John Daly, said: “We are delighted at the growth of the number of clubs taking part in the competition. As the list of clubs shows we now have clubs from 7 counties participating. It is our absolute intent to grow the number of clubs in the years to come, and we welcome interest from any clubs that feel that this competition would be of benefit to their young members”.
“We have received great feedback from participating clubs, and we had a great final in August, with both clubs bringing much support on the day. The final was a close affair all day with Milltown eventually winning out on the 22 nd hole. I congratulate them and also commend Killeen for their great achievement in reaching the final and coming so close, even if they did knock out our own club on the way!”
John can be contacted at naasmenteams@gmail.com
The format for 2025 was as follows:
Teams of 7 males aged between 18 and 29 and with a handicap index of at least 0.0
on January 1 st .
Teams were broken down into four groups of six clubs each.
Each Club played two games in the qualifying stage. One match was entirely at
home and the other away (7 points available for each match).
At the end of the qualifying stage the top two teams from each group progressed to
the quarter-final stage, which then became a knockout match with 4 matches in the
home club and 3 in the away club. Semi-finals followed with the final played in Naas
GC.
Naas GC 2025 Captain Vincent added: “This competition has been a great success for us in Naas and for many of the participating clubs. I know, from my chats with my fellow Captains, how valuable they believe the experience has been for their young members. The home and away format of the qualifying has generated huge team spirit amongst the players, many using the opportunity for social events after the matches! Many players have gone on to represent their clubs in other inter- club competitions. We look forward to growing the number of participating clubs even more in the years to come.”