Westport
Ballinrobe
Ballinrobe has received high praise from Padraig Harrington, who
described it as “the finest championship golf course in the West of
Ireland”. It is spread over an old estate of 300 acres with big trees
and gentle changes in elevation. There’s an old stone wall or two,
ponds and lakes (but not too many), swathes of gorse and one good
hole after another. It has an easy flow. A par 73, with five par fives,
it measures 6,144 metres (middle tees). Finding the right fairway
position on the doglegs is the main challenge. Big trees stay back…
with the one exception being the weeping ash completely blocking
the 18th green.
Westport
Westport sits on the edge of Clew Bay, where the sea laps up to the
best holes and the ever-present Croagh Patrick looms large. Given
the mountain’s iconic status, golfers may go searching for inspiration.
On the par three 14th, you hit directly at it. This is a par 73 of 6,800
yards (middle tees). There are five par fives, with the 15th being
the pick of the bunch, curling around the waters of the bay and
demanding a big drive to clear it. Westport shifts gear considerably
from the 7th on, when some significant ridges appear. Holes 11 to 16
are superb, using the best elevation changes, the best views and the
water to thrill you.
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Connemara
Eddie Hackett’s name sits in the design column of many Irish golf
courses and the links at Connemara is yet one more. The course also
boasts a fascinating evolution thanks to a local priest. There are 27
holes here, tucked away in the remotest spot south of Clifden. The
drive across the barren beauty of Connemara, however, is just one of
the joys of playing here. The course matches that barren beauty, its
holes wrapped around an impressive clubhouse which sits up high
and allows visitors to take in so much of the course. Flags flutter in
every direction, towards the Twelve Bens, beneath rocky hillocks
and in front of raw seascapes. The fairways - like the views - are
generous, which they need to be when the wind whips in over the
often exposed course.
Portumna
The ancient forest which surrounds Portumna contrasts against
the glorious estate of undulating terrain that flows within. This is
parkland in every sense of the word, where mature oak, ash and
beech trees wander across the landscape as casually as the deer
which frequently appear from the forest. Here the holes all work
perfectly together, establishing a lazy rhythm where gentle changes
in elevation are used to show off holes to full advantage.
It promises a tantalising day with the driver. The sweetest changes
come on the par three 5th, descending between the trees, and the
par three 18th. Portumna is a beautiful, unfussy parkland offering
exceptional value.