Golf MAINia

Many Irish golf historians would agree that it’s vast number of golf courses is a direct influence of the stay of the British forces in the latter part of the 1800s. Wherever there was a garrison stationed, the game of golf was surely to be played. That is why there are many golf courses in Ireland that is more than a century old yet provides modern facilities and technologies and has received many reconstruction to keep up with the modern times and to maintain its natural beauty.

There is a golf links course at the edge of the northwest side of Ireland that has less history and age but is at par with the rest of them. Started in 1973, the Connemara Golf Links is a great challenge to anyone who swings their clubs at her greens. Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and back dropped by Irish mountains, this par 72 links course provides an invigorating golf game that would surely entice those who have played there to come back for more.  Adding more elements to this memorable course is the breathtaking views that abound the entire 7,000 yard course. Raising from the Atlantic Ocean are mesmerizing rainbows that makes a golfer feel one with his surroundings.  The continual gusts of winds can be very refreshing, but they can also be the scourge for many golfers. A golfer can never expect the directions of the wind, much less the weather all year round.

The 27-hole Connemara championship golf links course shall also expose the golfer to many of natures wonders as Connemara ponies and swans can be seen and even a castle is bound to be seen as you play along. The course takes so many twists and turns as well as ups and downs through rocky and rolling hills with mesmerizing ocean and mountain scenes.  After a round of golf and viewing the scenery, a member or a golfer can go to the Connemara Golf Links clubhouse for more sightseeing as well as some fine dining. The clubhouse restaurant offers a wide array of Irish dishes as well as other dishes from around the world, sure to tickle the palate of the most discriminating eater. There is also a bar where you can have a drink or two to swap stories and unwind with your golf buddies.

Didn’t bother to take your clubs with you? That’s okay, the Connemara Golf Links has a pro shop that can offer rental clubs and other things that a golfer may need. You can get souvenir items as well as caddy cars, motorized buggies, and get caddies to accompany you while you play.  The Connemara Golf Links newly renovated locker rooms are also world class quality and there is also practice fairway and putting greens where you can warm up and get ready before setting your foot in the actual course.  There are many accommodations that are set up near the Connemara Golf Links so you won’t have to drive too far just to get in a game. All of them provide excellent service and fantastic rooms.  Enjoy the Irish welcome and great culture as you go to the Connemara Golf Links on your next golfing vacation. This will be a golfing experience you will 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.

When it comes to the ideal golf vacation spots in Ireland, the Southwest area is riddled with amazing golf courses filled with great links and stunning views. In these parts you will see Ireland’s most sought after golf courses all eager to line up for some tee time, the Ballybunion Golf Club, particularly it’s old course.

Many popular names in the world of golf have experienced the wondrous allure of Ballybunion and have continually used it as a warm up course to unwind and relax before The Open. Names like Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, Tiger Woods and Tom Watson have registered in it’s log book.  Providing great reviews and comments to this wondrous and mesmerizing Irish golf vacation spot.  Being the millennium captain of the Ballybunion Golf Club, Tom Watson said that it is one of the best and most beautiful tests of links he has played in, having played there since 1981.  Here in the old golf course, you will find very challenging links where the winds are constant factors and the land is surrounded by the captivating view of the Atlantic.

Opened in August 18, 1893, The Ballybunion Golf Club has had it’s shares of ups and downs. In it’s early days, The Ballybunion Golf Club did not enjoy the popularity it does today and has fallen into financial oblivion. It’s first eight years reeled the course to it’s all time low and was soon revived only by the changing of the officers of the club.  As more developments and land links were laid out, the reputation of The Ballybunion Golf Club grew and grew. By 1926, the course had plans to extend to a full 18 holes, barely a year after, those plans were realized. It’s national level of recognition started in 1932 when the Irish Ladies Championship was held there. Five years after, Irish Mens Close Amateur Championship followed suit.  The first most significant level of competition came at 1957 when the course was chosen as the venue for the Irish Professional Championship. Soon after, waves of other competitions and golf organizations recognized its high quality links and have given it high accolades.

After more than 60 years, The Ballybunion Golf Club finally got the recognition it so rightly deserves and things were never quite the same. Golfers now come in droves from all over the world to experience what the lucky Irish people have had for more than a century now. The Ballybunion Golf Club would always be recognized as Ireland’s greatest golf vacationing spot.  But aside from it’s majestic and amazing rolling dunes, and the mesmerizing backdrop set by the Atlantic Ocean, the tradition and culture that has made Ballybunion Golf Club what it is today is what keeps the people coming in.

Ballybunion has world class amenities that can cater to the needs of so many golfers from all over the world. There you would find a newly built clubhouse that has a dining room that can seat 120 persons, two bars and some very relaxing lounge areas. There is also a Pro Golf Shop that carries every golfing needs that you may have.  Being a championship golf course, you will be able to find some practice facilities such as, putting greens, a sand bunker practice facility, driving range, and a chipping green.  The Ballybunion Golf Club is located at Sandhill Road, Ballybunion, Country Kerry, Ireland. For the greatest golf vacation spot in Ireland, this is a century old choice for the pros.

Playing a round of golf can be a very relaxing activity and more and more people have been hooked on the game.  Seen it as a form of therapy and exercise, it’s a means to discipline one’s self. This is because the game requires an intense concentration and focus. Plus the game is played on a natural course laden with the beauty of nature.  One country that has truly elevated not only the game, but also the way a golf course should be is Ireland. Ireland has been blessed with beautiful land that nature has allowed to be shaped and molded to golf courses.  It is indeed been a sight to see and a joy to play in.  With the hundreds of courses that are sprinkled all over Ireland, it’s hard to choose which one to go to for a golf vacation in Ireland. But then again, there are usually some that stands out from the rest, just like the Ring of Kerry Golf & Country Club.

Proudly the last golf course the legendary Irish golf course designer Eddie Hackett designed, The Ring of Kerry Golf & Country Club built a links like course that needed about 250,000 tons of sand. Sadly though, Eddie Hackett never saw the end of the construction, as he died before it could be finished. A new designer was hired to oversee the construction. The change designs that he did resulted to poor reviews when the course was opened in 1998. The owners had to reshape and redesign the course under the tutelage of a famous American designer, Ron Kirby.

By 2003, The Ring of Kerry Golf & Country Club was leased by Universal Golf Consulting Ltd.  They took the reins in developing the course and making it more playable and constructing a new clubhouse. This led to the success of the club attracting more members and visitors. With the developments made, The Ring of Kerry Golf & Country Club is now recognized by the Irish PGA as one of five tournament fixtures in the calendar of the professional tournaments.

The course’s concept was to provide a venue where in professional and seasoned golfers could enjoy a challenging round of golf but would be played by beginners and novices as well. The course should also be able to host championship tournament games as well. The Ring of Kerry Golf & Country Club has succeeded in doing so and this is founded by the scores of people who come every year and the number of tournaments held there.  Sandwiched by amazing views like the Kenmare Bay below it and the Caha Mountains and MacGillycuddy Reeks towering over it, The Ring of Kerry Golf & Country Club has a course that can calm the most troubled souls.

Aside from the course, The Ring of Kerry Golf & Country Club also has world class amenities and facilities like a newly redecorated all-inclusive clubhouse, a practice driving range, and a fully stocked pro house where you can find all your golfing needs and souvenir items.  Choosing and finding a golf vacation spot in Ireland could seem to be a very daunting task.  With a little research and taking the time to see what each has to offer, you can definitely picture yourself teeing off amidst Ireland’s great natural beauty and the warm welcome of the Irish people.