Galway golf clubs advise

Joeyjoejoe43 wrote: »

So, I am planning a move back West after many years working in Dublin. I want to compare and then choose a club when I move back. Some clubs I am considering are the following as they are close to my house:

Barna
Oughterard
Glenlo
Galway golf club

I'd be interested I hearing about each club or any you are familiar with either on thread or via PM if you prefer. Things I'm interested in hearing about include the following:

- Course quality and maintenance.

- Members soundness.

- Winter green availability (my current course blackbush has winter green and it's great, we always get golf unless there is torrential rain)

- value for money.

- decent numbers of weekly competitions.

- time sheet availability and ease of getting a slot (especially Sunday mornings)

Thanks a mil,

Joey

Pm sent

Barna gets very wet in the winter .
Played it a few weeks ago hard to find the ball , even on the fairway .
Glenlo is a 9 hole course , played twice off different tee boxes .
It's the kind of place you go for a quick game if you can't get to play anywhere nearby .
Oughterard is a parkland course about 30 minutes drive from the city .
It's very flat , tree lined for the most part .
Galway ( salthill ) is without doubt the best of the lot .
It's also the most expensive to join .
Galway bay golf club is another to consider , it's about 20 minutes drive from eyre square .
Some stunning holes with gorgeous views of galway bay .
Membership is in the region of €1000 for the year .

Would you think about connemara. Best by far and playable all year round although it's a hike but your on the right side of galway.
Galways only link's too.
Galway bays fees will be going up at the end of the month.

Joeyjoejoe43 wrote: »

Cheers, Connemara that bit too far to be my club. I'd be adding 2 hours to my commute.

It's between Oughterard and Bearna and based on how wet Bearna seems to get in Winter, very likely I'll go with Oughterard.

Thanks for all the advice.

Whatever you do, do not join Bearna. I’d join oughterard between those two. Try to find out how they are doing financially before joining.

I'm a member in Galway and we won't be taking new members for the forseeable.

Another vote for Galway Bay, I was a member there before joining Galway. It's a cracking course, hands down the best in Galway. I found the members very sound and the timesheet never too packed. It stood up to winter well too. If you're living on the east of the city then I think it should be top of your list. However, from the west side of the city, I'm not sure if it's worth it. I found myself wasting hours going to and from the course as the traffic is shocking along that route in non-Covid times. Plus, I wasn't able to play any evening golf which is a huge benefit to my current membership.

I haven't played Athenry in ages but have played it a lot down through the years. The course is always in lovely condition, although it can be a bit up and down the field. A good friend is a member there and he says that it can be very tough get a time on Sunday mornings.

Barna was built on a bog and it shows. I played there during the last lifting of the lockdown and we had balls plugging on the fairway during relatively decent weather. I can't see it getting any better until well into the spring.

Joeyjoejoe43 wrote: »

Thanks for that feedback. I'm going to be on the West side of town and that's why I was looking to compare the 4 clubs i mentioned.

That analysis is clearing pointing to Oughterard as the sensible choice, as Galway is not an option at present.

Athenry and Galway Bay are not too much further as I look at Google maps now, but during busy times and evenings, they'd be a disaster.

Really appreciate all the helpful feedback lads.

I'll definitely look to get out in Galway some time, as I've never played there. Do you need to play with a member or how does it work?

Galway is overated and overpriced and they are not very friendly to new members or guests (not all members are this way but too many with high notions), it's nearly impossible to get on the timesheet and there's alot of infighting going on at committee / counsel level. Galway bay is the best course in Galway.

Sorry to take this slightly off topic but I got a voucher for Galway Bay hotel at Christmas. It can be used in Hodson bay too and I was wondering what course near to Galway Bay Hotel you would recommend for a round as opposed to for membership.
Are they a better option than Athlone?

Joeyjoejoe43 wrote: »

So, I am planning a move back West after many years working in Dublin. I want to compare and then choose a club when I move back. Some clubs I am considering are the following as they are close to my house:

Barna
Oughterard
Glenlo
Galway golf club

I'd be interested I hearing about each club or any you are familiar with either on thread or via PM if you prefer. Things I'm interested in hearing about include the following:

- Course quality and maintenance.

- Members soundness.

- Winter green availability (my current course blackbush has winter green and it's great, we always get golf unless there is torrential rain)

- value for money.

- decent numbers of weekly competitions.

- time sheet availability and ease of getting a slot (especially Sunday mornings)

Thanks a mil,

Joey

Hi,
Im a member of Glenlo which you should not disregard it.

1. Course Quality - It's only nine holes but I think each of the 9 holes are very good in their own right. I suppose the course is not mad long by current standards but each hole is different and requires careful though. I like a course whereby you don't automatically go for Driver on par 4's and 5's. There are a few holes in Glenlo that make you think. There are also a few holes that can destroy a good card such as the par 3 4th/13th. Lovely hole to an island type green. The condition of the course is also good. I believe it suffered with lying water in the past but my experience (2 years ) the course has stood up well to the 'lovely' Galway weather. Some good investment over the years. The only hole of concern is the 5th and it does get a bit soggy after excess rain.

2. Members sound - Great members. I joined 2 years ago knowing no-one and happy to say I got to know many of the member and have a group of 5 or 6 that I can link into for a round. Good mix of ages. The age profile when I joined was on the upper scale but this last year has seen an influx of younger members.

3. Winter greens. Don't think they use them. No golf this winter so far so I cant really comment on it.

4. Value for money - that all depends on how often you hope to play. I work close by so it's great for a quick 9 holes after work during the summer. Full adult male member is somewhere between €600 and €650 off the top of my head.

5. Weekly comps - Member weekend comps that run over 2 days. Can play either day. Also mid week 9 hole comps on a Wednesday. They run mixed scrambles every so often to integrate the men and ladies clubs.

6. Time sheet availability - Never a problem. Also plenty of space. Some times are busier than others.

It also has a very good driving range (the only one in the greater Galway city region)

You can PM me if you want to know more.

I assume you are out that side of the city if looking at Barns but if not and if you are considering options on the east side I'd recommend taking a look at Cregmore. Great value, has a range, a relatively challenging course, a welcoming memberbase. Some of the course can close over the winter, like many, and timesheets have gotten busier the past few months but it might be an option if it's not that far from you.

16 clubs in Galway.
My preference in order of best to weakest.
Connemara
Galway
Portumna
Galway bay
Oughterard
Athenry
Gort
Loughrea
Ballinasloe
Tuam
Cregmore park
Bearna
Mountbellew
Dunmore demense
Glenlo abbey
Connemara isles