Hidden Gems of Golf

NITBY

What courses do you think (or have heard) are hidden gems in Ireland? I keep hearing Carne (Belmullet) in Mayo being mentioned but I have not played it yet.

By 'hidden gem' I mean quality courses that are not widely advertised or well known by the majority of golfers and are usually great value for money.

Dman_15

I'd agree with that on Belmullet, smashing track.

For me it's my club Portsalon, Co Donegal.
True Links, 7000+ off C'ship tees. It has some of the best holes ive ever played on. See, no-one has heard of it

I must take some pics the next day i'm out.

johnny_rambo

Here's a few (not sure if you'd class these as hidden gems but here goes)....

Malone (very good parkland)
Castlerock (good links up in derry)
Seapoint (great links course beside baltray...def worth a visit!)
Murvagh (or Donegal GC....a good test!)

TheDoc

Come to Hollywood lakes in ballyboughal, I guarantee you will have a great day. =D

rick_fantastic

http://www.woodenbridgegolfclub.com/

its a beautiful course and is in lovely condition

green fees are round 55-65 euro

Dman_15

johnny_rambo wrote:

Here's a few (not sure if you'd class these as hidden gems but here goes)....

Malone (very good parkland)
Castlerock (good links up in derry)
Seapoint (great links course beside baltray...def worth a visit!)
Murvagh (or Donegal GC....a good test!)

Where you from johnny?

Seapoint & Castlerock are two of my alltime favourites.

I'm a student member in Malone aswell. Best parkland i've played, inc K-Club

johnny_rambo

Dman_15 wrote:

Where you from johnny?

Seapoint & Castlerock are two of my alltime favourites.

I'm a student member in Malone aswell. Best parkland i've played, inc K-Club

I'm from limerick but live in dublin. The best parkland in the country imo is Adare Manor. The back nine is something else. If people here haven't played it, it should be top of their list!

I don't think it's a hidden gem tho!

Trampas

johnny_rambo wrote:

I'm from limerick but live in dublin. The best parkland in the country imo is Adare Manor. The back nine is something else. If people here haven't played it, it should be top of their list!

I don't think it's a hidden gem tho!

Thats the course beside the main one??

The first hole is a short par 3 and 2nd is along the river and the 18th is a dog leg right.

johnny_rambo

Trampas wrote:

Thats the course beside the main one??

The first hole is a short par 3 and 2nd is along the river and the 18th is a dog leg right.

No I'm talking about the main course (Adare Manor Hotel & Golf). Has anyone else played it?

Hobart

rick_fantastic wrote:

http://www.woodenbridgegolfclub.com/

its a beautiful course and is in lovely condition

green fees are round 55-65 euro

Totally agree with you Rick. This is a fantastic course in one of the most beautiful settings in Ireland.

Dman_15

johnny_rambo wrote:

No I'm talking about the main course (Adare Manor Hotel & Golf). Has anyone else played it?

I played it during the summer, and it is very underated.

Anyone played Shannon? I thought it was fantastic

css

Dman_15 wrote:

Anyone played Shannon? I thought it was fantastic

I did, it's nice, but nothing remarkable... To be honest Enniscrone is a savage course, so is Murvagh.. But you really need to hit ok weather to actually enjoy the round.. Nothing is worse than slugging around a links course in an Atlantic squall...

Dman_15

css wrote:

I did, it's nice, but nothing remarkable... To be honest Enniscrone is a savage course, so is Murvagh.. But you really need to hit ok weather to actually enjoy the round.. Nothing is worse than slugging around a links course in an Atlantic squall...

Rosses Point is another if your in that neck of the woods

Trampas

Adare Manor. That aren't really hidden gem when you think about it.

McManus has a huge charity thing on there every couple of years where Tiger appears so everyone knows about it.

I wold take hidden gems as courses that the general public might have never heard about.

Brockagh

I'm a member of Carne in Belmullet and love the place. There's a new nine going in there that will make it even better.

I'd agree with Portsalon too - fantastic course and one of the founding member courses of the GUI, I believe.

There's lots of "gems" in the Northwest. Nairn and Portnoo, Cruit Island, St. Patricks etc.

Aesop

Carlow (imo one of the finest parkland courses in Ireland), Nenagh, Gold coast (Dungarvan)

Don't know how much "hidden gem" factor these have. I guess it depends how well you know Irish golf courses.

madds

Courtown GC is always a course I love playing, and one you don't hear too much about.

