DESTINATIONGOLF. TRAVEL LEINSTER
Tullamore
Trees, trees, and more trees … Tullamore is a wonderfully wooded course where the oak, beech and chestnut get very, very friendly. It is an enchanting setting but if you have an unruly draw or fade you will face intimidating shots time and again … especially off the tee. Here you will find sensational greens, smart routing, several knee-jangling doglegs and a superbly maintained course. This is why Tullamore is discussed in such glowing terms. It may not be long( par 70, 6,472 yards off the back tees) but it demands your full respect. And when the course opens up slightly( the 5th to 8th) lakes present serious threats, while the Slieve Bloom Mountains provide the backdrop. The final three holes will test the best.
Esker Hills
If golf courses were rollercoasters, then Esker Hills would be the biggest ride of all. The eskers make this course almost hypnotic with their heaving rhythm through the lilting Co. Offaly countryside. The design was by Christy O’ Connor Jr( 1997), who must have been in his element shaping holes between all the twists and turns that this landscape has created. Open Champion Shane Lowry’ s name will forever be associated with Esker Hills, but this is a course bristling with adventure: right from the off you are thrown into the mounds, doglegging through the valleys, and up and over those swinging elevation changes. Trees constantly guide the way around a wonderfully routed course.
Rathsallagh
Not a single tree was felled in the design of this course, emphasising how beautifully wooded and yet spacious Rathsallagh is. It’ s like playing through a grand estate, one where tall solitary trees can prove utterly intimidating. And magnetic! This is sweet, sometimes turbulent, Co. Wicklow countryside and that becomes immediately apparent from the clubhouse when you peer down holes 9, 10 and 18, at the back of the clubhouse. As such, it promises plenty of variety with numerous stand-out holes( 6, 8, 10, 13, 14, 17 and 18) bringing water, streams, old walls and those trees in to play. The par four 10th( Index 1) is one of the best par fours you’ ll face.
Mount Wolseley
One of our big parklands, Mount Wolseley comes with muscle as well as a smart hotel. On this Christy O’ Connor Jr course choosing the right tee will make all the difference. There is dynamic movement to the landscape as emphasised by the opening three holes routed through big trees and over water. This is as good / tough a start as you will play but it sets the tone for a round of strong driving. The greens are well protected and the big, slick putting surfaces are hard to gauge. Most of the long holes are doglegs and the short 4th may be the biggest risk vs. reward short hole in Ireland.
Rathsallagh
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