Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests;
I am delighted to be here with you today to launch the Leopardstown Golf Academy. For over four decades, this golfing institution has served as Ireland's premier golf practice and tuition centre. Situated in the heart of the famous Leopardstown racetrack, the centre is well positioned to provide novices their first introduction to the game and seasoned golfers the opportunity for honing their skills away from the hustle and bustle of the competitive arena.
Horse Racing Ireland, the owners and promoters of this fine Academy, are to be commended for their dedication to this project. We now have a state-of-the-art facility, which is geared to meet the needs of golfers on all levels. The new-look centre incorporates a 74-bay floodlit driving range, including 12 floodlit bays on a second level and 15 outdoor bays, all equipped with the latest ball dispensing technology. Membership in various categories, including senior and junior, will provide the Leopardstown Golf Centre with a whole new sense of purpose. I understand that there are plans, for a Junior Golf Academy under the direction of the PGA professionals here.
Tuition and analysis is provided by the four resident PGA professionals - Michael Allan, Michael Kavanagh, John Langan and Stephen O'Donnell. These four talented, experienced and ambitious professionals form a dynamic team at the Leopardstown Golf Centre. The professional teaching services, the gleaming 22,000 sq. ft. clubhouse, which incorporates the highest standard facilities, are topped off with splendid views of the golf course, racecourse and the Wicklow Mountains.
The Leopardstown Golf Centre is also home to over 2,500 lady golfers who are members of 25 golfing societies with playing rights on this pleasurable golf course situated within the racetrack.
From a tourism perspective, Ireland is now well established as a golf tourist destination with more than 165,000 visitors annually generating in excess of €200m in tourism revenue. Our success as a golfing destination will receive the ultimate accolade this year when we host the Ryder Cup - the greatest of all golf spectacles and among the biggest sporting events in the world. We have been given that honour because of the contribution so many Irish golfers have made to the Ryder cup matches and to the assiduous support we have given to the European Tour over many years.
I was pleased to announce recently the provision of an additional €4.5m for Fáilte Ireland to support an enhanced programme of marketing and promotion activities around the Ryder Cup. Fáilte Ireland will also engage with the European Tour for delivery of an appropriate complementary programme of events around the Ryder Cup, including the official opening and closing ceremonies and other initiatives intended to raise the profile of the occasion within Ireland.
Driving the whole operation forward here in Leopardstown, in conjunction with Horse Racing Ireland, is an exciting challenge for Joe O'Connor and his dedicated team. Thousands of enthusiasts will continue to enjoy the facilities on an informal basis at their leisure, which has always been one of the great attractions of the centre, and even if practice doesn't turn everyone into world beaters, there is always the exciting prospect that the golfer in the bay next to you could be a star of the future, perhaps even the next Padraig Harrington!
I wish to thank you for inviting me here this evening to share in the success, which this project embodies and to wish you a future, which continues to flourish.
Thank you.