Yosserh

Don't know if they are hidden gems but if you want to play 3 excellent courses within a five mile radius for cheap money (80 Euros I believe) you have to play Dungarvan Golf Club, West Waterford and The Gold Coast.
Beautiful courses and a good test for anyone - If you play the gold coast in windy conditions, it makes it even more fun.

dak

Play the Gold Coast Dungarvan very year. Beautiful scenery . If you stay in the Hotel/Houses or the Golf lodges you get green fee discounts . One tricky par three nearly across a beach. Definately a gem...never overly busy

Cormster

Mountrath Golf Club in Laois has always been a favourite of mine - its just off the N7 on the Limerick side of Mountrath.
I've always thoroughly enjoyed playing it.

AndyP

In fairness, most of the courses, i.e the likes of Carlow and Enniscrone that are being mentioned here are very well known and have no hidden gem factor.

My tuppence worth for a proper hidden gem is Portumna. Super track with some of the best 5's on the island.

Mister Sifter

Hollywood Lakes gets my vote. An absolute beauty of a course! Played it last week for the first time and i loved it. I have since said to a few other players who like to get round a few different courses and they had all either never heard of it or never played it.

Giving serious thought to joining it at the moment. In ten years or so i think it could well be one of the best courses in Ireland.

cson

AndyP wrote:

My tuppence worth for a proper hidden gem is Portumna. Super track with some of the best 5's on the island.

My home track Worth playing for the 17th hole alone, super par 5.

I'd agree with the gold coast, superb course, breath-taking par 4 over the sea edge.

WHIP IT!

Skellig Bay GC near Waterville is possibly my favourite course in the country... The views of the Atlantic are sensational... If I had one slight criticism of it, it's that the par 3s are all a little plain - although none of them are easy...

I've played it about five times, maybe six - and it's top of my list...

Other than that, not sure if you'd call it a hidden gem, but Waterford Castle really impressed me the one time I played it about four years ago - maybe five... would love to play it again...

Also, honorable mention to Craddockstown in Naas.. and Naas GC itself, actually - played it recently for first time since all the (lengthy) renovations were completed - loved it...

copacetic

Graeme1982 wrote:

Hollywood Lakes gets my vote. An absolute beauty of a course! Played it last week for the first time and i loved it. I have since said to a few other players who like to get round a few different courses and they had all either never heard of it or never played it.

Giving serious thought to joining it at the moment. In ten years or so i think it could well be one of the best courses in Ireland.

have played it a few times, it's ok but I don't think it will ever be one of the best it Ireland. I do notice membership prices on the open market are coming shooting down though an it is becoming good value. I'd be interested myself if it wasn't the far side of dublin.

Brockagh

Hollywood Lakes wouldn't be my thing either, but that's just me.

I don't know if you'd call it a hidden gem, but Esker Hills is well worth playing.

AndyP

I think Edenderry would qualify in this category.

sosh

Edenderry in my opinion is one the worst course and facilities in the country, please tell me you were being sarcastic

killbillvol2

Coolattin would be my favourite hidden gem. Well worth navigating to it!

Brockagh

Coollattin is lovely, sure enough. They're making a few changes there too.

Gillie

Bomore. A 9 hole course in Rosses Point Sligo. Set ya back €25 in the summer and €20 in the winter.
Good tough course

Golf Ninja

Played the old head of kinsale during the summer it i have to say was the most beautful golf course i have ever played.
It is very expensive but worth a try just once.

Brockagh

It's absolutely fantastic. Some of the tee shots are unbelievable. The 12th and the 18th in particular. Well worth playing once. Bit of an American feel about the place, though, which I don't think quite fits in to the area.

Golf Ninja

Brockagh wrote:

It's absolutely fantastic. Some of the tee shots are unbelievable. The 12th and the 18th in particular. Well worth playing once. Bit of an American feel about the place, though, which I don't think quite fits in to the area.

Yeah i agree it is mainly americans that play it.

The veiws are amazing but would hate to be there on a bad day. I wondered why there was almost 8 different tee boxes per hole when i came in they told me it was because when the wind blows there is a real chance that you could be bloown out to sea.

callaway92

If you want a good course..CAHIR PARK GOLF CLUB in TIPPERARY is a briliant course...its about 6500 off the blues...well worth the money...25 euro green fees,,,tight closed in course with trees everywhere ,,,very scenic:D

AndyP

sosh wrote:

Edenderry in my opinion is one the worst course and facilities in the country, please tell me you were being sarcastic

Nope, not sarcastic at all. Please elaborate on why you think its so poor.

(I'm not a member there, so have no vested interested in it by the way.)

