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 and golfers of all abilities
will enjoy it. And after recent upgrades you can expect to be
impressed.
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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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.
Wicklow
Wicklow promises quite the wild adventure as holes tumble
above the clifftops, rising and falling in rhythm with the tides.
The terrain is chaotic at times, presenting hollows, humps, ridges
and swales that can be cruel even to the best struck shots… but it
all adds to the thrill of playing here. As do some short par fours
where you might think you can open up your shoulders but any
savvy golfer will appreciate that is not the way to play here. And
certainly not with the exceptional, devious and fast greens that
Wicklow is renowned for. You won’t find one hole that doesn’t
move you up or down and the par five 1st makes that abundantly
c lear as the landscape tumbles all over the place from a high tee
next to the clubhouse.