Cover

Kevin Markham, born and educated in Ireland, started playing golf at the age of six and has played ever since. After a Business Degree at Dublin City University he lived in London for eight years, working in direct marketing. When he returned to Ireland in 1998, he worked for Esat Digifone. In 2000 he became a fulltime freelance copywriter. He contributes articles on golf to newspapers and magazines.

This book is dedicated to my father and my
grandfather, without whose efforts and patience
I would never have learned to swing a club.

FIRST PUBLISHED IN PRINT FORMAT 2009 BY
The Collins Press
West Link Park
Doughcloyne
Wilton
Cork

Kevin Markham has asserted his moral right to be identified as the authors of this work in accordance with the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000.

All rights reserved.
The material in this publication is protected by copyright law. Except as may be permitted by law, no part of the material may be reproduced (including by storage in a retrieval system) or transmitted in any form or by any means, adapted, rented or lent without the written permission of the copyright owners. Applications for permissions should be addressed to the publisher.

Paperback ISBN-13: 978-184889-106-7
PDF eBook ISBN: 978-184889-832-5
EPUB eBook ISBN: 978-184889-833-2
mobi ISBN: 978-184889-834-9

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My biggest thanks go to the golf courses of Ireland which have allowed me to play their eighteen holes. General Managers, Secretary Managers, Directors of Golf, Professionals, Captains and Honorary Secretaries have all been most accommodating on my quest to play every course in Ireland. Some of them have been amused, some bemused, but nearly all of them envious.

To all the golfers with whom I have had the pleasure of playing, thank you for your patience. From hackers to professionals, I have enjoyed your company tremendously and many of you have shown me how some of Ireland’s most difficult courses should be played: Philip at Ardglass; Martin at Lahinch; the boys at Castlerock.

To my agent, Jonathan Williams, for opening the door. My friend Julie, for her creativity. My thanks to Brendan at Daysha Consulting, without whose support this book might never have happened.

To my mother, father and sister. And FAM. I could never have done this without you.

NOTE TO THE SECOND EDITION

The first edition of Hooked was written at a time when Ireland was, to put it mildly, exuberant. As any Irish golfer will tell you, the country’s green fees were similarly exuberant. These days the majority of green fees have fallen, sometimes by over 50 per cent. The courses have changed very little and remain as thrilling and challenging as ever, so there really is no better time to enjoy some of our 350 courses.

This second edition sees considerable changes to green fee rates (Northern Ireland less so), as well as the Value for Money scores. There are numerous course updates, from new clubhouses to new holes, and three new courses are included (Bunclody, Cobh, Killeen Castle). Two courses no longer qualify (Carnbeg, Citywest Lakes) and Mount Ober, the only club not to let me review their course, has been removed (Map Reference: Map 3/B2/230) due to space restrictions.

There are well over 3,000 photographs of Ireland’s golf courses on my Flickr page: www.flickr.com/photos/kevinmarkham and these are being added to all of the time. They’ll give you a great taste of what to expect.

I love golf. Always have and always will. It can frustrate the hell out of me but when you’re kicking up the dew on your way down the fairway, or watching your ball disappear into dappled evening shadows, there’s no better place to be than on one of Ireland’s golf courses.

Here’s a simple question: what makes playing a golf course a great experience? Is it holes tumbling through ancient woods and around lakes, or coasting through the dunes with the roar of the sea in your ears as you absorb beautiful mountain views? Is it the reputation of the course, whether old or new? Ballybunion and Royal Portrush conjure up images of flat caps, plus fours and wooden clubs, as well as a host of famous faces and victories. Knightsbrook and The Heritage at Killenard emphasise how golf has changed in the modern era, and how landscapes can be moulded to satisfy designers’ every whim.

Do you want to play a course because of the designer? Do you favour the old (Old Tom Morris, Colt, Vardon) or the new (Christy O’Connor Jnr, Nick Faldo, Pat Ruddy)? Are you impressed by the ingenuity of clever features, be they man-made lakes or mounds, or do you prefer the natural beauty of the landscape to express itself across a course?

What about your playing partners? How much does a friendly round of golf add to your overall golf experience? Or would you prefer to play head-to-head for hard cash?

Even if you answer all of these questions, there are still two crucial factors that can only be determined when you play the course: how well you play and the weather. Each is as temperamental as the other. If you come in with a score of 48 points then you will love the course, no matter how good or bad it is. And vice versa. That is the nature of a golfer’s competitiveness. The weather is a different matter entirely. You’ll often hear of Americans playing the great links in force eight gales and driving rain because they will never get another chance. That’s the nature of a golfer’s love of the game.

