Golf

Dermot Gilleece on an American with the gift of the gab

Corcoran’s friends liked to call him ‘The Cork’ and one could imagine him being in his element as tournament director of the Canada Cup, when it was staged at Portmarnock GC in June 1960. He did much to project the event to international prominence, having already achieved an enviable reputation by guiding the career of the great Sam Snead.

Fred Corcoran, the ‘Irish’ golf impresario

Fred Corcoran was an American who dearly wanted to be Irish. Indeed he liked to project himself as a true-blue seanachai, with an appropriate gift for story-telling, especially about golf, the game that made him famous.

His friends liked to call him ‘The Cork’ and one could imagine him being in his element as tournament director of the Canada Cup, when it was staged at Portmarnock GC in June 1960. He did much to project the event to international prominence, having already achieved an enviable reputation by guiding the career of the great Sam Snead.

As it happened, Snead became the cornerstone of Corcoran’s activities as a budding entrepreneur, when The Cork was appointed manager of the fledgling PGA Tour in the US in 1936. I’ve lost count of the wonderful stories I have come across about Corcoran and Snead in my ventures into golfing lore over the years. A particular favourite involved a golfmatch between Snead and the Duke of Windsor, arising out of the 1963 staging of the Canada Cup at St-Nom-La-Breteche in Paris, where the Duke happened to be a member.

Relentless in his promotion of Snead, Corcoran could see an obvious dividend in this association with British royalty, which allowed him to soften the player’s notorious reputation for parsimony. It seems that the match went very well and a few days later, the Duke called Corcoran to arrange suitable recompense for the celebrated professional. Perhaps a cheque made out to Snead might be in order. Determined to improve his client’s image, however, the agent suggested that an autographed photograph would be a better idea. Which didn’t go down especially well with Snead. ‘Next time,’ he berated Corcoran, ‘take the cheque. If I want to start a picture collection of kings, I can buy a deck of cards for a couple of coins in a drugstore.’

Corcoran’s Irishness made him extremely conscious of the importance of the Pope as a much-admired religious figure. And, as it happened, he had little difficulty in converting Snead to this view, though for a surprisingly interesting reason. This had to do with the putting problems which plagued Snead throughout his tournament career.

Corcoran arranged a match between Sam Snead and the Duke of Windsor, arising out of the 1963 staging of the Canada Cup at St-Nom-La-Breteche in Paris, where the Duke happened to be a member.

In the event, the so-called Slammer became quite enthusiast about a proposed trip to The Vatican. ‘Coming home from the Grand Tour, we stopped’ Corcoran recalled. ‘I suggested facetiously that Sam might bring his putter along and have it blessed. I argued that a papal blessing might help steer in some of those six-foot, side-hill putts.

‘Sam was impressed. I remember we were met in the vestry of St Peter's by a monsignor whose eyebrows flitted up into his tonsure when Snead checked in with his clubs. But he turned out to be a 100-shooter himself and he immediately went to confession to Sam about his own putting problems. Sam sighed, picked up his clubs and headed back to the car. 'If you're this close to the Pope and you can't putt,' he drawled over his shoulder, 'he ain't gonna be able to do anything for me.’’

Corcoran’s initial involvement with the embryonic Canada Cup, was also typical of the man. The event was launched in Montreal in 1953 by Canadian industrialist, John Jay Hopkins. And the self-same John Jay happened to be experiencing problems in gaining admission to the US Open at Baltusrol GC, New Jersey, a year later.

Recognising Hopkins and noting his distress, Corcoran approached. On being informed that the problem had to do with an admission badge, Corcoran reached into his pocket and produced a replacement which satisfied the waiting official.

‘I’d like to have a chat with you when you have a minute,’ he said. Aware that the newly-launched tournament was not commanding much attention, Corcoran told Hopkins that he needed to move it out of Canada. And that the event was being run by corporate men who knew little about tournament golf.

So it was that under Corcoran’s guidance, an event that had attracted only seven nations in 1953 – and those didn’t include Ireland - had a field of 25 when switched to Columbia, Washington DC, in 1955. Now Ireland were on board and having finished eighth, they went on to capture the trophy in Mexico City in 1958, when Harry Bradshaw and Christy O’Connor Snr triumphed.

