DESTINATION GOLF 2026
Killarney( Mahony’ s Point)
Bantry Bay
Bantry Bay is tucked away in west Cork, perched on a high rolling landscape above the sea and the charming fishing village of Bantry. The setting is glorious, with views spilling across the bay to mountains and peninsulas. The course has an unexpectedly muscular feel, no doubt due to Christy O’ Connor Jr’ s influence which uses the big rolls of the landscape to full effect, including several blind shots. This is no place for the faint of heart so get out the driver and swing hard. The greens are correspondingly big with tiers and slopes that will test you all day long.
Clonmel
Set in the foothills of the Comeragh Mountains, high above the town, Clonmel is a hillside parkland that embraces its natural charms … just as so many Eddie Hackett courses do. Woods are everywhere and border much of the course, revealing a mountainscape at one end and views over the River Suir valley at the other. In between are some bumpy fairways, slippery greens and strong changes in elevation. The par three 14th is an exceptional par three, hitting into the heart of a mountain from a high tee, while the 13th is Index 1, with a sharply sloping right-toleft fairway. Expect plenty of entertaining shot-making.
Killarney( Mahony’ s Point)
The setting is glorious, with views spilling across the bay to mountains and peninsulas. The course has an unexpectedly muscular feel, no doubt due to Christy O’ Connor Jr’ s influence.
Mahony’ s Point is a sweet foil to the muscularity of its Killeen sibling. Holes brush up against each other a couple of times, sharing the same terrain, lough and stunning scenery. Indeed, a combination of their holes once formed the original 1930s course. But Mahony’ s Point is a gentler, calmer affair with more accessible fairways and greens, as well as a more relaxed pace. Yes, the course embraces its old-school parkland feel with relish and it remains renowned for its closing stretch of holes, one of which is not only regarded as the best par three in Ireland, but also the best closing hole in Ireland. The 18th plays over the edge of Lough Leane, to a green basking in the shadows of tall pines.
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