There are 350 eighteen-hole golf courses in Ireland. Not only is that one of the highest number of golf courses per capita in the world, it is also a world of choice for Irish and international golfers alike. Yet try and get some independent information on these courses and you might hit a brick wall. The big, famous courses have plenty to say and are praised at length in numerous books. Smaller courses, however, are given a cursory glance and pushed to the side with a couple of lines of lethargic copy. How could the description ‘a pleasant parkland course on undulating terrain with fast greens’ possibly capture your imagination? This is wrong. We have too many great courses that rarely get mentioned in the top tier of Irish golf courses. Obvious ones include Enniscrone and Tulfarris. But what about Portumna, Portarlington, Scrabo, Strandhill and Rosslare? They all offer an amazing golfing experience, in one way or another.

On the other hand, there are numerous courses that claim to be wonderful and/or of ‘championship’ design that will leave you wondering how ‘championship’ is defined. When you visit their website or read an advertisement in a magazine, you’ll be salivating at the prospect of a round of golf, only to be utterly let down when you arrive. Having read their website and then played their course, I found Castle Hume to be one such disappointment. Fernhill is another, and there are plenty more.

This book gives every course its own detailed review, one that cuts through the hype or gives credit where it is deserved. The objective is to introduce you to the course, outline what makes it special, say why it’s fun to play and set realistic expectations.

Yes, of course it is subjective, but I try to be consistent and I try to be honest. I have no doubt that people will disagree with me. That in itself makes this book worth writing, because you can’t beat a good debate. Look at the furore caused by the K Club hosting the Ryder Cup.

I hope you enjoy the reviews, but most of all I hope you enjoy playing the courses you find in this book. Ireland has some of the best courses in the world and some of these you have probably never heard of. From links to parkland, from healthland to farmland, you’ll find something in here that will inspire you out onto an Irish golf course.

I started my blog a bit late in the day but you’ll find over 100 courses on there. Mostly it is the story of my visit, what happened on the day, who I met or played with and how the weather affected the course conditions. And maybe the odd tip. (www.golfcoursesireland.blogspot.com)

There are always things in golf books that irritate me. An aerial photograph, for instance. When am I ever going to be playing a shot from up there? The other thing is distances. Books will give you the distances from the back tees where you are never likely (or be allowed) to play from. In this book, the distances are given from the regular visitor tees. I do sometimes recommend that you play from the back sticks to enjoy the course fully, and I say so in the relevant reviews.

And finally, Ireland has never really got its head around yards and metres. Courses can choose whichever they want and that can confuse visitors mightily, especially UK visitors because they work only in yards. So 100 m equals 110 yards approximately, if that helps. (This book gives whatever the course has chosen.) And as if that wasn’t bad enough, the fairway markers can be to the front of the green or the middle of the green. It is all a bit confusing. If in doubt, ask when you get to the course.

‘Blondes or brunettes?’ It was a question posed to me by Mike Corry, the General Manager at Shannon.

Undeniably I am a links man. These courses ‘link’ the land to the sea, running across sandy soil that creates a wonderfully springy, uneven terrain. And, invariably, they promise spectacular views. They also tend to be more natural in their design and appearance. There’s something wild about them that grabs my attention and you will find that many of my highest-scoring courses are links. It is important to note that this often comes down to the score for Location. For instance, Dooks has the best views in the country while Adare is severely restricted because of its dense parkland surroundings.

But you can’t beat a beautiful parkland course when the leaves are out or autumn is changing the colours. Rivers, lakes and wildlife, and the dark brooding of huge trees promise mesmerising surroundings and an entirely different golf experience. In a way, the two cannot be compared. I have met enough golfers on my travels to know that some people loathe links golf. When you read a links review it might help to know on which side of the fence I sit.

Between 1990 and 2008, new courses were appearing all the time in Ireland. Names like Ernie Els (Kinsale), Ian Woosnam (Borrmount Manor), Retief Goosen (Carrig Glas) and Nick Faldo (Lough Rynn) have all been linked to various planned projects around the country, and our double British Open Champion, Padraig Harrington, is linked to Marlbrook, near Clonmel. Sadly, not all of these will see the light of day. The current downturn has led to some projects being halted. What happens in the future is anyone’s guess.

