Elm Park Super Seniors Trophy – A History

What can competitive golfers do when they reach 70 years of age and still have the urge to be involved at inter club level. It is probably getting more unlikely that you will continue to represent your club at whatever level you did in the past. You could just accept this and get on with it or you could try to do something about it. These were some of the thoughts that a maturing competitive Elm Park member had a decade ago. He chatted to some of his pals about it and later suggested to the Men’s Golf Committee that a separate inter club competition be set up exclusively for men of 70 and over. 
 
The following year, 2012, the Men’s Golf Committee decided to put this suggestion to the test and inaugurated the Elm Park Super Seniors Trophy. Eight clubs, including Elm Park, participated in 2012. News of the success of the competition spread quickly and by 2020 we received entries from forty clubs. Feedback from clubs and players since 2012 informs us that the popularity of the event is due mainly to the fact that players have been given the opportunity to play inter club golf and are competing against men of similar age.
 
The rules of the competition are in line with the rules and ethos of golf. While matches are played in a competitive manner, the intended spirit of the competition demands that matches are played in a friendly manner with players and team managers being courteous and respectful to their opposites. The rules are reviewed on a regular basis and revised where necessary. A copy of the up to date rules is attached. 
 
The format of the competition is Scotch Foursomes. Each team has 5 pairs. Teams are drawn in groups and initially play on a league or round robin basis. Depending on the level of entry, teams will play at least 3 or 4 matches, either at home or away to determine group winners and proceed to the knockout stage, ie., quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. The final is hosted by Elm Park which includes dinner for the finalists and presentation of the Trophy and Pennant. 
 
We would like to encourage clubs who have not yet entered a team in this competition to consider doing so at the earliest opportunity and give their super senior members a chance to continue playing inter club competitive golf and enjoy the associated benefits. Enquiries to [email protected]
 
The winners of the event since 2012 are as follows-
 
Year                             Winners                                             
2012                            Dun Laoghaire            
2013                            Newlands                                           
2014                            Newlands                                           
2015                            Newlands                                           
2016                            Hermitage                                          
2017                            Newlands                                           
2018                            Hermitage                                          
2019                            Stackstown                                         
2020                            Covid                                      
2021                            Greystones 
2022                            Kilcock
2023                            Kilcock