Favourite Hole: If you can, play the 1st from the high, back tee. It’ s a delicious opening tee shot on a straight par four, heading directly out to sea.
What ' s in the Bag? This is low-running links golf where plenty of dips and hollows... and bunkers … may lie out of sight. It’ s not a long course so play for what you can see.
Arklow
A links dating back to 1927, Arklow is a course rarely mentioned among Ireland’ s great links arsenal. And yet it has all the traits you could ask for, with bumpy mischievous fairways, perfect lilting greens and some spectacularly aggressive bunkering – especially in the middle of the course: the par three 9th and 11th will leave you reeling. The clubhouse sits above it all and from the car park you get great views of the course and out to sea, offering an appetiser of what is to come. Arklow is a low-running links where bump-and-run is nearly always an option – and often the best strategy – but you need to be cunning to play this par 69 well. The par four 2nd, and the par four 6th which crosses it( so beware), are perfect examples where, despite generous fairways, intelligence off the tee is the only route to par. Yes, there are some parkland traits in the middle of the back nine as the course moves inland, but the par five 18th is a links beauty to bring you home. It is a serious test all the way to the green – look out for the huge hidden bunker in the middle of the fairway.
www. arklowgolflinks. com
53