Rathcore Golf Club... Yours for €650K

Yes, sad but true, but Rathcore has not made it through the decade of recession unscathed. Despite the valiant efforts of the members the club was forced to 'close' late last year.

It didn't close completely: the members are keeping it open a few days a week, ensuring the 124-acre Rathcore Golf Club is maintained... and enjoyed... and I take heart from that. It is one of my favourite courses (it gets a "Top Ten Parkland" nomination in the 3rd edition of Hooked) and while it may not have the big glamour of  a Mount Juliet or the length of a Killeen Castle, but it is intimate, clever and thoroughly enjoyable. Thoroughly!

Rathcore Golf Club

The 18th green at Rathcore

If you fancy purchasing this peach of a golf course and the two-storey clubhouse for a 'snip' at €650,000... here's the Irish Times spread.

Those lucky €88 million Euromillions winners could have a field day. I'm available to advise... for a modest fee.

Rathcore Golf Club... And The Winner Is...

The approach to the 18th green. A par five to finish.

The winner who correctly identified Rathcore Golf Club from the photos and clues is Alan Maher.

Rathcore remains one of those quiet, secretive places that few golfers know much about. Maybe they've heard of it... maybe they haven't, but it certainly doesn't get the press it deserves. Oh sure, it's not playing with the big boys, like Mount Juliet, or slapping on the glitz, like nearby Moyvalley, but rest assured it delivers thrills and enjoyment every step of the way.

Ireland's Best Hidden Golfing Gems

Views over Strandhill's 5th fairway

The list of Ireland’s Fairways Less Travelled… The Hidden Gems… The Jewels… The Unsung Heroes… whatever you want to call them... is now complete.

So here is the final list of Ireland’s 20 best golf courses that rarely get the credit or coverage they deserve.

I’m sure that you have plenty of hidden Irish gems that you’d like to add… please feel free to do so in the Comments section.

I would like to thank everyone who entered the draws, and I would especially like to thank the golf clubs who donated free fourballs for this blog to give away. Eighteen of the 20 clubs donated. Many thanks for your generosity.

Green Fee Winner For Ireland's 1st Ranked Hidden Parkland - Rathcore

Edward O'Keeffe wins the fourball for Rathcore.

Beware that third hole Edward... and let us know how you get on. If there's no one in front of you, take a second ball and aim a drive over the gorse, just for a laugh. Then figure out how offline you were!

Ireland's Top Ten Hidden Golf Courses (Parkland) - No. 1

The par three 11th

Perhaps the hardest part of creating this list was deciding what comprised a ‘hidden gem’... a Fairway Less Travelled. 

Can Carne still be called hidden? Can Concra Wood or Bunclody or even Headfort? Both Connemara and Dooks don’t make the mainstream, but does that qualify them for this list? What about Carlow? It is one of our greatest parkland classics but it seems to have been forgotten in the melee of glamorous newer courses.

The Curse of the Celtic Tiger on Irish Golf

Dunmurry Springs, par three 15th, green to tee

I had a good-natured Twitter spat with someone the other day, regarding the cost of green fees at Ireland's golf courses. He was English and he said that it was time for Ireland's golf courses to 'get their prices right and not rip off (golf tourists) like the past'.

An unfair comment on three fronts:

1. Green fee prices have fallen dramatically in the past four years (frequently by 40-50%)
2. There has ALWAYS been value in Irish golf... if you knew where to look
3. GB green fees are not exactly 'bargains'

'Sadly, damage was done when Eire courses priced us brits out of the market' was one of his comments, implying that golfers from Great Britain turned away from Ireland as a golfing destination when the Celtic Tiger ran rampant. The figures bear it out too, with GB golfing tourist numbers declining after 2008. Even today, when almost every other market is delivering growth, GB numbers remain in the doldrums. It is worth remembering, too, that golfers from GB once made up 66% of all visiting golfers.

So, what next?

Top 10 Irish Golf Courses and Summer Rates

The sun has clearly gone to their heads

All this great weather has inspired the Irish to go out and
soak up the nation's stock of ice cream, instead of sun screen. It has also seen our golf courses enjoying the best summer footfall in years. Who wouldn't want to be out on a golf course under these skies.

I saw a K Club offer on the back of the Irish Times yesterday - I use the term 'offer' loosely - and it got me thinking about how much it will cost to play Ireland's best parkland golf courses this sumer. Here are my Top 10.

