Road signs near the Giant ’ s Causeway . Dunluce Castle
After enjoying an excellent morning of outdoor pursuits , learning fly-fishing under the watchful eye of Robert Gillespie ( holder of the Irish record for single handed distance casting ), clay-pigeon shooting with Stuart Price , a falconry display by Head Falconer Jason Deasy and hitting some balls on the range , we are ready for our fourth round at nearby Enniscrone Golf Club . Enniscrone started life as a modest nineholer in 1918 , but it was the prolific Irish designer , Eddie Hackett , who put the place on the map when he extended the layout to eighteen in the mid-1970s . Then , a few years back , Donald Steel visualised another six holes in the dune range and built three others , enabling the club to spread its wings to 27 holes .
The scenery of the main championship course , appropriately called The Dunes is second to none . Twelve of the holes wind and twist their way through a maze of the tallest and shaggiest dunes land on the coast , where a sense of isolation and tranquility surrounds you , along with the tall marram grass rough . 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 the green nestled down at base camp below . The Dunes at Enniscrone isn ’ t your average layout – it ’ s a serious golfing adventure on a breathtaking course .
ON THE PILGRIMAGE TO CARNE
As we travel around the north-west , we discover that getting to the courses is all part of the golfing experience – driving through eerie heather-cloaked moorland , the home of curlew , buzzard and stacks of drying peat , past ancient castles perched on top of windswept headlands and through quaint villages with more pubs than shops . The roads , often twisting and narrow , take longer than expected to navigate , but it ’ s time well spent in anticipation until that next links weaving its way among the dunes comes into view . A good case in point is our penultimate round at Carne Golf Links 80 km west of Enniscrone . The special charm of Carne lies in the journey required to get there , plus its remote location in magnificent sand dunes overlooking Blacksod Bay and the wild Atlantic Ocean near the town of Belmullet . “ If ever the Lord intended land for a golf course , Carne has it ,” so said the late Eddie Hackett , who laid out the course in the early 1990s . This was his final links layout , and it is now believed by many who have played it to be his greatest challenge .
One of Carne ’ s classic holes is the par-3 16th that drops steeply from an elevated tee to a green encircled by dunes . The tough par-4 17th , and the par-5 18th are a memorable finale to this wild and rugged links that makes a lasting impression on all that play it . Complementing Hackett ’ s original eighteen is the recently created nine-hole Kilmore course designed by Ally McIntosh , offering more exciting holes routed through the same huge dunes . Be sure to make the pilgrimage .
After playing Carne ’ s new Kilmore nine with Hackett ’ s unmissable back nine , we continue south along the Wild Atlantic Way through more dramatic scenery to Clifden , the picturesque capital of Connemara in County Galway , with just enough time for a couple of Guinness and our bed for the night at the Foyle ’ s Hotel . Points of interest along the route include the holy mountain of Croagh Patrick , magnificent Kylemore Abbey , Killary Harbour ( Ireland ’ s only genuine fjord ), and popular Westport , where like Clifden , the flowing melodies of traditional music fill the colourful pubs .
THE FINAL ROUND
Connemara is one of Ireland ’ s most iconic areas with its inspiring landscapes and eternal skies . On this sunny spring morning the rolling green hills and shimmering lakes are interspersed with patches of grey granite with stone-walled fields bursting with wildflowers . Connemara ( Conamara ) is Irish for ‘ Inlets of the Sea ’ and the coastal road we take from Clifden , bears this out as it winds around small bays , hidden beaches and coves to Connemara Championship Golf Links .
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