Dooks Membership Offer

Views over Dooks' beautiful landscape

Golf in Ireland offers an endless stream of possibilities and, despite the green fee rises that are appearing across the board, value remains strong. Yes, you might disagree with that but you can play some remarkable courses for €20-€30 and that is what I call value-for-money. And, because I know there are golfers out there who refuse to

St Patrick's Day Golf

Ballyliffin Glashedy par three 5th

Do you like winter golf in Ireland?

It's not a trick question... although after the winter we've had you might consider it an ironic one. If the answer is 'yes' then I admire your perseverance and love of the game; if it's no then you must be relishing

Hooked on Golf – The New Third Edition (and a bunch of prizes)

Today sees the official launch on my blog of the new 3rd edition of Hooked… still the most comprehensive guide to the golf courses of Ireland.

I’m giving away prizes, so don’t hit the snooze button quite yet.

The previous edition came out in 2011 and the first edition was published in 2009. Between then and now the Irish golfing landscape has endured many changes.

Courses have closed, re-opened, re-named… clubs have built new clubhouses, introduced new holes, new routing, new greens, new bunkering. Storms have flattened trees and stolen dunes and fairways. So here are the six key changes to Hooked and Irish golf courses in the last six years:

Golf Open Weeks Ireland: Batch 4

Approach to the par four 1st at Faithlegg.

July's almost upon us and so is a heatwave... apparently. 

Here are 17 links and parkland courses - north and south - with Open Weeks/Events over the coming weeks (with a link to several more at the bottom).

Enjoy.

Golf Open Weeks Ireland: Batch 3

Views over the 1st green on Ballyliffin Glashedy... to the
rock of the same name.

We’re at the peak time for Golf Open Weeks, here in Ireland. And it is rich pickings over the next month or two. The most difficult aspect of all that choice is deciding where to go, and when. Links and parkland… they’re both there, so get the calendar out and see what takes your fancy… because there is some serious value out there.

Here’s a list of 12 clubs from around the country to get you started:

Ballyliffin, Baltinglass, Beech Park, Co. Sligo, Enniscrone, Farnham Estate, The Heritage, Kirkistown Castle, Malone, Portumna, Whitehead, Wicklow.

Posters and details are shown below, in date order.

10 Reasons to Go to The Irish Open

Here are 10 reasons why you should be attending this year's Irish Open at Royal County Down.

1. Royal County Down. Does anything more need to be said about a course that is often ranked as the best links in the world. Oh sure, you won't get to play it at the Irish Open (28-31 May), but you'll get to see the world's best golfers tackle this remarkable course.

Copyright Getty Images

Top Golfer 2015 Season... Get Golfing

Mount Juliet's terrific par three 14th.

Top Golfer is up and raring to go for the 2015 Irish golfing season. Bigger and better than last year – just as it was the year before – the schedule now boasts 38 events across the country.

There’s not much point reading on if your handicap is higher than 9 or 10, because these events are for Junior and Senior Scratch Cup golfers… and are very competitive environments (if you want them to be).

Samuel Jackson - The Coolest Man in Golf

OK, so maybe he's the coolest man in the world and not just golf, but he's talking about coming to Ireland and building his own golf course.

Take a look at this Goss article. There'll be a few landowners in Cork and Limerick (assuming they own 'lush hills') who might be getting very excited.

As long as Samuel L designs it, I'll have no complaints.

€30 Green Fee Value - Not Your Average Joe

Define 'value'... the dictionary defines it thus:

"the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something."

Coollattin Golf Club

When it comes to golfing green fees, that definition is tough to apply... but boy don't we love to bang on about it!

'Value' means different things to different people:

The Word Is Golf

Articles/Contributions to four magazines this month: one Irish, two British... and one Russian. A very strange sensation looking at a page of indecipherable (Cyrillic) lettering and only recognising your name. I wrote the piece for Silk Way Tours, based in Cork, who are luring Russian golfers to Ireland.

I was honoured to be invited on to the Golf World panel to contribute to their Top 100 Golf Courses in Britain & Ireland. 19 of our courses make the cut, with Royal County Down sitting very comfortably in top spot. Lough Erne is the only parkland to make the cut, at 98.

In Golf Monthly there's a piece about five 'hidden gems', namely Arklow, Carlow, Galway Bay, Scrabo and Strandhill.

In Ireland of the Welcomes, a magazine aimed mostly at Americans, I get to talk about the beautiful golf experience of playing the west coast, the north west and Donegal.

And then of course, May sees the publication of my second book: Driving the Green.

Old Head of Kinsale - New 13th Hole

From the Black tees... close to the edge

What were they thinking! As if golf in Ireland needed any more drama. But they've never done things in small doses at Old Head of Kinsale Golf Links. Drama is what it's all about and, with the addition of the new par three 13th, all four par threes now cling to the cliffs.

The hole is 168 yards from the back Black tees and 121 yards from the Reds. If anyone finds a baseball cap down in the ocean, it's mine. It was howling a gale and my cap flew off in under a minute of standing on the tee. One of my favourites, too! More photos below.

Oh, and check out the colour of that ocean.

Macreddin Golf Club Ablaze With Gorse

Approach to 12

Are words even necessary? Here are some photos taken last week of the Paul McGinley designed Macreddin outside Aughrim in Co. Wicklow. A beautiful course, in superb condition, and a green fee of just 20-40 euro. More photos below...

