Killarney (Mahony’s Point)
Bantry Bay
Bantry Bay is tucked away in west Cork, perched on a high
rolling landscape above the sea and the charming fishing
village of Bantry. The setting is glorious, with views spilling
across the bay to mountains and peninsulas. The course has
an unexpectedly muscular feel, no doubt due to Christy
O’Connor Jr’s influence which uses the big rolls of the
landscape to full effect, including several blind shots. This is
no place for the faint of heart so get out the driver and swing
hard. The greens are correspondingly big with tiers and slopes
that will test you all day long.
Killarney (Mahony’s Point)
Mahony’s Point is a sweet foil to the muscularity of its Killeen sibling.
They brush up against each other a couple of times, sharing the
same terrain and the same stunning scenery. Indeed, a combination
of their holes once formed the original 1930s course. But Mahony’s
Point is a gentler, quieter affair, with more accessible fairways and
greens, as well as a more relaxed pace. This is old school parkland
and while the course is undergoing some upgrades (under Ken
Kearney) that old school charm is set to remain, with striped fairways
and chequered flags embellishing that feeling.
Ceann Sibeal
The Three Sisters watch over this links at that farthest end of the
Dingle Peninsula. The hillside that falls away from these three cliff
top peaks is home to a low, subtle and very deceptive links, designed
by Eddie Hackett (the back nine) and Christy O’Connor Jr (the front).
The views may be open, raw and beautiful, but this is a course that
demands your full attention. The rough is unforgiving and the burn
which slips across eleven holes proves magnetic more often than
not. Meticulous course management is required on a crafty links
which glides over natural, often unpredictable terrain. A startling,
sweet links education.
Shannon
Tucked away behind the airport, this lovely club is a parkland
of dark corridors, unforgiving trees and a sweet dose of the
Shannon Estuary at the farthest point. The course flows so
easily over the level terrain and it is the subtle doglegs and
the trees which will test your nerve. Brawn is not always the
answer here. The par threes are all strong, especially the long
17th beside the estuary. It is the only hole where trees can’t
ruin your card… that’s left to the estuary, which you must
cross.
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