DG Global Stay&Play 2018 * | Page 49

Maynooth » Ireland Carton House Resort Originally home to the Jameson Family, celebrated for their Irish Whiskey, Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links is now an international hotel, situated on the shoreline of a rugged peninsula jutting out into the Irish Sea and home to a magnificent 18-hole championship links. Carton is home to two magnificent golf Quite different yet complimentary to The courses, The O’Meara, a stunning parkland O’Meara, is The Montgomerie, opened in spread, and The Montgomerie, an inland links- June 2003. This magnificent course was Colin style creation. The transformation of the estate Montgomerie’s second course design – his into a first-class golf resort began in 1999. In first in Ireland and the UK. Monty said of it: 2002, the first phase of the development saw “This is a unique project and I am privileged the opening of the Mark O’Meara course. This to be associated with it. You can’t call it a gorgeous parkland layout makes splendid use links course, but it plays like a links and has of the historic demesne’s rolling hills, specimen all the characteristics of a links. In designing trees and the River Rye. Feature holes include this course, I attempted to go back to a more the 13th, 14th and 15th – a pair of par 3s traditional course.” wrapped around a heroic par 5 – crossing the lazy loops of the river. The opportunity to gamble is paramount as is the sense of tranquillity that the holes create. www.cartonhouse.com Top 150 Stay & Play 2018 49