The ICS Golf Tournaments organized by Aidan Creaghan began with a “Gala” Golf game at Canmore in July 1986 followed by our First Annual Golf Tournament held at Turner Valley in September. Format for the Gala event was a “modified Texas scramble”. Teams in order of finish were:
First – Ron Nolan, Tony Carroll, Seamus and Susan Dunne
Second – Leo and Kathy Cote, Ted and Una Kanik
Third – Milton and Irene Pillow, Gloria Drayton and John Cooke
The rugby club (CCIAC) made their ‘bunker’ clubhouse available for the subsequent barbeque hosted by Steve Wallis, Jim McLoughlin and Fergus Byrne.
Sean Thomas tees off at Canmore
The weather was uncooperative for the Tournament in September. It was according to Aiden, “not conducive to high quality golf”. ‘Nevertheless” he says, “in spite of conditions, some extra-ordinary scores were submitted”. Fergus Byrne managed to come first, followed by Mary Galvin, with Tom Casey coming in third. Aidan in his charitable way did not record the actual scores in his report.
The next year there were two tournaments held at Nanton. The first in June where Keith Siggins won with a score of 77. Best Net was a tie between Des Prunty and Aidan Creaghan. Brenda Saunders won the Long Drive and Ron Nolan came closest to the pin. In September an ‘Irish Cultural Society Golf Championship’ was held at Nanton with Ivan Philip emerging the winner with a score of 77. Eamonn McCann won Men’s Low Net. Brenda Saunders won Ladies Low Gross and Alice Ryan won the Ladies Low Net. Winner of the longest drive was Pat O’Dwyer with a whack of 318 yards. The golfers enjoyed a barbeque served up by Derek Fulton and Jim Mullarkey while Mark McRoberts tended bar.
Paddy Ryan coming through at Turner Valley
Derek Fullton and Jim Mullarkey serving up gargantuan steaks to golfers
Aidan Creaghan delighted in orchestrating social golf occasions. From foursomes to tournaments he enjoyed getting people together for golf and socialization. In his own inimitable style he organized we “Hibernian Hackers” who have, as he put it, “the dreaded addiction of whacking white dimpled spheroids”.