Modern Masterpieces of Irish Golf – Parkland

From Guest Blogger, Rory, a review of five of Ireland's most modern golfing parklands.

This is a follow-up to Rory’s blog on Ireland’s Links Masterpieces

The Emerald Isle is home to some of the most traditional golf courses in Europe; courses that are rooted in history and a great reminder of where the game has come from. The likes of Ballybunion and Lahinch have long been flying the flag for Irish Golf but, in recent years a number of new, younger courses have come to the fore, helping Ireland maintain its position as one of the best golf destinations in the world. Here are five of the best parkland courses to have joined the Irish Golf party in recent years and why they are a must for golf aficionados. 

RTE Radio 1 Saturday Sport Interview: 26/11/11

[Photo: Adare's par five 18th. The course is ranked 10th in Ireland]

I was invited onto the Saturday Sport show to discuss the merits & shortcomings of the recent Golf Digest Ireland Top 100 course rankings. Des Cahill, Greg Allen, myself and Linton Walsh, the magazine's editor, were gathered around the desk. It was fascinating to hear, direct from the horse's mouth, how the ranking process worked.

There are problems implicit in any ranking process: ask one person and it is too subjective; ask 50 people and the result is diluted. As an example, if you asked 20 people to rank Mount Juliet, and ten said it was No. 1, and ten said it was No. 100, what do you do? If you divide the result, and put it at 50 then no one is happy. Rankings are merely a list, not a bible! They are something to be used as a reference point and to spark debate... nothing more.Linton described how the process has evolved over the years: there were only 5 people on the panel in the first year (hence a 20% weighting per person), versus 11 this year (a 9% weighting per person), which includes 'one' vote from a panel of 25 'ordinary' golfers. There have also been changes to how points are awarded.

But the difficulty with changing the process is that the rankings are going to change too. It's a balancing act and the magazine needs to establish a happy medium that delivers a consistent approach, year after year... of course, the danger there is that you end up with exactly the same ranking year after year, and who wants that!

[Photo: Rathcore's par three gem, the 16th]

Greg certainly was taking issue with aspects of the ranking, namely the huge shift in the position of Old Head of Kinsale over the last three years (down 5 to No. 29 in 2009, down another 18 to No. 47 in 2010, yet up 23 to No. 24 in 2011). There are also 20 courses that have moved by 10 places or more, which is a significant shift no matter how you look at it.
When these two had finished, it was my turn. Des asked me about Hooked, which I wasn't really expecting.

It was a great plug - the audience is 100,000 strong - and I ended up reminiscing about freezing nights in a camper van and playing beautiful Portumna surrounded by deer. I got to say a good bit about Scrabo - a course that has never been near the top 100, but is one of my favourite experiences of all time - and also Rathcore - a course that was No. 65 a few years back and is now, oddly, nowhere to be seen.

The truth is, I don't agree with the GDI rankings, but that is MY opinion. Greg and I would argue all day long over Portmarnock's position at No. 2, and I didn't much fancy the way he was reaching for his 7 iron when I suggested it wouldn't even make my top ten... but that's what rankings are about: opinions.

[Photo: Scrabo's brilliant opening par 4 hole]

It was a 20 minute discussion, and if you’re interested in listening to it, get yourself onto http://www.rte.ie/player/# and click on ‘Radio’ in the top menu bar. That should bring up a new page, where you click the RTE Radio 1 circle, and then type in Saturday Sport in the ‘Search’ bar, which brings up all the recent shows. Still with me? Click play for the 26/11/11 entry and then go all the way forward to the 02:55:30 time mark. Hard work, I know, but who said life was easy.

If for nothing else it is interesting to hear Linton describe the process… and you should have seen the size of the folder he had with him, containing all the course assessments. The man came prepared.

Doors Closing on Ireland’s Golf Courses

[Photo: Approach to Bunclody's par four 2nd. Plans to build houses here have evaporated somewhat, but the course is superb]

The writing on the wall started in early 2008, when some of the hotly anticipated golf course developments began to falter. Padraig Harrington’s Marlbrook, Retief Goosen’s Carrig Glas, Ernie Els’ Kilmore Quay were just a few.

