Ireland on a budget, April 2024

[Jimi Thing]

I got invited by my buddy to join him on a week golf trip to Ireland Mid April 2024. He recently moved to France and is going to take the Ferry into Cork. The trip will be on a budget, financial priorities with young families are elsewhere. And I am seeking some advice. 

 

We have the south-west area in mind. We have a car allowing us to travel freely. Generally in April, green fees are a bit more friendly priced but my impression is that if we want to have some budget days (sub 100e rounds of golf) the links courses are not within reach. 

 

My concern is that course conditions on non links courses in April might be pretty bad, muddy. So what is described as hidden gems the rest of the year, is that still a fun experience in April or will it be miserable? And we will splurge on 1 top links course, possibly Ballybunion. 

 

Any input on courses to take into consideration or areas that we need to be is very welcome. 

 

Thanks for any input! 

 

 

[jvincent]

I have been to Ireland twice in April and will be going again next year.

 

Conditions both times I have been have been terrific, with the caveat that we played links courses. That said, unless they have an unusually wet March/April you will probably be fine.

 

When we went to the that area we played mostly the top rated courses (Ballybunion, Lahinch, Tralee) but also played Cork and Dingle. We quite enjoyed both of those. I've not played Dooks, but it has pretty good reviews.

[Jimi Thing]

32 minutes ago, jvincent said:

I have been to Ireland twice in April and will be going again next year.

 

Conditions both times I have been have been terrific, with the caveat that we played links courses. That said, unless they have an unusually wet March/April you will probably be fine.

 

When we went to the that area we played mostly the top rated courses (Ballybunion, Lahinch, Tralee) but also played Cork and Dingle. We quite enjoyed both of those. I've not played Dooks, but it has pretty good reviews.

Thanks! That sounds promising. My buddy is not a big links fan, we will end up playing a mix of links and parkland. 

[hammergolf]

3 hours ago, Jimi Thing said:

I got invited by my buddy to join him on a week golf trip to Ireland Mid April 2024. He recently moved to France and is going to take the Ferry into Cork. The trip will be on a budget, financial priorities with young families are elsewhere. And I am seeking some advice. 

 

We have the south-west area in mind. We have a car allowing us to travel freely. Generally in April, green fees are a bit more friendly priced but my impression is that if we want to have some budget days (sub 100e rounds of golf) the links courses are not within reach. 

 

My concern is that course conditions on non links courses in April might be pretty bad, muddy. So what is described as hidden gems the rest of the year, is that still a fun experience in April or will it be miserable? And we will splurge on 1 top links course, possibly Ballybunion. 

 

Any input on courses to take into consideration or areas that we need to be is very welcome. 

 

Thanks for any input! 

 

 

Hello @Jimi Thing the good news is there are many options for golf on a budget. However, not so much in the Southwest. Not sure if you’re tied to staying in cork, but  If you go up the east coast a little north to County Wicklow there are many GREAT options. 
 

Rosslare Golf Club (2.5hrs from Cork) is a great links course about €60 

Arklow is another great links course about 1 hr from Rosslare for €50

Macreddin Golf Club (25 mins from Arklow) is a hidden gem parkland course for €40

Wicklow is an amazing cliff top course about 30 mins from Arklow for €50

Palmerstown House is another great parkland course an hour from Arklow for €50

Powerscourt is another great parkland option 40 minutes from Arklow for €50

Rathsallagh would be another great parkland option about an hour from Arklow for €40

 

If you have any other questions, let me know. Thank for all your help with Portugal.

 

 

 

[Chanceman]

+1 for Macreddin. 

[Jimi Thing]

7 hours ago, hammergolf said:

Hello @Jimi Thing the good news is there are many options for golf on a budget. However, not so much in the Southwest. Not sure if you’re tied to staying in cork, but  If you go up the east coast a little north to County Wicklow there are many GREAT options. 
 

Rosslare Golf Club (2.5hrs from Cork) is a great links course about €60 

Arklow is another great links course about 1 hr from Rosslare for €50

Macreddin Golf Club (25 mins from Arklow) is a hidden gem parkland course for €40

Wicklow is an amazing cliff top course about 30 mins from Arklow for €50

Palmerstown House is another great parkland course an hour from Arklow for €50

Powerscourt is another great parkland option 40 minutes from Arklow for €50

Rathsallagh would be another great parkland option about an hour from Arklow for €40

 

If you have any other questions, let me know. Thank for all your help with Portugal.

