According to golf course managers, Ireland has gone “golf mad” since the Adare Manor JP McManus Pro-Am. The tournament drew some of the sport’s biggest names and countless celebrities to the small town of Co Limerick early this week.
o name may have been bigger than 15 times big winner Tiger Woodswho announced he planned to stay in Ireland for a few more days ahead of the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews in Scotland next week.
As Woods continues his preparations for the tournament, here are five Irish courses he should consider playing for the iconic Scottish venue.
Old Head Golf Links, Kinsale, Co Cork
Kinsale’s Old Head Golf Links is famous around the world for its panoramic sea views, challenging course and five star resort.
The course is built on a 220-acre diamond that juts out more than two miles into the Atlantic Ocean.
Danny Brassil has been with the club since it opened in 1997 and is the current general manager.
Mr Brassil was there at the turn of the century when Tiger Woods visited Old Head along with a number of other leading professionals.
“It’s great to have them. We tend to see a few celebrities every now and then. Tiger was here in 1999 with David Duval, Payne Stewart, Mark O’Meara, Lee Janzen and Stuart Appleby,” he said.
“Sergio Garcia was also here for the British Open, the year he lost to Padraig Harrington at Carnoustie – he was here for a week and stayed on site. Luke Donald even shot the course record, 68, here after the last time the JP McManus Pro-Am advanced.
Danny Brassil, General Manager of the Old Head Golf Links in Kinsale
“I suppose they come here because we only have one entrance and you have 300 foot cliffs on both sides – the boys get privacy. When people come here, they come in, do their thing and are left alone, which is why many of these well-known personalities, from all walks of life, want to come to Old Head.”
The par-72 course includes five par-5s, five par-3s and eight par-4s and extends for 7,100 yards.
The links have ocean views on every hole and Mr Brassil said it has the “tag of one of the most spectacular” courses in the world.
He added: “Ten of the 18 holes are along the cliff edges where your tee and your greens are within yards of these dramatic cliff edges. It’s very unique in that most links courses and seaside courses are dramatic, but you wouldn’t be playing on the top of a cliff like you are here.
“On a lot of those holes, depending on the wind, you have to send a ball across the ocean before it comes back on dry land, which is very dramatic and very cool for anyone who experiences that.”
Carton House Golf Club, Co Kildare
This famous course has hosted the Irish Open three times, while the resort has also hosted top athletes from other sports; including the Irish rugby and football teams, and a Real Madrid squad including Cristiano Ronaldo.
Golf Operations Manager Gerry Duffy said the club’s two courses offer “pleasant golf” for members and guests alike.
“The Montgomerie” [course] is a kind of inland links golf course. Many greens have run-offs and many deep pot bunkers enter the greens. We have many bunkers on the Montgomerie track; we have a total of 132 bunkers, which makes it quite difficult,” he said.
Carton House, County Kildare. Photo: Matt Browne/Sportfile
“The O’Meara is a parkland course with fantastic holes around the 14th, 15th and 16th. It would be our ‘Amen corner’ if you will. The O’Meara is really picturesque with its views of the Dublin Mountains so it is really fun.”
Duffy said a major selling point for the five-star resort is the extensive recreational facilities that have been expanded in recent years. He said it is an “ideal place” for Tiger and other tour golfers to prepare.
“We now have a beautiful hotel here. We have the spa and wellness center with swimming pool. We did a lot of walks around the campsite as well as the golf course. So it’s a lovely hideaway for any famous person who comes,” he added.
The K Club, Co Kildare
Director of Golf at the K Club, Conor Russell, described it as “iconic” for its two Arnold Palmer-designed courses and for hosting the 2006 Ryder Cup.
The club’s two championship courses, the Palmer North and South, are frequently used by Irish and international professional golfers, according to Mr Russell.
He said Shane LowrySeamus Power, Leona Maguire and Padraig Harrington regularly use the club as a “practice venue” when they are at home.
“Padraig Harrington practices a lot at the K Club and the 16th hole, for example, he says if he can hit the fairway nine times out of ten, he will hit the fairway on any golf course, in major tournaments around the world. said Russell.
“The guys will use it as a facility to prepare for bigger tournaments. It’s a very fitting test when you play our championship tees over 7,500 meters. It’s a great practice arena for the leading Irish tour professionals who are covering the around the world fighting.”
The K Club, Co Kildare. Photo: Matt Browne/Sportfile
Russell said the K Club is also frequented by international players and that several of the world’s top 20 professionals have played there in recent weeks.
He added: “Many of the PGA players would have affection for the K Club, especially those who played in the 2006 Ryder Cup.
“Our attitude is that we treat everyone the same. It doesn’t matter if it’s a tour player or a regular that they come and have fun, but they are left to their own devices. The terminology I like is to give the player the the feeling of being a member for a day.
“We have committed to the DP World Tour for three hostings of the Irish Open – in 2023, 2025 and 2027. The K Club was designed very much like a stadium golf course, so it was built to host bigger tournaments and for that reason It has always been a favorite of the touring players.”
The County Louth Golf Club, Baltray, Co Louth
Situated on the edge of the village of Baltray, the 14th hole of County Louth Golf Club is a major draw for golf enthusiasts.
The club’s manager, Liam Murphy, said the “ranking and standing” of the course make it a must-see for players, professional or otherwise.
“It is clearly one of the best links courses in Ireland. It is probably just as good, if not, the best conditioned course in Ireland at the moment in terms of the quality of the greens, the environment and the fairways. The overall presentation of the golf course is as good as it’s ever been,” he said.
“In that respect it would be a great training ground for anyone going to St Andrews. Especially with the kind of greens and run-offs we have. They wouldn’t be any different than what they can expect in St Andrews.”
Baltray, Co Louth. Photo: Matt Browne/Sportfile
Mr Murphy said Shane Lowry has a “special fondness” for the track, having won the Irish Open there as an amateur in 2009. The Offaly professional also visited the venue the week before winning the Open Championship in 2019.
He said the 14th hole is “without a doubt” the most iconic on the course.
“It’s a short par-4, one of the best short par-4s you’d get in the country. The pros love to try it out – even the elite amateurs love to ride it – but there will be there are as many bogeys as there are birdies,” he said.
“Even if you just wedge it in, you have to be accurate. That would always be the one people would call the signature hole.”
Killeen Castle Golf Club, Dunsany, Co Meath
Set on a 600 acre estate, Killeen Castle Golf Club is one of only two Jack Nicklaus designed golf courses in Ireland, the other being on Mount Juliet in Co Kilkenny.
The parkland course opened in 2008 and the club’s marketing manager, Karen Collins, said: “We deliver a world-class championship golf experience here.
“It is certainly a real golf test. We have a lot of international visitors and reputation predates the brand and name Jack Nicklaus.
“We’re getting fantastic reviews and feedback from visitors and members alike on track condition and playability.”
Killeen Castle Golf Club, Co Meath. Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Ms Collins said that unlike some parkland courses, Killeen Castle is playable all year round, which is a “big draw” for golf enthusiasts from other countries who want to play out of season.
First built by Hugh de Lacy in 1181, as part of the strategic castle defense system to the north of Leinster, the castle itself can be seen from every hole on the course.
Ms Collins said it makes an “impressive” backdrop to the course, particularly the 18th hole, which many visitors say is their favourite.
Planning permission has been granted to develop the castle into a hotel and Ms Collins said it is expected to open in 2024.