Sure, anyone who dreams of golfing in Ireland first thinks about the
spectacular seaside links courses that ring the island, as well they should,
since they are among the best in the world. Names like Ballybunion,
Carne, Waterville, Lahinch, Tralee, just to mention a few, have become as
synonymous with Irish links golf as Guinness is to Irish beer.
But, if you have the time, there is so much more to golf in Ireland. After
playing a few links courses and traveling no more than a few miles inland
from the dunes-lined coast, there are hundreds and hundreds of fine
parkland courses that await, like well-known Adare Manor and The K Club,
both of which have or will host the Ryder Cup matches. But there are
many, many more little known parkland golf clubs, especially in the
“sunny southeast” of the country. The southeast gets more sun and mild
weather than any other part of Ireland, but that certainly does not exclude
it from the cold, wind or rain that are the frequent companions of Irish golf.
My wife, Gale Donnelly, and I chose to rent a country cottage for a month
in that area near New Ross, between Waterford and Wexford, hoping for
fine conditions and a lot of play on local, little known courses.
Because there were still a few links courses I wanted to play before
settling in at the cottage, we flew into Shannon Airport, near Limerick, and
drove to the quaint little town of Tralee on the southwest coast. Before
building his course there in 1984, Arnold Palmer said, “I have never come
across a piece of land so ideally suited for the building of a golf course”.
The front nine was a so-so links experience, but the course came
magically alive on the back, riding the wild dunes up and down, through
nooks and crannies, with blind shots, long carries, perfect doglegs and
exquisitely contoured greens. Said Palmer: “I may have designed the first
nine, but surely God designed the back nine”. And we know who was the
better designer.
Waterville Links, dating to 1889, but reimagined by Irish designer Eddie
Hackett in 1973 and again by Sir Nick Faldo in 2006, is a classic. If only
these courses could all be played when the sky is clear blue, the sun is
shining and the breeze never exceeds a balmy 20 mph. Not to be the
case. We played in blustery, cold conditions, wearing all the clothes we
brought, topped by our waterproofs plus a wool hat stacked over a golf
cap. Not as much fun, BUT, this is Ireland after all and part of the
adventure of links golf.
Old Head Golf Links of Kinsale is built on a towering peninsula that
extends deeply south into the Atlantic, and is rimmed by cliffs that drop
1000 feet into the cold ocean below. Not a true links, since it’s built on
rocky soil, not sand, but it is one of the most spectacular courses in the
world. I was thwarted in playing it twice before – once by injury, once by
dense fog – so I was delighted to have a sunny day. Very windy and quite
chilly, but let’s not get picky. Holes cascade up and down along the edges
of this headland, leading to magnificent carries and amazing views. Down
below, puffins, gannets, fulmars and guillemots gracefully arced over the
frothing sea. The course is walking only and I had the pleasure of a
caddie, who tried in vain to direct my shotmaking. “Play it down, lad”, he
shouted to make himself heard over the punishing wind. I quietly smiled,
since it was the first time anyone had called me “lad” in over 50 years. My
ball, never interested in taking advice, ballooned into the breeze and
turned seaward, ne’er seen again.
Now it was time to head east to our country digs and settle in for a month
of quiet Irish living. It was almost like coming home, unpacking for the last
30 days of our journey. Our “home” at Warren Farm Guest Cottages
(warrenfarmIreland.com) in the tiny village of Whitechurch was perfect.
Patricia Knight, nee’ Warren and her husband Roger converted the
outbuildings from stables to cottages some 30 years ago. The land has
been in Patricia’s family for hundreds of years. Our cottage had two
bedrooms and every amenity we could want. Life was good! Time to play
some golf.
Preparing for the trip, I had researched all the courses within an hour’s
drive (that’s white-knuckled, completely stressed left-hand driving along
narrow and winding country lanes, not quite suitable for bicycles). “Failte
(welcome) Ireland”, through Tourism Ireland (www.ireland.com) publishes a
wonderful annually updated booklet, “Golf in Ireland” that lists every
course in the country, with all the pertinent contact information. All the
courses have websites, so it was easy to gather all the necessary
information for visitor play, availability. rates, buggy (cart) rental, etc.
Closest to “home” was the New Ross Golf Club in County Wexford, so we
thought it the perfect place to begin. Like many Irish courses that trace
their origin to the first three decades of the 20th century (similar to the
course building boom in the USA), NRGC was built in 1907 and improved
over the years. Originally 9 holes, it was expanded to 18 and redesigned
by Irish golf legend Des Smyth in 1995. Its multiple doglegs wind up and
down through gigantic pines, oaks and beeches, requiring precise shots to
avoid punch-outs from the trees.
The Borris Golf Club in Borris, County Carlow, had an absolutely charming
video on it’s website, so despite it being a 9-hole track, we thought it
would be a lot of fun to play. Each hole has two full sets of tees, widely
creative and divergent, making the second nine a very different
experience. No. 4/13 is actually two different par 3’s, one downhill, the
other up. Although most of the long holes are straight, they go up and
over a central ridge, making for many blind shots through the ancient
pines that guard the fairways. After the round, we visited the charming
and very friendly Joyce’s Pub in town to watch the second round of the US
Open with the barkeep and other patrons, while enjoying a pint of
Guinness, followed by dinner at the nearby very upscale Clashganny
House for an exquisite dinner.