Still, the continued growth of the event remained quite a challenge which, Corcoran believed, could best be solved through heightened interest in the golf media. By 1968, it had become the World Cup and with the Ogliata Club in Rome chosen as the venue, Corcoran believed he knew how to deliver increased media attention.

When golf journalists were arranging their schedules for the year, he reminded them that the World Cup would have the additional appeal of an audience with the Pope on the Tuesday of tournament week. And as usual, fortunate scribes would be treated as members of the official party.

The carrot had the desired effect and media numbers were suitably swollen. Tuesday came and went, however, with no sign of the Papal audience. Nor did it happen later in the week, which Corcoran had hinted as a possibility. In fact there was no audience and disappointed scribes departed Rome believing that they had been duped by the great showman, who smiled through it all with the largest press turnout the tournament had seen in years. the game was such that he became one of the first non-players to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1975. From his beginnings in

the 1930s, he became a respected promotion manager in the 1940s and had gone on to established the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour, while also being responsible for launching the Golf Writers Association of America.

His involvement with the World Cup centred on his role as a director of the International Golf Association (IGA). Remarkably, he also found time for involvement in baseball, boxing, hockey and America football, while managing the business affairs of golfers Snead, Babe Zaharias, Tony Lema, Ken Venturi and Tom Weiskopf.

Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on April 4th, 1905, Corcoran started in golf as a nine-year-old caddie at Belmont CC, carrying the bags of Francis Ouimet and Alexa Stirling, two of the game’s leading amateurs of that time. Then, future entrepreneurial skills became evident in the fact that as a 12-year-old, he was America’s youngest caddie-master, collecting five cents from every boy who carried a bag.

As a young man he worked for the Massachusetts Golf

Association, with celebrated golf-course architect,

Donald Ross, at Pinehurst, and as the official scorer for the United States Golf Association (USGA). He was 72 when he died on June 23rd, 1977 after attending the

US Open won by Hubert Green at Southern Hills. Since then, he has been honoured annually through the

Corcoran Cup, a golf tournament featuring America’s top blind golfers.

On his induction into the Hall of Fame, he was approached at the ceremony by this earnest, elderly woman who enquired: ‘Mr Corcoran, can you tell me why you are being put in the Hall of Fame? You‘re not a great player, are you?’

Sam Snead became the cornerstone of Corcoran’s activities as a budding entrepreneur, when The Cork was appointed manager of the fledgling PGA Tour in the US in 1936.

Unplayable Lies, Fred Corcoran’s best-selling autobiography had an introduction by Bing Crosby

UN: Hunger levels highest in countries affected by climate extremes

Hunger worst in countries with agricultural systems highly sensitive to climate change.

Photo: Apsatou Bagaya / Concern Worldwide.

This land was once filled with crops, but five years of poor rainfall has left it barren.

UN warns gains made in ending hunger and malnutrition are being eroded by intense climate extremes.

Worldwide, droughts and floods have more than doubled since the early 1990’s with Africa particularly badly affected.

Climate change has an increasingly destructive impact on people living in already vulnerable communities. Such as those in Niger, Western Africa where 80% of the population relies on agriculture for their livelihoods. And where this year 2.7 million people are now projected to urgently need food if they are to survive.

Since 1968 Irish charity Concern Worldwide has worked around the world helping alleviate hunger caused by natural or manmade disasters. Over this period, climate change has become one of the key drivers of hunger.

Concern not only supplies emergency food, they continue to provide sustainable solutions to vulnerable communities – so they’re able to feed themselves long into the future.

To fund its work, one of Concern’s most vital funding sources – on which it absolutely depends – are gifts in the Wills of its supporters. These gifts ensure Concern will always be there for people in need of a helping hand.

What Concern’s help looks like In Niger life is a constant struggle for survival which becomes almost impossible during the annual ‘hunger gap’.

Causing untold suffering, the annual hunger gap runs from April to September – with people spending almost half their year struggling to stay alive.

It’s a desperate period where food from the last harvest has run out and it will be months until more is available.

During this time, normal life grinds to a halt. Children leave education to help with agricultural chores at home. Adults travel anywhere to earn even the smallest amount to support their families.

And Covid-19 has further exacerbated an already dreadful situation. Local markets have less food to sell so prices have risen. And there’s a shortage of seeds for next season’s crops – the pandemic’s deadly effects will be felt next year too.