With the huge explosion of golf in Ireland, it is almost always essential to book tee times in advance. The bigger the course and the closer to high season it is, the more important it is that you book – sometimes a year in advance. Most courses allow limited weekend play but, again, you will need to book early.

There are a number of tee time reservation sites and these all do a good job for you. Golf tour operators will look after absolutely everything if that is what you want. And then there are the golf course websites, many of which now take bookings online.

Please be aware that some of these will require payment up front and may not offer refunds if you have to cancel/postpone.

But sometimes phoning up and talking to the pro shop/office reaps far bigger rewards. They will tell you about special deals, negotiate green fees on the phone and warn you about large society outings going out right in front of you. And you can ask them the relevant Questions to Ask (see page xvii), including good times and bad times to play the course.

You could not possibly have an Irish golf book that does not mention the weather. I would sum it up as follows: whatever time of year you come and whatever the weather forecast predicts, you would be foolish not to bring your waterproofs. It is a sad fact that Ireland’s warmer months are also the wetter ones, borne out by my own experience: between October and December 2007, I played over forty-five courses and was rained on three times. A two-week trip in July 2008 had me putting on waterproofs every second day. The best time for golf is late spring and early autumn. This is a general observation based on the summers of 2007 and 2008, and in the coming years, who knows what climate change will inflict on Ireland? Some say we will be freezing while others predict we will be basking in Bordeaux-like temperatures. It will always be unpredictable.

There are some questions that might make your visit to a golf club that much easier. Have these answered by the club before you go so you can plan accordingly.

Talk to any golfer and they will have an opinion about green fees: they are rarely positive. With many courses now charging over €100 per round it is not surprising that golfers feel aggrieved. And yet this focuses too much attention on the big courses (Portmarnock, Royal County Down, Old Head, K Club, etc.). There are dozens of courses that offer amazing value, although they are scarce around Dublin. The links courses of the northwest are excellent value, and Northern Ireland as a whole is great value. A list of the best value for money courses is given later in this section, but green fees are always changing

But here’s the thing: even the exorbitant K Club offers heavily discounted green fees if you just know where and when to look, for example:

There are Early Bird and Twilight rates throughout the year at many clubs, and you might get a breakfast/steak dinner and a pint thrown in for good measure. And it doesn’t always mean being on the tee at 7 a.m. Some let you play before 10 a.m.

Most clubs have open competitions, especially on weekdays during the summer months. These are perhaps the best value of all and there is even a chance to win prizes. You will find a list of Open Competitions on the Golfing Union of Ireland website (www.gui.ie). ‘Specials’ also fall under this category and might include a bar meal or a pint. At Down Royal £17 will get you a meal and a round on a rather special heathland course during the summer.

You will always get good deals during the winter months; you might even be surprised at how benign the weather can be. The Mount Juliet Winter Series is a chance to play one of the best parkland courses in the country for under €100.

A lot of hotels put together packages that bundle accommodation with golf. One example is Heart of Ireland (www.golfintheheartofireland.com), which includes some of my favourite courses.

And several hotels have their own golf courses, resulting in lower green fees for guests, e.g. Knightsbrook, Druid’s Heath, Skellig Bay, Roe Park.

With so many golf clubs fighting to attract visitors, some clubs have taken the approach that ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’. The result is a golfer’s passport to play a number of local courses at one overall discounted rate. Of course, it usually means that you have to play all the courses to get full value for money, but that is not always the case.

Dungarvan Golf Triangle allows you to play Gold Coast, Dungarvan and West Waterford for the price of two (www.golftriangle.com).

Meath Golf Passport covers Knightsbrook, Rathcore and County Meath (www.boynegolf.ie).

The Kerry Shamrock covers Dingle, the exceptional Dooks, and Killarney (but not the Killeen course, unfortunately). Contact any of the clubs for further information.

Take 3 includes Skellig Bay, Ring of Kerry and Castleisland (www.wellplayed.com).

In terms of value for money, there is one final option: the Classic. Numerous Classics take place around the country and if you are prepared to make the commitment well in advance and put together a team, they can be an absolute blast. At the Dunmore East Classic (www.waterford-dunmore.com) in April, for example, you will play Faithlegg, Waterford Castle, Waterford and Tramore. Accommodation and evening meals are included in the price (approximately €1,400 pps), but many Classics are golf only. You play three or four days in a row and it has become a very popular and competitive event, with some impressive prizes for those of you who want to prove yourselves. But above all, it is a huge amount of fun and you will meet a lot of other fanatical golfers. A very similar event, the Tramore Golf Classic, covers the same courses in September (www.tramoregolfclassic.com).

