Laytown & Bettystown
Naas
Naas is a peach of a driving course, with lots of changes in elevation offering tempting tee shots between scatterings of mature trees. It is by no means hilly but the older nine offer up some delicious high tees. The 13th is one of those par fives where you’ ll kick yourself for missing the glorious fairway below. It’ s the shot of the day. Indeed, the entire back nine are thrilling with three par threes and three par fives. The course is well maintained and smartly bunkered, but it is not overly long so golfers of all abilities will enjoy it. The big, deceptive greens are another matter entirely.
Laytown & Bettystown
Despite a lengthy and interesting evolution, Laytown & Bettystown has ended up as a more traditional out-and-back links, where the 9th is at the farthest point of the course. Expect a rugged, testing start, on this under-appreciated links. These opening holes will vex you with devilish fall-offs around greens, blind shots and unexpected hollows. Your short game needs to be razor sharp, as will your imagination. The turn for home introduces the wind and wider, flatter fairways so you can start swinging … and you’ ll need to for this is the longer nine, culminating with the double-blind par five 18th.
It is by no means hilly but the older nine offer up some delicious high tees.
Dundalk
It is the rhythm and consistency of Dundalk’ s 18 holes which have helped to establish the course’ s strong reputation. The dark trees shadowing holes only emphasise this, as they rise and fall gently with the terrain while the fairways flow back and forth. But it is a good length( par 72, 6,000 metres, middle white tees) and those trees come close enough to terrify golfers with big draws or fades. The Dundalk Senior Scratch Cup is a significant event in the amateur golfing calendar, confirming the course’ s popularity.
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