Many less known Irish courses host “Open Competitions”, where visitors
may be able to play with members in a variety of tournaments. I signed up
to play in the “Champagne Scramble” at Enniscorthy Golf Club, in County
Wexford. In many ways the land for the course was similar to Borris –
undulating fairways set between tall trees, but the hole setup was quite
unique. The front started 3-4-3-5-5-3. The back opened 5-5-3. All the
remaining holes were par 4. The competition was friendly and fun topped
by the inevitable pint and “slainte (slancha)” at the close.
Waterford, home of world-famous crystal, oldest city in Ireland established
by Viking invaders in the 900s, has several excellent courses, none of
which were played by the Norsemen. If they had, perhaps some of that
need for raping, pillaging, looting and burning could have been replaced
by hotly contested side bets, broken and thrown clubs, etc. Waterford
Golf Club, is a parkland course built by master designers and Open
champions Willie Park, Jr. in 1913 and James Braid in 1935. With wide
rolling fairways, the parkland layout was tricky but very playable for the
visiting golfer. Faithlegg Golf Club, on the other hand, is a resort course
built on a former estate, opened in 1993, and definitely caters to the visitor
with generous rumpled and sloping fairways, huge greens and the
occasional ruins from the 1700s when the still-existing manor house, now
hotel, was in full swing. Perhaps a pot of tea and a scone at the round’s
conclusion?
If ever there is an Irish parkland course that flies under the radar, Bunclody
Golf & Fishing Club in eastern County Wexford screams out as a “hidden
gem”. Not that it’s hiding, but often simply overlooked in favor of all the
fantastic seaside links golf that Ireland offers. Framed by steep hills and
the River Slaney gently coursing through it, BG&FC is a modern (2009)
masterpiece by Jeff Howes, taking full advantage of everything the land
provided. Serpentine fairways that open and close like swinging doors,
emerald greens tucked into woodland pockets where leprechauns surely
dwell, perfectly placed bunkers all combine to create golfing magic. A tall
tree in the middle of the 15th fairway only adds to the fun. The 18th hole is
so far above the riparian 17th that an elevator is provided to lift walkers to
the next tee. A beautiful clubhouse and fine dining provides the perfect
finish.
Two seaside links courses awaited to finish the trip. The European Club is
the culmination of Pat Ruddy’s illustrious career as Ireland’s premier
designer. Please see “Sex and Golf” in a previous Travel section for my
remarks.
Tough and gritty Arklow Golf Links doesn’t get the respect it deserves
when it comes a discussion of Irish seaside courses. Nestled along the
coast amidst nearby heavily industrial busy port and massive quarrying
operations, the course is hard to find as you traverse the curves and
hairpin turns leading through the working city of Arklow. But once you
arrive and stand on the clubhouse balcony, the vision is one of windswept
dunes and ocean. The holes wind back and forth amongst the low dunes,
play out to the sea for the almost obligatory “Road Hole”, and creep back
to the slight uplands where greens can be perched on hillsides and hidden
among the trees. And the greens, oh, the greens! I have never seen a
course where EVERY green and surround is a tempestuous cauldron of
swales, drops and runs. Yet somehow, there were multiple flag positions
on every surface, ready to repel all but the most accurate shots. A long
putt required SAT NAV to line up. A “good” shot to a rock-hard green
usually ended up well beyond the putting surface, requiring a more careful
approach by running the ball up through the open fronts. The fairways
were in excellent condition, belying the hard-packed sand that underlays
all true links. Fast running with wild unpredictable bounces were the order
of the day, often leaving me scratching my head with wonder to see where
each shot would end up. In 30 mph wind, I often heard my Old Head
caddie’s advice, “Keep the ball down, lad!”
Sidebar:
Beauty: Throughout all our rounds on this memorable trip, we did not
once see a house or other building along a fairway except the clubhouse.
We did not see one billboard along a roadway. We saw very few pickup
trucks, despite this being agriculture country, but we frequently
encountered huge tractors, even on the limited access roads! This is
Ireland. Treasure it.
Shoes: For the entire trip, I brought only one pair of golf shoes by Sqairz.
As surprising as it seems, as claimed they provide the most stable
platform for golfing I have ever encountered, are extremely comfortable,
waterproof, have excellent traction on wet grass and I usually play better
when I wear them.
Shades: Although the sun doesn’t shine that often, there are frequently
very bright gray skies in Ireland that leave me squinting. I brought a pair
very lightweight Tifosi Fototek light sensitive sunglasses with me that are
not very dark, get slightly lighter and darker with changing conditions and
were perfect for 90% of golf time and driving in Ireland, except, of course,
when it was raining. Daylight in June was from 5:00 AM until 10:00 PM, so
thankfully, night driving was rarely required.