Vulnerable families, who already have little to eat, are in grave danger.

But thanks to gifts in Wills, Concern is providing food for families in desperate need. And equipping communities to support themselves long into the future. This is achieved by providing drought-resistant seeds – proven to yield more food – along with the the tools and training needed to adopt climate-smart techniques.

Chawada Aboubacar is a mother of five. Her family own a small piece of land where they grow the grain, millet. When it runs out between harvests, it used to be a struggle to provide the food they needed to survive.

Photo: Apsatou Bagaya / Concern Worldwide.

With Concern worker Mounkaîla’s help, Chawada can now grow food to help her family survive.

But thanks to support from Concern, she now has a thriving kitchen garden and grows a variety of vegetables. This will provide nutritious food for her family this year and for years to come. Keeping her children safe from hunger so they can thrive.

“We will start eating cabbage, carrot and lettuce in one month and then the onion in about six weeks. This garden helps me and my family. It makes me happy.” – Chawada Aboubacar

By passing on the skills she has gained to her children, Chawada is ensuring they will be self-sufficient in the future; able to provide for both their own families and the wider community – helping to pull everyone out of poverty.

Thanks to generous people leaving gifts in their Wills to Concern, families like Chawada’s can feed themselves this year. And have

the knowledge and skills to produce enough food to eat every year from now on.

Be part of a world without hunger

Won’t you help Concern fight poverty and hunger – to end it in some of the world’s poorest communities – by leaving a life changing gift in your Will?

To discover more about how this transforms and saves lives, please request your complimentary copy of Concern’s legacy booklet. It shows how legacies are helping the world’s poorest people and answers many questions people have about leaving a gift in their Will. It also explains how to start the process.

Of course requesting your free booklet does not oblige you to leave a gift, or do anything else.

To receive your free, no obligation booklet

– in complete confidence – please contact Concern’s Legacy Manager, Siobhán O’Connor. Call 01 417 8020, email siobhan.oconnor @concern.net, or visit

www.concern.net/gift

Everything you need to know about Home Reversions, with Home Plus

What is a home reversion?

A home reversion is a financial solution for people over the age of 55, who have some or all of their wealth tied up in their home. It enables homeowners to unlock some of the value in their homes, confident that they can remain in their own home, and gives them options for how to spend their retirement years.

With a home reversion, a homeowner opts to sell a share of their home in exchange for a lump sum, while retaining the right to continue living there for the rest of their life. The homeowner can use the lump sum as they please; in some cases, it can be used to resolve mortgage or other debt that is in arrears, it is their money and doesn’t have to be repaid.

Home Home ReversionReversion

Average House Value Average House Value

For a 65 year old For a 65 year old releasing €82kreleasing €82k with a €400k propertywith a €400k property

LifetimeLifetime MortgageMortgage

Average House Value Average House Value

Based on Historic HPI Based on Historic HPI

Based on historic HPI of the last 15 yearsBased on historic HPI of the last 15 years applied to a total of 30 years (2 cycles)applied to a total of 30 years (2 cycles)

Home Home Owner: Owner: 62% 62%

Home Plus: Home Plus: 38% 38% Home Home Owner: Owner: 62% 62%

Home Plus: Home Plus: 38% 38% Home Home Owner: Owner: 62% 62%

Home Plus: Home Plus: 38% 38% Home Home Owner: Owner: 62% 62%

Home Plus: Home Plus: 38% 38% Home Home Owner: Owner: 62% 62%

Home Plus: Home Plus: 38% 38%

€400k€400k €322k€322k €303k€303k €409k€409k €329k€329k

Inflection pointInflection point

Home Home Owner: Owner: 62% 62% Home Home Owner: Owner: 62% 62%

Home Plus: Home Plus: 38% 38% Home Plus: Home Plus: 38% 38%

€310k€310k €419k€419k

Home Home Owner: Owner: 79% 79% Home Home Owner: Owner: 68% 68%

Debt OwedDebt Owed 21% 21% Debt Owed:Debt Owed: 32% 32%

€400k€400k €322k€322k

Home Home Owner: Owner: 56% 56%

Debt Owed:Debt Owed: 44% 44% Home Home Owner: Owner: 58% 58%

Debt Owed: Debt Owed: 42% 42% Home Home Owner: Owner: 34% 34%

Debt Owed:Debt Owed: 66% 66%

Home Home Owner: Owner: 11% 11%

Debt Owed: Debt Owed: 89% 89%

€303k€303k €409k€409k €329k€329k €310k€310k

Home Home Owner: Owner: 15% 15%

Debt Owed:Debt Owed: 85% 85%

€419k€419k

Y 0 Y 0 Y 5 Y 5 Y 10 Y 10 Y 15 Y 15 Y 20 Y 20 Y 25 Y 25 Y 30 Y 30

How is this different from a lifetime loan?

