Dublin Parklands

IAmTitleist

Hi,

I'm aware of all the top links courses in the country and trips down south to play have been up until now pretty much solely to play links golf.

But apart from the K Club/Carton House i haven't played any of the top parkland courses in and around Dublin, I'm from up north in Co Armagh so not even really aware of what the top courses would be.

Anyone got a good list of the top parkland courses in the area between the border and Dublin that i should be looking at playing?

Thanks

GolfPar

Balbriggan would be a good starting point for you. Not too far down the M1 either. A really good test of Golf.

allybhoy

Are you looking at dublin or between dublin and the border?

Between Border: I would look at Concra Woods, Slieve Russell, Killeen Castle, Headfort New, Lough Erne?

Near or in Dublin: Palmerstown House, Lutrelstown

Little bit outside: Druids glen, Powerscourt, Tufarris, Rathsallagh

IAmTitleist

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120772136#Comment_120772136

I would say probably more in the Dublin area but if any obvious ones i've missed along the M1 corridor between Dublin and the border.

Now that you mention those few i have played Concrawood, Slieve Russell, Killeen Castle and Lough Erne!

Thanks

spacecoyote

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120772136#Comment_120772136

This is a great starting list.

Headfort a nice potential overnight job, two courses on site. Headfort Old and New with a hotel close by.

Concra a great idea close to the border.

Luttellstown is lovely and relatively M1 adjacent.

Getting a bit further into Dublin, and maybe a little less accessible in terms of getting on the timesheet, Castle, Grange and Hermitage are superb, classic Parkland courses.

Stretch into Kildare/Carlow area and Carlow GC and Naas are both lovely courses.

Palmerstown House, mentioned above already, and you noted Carton and the K Klub.

If you're happy heading slightly further south, Wicklow has some great parkland options, Greystones, Dun Laoghaire, Macreddin, Powerscourt, Woodenbridge. And you could knock a links off the list while down and play the European

El Guapo!

I'm biased as I'm a member, but Headfort is a good shout. If you're planning on playing soon then it's good timing. They're hosting a Challenge Tour event on the new course next month so they're getting the course ready for that and it's in excellent condition at the moment.

They've also done maintenance work on some holes over the past year.....clearing out some overgrown areas and a general tidy up, so it's really looking well lately.

As mentioned, there are two courses on site; both offering different challenges and well worth playing. I've never heard anyone say they don't like Headfort.

blue note

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120772037#Comment_120772037

Good shout on Balbriggan. I never see it getting too many mentions, but it's a really nice course.

slave1

Looking at the M1 North to South, Greenore, Dundalk are close enough to the border, around Dublin I would go Luttrestown, Castleknock, Hermitage and Newlands, all very good parklands

billy3sheets

Check out St. Margarets just north of Dublin Airport. Titleist Black Monday Series is an open running every Monday. 35 euros to enter, great course and some good prizes too.

slave1

Oh, and now that I've played it......Lucan!

Ottoman_1000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120791480#Comment_120791480

I second that, Lucan is a smashing course...

gypsy79

The Tuesday Open in Lucan is one of the best value opens out there

paulos53

I believe that Castleknock also have opens every Tuesday. I will be in the area in a few weeks time and looking for a game. What is the recommendation between Lucan and Castleknock?

spacecoyote

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120813443#Comment_120813443

I'd have said that Lucan would be the better of those 2

gypsy79

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120813612#Comment_120813612

And significantly cheaper

Castleknock is run by Carr and has all the issues that go with that

The Big Easy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120813443#Comment_120813443

I would say Castleknock has a little more variety to keep you interested through the round.

The greens in Lucan are superb but that was always one the plus points about Castleknock too.

Probably comes down to the style of course you prefer. Lucan is a classic old tree-lined parkland while Castleknock has a bit more of a modern resort course feel.

