Co. Sligo
Co. Sligo
An old and timeless links that sits out at the end of Rosses Point,
commanding sensational views over Drumcliff and Sligo bays, distant
mountains and, most dominant of all, Benbulbin – the flat-topped
mountain creates a daunting backdrop to the 9th and 10th holes.
And if the setting is majestic, then so too is the golf course. Laid
out over a dunescape of contrasting rhythms, this is where the
acclaimed Harry Colt created 18 intriguingly individual holes.
Indeed, there are almost three courses in one, such are the
changing landscapes: in places it is flat, in others it is bumpy and
unpredictable and in still more it is steep, even mountainous. But
they all combine beautifully and it is all on show from the tee. And
then there are the perfect greens and four tantalising par threes.
Today, the club is implementing a facelift to raise the course’s profile
and allure. Some greens are being extended, and new tee boxes and
bunkers added. There is a third nine here, too.
Ballinrobe
Ballinrobe has received high praise from Padraig Harrington, who
described it as “the finest championship golf course in the West of
Ireland”. It is spread over an old estate of 300 acres with big trees
and gentle changes in elevation. There’s an old stone wall or two,
ponds and lakes (but not too many), swathes of gorse and one good
hole after another. It has an easy flow. A par 73, with five par fives,
it measures 6,144 metres (middle tees). Finding the right fairway
position on the doglegs is the main challenge. Big trees stay back…
with the one exception being the weeping ash completely blocking
the 18th green.
Connemara
Eddie Hackett’s name sits in the design column of many Irish golf
courses and the links at Connemara is another of these. It also
embraces a fascinating evolution thanks to a local priest. There are
27 holes here, tucked away in the remotest spot south of Clifden.
The drive across the barren beauty of Connemara, however, is just
one of the joys of playing here. The course matches that barren
beauty, its holes wrapped around an impressive clubhouse that sits
up high and allows visitors to take in so much of the course. Flags
flutter in every direction, towards the Twelve Bens, beneath rocky
hillocks and in front of raw seascapes. The fairways – like the views
– are generous, which they need to be when the wind whips in over
the often exposed course. The back nine build the excitement, with
the par three 13th tucked away in a rock strewn hollow and the 17th
and 18th being side-by-side par fives. The third nine are closer to the
sea with more significant rises and falls.
Westport
Westport sits on the edge of Clew Bay, where the sea laps up to the
best holes and the ever-present Croagh Patrick looms large. Given
its iconic status, golfers may go searching for inspiration. On the
par three 14th, you hit directly at it. This is a par 73 of 6,800 yards
(middle tees). There are five par fives, with the 15th being the pick of
the bunch, curling around the waters of the bay and demanding a
big drive to clear it. Westport shifts gear considerably from the 7th
on, when some significant ridges appear. Holes 11 to 16 are superb,
using the best elevation changes, the best views and the water to
thrill you.
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