In the Celtic Tiger years the new style and raison d’etre of many golf courses was no longer golf… it was to add sex appeal to a property development. Houses, not golf, were centre stage and names like Harrington and Goosen were being spread about like honey for the bees. And we were the bees being sucked in. In the boom times, people found this irresistible.

So, when the property market went belly-up, thanks to our bankers and our government (with an honourable mention to the world economy), these courses were the first to die a painful and public death.

The Numbers Game

Then it came down to clock-watching because surely some of Ireland’s new courses would flounder as well. Of the little economics that I recall from my college days, I remember that supply vs. demand is at the heart of survival. At the start of 2010 there were 352 eighteen hole golf courses in Ireland. That is an increase of 139 courses (or 65%) since 1990. The number of people playing the game also increased over the period, by close to 100%.

To put that in numbers (from the GUI), there were 111,000 GUI members in Ireland in 1990. At its peak, in 2007, there were over 209,000 members. It appeared, statistically at least, that demand and supply were matching each other.

[Photo: Approach to Limerick County's par four 12th]

But at the end of 2007, there was a parting of the ways. While the number of courses continued to rise, the numbers playing golf began to fall. 8,000 golfers dropped off the membership in 2008, and 2009 saw a further decline. The number for 2010 has not yet been compiled. With this shift in demand, somewhere a club had to break.

[Photo: Approach to Killeen Castle's par five 12th. Host to the Solheim Cup in 2011]

Courses in Trouble

Luttrellstown led the pack but survived at the last moment, becoming a pay-and-play course from the start of 2010. As one of Dublin’s best parkland tracks it has been doing very well since this repositioning. Elsewhere, there was a wave of receiverships, banks withdrawing loan facilities or cash simply drying up. Tulfarris, Citywest, Beaufort, Moyvalley, New Forest, Knockanally, Macreddin, Kilkea Castle and Turvey had their troubles. Sadly, but not surprisingly, rumours started about other courses like Rathcore, Farnham Castle, Killeen Castle and Galway Bay, simply because they were new, were closed for upgrading, or because someone heard it from a friend of a friend of a friend. Rathcore is one of my favourites and in the next edition of Hooked I have added four words to my review: ‘best value in Ireland’. It is not, I have been assured by Rathcore’s Austin Lyons, in any trouble.

[Photo: The par four 6th at Rathcore]

Then the courses in receivership started to operate like hotels in similar circumstances: undercutting their rivals with cheap rates to attract the punters. Some posters on boards.ie had a dig at Tulfarris, saying it was terrible that people were visiting the club at the expense of others. I agree and disagree. By keeping a course open it keeps people employed and keeps paid up members happy. Surely that’s a good thing… or is it?

The trouble is that when courses like Tulfarris get ‘propped up’ by the receiver, it is to make as much cash as possible to pay off creditors. This is harsh on nearby courses who are using a traditional business model of a members club, and simply can’t justify dropping their green fees to the same levels – especially when green fees across Ireland have already dropped by over 50% in places. Tulfarris is a beautiful course in a stunning location and it would be a shame to lose it. But now it comes down to the receivers, and the number of green fee-paying golfers who want to pay €30.

The Changing Face of Golf

Of course, clubs running out of, or owing, money is only one factor in the evolving golfing market. There are golfers who simply can’t afford to play any more, while other golfers have realised that the fall in green fees and the highly resistant annual subs make going it alone a viable and attractive proposition. Why pay the annual sub for 30 to 40 rounds of golf at the same course when you could take that money (which doesn’t have to be paid as a lump sum) and spread it around different courses, all of which are offering excellent value for money? You can get out on good courses for €20 to €30 these days, or you can splash out for €60. I know someone will argue that giving up GUI membership means giving up an official handicap (and competition entry rights) and that getting on to a golf course at weekends is difficult… but let’s not forget how eager many courses are for green fees and how many golfers will go out and play when the smallest opportunity presents itself (or when a mate is paying).

[Photo: sun sets over par three 14th at Moyvalley, where the joining fee was once €75,000]

There is a flip side to this too: some courses are now reducing or waiving their joining/entrance fee, in order to attract members. And it is working. Gone are the €75,000s and €40,000s… now if you want to pay the annual sub you’re usually welcomed with open arms at the middle and lower tier clubs.