On Sunday 18th May, Macreddin is holding its Junior (4-9) & Intermediate (10-18) Scratch Cups. Booking available online or by calling 0402 36999. If these photos don’t inspire you to get out and play this excellent course, then reconsider golf! Green fee is a snip at €25... and buggies are allowed.

Golf Photography - Arklow Links

The 2nd green

There's nothing quite like playing golf on a perfect sun-drenched evening. The spill of gold light, the shadows racing ahead of you, the knowledge that others are sitting in traffic jams... what more could you ask for?

I left the golf clubs behind and picked up the camera to visit Arklow Golf Links in Co. Wicklow, earlier this week... and found one such sublime evening.

Here are a few photos to demonstrate the sweet rhythm of the early holes and this under-appreciated club.

Irish Golf Membership Fees - Eleven Diamonds in the Rough

Connemara Links 16th Hole

At the start of every year many golfers have to sit back and count the cost of Christmas... before considering - or should that be dreading - the cost of the annual sub for the golf club. Around Dublin and the bigger cities, golf clubs have the advantage and can charge subs that hover around the €2,000 mark. Some, of course, are far more expensive... but that's the price of exclusivity and reputation.

And then there are the country courses.

Golfing Gifts for Christmas 2013

Who wants what for Christmas? Who wants what to give the golfer in his/her life?

For years I’ve struggled with presents for my dad. It’s gardening, golf, jumpers and wine. That’s it. I tend to rotate… or at least I used to. He now has enough jumpers to rival Daniel O’Donnell, although they are somewhat more tasteful.

He’s 82 and he’s not the gardening demon that he once was.

That leaves wine and golf… so this year I’ve bought him a book on how to play golf drunk.

Here are five other golfing ideas:

Top Ten Golf Courses in Galway

Connemara's sweet par three 13th

The lads at Bearna Golf Club contacted me the other day about a 'Top Ten Golf Courses in Galway' that they'd discovered online. They sent me the link and it made my hair stand on end... quite a feat for me. The lads were also confused because not only was Bearna not on the list, but neither was Connemara Golf Links (aka Ballyconneely). Add in that the renowned Galway Golf Club was listed as a '9 hole executive golf course' and the list is shockingly bad.  

Actually, it's embarrassing.

The Social Media Golf Open 2014... Year 2

Doonbeg's stunning seaside 6th hole

2013 was the inaugural year of this golf event and to say it was a success is an understatement. 30 something pairs came together to fight it out (four ball better ball format) for an impressive trophy that took four rounds of golf to decide. The courses played are frequently listed among Ireland's best. 




The age profile hovered around the 30-40 mark which made the evenings... lively. With accommodation arranged (it was an optional part of the package) it also meant that a good camaraderie was established early on, and isn't that the best part of golf. If you can't slag off the guys you're playing with there's little point turning up!

Carne Links at Giveaway Prices

Yes, I know that sounds like a cheap commercial, but seriously... Carne folklore is growing by the day.

Never mind building a new nine holes (the Kilmore Nine, review here) for €200,000, the golf club is now offering fourballs next year for €100 for 18 holes (or €140 for the full 27). €25 for one of the most thrilling courses you could ever hope to play...

The par three 7th on the Kilmore 9.
A brute of a hole that measures 200 yards

The club is offering 100 slots between April and October 2014, and you have to book online. The email I received goes like this:

If you are planning to play Carne Golf Links during 2014, why not take this fantastic opportunity to book now at rock bottom rates.

To celebrate the opening of our spectacular new Kilmore 9 holes, we are offering 100 slots (available now, online only) from April to October 2014:

  

o   €100 for a 4 ball 18 holes. Savings €140

(Choice of Hackett 18 OR Kilmore 9 & Hackett back 9)

o   €140 for a 4 ball 27 holes. Savings €160

(Hackett 18 & Kilmore 9)

(See available slots at approx 9am on most week days)

 This offer will end on 14^th October 2013.

Book now!

Click below:

http://www.brsgolf.com/carne/visitor_month.php?course_id=1&d_date=2013-09-29&nav_date=2014-01-01

The 8th on the Kilmore 9. One hell of a shot in

It's worth noting that closing day of the 14th October. If you're in America, I'm guessing this offer is impractical, but for anyone in Ireland or the UK, this could easily go down as 'too good to miss'. I'd plan a week's golf around that, no bother, and play at Carne three times at least... I learn so much every time I play it and Irish golf doesn't get any bigger than this.

TopGolfer.ie at Grange Golf Club

The impressive clubhouse behind the 18th green

I played Grange a lot in my school years. We'd sneak down, cross the road and then slip under the fencing that separated Marlay Park from the Grange's 14th tee box. You can't do that today because the road we crossed back then is now the M50. Not easy lugging your clubs across six lanes of traffic.

But when TopGolfer.ie announced its Junior Scratch Cup at Grange Golf Club in Rathfarnham, the opportunity to visit this old stomping ground was too good to miss. Good memories; top course.

Atlantic Coast Challenge 2013 - Day Two (Carne)

The 1st tee and that drifting drizzle

"I can feel it running down my chest," Finbarr said, as we slogged through the rain on Carne's 8th hole.

I'd had water running down my legs since the 4th. Sometimes waterproofs come down to the gaps around the edges. And Ronan's 'showerproof' top was proving as effective as a fishing net at stopping the rain.

Here we were on one of Ireland's mightiest, most dramatic golf courses and you could see next to nothing. Every swing was uncomfortable, and every golf shot a stab rather than a swing. One of my goals at the start of this tournament was not to lose a ball. There was no fear of that at Carne - I could barely hit the ball out of my way.