ABOUT

Bellinter Golf Centre near Navan, is conveniently just off the M3, yet tucked away in leafy Bellinter, a couple of miles from the Hill of Tara, the ancient seat of Kings and close to historic Bellinter House hotel. Bellinter takes its name from the Irish Baile an tSaoir, which means the homestead.

Kevin Garvey is a member of the Professional Golfers Association of Ireland, PGA (Irish Region) having qualified at Lilleshall Hall, Shropshire, England over 35 years ago. 

Kevin played his early golf on the links of Laytown & Bettystown Golf Club which at the time was the cradle for young talented junior golfers along the eastern seaboard. Kevin proved himself to be an accomplished junior golfer at individual, school and club level. At the time, this was the playground for many of Ireland’s great amateur golfers, the Smyth brothers, Declan Branigan and the big hitting Jimmy Clynch, amongst others.

Kevin was single-minded in his focus and determination to become a professional golfer taking up a position as an assistant to Robert J. Browne, one of Ireland’s leading golfing instructors at the time and who was later conferred with the PGA Distinguished Services Award for his services to golf. The aforementioned Lilleshall was the home of the PGA training school and the final stage of a three year stint for an assistant qualifying to become a fully-fledged PGA professional. The aspiring professional had to pass tests on club repairs, golf teaching and instruction, merchandising, the rules of golf and general knowledge of the PGA training manual.

In 1980 Kevin travelled to the Portugal’s Algarve for the qualifying section of the European Tour. Later he took up a position as resident professional at Blainroe Golf Club before playing on the South African tournament circuit with other Irish professionals to try and secure his European tour card.

In the late seventies few golfers were touring professionals and were very much attached to their clubs and playing much of their golf on the Irish circuit. It was a close knit community where you got to see and play with many of the great players in the history of Irish golf.

Kevin Garvey continues to play golf weekly all over Ireland with fellow PGA Professionals.

“The juniors were also encouraged to participate in events …the Squire Ennis Trophy was secured just once, in Balbriggan in 1978, with a team featuring Kevin Garvey as its star player.”  -   'Out of Bent and Sand' by Brian Keogh