Irish Golf Vacations, Golf in Ireland » IGV Annual Irish Golf Classic http://irishgolfvacations.net Golfing Holidays in Ireland - all the information you'll need Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:47:03 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Solheim Cup 2011 – Irish Golf Vacations http://irishgolfvacations.net/2011/04/solheim-cup-2011-irish-golf-vacations/ http://irishgolfvacations.net/2011/04/solheim-cup-2011-irish-golf-vacations/#comments Sun, 03 Apr 2011 10:01:13 +0000 Michael http://www.irishgolfvacations.net/?p=1236 Solheim Cup 2011 What is Solheim Cup? If you are a golfing fan, then you will not want to miss out on the great experience of the Solheim Cup which takes place this September at Killen Castle Ireland. The Solheim Cup is a biennial woman’s professional golfing event, and is named after its creator – Karsten Solheim. Like the Ryder Cup, the Solheim Cup is a team event with teams representing Europe and the United States. The first event took place in 1990, and alternates with the Ryder Cup every other year. Teams for the events are selected via a points system, although the European team is decided by a mixture of points and world rankings. Team captains for both Europe and the USA are normally retired professional golfers who have had Solheim Cup experience. They are also chosen on their ability to lead a team.

The team match itself is played over three days using a similar format to the Ryder Cup. This means there will be 28 matches made up of eight foursomes, eight four-balls and 12 singles on the final day.

Women’s golf has grown tremendously over the years, with many young girls taking up the sport. As such, a junior version of the Solheim Cup called the PING Junior Solheim Cup was started in 2002. It follows the same format as the senior cup and comprises the top 12 junior players from both Europe and America. The girls play golf over two days. Although not played on the same course as the main Solheim Cup itself, it is generally played in the vicinity. Since 1990, the winning team in both the senior and junior versions of the cup have been the United States. Past American women golfers who have participated in the Solheim Cup include Donna Andrews (1994 and 1998) and Julie Inkster who had an almost continuous run since the event was created. This remarkable statistic is only beaten by Britain’s Laura Davies who has played in every one of the Solheim Cup events. This year participants The official European team for this year’s Solheim Cup is not yet known. The final team will be announced at the end of August. What is known however is that Alison Nicholas will be the captain of the team. There is a suggestion that Laura Davies is making a bid for her 12th appearance, while others in the frame are fellow Briton Melissa Reid, Frenchwoman Virginie Lagoutte-Clement and Danish golfer, Iben Tinning. On the US side, Rosie Jones is to be the team captain. What to expect this year at Solheim Cup Killeen Castle is based in Dunsany, County Meath, Ireland. The golf club itself covers some 300 acres of rambling grassland surrounded by beautiful natural woodland. Created by the famous golfer, Jack Nicklaus, Killeen Castle Golf club is a golfer’s paradise with no fewer than 18 championship events held here. So, if you are looking forward to going to watch the Solheim Cup you will be in for a treat. What’s more if you fancy a break from watching the match, you could always go fishing or go for a walk around the resplendent gardens. Flights to Dublin go from a number of UK airports including Manchester, Gatwick and Plymouth.]]> http://irishgolfvacations.net/2011/04/solheim-cup-2011-irish-golf-vacations/feed/ 1