Golf Pro

Coollattin, Woodenbridge, Dunmurry Springs & Baltra all hidden gems within in easy reach of Dublin. Carne, Dunfanaghy & Rosses Point definitely hidden gems if you are up for the drive some weekend.

killbillvol2

Golf Pro wrote: »

Coollattin, Woodenbridge, Dunmurry Springs & Baltra all hidden gems within in easy reach of Dublin. Carne, Dunfanaghy & Rosses Point definitely hidden gems if you are up for the drive some weekend.

Wouldn't agree on Dunmurry Springs yet but it'll be a cracking course when it matures a bit.

I think Rosses Point is overrated and that Enniscrone is a much better option in that neck of the woods. But a couple of my mates love Rosses Point so it's all a matter of taste. Carne is worth every inch of the journey.

Rabidlamb

I'd have to 2nd Esker Hills.

The p[lace is just mad, you need the buggy though.

JCDUB

Nobody's mentioned Mount Wolsley in Tullow, perhaps not exactly a hidden gem but not that well known and a beautiful course. Played scratch cup there last summer for €35 I think, good value, defo worth a visit.

WHIP IT!

JCDUB wrote: »

Nobody's mentioned Mount Wolsley in Tullow, perhaps not exactly a hidden gem but not that well known and a beautiful course. Played scratch cup there last summer for €35 I think, good value, defo worth a visit.

Great shout - have only played it twice and neither time was recently but was lucky enough to get blistering sunshine and a perfectly presented course both times...

I'd also maybe throw Tulfarris into the ring here as well, again though, depends on your idea of a "hidden gem"...

travisbickle

Not sure if hidden gem applies to it but the New Course at Headfort is a brilliant track. Beautiful and difficult in equal portions.

Trampas

JCDUB wrote: »

Nobody's mentioned Mount Wolsley in Tullow, perhaps not exactly a hidden gem but not that well known and a beautiful course. Played scratch cup there last summer for €35 I think, good value, defo worth a visit.

Its a bit steep for an open comp.

f22

Gowran Park
Kilkee Castle
Athlone
Athrenry
Carne
Enniscrone
Murvagh
Dooks

pnd82

Easker hills golf club(inland links) in tullamore, anyone that has not played this course do so ya will be suprised how good it is, but hire a buggy its way to hilly to walk around and play good golf, Castlecomer Golf club is another course well worth checking out, but again its prob one of the hilliest golf courses ya will come across, buggy also need to avoid very sore legs the next day.

getfit

I second the esker hills nomination. I've played courses twice (even 3 times) the price and would rate this better.... Greens are in great shape, very good variety of holes.

JCDUB

Trampas wrote: »

Its a bit steep for an open comp.

Yeah I suppose it was but still worth a visit, and I'm sure a green fee would be steeper again. It's a hotel, leisure centre etc aswell so that's why it was a bit over the odds I'd say.

Whoever mentioned Headfort New ^^^^^, great call, the old aswell, both beautiful courses!

PhilipMarlowe

f22 wrote: »

Gowran Park...

Nice to see my home course get a mention...

Here's a few pics of the 7th hole on an Autumn evening...
The first is the view from the regular tee (too cold/lazy for the blues today), Left is O.B.
The second is a view back to the tee..
The third shows a view from about 100 yards to the flag.

WHIP IT!

Licksy wrote: »

Nice to see my home course get a mention...

Here's a few pics of the 7th hole on an Autumn evening...
The first is the view from the regular tee (too cold/lazy for the blues today), Left is O.B.
The second is a view back to the tee..
The third shows a view from about 100 yards to the flag.

That looks like a fabulous golf hole... What's the yardage/par/index Licksy?

PhilipMarlowe

It's a par 4, index 4. Not hugely long at 390 yards from the blues (368 from the white) and playing from an elevated tee.
Out of bounds all down the left, and you get a great view of it from the tee... a fairway that slopes left to right so that in summer, a shot landing right-of-centre of the fairway may run out into trees on the right.
Hole runs from South to North so wind is often left to right too forcing you to aim closer to the OB
The pin in the picture is back left, tucked in behind a large swale which makes the green narrow at that point. If the flag is forward, the water is very much in your mind...

WHIP IT!

Licksy wrote: »

It's a par 4, index 4. Not hugely long at 390 yards from the blues (368 from the white) and playing from an elevated tee.
Out of bounds all down the left, and you get a great view of it from the tee... a fairway that slopes left to right so that in summer, a shot landing right-of-centre of the fairway may run out into trees on the right.
Hole runs from South to North so wind is often left to right too forcing you to aim closer to the OB
The pin in the picture is back left, tucked in behind a large swale which makes the green narrow at that point. If the flag is forward, the water is very much in your mind...

Sounds like a piece of p*ss... let me at it!

How much would a round in Gowran cost Licksy?