1 1

Unlike lifetime loan companies, Home Plus does not charge compound interest. This means that, once they maintain the terms of the agreement, our customers will always own a percentage share of their home and that percentage is fixed at the level they choose from start to finish.

As a company, we plan for the long term and have a multi-decade relationship with our customers. We take an actuarial view of life expectancy, while also taking the risk on house price inflation with the homeowner, rather than asking an elderly homeowner to take that risk alone.

20052005 20102010

Who are Home Plus?

20152015 20202020 20252025 20302030 20352035

Home Plus is the only active provider of home reversions in Ireland and is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Home Plus has four core values by which we operate: empathy, integrity, transparency and simplicity. Our values are central to everything we do as a company - from the people we hire to how we treat our customers.

How much of the value of my home can I release?

retains the right to stay in the property for the rest of their life or until they move into long term care, subject to them complying with our terms and conditions.

The homeowner decides what percentage share in their home they would like to release. Availing of multiple equity releases over a longer period of time is also an option that customers can explore if they are unsure of how much they would like to release.

How is the amount of the lump sum calculated?

The amount paid to homeowners through home reversion is an actuarial calculation taking into account a range of factors, including the market value of the property with and without vacant possession, house price inflation, and the life expectancy of the homeowner.

If a homeowner requires a higher lump sum, they may need to make a monthly payment as part of the home reversion plan, but this is optional. If the homeowner takes the decision to get a higher lump sum, the amount of the monthly payment is calculated based on what they can afford on a long-term basis.

Will I receive full market value?

Because the homeowner has the ability to stay in their home for the remainder of their lives – rather than being a straightforward sale of the home – the lump sum paid will be less than the market value with vacant possession.

Should I consult a Qualified Financial Advisor?

Home Plus wants all its customers to make sound decisions based on proper financial advice and mandates that all customers seek professional advice before taking out a home reversion plan. All customers must receive advice from a Qualified Financial Advisor and the company further recommends that independent legal advice is received. This ensures that customers fully understand all aspects of the product and that it is suitable for their needs. Home Plus also strongly recommends that anyone considering a home reversion should consult with their family first.

Will I still be able to leave an inheritance for my family?

Yes. The homeowner determines what share of their home they would like to release and will still own the remaining share that they decide to keep. When the homeowner passes away or enters long-term care and the home is sold, their share of the value of the home is distributed as they see fit.

A customer’s family, should they wish, can also come to an agreement with Home Plus to buy back the company’s share of the home.

To find out more about Home Reversion from Home Plus, visit www.plus.ie or call 01 211 8212

l

SEASONAL FLU VACCINE

Influenza (flu) is a highly infectious acute respiratory illness caused by the flu virus. Flu affects people of all ages. In a typical flu season, up to 500 people, mainly older people, die from flu in Ireland. Flu symptoms come on suddenly with a fever, muscle aches, headache and fatigue. This is different from a cold which is a much less severe illness compared to flu. A cold usually starts gradually with a sore throat and a blocked or runny nose. Symptoms of a cold are generally mild compared to flu.

Flu is unpredictable. While anyone can catch flu, some people are more at risk of getting seriously ill or needing hospital treatment. Serious breathing complications can develop, including pneumonia and bronchitis, to which older people, younger children and those with certain chronic medical conditions are particularly susceptible. Pregnant women are also at increased risk of severe complications from flu. Flu can significantly increase the risk of premature birth and even stillbirth during pregnancy.

This year the seasonal (annual) flu vaccine protects against four common virus strains. The flu virus changes each year and this is why a new flu vaccine has to be given each flu season.

