Around Ireland in 18 courses The Emerald Isle’s must play courses

‘Royal County Down’ - the very words are enough to cause you to run back to the clubhouse shaking with fear. Laid out beneath the brooding Mountains of Mourne and enjoying a magnificent setting along the shores of Dundrum Bay, this superb track is never out the world’s top ten. Designed by Old Tom Morris for the princely sum of four guineas back in 1889, this is one tough examination for any player, and with so many blind shots, the main challenge is to find a line from the tee and then hit it straight. Miss the fairways and you are severely punished as a minefield of bunkers, gorse and rough awaits. Bring plenty of balls.

It’s a claim that’s often made - Portstewart has the best opening hole in Irish golf. Played from a high tee with topography that bucks and plunges like a raging river, you will need more than the stunning coastal views of nearby Donegal and a shot of Irish whiskey to steady your nerves. But it’s the 6th hole, aptly named Five Penny Piece with a green the size of a small tablecloth that can often prove the toughest challenge. At only 140 yards it can be anything from a rescue club to a wedge depending on the wind.

Way up in the north-west corner of Ireland, the hands of the golfing greats have shaped and moulded the links at Rosapenna, one of the oldest in the country.
Old Tom Morris laid out the original course in 1893, and over a century later came the 18 holes of Sandy Hills, which is as inspiring in the 21st century as the Old links were in the 19th. Designed by Pat Ruddy, it’s a course of gargantuan proportions that bobs and weaves its way through the mammoth sand dunes, with spectacular elevated tees, clearly visible landing areas and large greens.

County Sligo Golf Club is one of Ireland's great golf courses located on the Rosses Point peninsula, 6km from Sligo. Established in 1894, the present Championship links were designed in 1927 by the famous golfing architect, Harry Colt. Home to the West of Ireland Championships since 1923, past winners include Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley while players such as Hagen, Locke, Watson, Faldo and Clarke have also sampled the delights of Rosses Point. The 455-yard par 4 17th has to be one of the toughest holes to par in all of Ireland - a severe dogleg sweeps uphill and to the left on the second shot, with a green that is large but slopes severely from the back.

Mondays at Enniscrone Golf Club are no ordinary Mondays.  Believe it or not, they are reserved for Priests’ Day, with priests coming from all over Mayo and Sligo to compete. Once the men of God have gone out, you’ll have the opportunity to worship the course yourself. One hole that will etch itself in the memory is the mountainous 350-yard par 4 13th, called The Burrows, which is like teeing off the summit of Everest, with a green nestled down at base camp below. If you’re a golfer who is religious about pure links, make sure to include it on your Ireland golf adventure.

The special charm of Carne comes from its remote lo- cation and the journey required to get there. Out on the course there’s a wonderful sense of isolation because of the distinctly divided fairways that twist and turn through the hilly landscape and it really feels like you have the whole golf course to yourself. Another spe- cial feature is the way the greens reveal themselves at the very last minute, sitting like emerald islands nestling among the dunes. The signature hole is the par-3 16th that drops steeply from an elevated tee to a green encir- cled by dunes. The tough par-4 17th, and the par-5 18th are a memorable finale to this wild and rugged layout that makes a lasting impression on all that play it.

“Ballybunion is a course on which many golf architects should live and play before they, build courses,” says links aficionado Tom Watson who warmed up on Tom Simpson’s venerable design for each of his five British Open victories. The Old course is a classic and has remained virtually unchanged since 1893 and is complemented by the excellent Cashen course designed by Robert Trent Jones Senior. Forget the lob wedge here and think the bump-and-run and creative shot making.

Golf here is a special experience – the beauty of classic links land, surrounded by the sea, yet forever challenged and shaped by the elements. Over 100 years old, Waterville is rated among the top 5 courses in Ireland and the top 20 links courses in the world. Over the years, many great champions have made the pilgrimage to these mystical links including Els, Furyk, Duval, O’Meara, Stewart and Woods, to prepare for the British Open. “Everything about Waterville is truly spectacular,” said internationally acclaimed golf architect Tom Fazio, who was commissioned to update the memorable Eddie Hackett masterpiece. “The setting is one of the best I have seen for golf.”

Crafted out of tumbling dunes by Pat Ruddy, this is seaside golf at its very best with monstrous dunes, fast-running fairways, greens that invite the pitch-and-run approach and dramatic views of the Irish Sea. Look out for the par-4 7th, voted one of the world’s greatest 100 golf holes. Tiger Woods still holds the course record of 67, shot on July 12, 2002. On the tees of several of the par-4s he said: “Is this a par-5? Wow...what great optical illusions!”