Club Info

History

The club started in1959, probably in a backroom of an Irish pub in the Bronx. The two founding members were Vincent Cummings and Jim McLaughlin and possibly John McGrath. Most of the golfers lived in the Bronx and would carpool to the golf course in New Jersey. A lot of them left there in the early 1970’s and moved to New Jersey. The home course moved around in Morris County from 1959 to 1981. Courses like Ferncliff Golf Course, Bowling Green, The Meadows (Now Deer Run GC) and Twin Bridges GC (Now called Meadows). Since 1981, the Belfast has called The Knoll East home.

Around 1964 the club had no less than 8 members with single digit handicaps. The basic rule was if you wanted to play with them you had to improve your golf game. The high handicappers had a chance to play with the low handicaps with the two match play tournaments and scotch foursomes. Early in the club there used to be about 20 tournaments. President's Prize match play was a 36 hole Medal stroke play low net. The McLaughlin Trophy was started in 1970 as Match Play and was the premiere prize named after the aforementioned original member who died of cancer in 1969 at the age of 42. Cummings Prize for the Cummings family Vincent, Anthony (Vincent’s son), and Gabe (Vincent's younger brother) with a combined 133 yrs in the club. Vincent was the patriarch who guided the Belfast for years, Anthony who followed in his father's footsteps to be the best player at his time and Gabriel who was here from the beginning and he held many committee positions. There have been many Presidents of the club in the 60+ years. The Presidents with the most tenure are Ray O'Connor, Charlie Hunter, Jimmy Lyons, Mike Ganley.

Interclub matches started in 1967 between Belfast and Woodlawn Golf Clubs at Hill and Dale Golf Club in Carmel NY. In 1971 it grew to four with Crown City and Gaelic Club. In 1973 it got two more clubs Cavan and Emerald Golf Club and it has grown ever since to the now 14 members of the Irish Metropolitan Golf Association.

Full History