Golf Escapes 2009 - (Page 26) Ireland Ireland’s South Coast From historic links to golf on a private island only reached by ferry – the diverse South has it all. he South is a region of contrasts, from the windswept and rugged coast of Kerry and West Cork to the gentler landscapes of the south-east. Its golf courses also enjoy a variety of settings and provide golfers with a range of experiences – from putting on exposed greens of a links course on a rocky headland to sending drives on courses with fairways lined by mature trees or lorded over by a castle. Its famous courses trip off the tongue like the A-list to a golfer’s dream party: Ballybunion, Waterville the old stagers, still with the power to awe and inspire, while younger stars include Mt Juliet, Tralee and parkland courses Killarney and Fota Island. The Old Head of Kinsale would merit a place on sheer drama value, with its fairways and greens carved out of the rocky headland and draped alongside precipitous ledges. T Not all this region’s courses get the recognition they deserve, however. And these hidden gems are well worth a detour to play. Dooks Golf Club, in County Kerry, is one of Ireland’s oldest golf links. The game has been played in Dooks since 1889, when it was introduced to the local aristocracy by officers from the Royal Horse Artillery. The venerable links course is set out on one of three stretches of sand dunes at the head of Dingle Bay, with the sand dune peninsulas of Rossbeigh and Inch close by and the white-washed houses of Cromane fishing village just a few miles away. Originally a 9-hole course, another nine holes were added in 1970 and all 18 holes were revamped by Martin Hawtree in 2002. The Dingle Peninsula is home to another little-known beauty. Dingle (Ceann Sibeal) Golf Links is the most westerly course in Europe and unashamedly describes itself as “a golfing sanctuary where the Atlantic Ocean meets the WatErford CaStLE HotEL and GoLf CLub Mount WoLSELEY GoLf CLub One of Mount Wolseley’s picturesque lakes. Waterford Castle is Ireland’s only true island golf course. IRELAND SOUTH world’s most beautiful landscape” – a setting which incorporates a twisting, winding burn throughout and which offers views of Sybil Head, Brandon Mountain, the Blasket Islands, Slea Head, the Pilgrims’ Way and sparkling beaches. Between May and September handicaps of 24 for men and 36 for ladies are required to play. In the south-east, you can discover hidden delights such as St Helen’s Bay Golf Resort. This South Wexford facility also has on-site accommodation and recently added a 9-hole extension, which operates as the Tuskar Rock Golf Club – named after a nearby rock where a lighthouse was erected because of the ships it claimed en route between Liverpool and America. St Helen’s first opened in 1993 and enjoys a coastal setting just five minutes from the port of Rosslare and a two-hour drive from Dublin. The Christy O’Connor Jr-designed Mount Wolseley Golf Club opened in 1996 in the beautiful Carlow Countryside, an hour from Dublin. Enjoying spectacular views across the 26 Golf ESCAPES 2009
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