Hibernian Golf Association

How we Became…

An interview with 2 of our founders, Aidan Kilcoyne & John Fahey

During the summer of 1981 there was a small group of Sunday morning golfers, which included John Fahey, Tom Curtin, John Joe Brennan, Pat Pendergast, John Quinn, Paul Sheehan and Aidan Kilcoyne who thought the idea of forming a Golf Club was worth looking into.

After much discussion, a committee made up of Bill Zillox, Aidan Kilcoyne, John Joe Brennan, Paul Sheehan and Gerry McCarthy was formed to draft a Constitution and Bylaws and so on January 11th 1981 the first meeting of the Hibernian Golf Association was held. 

Although the club is not technically related to the ‘Ancient Order Of The Hibernians’, the name was adopted simply because the first meeting was held in The Old Hibernian Hall, then located at 43 Forest Street in Stamford.

Our Club started its first season with approximately 25 members. 

Over the course of just 3 tournaments, John Fahey prevailed as the Hibernians 1st Club Champion.

In the early years, one of the biggest challenges was finding a golf course that would accommodate a large group on a Saturday afternoon.  At the time, The Pound Ridge Country Club N.Y. (then a small private 9 hole course with 2 sets of tee boxes) was willing to work with us and as a result our tournaments were held there for a number of years.  

Although the facilities at Pound Ridge were limited we made it work with volunteers from the club making sandwiches and providing refreshments at the turn.

Pound Ridge Country Club has a very special place in the history of our club not only because it’s where we started but also because our first Hole In One during completion play was recorded on the 3rd hole by Billy McNamara.

As word of our club spread throughout Stamford our membership grew, as did the sense of competition.  Through the hard work of our elected officials the club was then able to secure regular starting times at courses throughout the area including Mahopac, Lake Over, Whitney Farms, Orange Hills, Grassy Hills, Pine Valley, Ridgefield, Oak Hills and what is now our home course, Hubbard Heights.

The club undertook other activities in addition to the regular golf tournaments.  

For a number of years we held family picnics starting at Rosa Hartman Park on Stamford’s West Side and then moving over to the grounds of the Franciscan Monastery in New Canaan. The picnics consisted of games for the kids, a very competitive Horse Shoe competition (organized by member Larry Hayes) and always included a ‘Closest To The Pin’ competition.  One year, the Belltown Volunteer Fire Department were hosting their own picnic  and as the day drew on they challenged us to a Tug of War and to make it interesting they suggested the competition be held over the swimming pool.  Needless to say the Fire Department were treated to an afternoon dip in the pool courtesy of the Hibernian Golf Association.

It was also common practice to host an end of season dinner dance including full band.

As time moved on so did the club and our family picnics gave way to Charity Tournaments, which were held to assist local families in the Greater Stamford Community.  Our first charity tournament was to help defray medical costs for Beth Usher (Billy McNamara Grand daughter).  Over the next 3 years we were made contributions to aid the children of the Stramadanoli and Knorr families as well as the charity ‘Children in Crisis’. Over 4 years our club donated over $20,000.00 to these causes, which was a great source of pride for both our members and officers.

Our membership continued to grow and as a result we reconstructed our competitions to meet the needs of our growing membership.  Over the years we had both a Mens and a Ladies Division, which gave way to the A, B, and C Flights and also ‘A Golfer of the Year Award’.  Our Club also started to compete in the Inter Club Competition based out of N.Y.

As the Hibernian Golf Association celebrates its 40th year it is easy to look around and see all that has changed in our club and our community.  Old members have left us while new members quickly join our ranks.  Although the faces and names have changed, the Hibernian Golf Association has remained a strong and vibrant organization in Stamford CT.  Over the last 40 years our club, through a love for the game of golf, has fostered a sense of friendship, comaraderie and competitiveness that has been enjoyed by its members both past and present.