Erne Waterway Golf Challenge (June) plays Slieve Russell, Castle Hume and County Cavan (www.cavantourism.com).

The P&O Irish Sea Kingdoms of Down (early May) covers Tandragee, County Armagh and Royal County Down golf clubs (www.postnettgolf.com).

Budweiser International Golf Challenge (May) plays six courses, with the final at The Heritage (www.laoistourism.ie).

Donegal Links Classic has three outstanding courses: Ballyliffin, Rosapenna and Portsalon. Contact Portsalon for more details.

Atlantic Coast Challenge is the best of the bunch, playing over County Sligo, Enniscrone and Carne.

Special mention needs to be made of Open Fairways, a company that produces an impressively large annual publication, offering discounts at over 200 golf courses (and hotels) around Ireland. The typical offer is two green fees for the price of one, and four for two. You can easily cover the cost of the book in one round of golf. There are many excellent courses included and not many restrictions on the time you play.

Tour Operators can offer value for money (but not always) and they promise convenience and organisation. Hand over your cash and they do everything for you, including green fees, meals, accommodation and travel. Sometimes that is exactly what you want when you are coming from abroad.

And the final possibility to get a cheaper green fee is simply to ask when you phone up to reserve a tee time. Enough golf clubs need your money to put you in a strong bartering position. Put it this way: if the green fee is €80 and you can get your fourball on the course for €70 each, you’ve just got yourself a few free pints.

(Note: Sterling green fees have not been given a euro equivalent because the currency has been fluctuating a lot.)

Ireland is an extremely popular golfing destination and there is no shortage of companies that want to bring you here. But if you are driving around Ireland, bring a good map.

Ireland has twelve airports and numerous airlines that fly to them. The smaller airports tend to be catered for by Irish airlines, and routes often extend only to the UK.

Many airlines now charge a fixed fee for taking golf bags on the plane, and on the ‘cheap’ airlines this can easily double the price of your flight.

Ferries link Ireland with the UK and France. Four golfers taking a large car will probably save money travelling by sea, as opposed to flying and hiring a car.

Ferry routes that have recently stopped operating but may start up again in the future include:

You will find the usual car hire operators at the airports. Visit the airport websites to find out more. If there are more than two of you travelling, it is worth paying extra to get a large vehicle that will take clubs and cases comfortably.

Many of the people I met on my travels were looked after by golf operators. They take care of everything, if that’s what you want, including travel, accommodation, food, entertainment and green fees. These companies can be very small (a great personal touch) or they can be affiliated to larger groups (hotels, airlines).

I am in no position to recommend one over another but you will always find information in the back of golf magazines. And asking around in your local club will usually provide some recommendations. Or try the Irish Golf Tour Operators Association (www.igtoa.com).

If you’re coming to Ireland to play golf, or you’re already here, there are plenty of good sources of information. The most obvious starting point is the golf courses’ websites. Some are excellent. They offer information on where to stay, places to visit and how to get to the club. You can book online too.

The Irish and Northern Irish tourist bodies give far broader information on visiting Ireland, including accommodation. Here are some recommended links:

There are hundreds of golf books, each giving a different angle on the brilliance of Ireland’s golf courses. Some are good, some are bad. The best one is Links of Heaven by Richard Phinney and Scott Whitley. Although it focuses almost exclusively on links courses, it has been written with a passion and insight that will appeal hugely to Americans and those for whom links golf is a religion.

Northern Irish numbers can cause confusion. If dialling from the Republic of Ireland the prefix is 048, e.g. Ardglass is 048 4484 1022. If dialling from the UK, the prefix is 028, e.g. Ardglass is 028 4484 1022. If dialling from anywhere else, it is +44 28, e.g. Ardglass is (+44) 28 4484 1022. In this book, Northern Irish numbers are given as though dialling from outside the British Isles.

Nine-hole golf courses have been ignored for the most part. To have included them would have added over a hundred courses, which would have made the book unwieldy. Many of these are of poor quality and golfing tourists would be unlikely to play them. However, the likes of Connemara Isles, Borris, Cruit Island and Helen’s Bay are excellent courses and are considerably better than some of the eighteen-hole courses I played.

My apologies to lady golfers because I have made no mention of the difference in length from the men’s to the ladies’ tees.