For me it'd definitely be Castleknock though, just has a little more about it as a golf experience imo

mjsc1970

Old School Cool:

1. Grange

2. Castle

In that order, both in Rathfarnham

fullstop

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120813443#Comment_120813443

Lucan. Possibly the best greens in Ireland. I also find Castleknock a lacks something…can’t quite put my finger on what it is though!

Seve OB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120828021#Comment_120828021

i could put my finger on plenty of things 🤣 i have recently given up my membership of castleknock. in fairness though it is a decent course and the club is growing, but between having someone own it, someone run it and a club in between them all, the management of the place as a whole was always poor.

as a course for a game of golf though it would be difficult to choose between it and lucan (which i've played 10+ times but not in a few years)

lucan is more an old school golf course and always in good nick. castleknock in fairness is well kept too, but certainly is not as well maintained as it was a few years ago. castleknock might be a bit more open and forgiving, but maybe a bit longer. some daft internal OB introduced in recent years and a few poor designed holes just let it down a little. having said that, it's a very good course and well worth playing, it's hard not to enjoy it.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120772037#Comment_120772037

+1 for Balbriggan golf.

FixdePitchmark

Balbriggan is a great traditional parkland..but gets little or no attention or mention...

slave1

Just goes to show the number of quality courses close to and around the M50, play them all folks!

billy3sheets

I came up with 27 in County Dublin north of the Liffey alone, excluding Par 3 courses. From East to West approximately:

1. Howth
2. Sutton
3. St Anne's
4. Royal Dublin
5. Clontarf
6. Island
7. Donabate
8. Balcarrick
9. Corballis
10. Beaverstown
11. Portmarnock
12. Portmarnock Links
13. Malahide
14. St Margaret's
15. Corrstown
16. Sillogue
17. Forrest Little
18. Swords Open
19. Roganstown
20. Hollywood Lakes
21. Skerries
22. Balbriggan
23. Bellewstown
24. Elm Green
25. Westmanstown
26. Castleknock
27. Luttrelstown

I've played them all except Portmarnock and Malahide! All decent courses, some great value too.

I think 6 are links.

FixdePitchmark

Deer Park ?

Rush

Also a few were closed but another topic..maybe ..

I've played them all..

soverybored1878

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120844108#Comment_120844108

Just out of interest, is that ranked in order of quality? It's an interesting list.

swededmonkey

Howth No. 1....definitely not 🤣🤣🤣

Jokes aside, it looks like a brain dump from billy3sheets for courses in the area. No ranking

soverybored1878

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120870237#Comment_120870237

I hoped so. I had questions around some of the entries and their positions on that list....naming no names

billy3sheets

Haha, no ranking!

If you read my post I do say From East to West approximately:

willabur

played a good few parklands this year in the Jimmy Bruen, they would break your heart. Especially in a 4 some where anything off line is behind a bloody tree. Between that and the non qualifying part of the year I think I will stay with my links club

slave1

Lots of Irish courses have a fixation with fully lined fairways with trees trees trees and no gap to get back into play or even dare getting on the green.

This is poor IMHO, punishment yes, but not an avenue of trees where time is lost looking for balls and all hopes of progress are strangled, trees should be stages in small groups with gaps

coillcam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120875073#Comment_120875073

My course is fairly mature in terms of trees and periodically they thin out some of them. A handful tbh rather than a mass clearout.

I queried this one time with one of the committee while I was picking up the game. They said it's purely for playability. If you've found trees, it's automatically a bogey at best for most of us. No point in having to chip the ball out twice sideways from dense trees and then get back on track.

Being slightly offline and basically getting the same penalty as an OB would just piss off members and societies would avoid it. We're not an elite links venue that's known for difficulty or charging mad money to transatlantic guests. For the club to survive we need a full membership that's happy to play and societies/open day visitors delighted to come back every year. The course playability is part of that, as is the website, pro shop, back office and bar/food service.

slave1

Absolutely, you nailed it in one word, playability