Doors Finally Close

Despite some of these positive moves by clubs, things have finally come to a head, and January sees the start of the closures. At least two courses have closed (possibly three) and, sadly, one of them is a favourite of mine. Limerick County had a lot going for it… but not enough money. It may re-open under new management and I hope that it does, because it has more adventure than any of its neighbours.

[Photo: Approach to Limerick County's par four 5th]

Turvey, in north Dublin, also closed. If you turn up for a round you’ll encounter security guards. It’s a shame. When I played it in 2008, they were working on one of the holes – an investment that will never be realised. At least members have plenty of alternative clubs to choose from, with Beaverstown, Balcarrick, Donabate, The Island and Corballis all nearby.

Is this the beginning of the end? Of course not. There are too many stalwarts striding the fairways for the game to be damaged irrevocably, and while some more courses will have to go, hundreds will remain. As long as these clubs learn to adapt to the changing times we now face, golf will remain strong in Ireland.

[Photo: Approach to Lough Erne's par four 2nd - the last of the BIG courses to be built on the island]

After all of that, I will add that Rathfarnham – a 14 hole golf course – is currently looking for a General Manager.

Rathcore - Gerry Kelly is a bandit

[Photo: Rathcore's par four 15th]

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited onto a lunchtime radio show to do an interview about my book. It was my first radio interview so I was nervous – a bit ‘deer in the headlights’ – but Gerry Kelly, LMFM’s afternoon DJ, was very friendly and calmed me down with half a dozen valium*.

So, the interview was great fun, and Gerry raised the subject of great courses in Louth and Meath (hence ‘LM’ FM) He threw Rathcore GC at me, and I went off on one as I love the place. He said he’d been invited down by the club’s owners (the Lyons cousins) when the club first opened in 2004. He didn’t make it and he was still itching to play. So I arranged a game with him, OK’d it all with the Lyons and we played on Wednesday, in an Open event.

First things first: Gerry is a member of Baltray, so even off 18 he’s going to be reasonably handy. Then there’s the matter of his 21 year old son, who plays off +2, so there must be some sporting pedigree in there somewhere. Third, in preparation for Rathcore, he ‘warmed up’ at Portmarnock Old.

[Photo: Mick drives off the par four 5th]

Our fourball was completed by my buddy Fin, and the great Mick Lyons himself (for those not in the know, Mick was captain with Meath when they won the football All-Ireland in 1987). It was a fourball and there was no money involved – and for that, I am still grateful. Myself and Fin took on the Louth/Meath boys. It wasn’t pretty. In fairness, none of us played well, but when you play a course this good it never seems to matter. It was Fin’s first visit too, so it was intriguing to hear his and Gerry’s reactions as we played each new hole. They were both impressed. Gerry starting plotting his next trip (with eircom’s golf society) before we’d finished the front 9, and Fin laid down the biggest plaudit of all when he said “I’ll have to bring Mike here.” Mike is a friend from New York who plays links courses, almost exclusively, but I think he’ll like Rathcore too. It’s just so different to typical parkland courses.

Neither pair rushed to hand in their scorecard, but it was my first round, in three attempts, when I haven’t lost a ball so I was happy enough. Although Fin who had no balls (!) lost several of mine which he’d ‘borrowed’. And he also struggled several times during the round as his brother-in-law had ‘borrowed’ his eight iron and ‘forgotten’ to put it back. It’s amazing how often you need the club that’s missing from your bag.

So, back to bandit Gerry: I’m not suggesting he ripped the course apart – Rathcore is too challenging if it’s your first visit – but he nailed some great drives, had a handful of birdie putts and generally showed that with a bit more dedication – he’d get far lower than 18. On the 187 yard par three 16^th, I hit a three iron into the wind, pin high; Gerry hit a five iron. I’m still muttering under my breath about that one.

It was another great day, it cost €20 a man, and it is the best value you’re going to find anywhere. Fin has vowed to be back – quite a promise considering he lives in the US – and I left Mick and Gerry discussing the best days/times to bring the Eircom society.

And finally, Gerry, if you read this – I still have your 15^th club in my bag. Apologies – we’ll have to play again sometime soon.

* I’m joking about the valium of course but, as a complete aside, when my sister was doing her Leaving Cert 20 years ago, she was fretting so much the day before her exams that the school nurse gave her valium. Interesting choice – but my sister did really well!