Some golf courses are well signposted but most are not, and if you are not approaching from the obvious direction (i.e. the main road), then signs are even more scarce. It is a point that golf courses need to take on board. Ironically, Lee Valley in Cork is signposted extremely well and it was the only club where I was asked if I found the place OK.

If you don’t know how to find the course, check the website. If there’s nothing there, ask them to email you directions.

As a visitor, the chances are that you will end up in the bar at the end of your golf game. Food, drink and socialising are therefore very important to the overall golf experience. Sadly, it was not possible for me to eat and drink in every clubhouse. It was not just a matter of expense; there was also the issue of autumn/winter golf when most clubs close between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.

It would be unfair to talk about the great nights I had in some clubs, while other clubs never had a chance to shine. One final suggestion: if you’re playing a course out of season, ask when the bar closes and whether or not food is served during the day.

Picking the top eighteen holes in Ireland is no easy task. Whichever holes I nominate will lead to disagreement. The goal was to create a list of the best eighteen holes in the correct order and to a par of 72. These are holes that light up a round or simply blow you away. It could be because of their difficulty, their beauty or their surroundings. Or all three. No course is allowed more than one hole in the Top Eighteen, which is why Royal Portrush’s famous fourteenth doesn’t make it.

Everybody has their favourites and holes one and eighteen may stir people the most. Many believe the first hole at Portstewart is the best opening hole. It is stunning, I agree, but Scrabo’s is even better. As for eighteen, Adare is mesmerising but the sheer surprise of Carne gets the nod.

Every hole listed is a beautiful hole, and because there are so many of them, I have listed a few runners-up as well (with the par shown in parentheses).

The par 72 includes four par 3s and four par 5s. As a result, I had to do some switching around to get what I thought was the best combination.

Golf course photographs are always taken from the unlikeliest of positions. Photographers want to use the light, get the best angles and introduce foreground features to give depth of field, but they often end up in places where a golfer will never find him- or herself. The photograph of Druid’s Glen’s eighth hole, for example, is taken from well above the green in the flowerbeds. But it does show off the hole beautifully. I have tried to source images that show the hole as you will find it, standing on the tee.

These are listed alphabetically. Many courses in this book score ten out of ten for Value for Money, but the following are what I consider to be the best, and cover a broad spectrum.

These courses are are so different or unexpected that they deserve a special mention.

No one ever agrees on rankings, whether it’s golf courses, rugby players or the world’s most expensive city. I have no doubt that this will be the case here. Certainly if you look at the final scores before reading this section, you might bubble over with disbelief.

I have used a scoring system that rates each course against eight different criteria, but I hasten to add that just because a course scores 84 it does not mean I prefer it to a course that scores 81. The most important of the eight criteria is the last one: golf experience.

Course Design (CD) – 20 points: I am no golf architect, so I’m not looking at the course’s specific design pedigree. Rather, the points are based on the appearance of the individual holes and how much I think you will enjoy playing them. It is about how good it makes you feel standing on the tee.

Appeal (A) – 10: Appeal focuses solely on the overall appearance of the course. How pretty is it to look at (trees, paths from greens to tees, hillsides to walk, valleys, bridges, streams and lakes)? Is it an enjoyable walk? Does it add to the experience?

Greens/Fairways (G/F) – 10: The shape, the size, the quality, the slopes, the excitement. Fairways add considerably to the appeal of the course, because they lead your eye towards the green. Greens are the climax to any hole and the better they are, the more pleasure you will have, no matter how many shots it takes you to get there.

Bunkers/Water (B/W) – 10: When you’re stuck in a bunker, you want to be playing from sand that feels like silk, not brick, and you want it to be a bunker shape, not a sandpit. Bunkers should also be located where they will punish errant shots and where they challenge you off the tee and from the fairway. Water comes in all shapes and sizes and when you play the likes of Druid’s Glen or Palmerstown you will appreciate how much it adds to your day (and to your score).

Location (L) – 10: This focuses solely on the surroundings beyond the course. Naturally, links and coastline courses will score well, with sea, beach, island and cliff views. Royal Portrush and Bearna are perfect examples, but there are plenty of parkland courses that offer wonderful views of the Irish countryside (Lee Valley, for example). Unfortunately, some courses are being swamped by houses, roads and industrial estates, and scores reflect this.