Getting the flu vaccine is the best way to protect yourself, and others from the flu. This year the free flu vaccine is recommended for you if you are in one of these groups:

• Aged 65 years and over • A health care worker • A child aged 2 to 17 years • At any stage of pregnancy • People with certain medical conditions which put them at increased risk of complications from flu e.g. heart or lung disease Vaccination should ideally be undertaken in autumn each year to be protected for the flu season. Flu vaccines have been given to millions of people worldwide and are very safe. The flu vaccine cannot give you the flu. It takes 10-14 days for the vaccine to start protecting you against flu. Both flu and COVID-19 can cause serious illness. Flu and COVID-19 are caused by different viruses and the flu vaccine does not protect against COVID-19. It is important to get both the flu vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccine.

If you have had the COVID-19 vaccine you should still get the flu vaccine. You can get the flu vaccine at the same time as the COVID-19 vaccine.

The flu vaccine and administration are free from participating GPs and Pharmacies to those within the recommended groups. If you are a health care worker, you may be able to get the free flu vaccine at your place of work.

More information is available from your GP, Public Health Nurse or Pharmacist.

www.hse.ie/flu provides details about flu vaccination, along with answers to any questions you may have about flu.

PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINE

If you are over 65 or have a long term medical condition you should also ask your doctor about the pneumococcal vaccine which protects against pneumonia, if you have not previously Pneumococcal vaccine Pneumococcal vaccine received it. You can get the flu vaccine at the same time as the If you are over 65 or have a long term medical condition you should also ask your doctor about the pneumococcal vaccine. pneumococcal vaccine which protects against pneumonia, if you have not previously received it. If you are over 65 or have a long term medical condition you should also ask your doctor about the You can get the flu vaccine at the same time as the pneumococcal vaccine. pneumococcal vaccine which protects against pneumonia, if you have not previously received it.

You can get the flu vaccine at the same time as the pneumococcal vaccine.

Protect yourself. Protect others.Protect yourself. Protect others.

Is Smartcare the future?

I’m sure we have all seen reports about how populations across the Globe are ageing and that by 2031 the population over 65 in Ireland will have increased to over 1 Million (source: CSO 2018).

This will ultimately lead to increases in demand for homecare and health care services. In the Department of Health’s “HEALTH SERVICE CAPACITY REVIEW (2018)”, they projected the following by 2031:

• 71% increase in the number of people who will require homecare packages • 38% increase in demand for GP visits

So, what can be done to ensure senior members of our society can continue to get the access to the necessary support they require?

One Company, Care24, appears to be leading the way in a relatively new but somewhat reassuring service called Smartcare.

So, what is Smartcare?

Smartcare empowers seniors to live independent, healthy and active lives in their own homes as well as providing their families with peace of mind. • Combines homecare, healthcare and sensor enabled 24/7 remote assistance to provide better and more affordable support, when required.

• Uses technology to enhance the level of reassurance, whilst reducing costs at the same time.

Care24 are part of the Spectrum Health family of companies, who are one of the largest providers of private healthcare in Ireland. They have over 14 years’ experience in the health & wellness sector and now provide Smartcare services to address the above growing challenges.

We explored a bit more to understand this new service.

They provide a service called remote assistance that uses the latest smart home technology. It uses a small hub, a bit like a modem, that connects discrete smart sensors, placed in the home, to their 24/7 Remote Assistance team. Included in their standard pack is the hub, 2 motion sensors, a door sensor and a wrist worn fall detector, which doubles as a panic button.

The sensors notify their Remote Assistance team should any of their customers require immediate assistance. Should this occur they give their customer a quick call to check that everything is OK. If their customer tells them they are not OK, or if they don’t answer, they then contact a family member or another nominated person.

The remote assistance service costs €9 per week and also includes the cost of the technology. Their service works a bit like a mobile contract, in that customers would need to sign up to an 18 month contract.

Their remote assistance service works in tandem with their homecare teams to provide more comprehensive support. They say that by combining homecare and remote assistance, their customers often need less homecare hours so reducing how much customers would need to pay.

In addition, all their customers also get priority access to their healthcare services provided by their teams of 24/7 GPs and Nurses, as well as appointments with Counsellors, Physiotherapists, footcare specialists and dieticians.

They also provide all their customers with a free annual falls screen, which uses technology to predict the extent to which a person is at risk of falling. This analysis is followed by a care plan which they claim can reduce the likelihood of a fall by up to 50%. With 1 in 3 over 65’s reported to fall each year, this service makes a lot of sense.