Holiday Homes Portal News

K Club launches fractional ownership with a stars playing in golf challenge

Date: 08/06/2010
Article source: Perspective Forum

Celebrities Gather at Ireland’s K Club for Golf Challenge and Property Sales Launch

Stars from the world of entertainment and football recently came together for a thrilling golf match at the world famous K Club in County Kildare, Ireland to play in the Firstlight Challenge Cup. The event was hosted by Firstlight International to celebrate the sales launch of luxury homes, which are being sold on a fractional ownership basis in the grounds of the spectacular AA 5 Star K Club hotel.

Ronan Keating headed up the entertainment team that included presenters Declan Donnelly and Anthony McPartlin (Ant & Dec), the actors James Nesbitt and Dougray Scott, ex-world snooker champion Dennis Taylor and cricket legend Ian Botham, amongst others. They played a side captained by retired footballer and television pundit Alan Shearer that included current and retired footballers such as Kevin Keegan, Steve Harper, David Platt, David Seaman, Gary Speed, Dwight Yorke, Les Ferdinand and Dean Ashton.

The 27-hole match play competition was played on the famous Arnold Palmer course used in the 2006 Ryder Cup. It was a tightly fought match with outstanding performances from Dougray Scott, Dwight Yorke and Dennis Taylor. The match ended in a tie so it was decided by an exciting 18th hole play off between two members from each team to get closest to the pin. The match was decided after a stunning shot by Dougrey Scott from 150 yards which landed only 5 feet from the hole and the Firstlight Challenge Cup was claimed by the entertainers.

The K Club is a grand Irish country retreat, set amid 550-acres of pristine parkland on a mile-long private stretch of the River Liffey in County Kildare, just south of Dublin. The centre piece of the estate is an elegantly restored 19th Century Georgian mansion which serves as the hotel . It has hosted 14 European Opens and the Ryder Cup in 2006 when Europe played the US in a dramatic match that saw Europe re-claim the coveted cup.

Declan Donnelly commented: “Having watched the Ryder Cup being played here in 2006 and being here now is amazing. The Firstlight properties are very impressive, nicely done and very handy for the golf course. The resort is really special.”

Previously only the very privileged could afford to live in the grounds of the Country Club but now for the first time in the history of the K Club they have opened their doors to shared ownership of some of the beautiful homes on the estate. This means people can now buy a share in a luxury home on the estate, which could be a 2 bed apartment or 3 or 4 bedroom house, for a fraction of the price. They have a deeded title in that home – which is quite different from timeshare, which is just a right to use.

This has been introduced by the leading co-ownership specialist Firstlight which is involved with leading resorts such as Little Nell in Aspen, Colorado and Noosa in Queensland.

Alan Shearer said: “ I love this place, the two courses are fantastic. I have been a few times with family now and they enjoy it too. When I walked into the Firstlight house I just said wow!”

Fractional ownership enables purchasers to balance capital outlay with usage. Most people only get 4 -5 weeks holiday per year so fractional ownership is an increasingly popular way to own a second home, especially in these days of economic uncertainty. Retired footballer David Platt said: “Fractional ownership at the K Club …it’s a no brainer as a lifestyle investment. With all the economic problems around at the moment too it does not make sense to buy a whole property when you use it for just a few weeks of the year.”

Firstlight offers owners the opportunity of exchanging weeks with other residents in an International Exchange Programme through Interval International, a leading global provider of vacation services. Locations handpicked by First Light include other 5 star resorts, safari lodges and hotels in South Africa, New Zealand, USA, Hawaii, The Caribbean, Mexico, Portugal, Italy, Australia, Thailand and Great Britain.

Commenting on that Ronan Keating said: “ The beauty of the Firstlight exchange program is that people don’t want to go on holiday to the same place each year so when the weather’s not good in Ireland you can use the facilities of other similar standard properties around the world.”

Other favourable comments from the stars on the K Club and the Firstlight properties included:

David Seaman: “ The homes are gorgeous, the whole package is brilliant.”
Dwight Yorke: “It’s a magical place. I can see why it’s got such a good reputation. The house I stayed in was very impressive, and it’s what you expect from the K Club.”
Ian Botham: “The course is testing but everyone can enjoy it, whatever level you are. The hospitality is excellent here. We love it.”
Gary Speed: “I am sure it will be a great investment for a lot of people and I will certainly be thinking about it myself. It’s a beautiful hotel but it’s not stuffy in any way in terms of welcoming kids and what you have to wear. It seems very child friendly.”

There are special introductory prices for the launch starting at just €160,000 (£137,000) for a 2 bed duplex apartment, €225,000 (£192,000) for a 3 bed duplex apartment and from €290,000 (£248,000) for a 4 bed house.

Sales enquiries: Contact Firstlight on +353 1 610 7111 or visit www.firstlightkclub.com