Facilities (F) – 10: When you get to a golf club, you expect certain things: bar, restaurant, pro shop, buggies/trolleys, locker room, showers, putting green and driving range. This score indicates how good these are.

Value for Money (V) – 10: Speaks for itself. Is it worth paying €350 when you can play a course that’s half as good for €35? You do the arithmetic. For most of us, such price differences can greatly affect the enjoyment we get from the round. Please also refer to the section on Value for Money.

I have tried to take into account the relative ‘value’ of being close to Dublin and the major centres (Cork, Belfast . . .). It should also be noted that in Northern Ireland I have compared the green fees with the entire island, which is why so many get 10 out of 10.

Golf Experience (G Ex) – 20: Ultimately, this is the most important part of your day. When you leave the golf club, what are the memories you will take with you? Were you blown away or were you regretting four hours of your life you’ll never get back?

POINTS
CD	A	G/F	B/W	L	F	V	G Ex	Total
17	9	10	10	6	10	8	20	90

There are seven maps in this book, 1–7, with the golf courses indicated by numbered flags. A map reference is given for each course in the Course Reviews, so, for example, Greenore’s reference is Map4/B1/164: you will find it on Map 4, in the quadrant B1, flag number 164.

Flag numbers correlate with map codes in the top right-hand corner of each course review; these are mostly consecutive.

ABBEYLEIX Established 1895

AN EVOLVING COUNTRY PARKLAND

Locals I spoke to were not complimentary about Abbeyleix: what was once a fine, richly tree-covered parkland, nine-hole course had lost its way as an eighteen (added in 2000). I see their point: there is a definite shift in hole variety, and not always for the better. But you know what? It almost works in its favour. For one thing it makes the best holes really stand out.

This is a tumbling landscape where most holes have significant rises and/or hollows, and large beech trees oversee proceedings. The hilltop that dominates the 2nd, 3rd, 8th, 12th and 13th holes is the highlight of the round with trees touching the sky and the opportunity to enjoy wonderful shots.

Sitting on the edge of town, the course mixes in everything, including ponds (on the 4th and 5th) and lots of streams. Yes, there are uninteresting holes too, not to mention the quirky 7th, but the good holes keep you invigorated.

It is short for a par 72 but it offers plenty of challenges. It’s not the sort of dynamic setting or beautiful design that grabs the headlines, but it does give you a full golf workout in a pleasant, country setting. It is excellent value, too. Now, if they could only do something about the pokey clubhouse …

FAVOURITE HOLE

Par 4 12th. 268 yards. The hole climbs straight up the hill with two big sentry trees on either side of the fairway near the top. The green is set into the wood. Beautiful. And short.

TOUGHEST HOLE

Par 4 7th. 256 yards. Index 7 should tell you something. It is a sharp, late dog-leg. You hit down to what looks like a simple landing area, but there is a stream in front of and behind it. To open up the green you have to land in a space of about 15 yards.

POINTS
CD	A	G/F	B/W	L	F	V	G Ex	Total
14	8	7	8	7	5	9	15	73

THE COURSE

Par 72
Length: 6,059 yards
Abbeyleix Golf Club, Rathmoyle,
Abbeyleix, Co. Laois
Tel: +353 (0) 57 873 1450
www.abbeyleixgolfclub.ie
Green Fees: €25–€30

ADARE Established 1995

BIG AND GLORIOUS

I imagine that the beautiful flow of this course might be seen as too American – it was designed by Robert Trent Jones – but the lush environment is 100 per cent Irish. In terms of the ‘wow’ factor, it is easily in the top three parkland courses in the country and the elegant walk to the first tee will only add to the excitement. The remarkable trees, the big lakes, the River Maigue and Adare Manor create a majestic setting, and the holes simply float through it all – every one as individual as the next. There are no climbs, no long walks, just perfect, manicured parkland golf.

The course is seriously tough. Unlike Fota Island and Mount Juliet – two other big parkland courses – you are not treated with kid gloves. The rough clings viciously and the heavily shaped bunkers are everywhere. They have been placed to interrupt the eye as it looks to the green, and they can create no end of problems, especially as the sand seems rather hard. And they squeeze approaches to greens. You have to find the fairways on this long course to give yourself any sort of chance, and the big greens have sweeping surfaces so don’t expect an easy ride, if and when you find them.

Adare has hosted the Irish Open (2007–2008) and the clubhouse is everything you would expect from such a prestigious course. I imagine the professionals find it a serious challenge, and you will certainly be overawed by it all. Big, colourful, vibrant and beautiful.

