Special Olympics – Smurfit MBA Blog

The UCD Smurfit MBA Golf Society Classic

On Friday June 24^th last, the UCD Smurfit MBA Golf Society held its latest event – the summer golf classic in the fabulous environs of the K Club in County Kildare, owned by the name sponsor of our school, Dr. Michael W.J. Smurfit.

We were joined on the day by current students, alumni and supporters of UCD. Also, as special guests, we had two Special Olympians and staff from the Special Olympics Ireland who took part in the day’s golf event.

The course proved challenging and up to its mark as a championship course. With scoring conditions tough, many participants found the scramble format somewhat of a relief and this hopefully added to their enjoying the day.

A good selection of prizes were arranged by the committee with first prize being a fourball back to the K Club. This was won by the Special Olympics team and well deserved to say the least. An alumni team took second prize which consisted of a set of Cleveland wedges and Titleist golf umbrellas for third place was taken by current students. A number of top raffle prizes were also donated and given to the various winners.

The staff at the K Club ensured we had an enjoyable day despite some rain early in the proceedings and even arranged for local swans to greet golfers as they made their way along the course. We would like to thank The Smurfit MBA office for providing a budget for our event and our hole sponsors for the day – Business Change Management, Business Performance Perspectives, Geith International Limited, NxtGen, The Ash Tree Bar and Philip Lee. With their help and everyone else who attended we raised €1,705 which will be donated to the Special Olympics Ireland.

As is obligatory, the 19^th hole was visited after the rounds were completed followed by dinner and prize-giving in the K Club Palmer Clubhouse. An eventful bus journey then returned us to the Smurfit School where further reflection on the standard of our golf was discussed in Flash Harry’s of Blackrock.

It’s hard to find a better way to spend a summer’s day than on the golf course followed by a meal among friends and of course doing it all for a worthy cause.

Ciaran O’Shea ~ Executive MBA

The first MBA Golf Society (MBAGS) event of 2016 has finally come and gone and it’s surely one for the history books! Not really. But, it was great fun. With our original first event at Luttrellstown cancelled due to snow in March, we kicked off the year at Dun Laoghaire Golf Club on the 8^th of April. The forecast was rain but that wouldn’t stop us. We were determined to get out and play and, for me, to put faces to the names as I only know most of the members according to where they fall on my MBAGS member spreadsheet. The day was filled with sun, rain, beautiful mountains in the backdrop, banter and of course that ever so coveted end of round pint of the black stuff.

The player field was small but we made the most of it. Being in the full-time MBA and not having classes on Friday’s it’s easy for me to go out and play as I please. However, for those members who do have jobs, it’s a great excuse to get away from the office, meet new people and potentially walk away with great prizes. This event offered 1^st place, 2^nd place, closest to the pin and longest drive prizes. Embarrassingly, the longest drive prize was converted into a 3^rd place prize due to the fact that we all failed to hit the fairway on the allocated hole. But that’s beside the point! Being a part of the MBA Golf Society allows you to play some golf in the fresh air and network with people who you may have otherwise never had met. Along with the current students there were MBA alumni and faculty in the field of players who have backgrounds in the airline industry, the beer brewing industry, consulting and engineering. It’s an eclectic bunch and you never know who you will be paired with.

Being a part of the MBAGS committee has been a great stress reliever for me this year. It allows me to take my mind off of the busy schoolwork and plan for something that I love to do. We have a total of seven events scheduled this year with our big charity event taking place at the K-Club Smurfit Course on Friday, 24^th of June (Ireland is not playing in the Euros this day). We are proud to have partnered with Special Olympics Ireland with all profits going to a great cause. For those of you interested in attending this event or wanting more information, please visit this link.

MBAGS is always welcoming new members (MBA and non-MBA) and even if you do not want to join as a member, feel free to play as a guest for any desired event. You can visit our website for more details. The next event in May is soon approaching and I hope to see you out there!

Kyle McCarihan ~ Full-Time MBA