Golf trip

Punchbowl4

Lads,
some help required. i'm thinking of having a few days away somewhere in ireland in mid april. thinking probably 2/3 night and 2/3 games. saw one of the passports for Mt Juliet, Faithlegg and Waterford castle for 125 quid which looked very good deal. obviously i know of Mt Juliet, but dont know what the others are like. any ideas? also, what other areas would you guys recommend, with a few decent courses and some decent night life.

thanks in advance

soundsham

waterford castle is a nice track.....worth €30-€40 no prob if its in good nick,
parkland course with a fair bit of room average length,mature enough,played about 2 years back,
played MJ before too so all in all seems like good value...no clue on Faithlegg

Irishvillian

The Dungarvan golf triangle is another good one three courses for the price off two.
http://www.golftriangle.com/:)

1967

Waterford Castle is a nice course although if a big hitter the par 5s can be short,Faithlegg is also a very good parkland course reasonably mature like Waterford Castle,Mount Juliet is an excellent golf course and a good test of golf and the three clubs are well worth the money.

boardlog

Not a fan of waterford castle at all, very flat and boring. A lot of flies and midges when the river is low. mount Juilet is a nice course little rough at the moment. The dungarvan triangle is a great option, gold coast is a great course

A New earth

I see the Downhill Hotel in Ballina have a good offer on what you are looking for at about €220 for 2 nights B/B, 1 dinner and games in 2 of the best links in the country Carne (Belmullet) and Enniscrone. They included a 3rd game in Ballina (don't know what it is like) up to 31st March but they might throw it in when you are travelling if they are quite then?

Kevinmarkham

A New earth wrote: »

I see the Downhill Hotel in Ballina have a good offer on what you are looking for at about €220 for 2 nights B/B, 1 dinner and games in 2 of the best links in the country Carne (Belmullet) and Enniscrone. They included a 3rd game in Ballina (don't know what it is like) up to 31st March but they might throw it in when you are travelling if they are quite then?

That's a good call. Enniscrone and Carne are superb - if a bit too far apart - but Ballina won't rock your boat. It's probably the most mismatched Passport out there - it's a dull parkland.

Passports are a great way to go, but often there's a poor relation so the 'savings' are diminished. It depends on your budget.

I'd suggest you pick a town that you're keen to go to (size/nightlife) and take it from there. There are a lot of courses to choose from after all, and green fees can be negotiated - especially if you're happy to play early in the morning.

You could try Carlow and Bunclody and then throw in a 3rd round at Mount Wolseley (a long, tough course) or Leinster Hills (cheap, quirky, not great quality but very entertaining)

Rathsallagh and Tulfarris (not sure of the quality at the moment) along with Baltinglass (the new nine holes are very good) in Co. Wicklow, but not sure where you'd get the night life!

Galway has a load of courses: Portumna would be my pick, and you could throw in Galway Bay and Bearna, or go for more traditional parkland courses like Athenry or Galway.

One of the best picks would be Sligo: there's Rosses Point and Strandhill - two very different links courses - and then you could choose between Enniscrone or Castle Dargan (Darren Clarke designed parkland).

I could go on, but that will give you food for thought at least. But your original choice is a good one. You have to catch a small ferry to get across to Waterford Castle, which is fun in itself.