FAVOURITE HOLE

Par 4 13th. 407 yards. Another perfectly tree-enclosed hole, with one lone tree on the right adding drama as the fairway tips over the crest and then down to the green. Two good shots needed, but both are gorgeous. The 16th will make your knees buckle.

TOUGHEST HOLE

Par 5 18th. 511 yards. An absolute beast that has the wide river all along the left as you head for Adare Manor. You cross the river to reach the green, or try to swim it, as the 2008 Irish Open winner (Richard Finch) attempted. Play it as a three-shotter.

POINTS
CD	A	G/F	B/W	L	F	V	G Ex	Total
19	10	10	8	7	10	8	20	92

THE COURSE

Par 72
Length: 6,590 yards
Adare Golf Club, Adare,
Co. Limerick
Tel: +353 (0) 61 605274
www.adaregolfclub.com
Green Fees: €80–€125

ADARE MANOR Established 1900

AROUND THE RUINS

First off, this is not the Irish Open course. Adare is next door. The names cause confusion, but they are side by side and tee boxes almost merge early on, at the third.

There can’t be many courses that boast an old graveyard and the ruins of a large abbey. The stunning abbey holds a few tee boxes and greens. There are also the remains of a large castle behind the 1st green and you walk around them to the 2nd tee. It all makes for a dramatic setting, and that’s before you consider the huge, mature trees that flood the course with colour. It is a beautiful location and should offer thrilling golf, but what was a nine-hole course has been squeezed to create a short eighteen (six par 3s). There are also two ‘quirks’ that a visitor must be aware of for safety reasons: dangerous walks take you from green to tee (to reach the 13th, you cross the 5th and 10th, and you walk back down the 11th to reach the 12th); and combined tee boxes hold the 5th and 18th, and the 4th, 14th and 17th.

And yet, if you ignore these complaints, there are some lovely holes. The 7th is blissful (see below), the 8th is a long par 3 and is the best of the one-shotters and the par 3 14th hits straight into the abbey (see photo on inside back cover). Even on the average holes some majestic tee box and green settings make them appealing.

It is an interesting mix of a beautiful setting and holes that interrupt each other. Odd, but worth a visit.

FAVOURITE HOLE

Par 4 7th. 366 yards. This glorious dog-leg drops down towards a stand of enormous cedars, with a dark, airy wood along the left. It then heads left to a green that could be made far more dramatic.

TOUGHEST HOLE

Par 4 4th. 330 yards. The drive is through a very narrow gap in the trees to a blind-ish fairway, but it is the dog-leg that awaits you that causes the problems because the scorecard diagram does not do it justice.

POINTS
CD	A	G/F	B/W	L	F	V	G Ex	Total
13	9	6	7	7	6	7	14	69

THE COURSE

Par 69
Length: 5,764 yards (blue/white tees)
Adare Manor Golf Club, Adare,
Co. Limerick
Tel: +353 (0) 61 396 204
www.adaremanorgolfclub.com
Green Fees: €30

ALLEN PARK Established 1997

GOOD, PLAIN FUN

Municipal courses vary dramatically in quality and there is a sense of pot luck when you arrive at one. Allen Park doesn’t look like much but you’ll be surprised at what you find. The landscape is flat, and mature trees are few and far between (many young trees have been planted), but you have lots of space – both between holes and on fairways. It makes driving inviting and it is always comfortable off the tee. And yet your eye will be drawn to the bunkers that protrude rudely into fairways. They look good, they’re well positioned, and this is repeated around and in front of greens. It gives the holes much-needed character. On such flat land this is the main defence and you will find several flags tucked right behind the traps. The greens look good too, and many have sharp slopes dropping from the back. There is plenty of room around them, despite the bunkering, so you can get away with poor approaches.

Three lakes on the formulaic and straight front nine are countered by a more entertaining routing and dog-legs on the back nine. Some deep rough adds vibrancy and lots of gorse has been planted, which will add nice dashes of colour in the future.

On each nine, the two par 5s are back to back, and they include Index 1 and 2. The 11th and 17th holes are two par 3s that sit side by side and they are exactly the same length.

FAVOURITE HOLE

Par 4 4th. 304 yards. Nice and short, and named ‘Oak’ for the lone tree on the left of the fairway. More of a kink than a dog-leg, it begs for a big tee shot.

