Golf MAINia

There are four major competitions in the golfing world that grab the imagination, attracting the best players in the world. All these golf events have a long history and many stories to tell. Champions have been made at The Masters, The US Open, The British Open and the PGA Championship. Winning all four in one season is known as a Grand Slam, but only one player has ever achieved that feat and that was when Bobby Jones did it in 1930.

Legendary player Jack Nicklaus has the best record in these golf events, but Tiger Woods isn’t far behind. The US Open, which takes place every June, was first organized in 1895. The most wins at this tournament list, includes Nicklaus, Bobby Jones and Ben Hogan. Different courses host the competition across America from California to New York to Texas. America leads the winning table, having won it on 78 occasions. Both professional and amateur players are eligible to enter and there is no lower age limit.

The Professional Golfers Association hosts the PGA each August at one of a select group of courses. It began in 1916 and Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Walter Hagen in the 1920s are multiple winners. America has also won this contest 78 times.

The Masters is played at the same club in April every year. The Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia has been the venue in this most prestigious of golf events since the very first one in 1934. It was co-founded by Bobby Jones, who also helped to design the course. The winner is rewarded with a cash prize and the coveted Green Jacket. Gary Player was the first non-American golfer to win when he triumphed in 1961. Other players to do well here are Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods and Nick Faldo.

The remaining major takes place in July and is the only one to be organized outside of the United States. The Open Championship, also known as the British Open, began in 1860 and became one of the official golf events on the PGA Tour in 1995. Players from all over the world have affection for this event as it is played on nine historic courses on a rotating system. The championship is shared between English and Scottish clubs, including St.Andrews, Royal Troon and Muirfield in Scotland and Royal Lytham and St.Anne’s Golf Club in England. British players have won the most times and multiple winners include Tom Watson, Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus.

Have you ever imagined playing golf in an unusual place? Have you ever wanted to play golf in a place full of beauty? If you do, then you should consider playing golf in Old Head Golf Links. This golf course continues to awe golfers from all over the world. Once you play in the Old Head Golf Links, you would certainly want to go back to this place to play quality golf over and over again.

John and Patrick O’Connor are the brains behind this one of a kind golfing destination that have been recognized as one of the most sought after golfing experiences in the world.  The Old Head is one of the few landmarks in Northern Europe and the sheer natural beauty of it have awed people in the past and still continue to do so today and will eventually in the future. The Old Head is also a witness of history. Around the Old Head vicinity lays the shipwreck of the City of Chicago in 1812 and the Lusitania in 1915, which brought the United States into joining the World War One.

The Old Head is located in Ireland and is protruding over two miles into the Atlantic Ocean. This place is also the home of over half a million shrubs, plants and bushes which created a new wildlife habitat. Another popular activity aside from golf in Old Head Golf Links is whale watching. Over 15 species of the 23 known whale species can be seen in Old Head.

Old Head Golf Links is built on a 220 acre land and is almost an island with caves running under your feet as you play golf in this one of a kind golf course.  The nine holes are played along the cliff tops and all of the eighteen holes provide stunning and relaxing views of the Atlantic Ocean. Because of the constant changing of sea breezes, Old Head Golf Links courses have proven to be a great challenge to professional golfers and the low handicappers.

Old Head Golf Links has a private members’ club with members from all over the world. There are two kinds of membership in Old Head Golf Links. The first is the individual membership and the other is the corporate membership.  In the individual membership, you and your spouse will automatically become members of the Old Head Golf Links Private Members’ Club. You will have the privilege of playing unlimited golf at any time the course is open for play. As an individual member, you may introduce a maximum of 23 accompanied or unaccompanied guests at the applicable guest rate. You will also be invited to participate in regular member/guest tournaments and you can accept if you want to join.

In corporate membership, the membership period is for five years. A minimum of one to a maximum of four members is permitted per corporation and members in this kind of membership can play unlimited golf at anytime the course is open for play. The corporate membership also allows for one team per corporation to participate in regular member/guest tournaments.

Being a member of Old Head Golf Links Private Members’ club will bring you a lot of satisfaction. It will allow you to play an unlimited amount of golf in this unique and very beautiful golf destination in the world. Playing golf in Old Head Golf Links is truly a one of a kind experience that you will surely never forget.

Ireland’s golf courses have been receiving many accolades in the past year and have even been regarded as one of the five best countries to golf in. Offering a variety of parkland and traditional link courses, you can pick blindly among the courses that dot the whole country and still get a great course to play in.  Many of these amazing golf courses have been the venue of international professional tournaments with it’s championship courses and great accommodations. The warm Irish welcome alone would make you feel right at home.

