olf Clubs
If you want to play a winning round of golf, then
drink in some classic pubs afterwards, look no further
than Dublin, says Andrew Marshall, who offers his
must-do “pubs and clubs.” Photography by Paul
Marshall
Golf: a sport where grown men and women use several different bent
sticks to hit a ball into an area with very short grass surrounding a hole in
the ground. Yep, that’s pretty much the gist of it, and the inhabitants of the
Emerald Isle love it – alongside a good drink of course. And where in Ireland
is perfect for both? Well, none other than the capital itself.
Just a short drive away from Dublin’s city centre there are some amazingly high
quality courses waiting to be discovered. A few miles north of the city, golfing
options include Royal Dublin, Portmarnock Links and the lesser-known St
Anne’s Golf Club. To the west, are top-class parkland tracks like the K Club and
Rathsallagh. To the south, quick road connections lead to County Wicklow and
championship courses such as Druid’s Glen and The European Club.
And when it comes to enjoying a pint or two after your round, there’s no
shortage of 19th holes in the city. “A good puzzle would be to cross Dublin
without passing a pub,” wrote James Joyce in Ulysses. Little has changed since
Joyce penned his classic novel and Dublin’s approximately 800 pubs are still the
hubs of social life summed up in that famous Irish word, the “craic.”
So whether you are negotiating one of The European Club’s long par-4s
through the dunes or sampling a few beers in O’Neill’s back in Dublin, here
are 18-holes of golf clubs and pubs. Enjoy your rounds!
FRONT NINE - THE GOLF CLUBS
Hole 1 – The European Club
Crafted out of tumbling dunes by Pat Ruddy, The European Club features
18-holes (plus 2 bonus par-3s) of exciting links golf with dramatic views of
the Irish Sea. This is seaside golf at its very best, with fast-running fairways,
greens that invite the pitch-and-run approach, acres of tall, waving marram
grass, strong winds and the taste of salt in the sea air. Look out for the
470 yards par-4 7th, voted one of the world’s greatest 100 golf holes. Tiger
Woods still holds the course record of 67, shot on July 12, 2002. On the tees
of several of the par-4s he said: “Is this a par-5? Wow…what great optical
illusions!”
Hole 2 - Druids Glen & Druids Heath
Situated in a scenic location 30-minutes south of Dublin, this double-header
venue boats two championship courses to test your golfing skills. Holder of
the Irish Open four times in a row between 96 and 99, Druids Glen, often
Volume 3 • Issue 26
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