Galways best golf courses?

Portumna is solid track alright
Surprised to see Athenry so low in the list. That would be my favourite course in Co. Galway.
Salthill also good
Ballinasloe is not too bad either if you get over to east galway, but it can be very wet at times. Rumor has it, they messed up their drainage down there with some experimental technique

Good list of courses there by scrubber, haven't played them all but hard to argue with the rankings. Personally I'd probably have Galway first followed by Galway Bay, two very different courses. Always found Ballyconnelly to be overrated so would have thought further down the list and Ougterard/Loughrea which I've always enjoyed playing further up the list.
On a side note, although not technically not in Galway, I'd put Ballinrobe ahead of them all.

would def have portumna up at top
lovely course and very reasonably priced

scrubber72 wrote: »

Even though I do quite like Portumna. I have to say that if the 17th wasn't there it wouldn't be anywhere as highly rated as people put it. One of the things I look out for when playing a course is, can I remember many of the holes? Most of the holes are forgettable to be honest but this is only my opinion.

And while 18 is a fairly good par 3 its a bit of a let down after 17.

Am looking to join a golf club next year and its either going to be Athenry or Galway. I hear Galway is the better course but Athenry is much friendlier. Any advice would be great.

Hi Scrubber,

There is a great deal in Galway bay at the moment. They are doing 15 month membership for the price of 12. €990 to join. I hear its a fabulous course alright. Is it a friendly club? I would imagine it would be a tough course especially on windy days

If you live in the city and can afford it there is imo only one choice ...galway golf club. . . .If its a choice between galway bay or athenry i'd go GB...enjoy choosing all great courses.

Yes Gary Madden is the new director of Golf in Glenlo. A very nice guy and great teacher. They have huge plans for the course and to increase the size of the pro shop and driving range. Should be something else when it's all done.

Curlew wrote: »

Big improvements underway at Glenlo. With membership fee set at €350 for 2014, it probably is best value for money.

Oughterard is €400 for new members in 2014, better value for the extra €50 imo.

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

Wow, that's a seriously good offer, I'm looking at paying nearly 2 1/2 times that for a comparable course within 20mins of North Dublin City. Nice course and always in great nick anytime I've played it. A very underrated course in my book but a real pity they can't include an additional par 5 or two to extent it out to a par 72 as the first par 5 (8th) is very strategic leaving only the second (14th) to have a go at.

I agree a par 72 would be nice but you'd be shoehorning it in which would detract from the course. The only real option would be the index 1 16th and if you changed that to a par 5 it would weaken the course greatly imo.

Maybe its a discussion for another thread but does a par 72 make that much of a difference when choosing a course? I came from Westport and thought i'd miss the extra par 5s more than i did, saying that i do appreciate the better scoring opportunities when i now play a par 72.

Wombatman wrote: »

The good people of Tuam won't be happy.

Kevin Markhams Top Ten Golf Courses in Galway as featured in today's Galway City Tribune

Bearna @ 4???
Never played Gort or ballinasloe must knock them off the list this year.

Kevinmarkham wrote: »

I like Tuam - have enjoyed my rounds there immensely - but doesn't get ahead of Ballinasloe and was just pipped by Cregmore Park. I need to get back to the latter as I've heard it's not in as good a shape as it used to be.


Love the course. It's unique. Nothing like playing a course that is so different to anything else around. I've heard drainage is a problem, but not when I've been there.
Would thoroughly recommend you get to Gort.

What about Loughrea?

I've read these pages for a good while now but never had much interest in posting until now. Lads, that list is brutal, I'd have played all the courses in galway and I actually can't believe anyone would rank them in the way he has done.

Given that we live in Ireland I think surely how the course drains and plays in wet weather has to be an important factor. 3 of those courses (Balinasloe, Ougtherard and Bearna) are virtually unplayable for half the year because they drain so badly. Ougtherard is a nice course and Barna is a decent track when it's dry but Balinasloe is a mickey mouse course anyway in my opinion aswell as having its drainage problems.

Galway Bay is the best course by a good margin I think. So many great holes there. Portumna is a good course but if it wasn't for the 17th (which in fairness is one of the best holes in Ireland) then I reckon it would just about make the top 10 so can't really see a justification for it being first.

I must confess I've only played Ballyconneely once but it is a fine course. Galway is somewhere I'd be very familiar with and is a good course although I always think if you get your driving right it's handy enough from there on, has very big welcoming greens that are always a pleasure to putt on.

Athenry is a nice course always in great nick and in a great location although it can be a bit mundane and the lack a bit of space down there or something.

Loughrea, Tuam and Gort are all solid courses that are always maintained well. All 3 are a good challenge and would both deserve to be in the top 10. Cregmore Park I find it hard to make much of a case for. It's very wide and generally not enough of a challenge I think. Maybe in 10 years time when the whole palce is a bit more mature it might be a decent course but not now.

I think I've gone through them all so I'd probably rank them like this:

1 Galway Bay
2 Galway
3 Ballyconneely (though I'd really need to play it again to give a proper opinion)
4 Portumna
5 Athenry
6 Ougtherard
7 Loughrea
8 Gort
9 Bearna
10 Tuam