TOUGHEST HOLE

Par 5 6th. 547 yards. Index 1 is a straight hole with water on the right. The narrow approach between a big line of beeches make this the trickiest proposition on the course.

POINTS
CD	A	G/F	B/W	L	F	V	G Ex	Total
13	7	7	8	5	6	9	14	69

THE COURSE

Par 72
Length: 6,343 yards
Allen Park Golf Club, 45 Castle Road,
Antrim, Co. Antrim, BT41 4NA
Tel: +44 (0) 28 9442 9001
(048 from Rep. of Ire.)
www.antrim.gov.uk/allenpark
Green Fees: £17.50–£19.50

ARDEE Established 1911

TICKS THE BOXES

If you plotted excitement in graph form, Ardee would cruise along at 70 per cent, with strong spikes at the 3rd, 8th, 9th, 11th, 13th and then the 16th to 18th. It is a course that does everything well without quite taking your breath away, although some of the beech trees are astounding. Ardee looks like a flat, open, parkland course from the 1st tee. This is not the case. There are great rolls to some fairways which make for entertaining driving, even hiding greens on the 14th to 16th. Elsewhere the mature tree-lined fairways lead you beautifully in to the greens, and provide several glorious tee box settings. A wide water-filled ditch also slides across four holes. On two of these, the water will trouble big hitters and, generally, you will find that hazards, like fairway bunkers, have been placed with length in mind. For most of the round you have room off the tee but length can prove more troublesome.

HOLE	COURSE	PAR	ALTERNATIVES (WITH PAR)
1	Scrabo	4	Portstewart (Strand) (4), Ardglass (4), Doonbeg (5)
2	Portsalon	4	Powerscourt (East) (5), Tralee (5), Cairndhu (3), Ballybunion (Old) (4), Portstewart (Strand) (4)
3	Killarney (killeen)	3	Skellig Bay (3), Tralee (3), (Killeen) Mount Juliet (3), Concra Wood (4)
4	Old Head	4	Mitchelstown (4), Clandeboye (Dufferin) (4) Macreddin (3)
5	Royal Portrush (Dunluce)	4	Cork (5), Roscrea (5), Strandhill (5), Bangor (4), Laytown & Bettystown (4)
6	Portstewart (Strand)	3	Rosapenna (Sandy Hills) (4), Donegal (5), Lahinch (4), Doonbeg (4) 7 Lahinch (Old) 4 Malone (4), Dromoland Castle (3)
8	Druid’s Glen	3	Narin & Portnoo (4), Castlecomer (4) Moyola Park (4), The European Club (4)
9	Royal County Down	4	Coollattin (4), Narin & Portnoo (4)
10	Mount Juliet	5	County Sligo (4), Headfort (New) (4), Fota Island (5), Enniscrone (4)
11	Ballybunion (Old)	4	Waterville (5), Royal Belfast (3), Carne (4), Ardglass (5)
12	Macreddin	4	Abbeyleix (4), Tralee (4), Tramore (4), Enniscrone (4)
13	Naas	5	Connemara (3), Fermoy (4), Rathsallagh (3), Druid’s Glen (4), Strandhill (4), Athlone (4), Gracehill (4), Enniscrone (4)
14	Portarlington	4	Doonbeg (3), Royal Portrush (Dunluce) (3) 15 Westport 5 Carton House (O’Meara) (5), Carne (4), Coollattin (3), Mitchelstown (4), Ballybunion (Cashen) (5), Glasson (3)
16	Tralee	3	Portumna (4), Lough Erne (5), K Club (Palmer) (5)
17	The European Club	4	County Sligo (4), Kilkea Castle (4), Moyola Park (3), Carton House (Montgomerie) (3)
18	Carne	5	Druid’s Glen (4), Adare (5), Nuremore (4)

HOOKED

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

NOTE TO THE SECOND EDITION

ABBEYLEIX Established 1895

AN EVOLVING COUNTRY PARKLAND

FAVOURITE HOLE

TOUGHEST HOLE

THE COURSE

ADARE Established 1995

BIG AND GLORIOUS

FAVOURITE HOLE

TOUGHEST HOLE

THE COURSE

ADARE MANOR Established 1900

AROUND THE RUINS

FAVOURITE HOLE

TOUGHEST HOLE

THE COURSE

ALLEN PARK Established 1997

GOOD, PLAIN FUN

FAVOURITE HOLE

TOUGHEST HOLE

THE COURSE

ARDEE Established 1911

TICKS THE BOXES