It’s heritage in golf is unquestioned as a number of golf courses are “mature” dating back to the late 1800s. One of these is the Cork Golf Club in Little Island, County Cork.  Established in 1888, the Cork Golf Club was redesigned in 1927 by the renowned golf course designer Dr. Alexander Mackenzie, who designed also other famous golf courses like the Augusta National, Royal Melbourne and the Cypress point to name a few.

Throughout the course you will see many mature trees and various patches of gorse growing and making the course look more natural. The estuary of the River Lee, Lough Mahon provides the scenic background that stretches on almost the entire course. Cork’s limestone quarry affects the course and provides a play that is similar links courses with its crisp heath like playing surface.  Like wine, the age of the Cork Golf Club has made it more palatable and more enticing to golfers. With finely manicured greens carpeting the par 72, 6,731 championship course, the Cork Golf Club course can offer the same if not better game play as any other premier golf course in Ireland and even the world.  It’s not only the golf course that makes the Cork Golf Club a success and a favorite. It’s clubhouse and other facilities as well are world class and have been handed with accolades by many golf enthusiasts and experts.

In 2004 alone, the prestigious All Ireland Award for Clubhouse presentation was given to the Cork Golf Club. With it’s deluxe and top quality service restaurant has a full bar and top notch dining facilities with fantastic food as well. It is open seven days a week and offers a great way to end a day of playing golf. In the clubhouse you will also find their roomy and well designed changing rooms that have fantastic facilities for both members and visitors.

A bit of stretching, practice and warm up before the game? The Cork Golf Club also has practice facilities like a perfectly maintained and manicured putting green as well as a practice ground for your swings. There you will also have the chance to rent some clubs and, caddy and golf carts as well.

Then you can just go their pro shop if you want to buy some souvenir shirts, caps, bags that have the clubs logo on it. You may also purchase any equipment you need to play your game. There you may also be able to get the chance to talk to the club pro for some pointers or enroll in some short classes to get some tips to improve your game.

Many people have grown a passion for golf. This has led them to grow the need to play challenging games to test themselves. Make a vacation out of that need, golf vacation spots in Ireland are abound and one of this is the Cork Golf Club.

Playing the best golf game requires skills and practice.  There is one thing that you should also consider in order to play a magnificent golf game. This is to play in a very relaxing environment where you can concentrate on your golf swing with professional like skills and accuracy.  If you play in a golf course beside a busy freeway with noisy vehicles passing by, you will lose concentration and will result in ruining your golf swing. It is true that there are golf clubs located all over the world.  Few of these golf clubs have high quality standards to bring the best out in your game.

One such place that you can definitely concentrate on playing golf and at the same time relax is the Fota Island Golf Club. Located in Cork Harbour, which is only a few minutes drive from Cork City, Fota Island is a world renowned golf club that offers the one of the best golf courses in Europe. A golf vacation here would truly be worthwhile.  Firstly, Fota Island Golf Club is a very traditional golf course. It is a sister property of Mount Juliet and both are known to maintain the highest standards in golfing to ensure golfing enjoyment the whole year.

Fota Island Golf Club lies in the heart of a 780 acre estate integrated with good quality woodlands and landscape that will surely make every golfer want to play every single day. This golf course is comprised of a challenging par 71 championship course in the traditional mode. It has pot bunkers and undulating putting surfaces to meet the challenge of every golfer around the world.  Golf was first played in Fota Island in 1886. And, during those times, it was continually developed and became one of the premier locations in golfing. In 1993, Fota Island Golf Club was further developed by Christy O’Connor Jr., Irish Ryder Cup and Peter McEvoy, two time English Amateur Champion.

Fota Island is considered as essentially a resort course and hosts a number of tournaments which includes the Irish Club Professional Championship. Fota Island was then purchased by the Killeen Group, owners of Mt. Juliet Resort in Kilkenny. Since then, developments have started to take place and the course has been upgraded to European Tour standards.  In November 2004, Fota Island Golf Club was purchased by the Fleming Group. The Fleming Group also improved the course by renovating some of the holes and also maintained the greens and reseeded the trees surrounding the golf course. Today, the Fleming Group has already invested in the construction of hotel and residential developments in Fota Island to complement the golf course.  With a magnificent course plan, Fota Island Golf Club definitely lives up to it’s name as one of the best golf destinations in the world.

The Fota Island Clubhouse has all the amenities that you can ever ask for. Inside, you will find that the clubhouse is more like a first class hotel instead of a conventional golf clubhouse. On the first floor, you will see an informal bar and the reception area. Upstairs you will see a fully seated restaurant that serves only the highest quality meals with the highest and freshest quality Irish produce.  Other amenities you will find in Fota Island Golf Club will include locker rooms and a fully stocked pro shop with products in the highest professional standards.  Fota Island Golf Club is definitely the place to be if you are looking for the best quality golfing experience. So, if you plan on going on a golfing vacation, you should consider going to Fota Island Golf Club.