 

 

 

Thanks so much!! This is great input and might actually be a much more realistic option for our situation. The good thing is that there is a boat into Rosslare so that could fairly easily be our starting point rather than Cork. I'll be flying into Dublin myself and this seems like a very manageable way to go about it. 

 

And if we were to splurge on one of the top courses in the area, would you have a recommendation?

 

Thanks again!

[hammergolf]

9 hours ago, Jimi Thing said:

Thanks so much!! This is great input and might actually be a much more realistic option for our situation. The good thing is that there is a boat into Rosslare so that could fairly easily be our starting point rather than Cork. I'll be flying into Dublin myself and this seems like a very manageable way to go about it. 

 

And if we were to splurge on one of the top courses in the area, would you have a recommendation?

 

Thanks again!

If you want links in County Wicklow, you have The European Club. If you want parkland you gave Druids Glen. If you’re looking a little closer to Dublin you have more options.

For links you have Portmarnock or The Island

For Parkland you have K Club, Hermitage,  Luttrellstown Castle, and Carton House

 

If I was going to pick my favorites it would be Druids Glen for Parkland and The Island for links.

[Jimi Thing]

1 hour ago, hammergolf said:

If you want links in County Wicklow, you have The European Club. If you want parkland you gave Druids Glen. If you’re looking a little closer to Dublin you have more options.

For links you have Portmarnock or The Island

For Parkland you have K Club, Hermitage,  Luttrellstown Castle, and Carton House

 

If I was going to pick my favorites it would be Druids Glen for Parkland and The Island for links.

Thank you, very helpful input. By now we have indeed made the decision to move up from Cork rather than west. The courses you shared are on the list, we are working on an itenerary. Excited! Played a lot of golf in Surrey England, Ireland is going to be a first!

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, Jimi Thing said:

Thank you, very helpful input. By now we have indeed made the decision to move up from Cork rather than west. The courses you shared are on the list, we are working on an itenerary. Excited! Played a lot of golf in Surrey England, Ireland is going to be a first!

You’re very welcome.

[El Gringo]

If you are on a budget near Dublin then Corballis is the best shout by a country mile. Laytown and Bettystown used to be considerably cheaper than the big guns near Dublin. Same for Seapoint.

Edited October 25, 2023 by El Gringo

[Jimi Thing]

So the trip is shaping up. Flight and Ferry booked, we have an Airbnb just outside of Arklow for the week. The plan is to play:

 

Mount Julliet, macrredin, the European, Arklow, rathsallagh, wicklow, Bunclody and Carlow. 
 

Thanks for the input, look very much forward to this. 

 

[hammergolf]

26 minutes ago, Jimi Thing said:

So the trip is shaping up. Flight and Ferry booked, we have an Airbnb just outside of Arklow for the week. The plan is to play:

 

Mount Julliet, macrredin, the European, Arklow, rathsallagh, wicklow, Bunclody and Carlow. 
 

Thanks for the input, look very much forward to this. 

 

Awesome! Can’t wait to read about it.

[Ireland2]

On 10/27/2023 at 6:00 AM, Jimi Thing said:

So the trip is shaping up. Flight and Ferry booked, we have an Airbnb just outside of Arklow for the week. The plan is to play:

 

Mount Julliet, macrredin, the European, Arklow, rathsallagh, wicklow, Bunclody and Carlow. 
 

Thanks for the input, look very much forward to this. 

 

That is not a bad budget trip. Carlow is on sand so should be pretty dry. A very good course. Maccreddin (not a fan), Rathsallagh and Bunclody could be pretty wet underfoot but the latter two are pretty decent courses. Same with Mount Juliet.

 

Wicklow is an average course but some great scenery and quirky holes.

 

European and Arklow are your two links courses and will be dry.

 

One thing I would change is swapping in Cork GC if that is where you are ferrying in to. Will also be drier and some pretty nifty design. Would swap out Maccreddin or Wicklow personally.

 

 

[Jimi Thing]

2 hours ago, Ireland2 said:

That is not a bad budget trip. Carlow is on sand so should be pretty dry. A very good course. Maccreddin (not a fan), Rathsallagh and Bunclody could be pretty wet underfoot but the latter two are pretty decent courses. Same with Mount Juliet.

 

Wicklow is an average course but some great scenery and quirky holes.

 

European and Arklow are your two links courses and will be dry.

 

One thing I would change is swapping in Cork GC if that is where you are ferrying in to. Will also be drier and some pretty nifty design. Would swap out Maccreddin or Wicklow personally.

 

 

Hi @Ireland2, thanks for your input. We have had some changes to the course list in the mean time. My buddy eventually is not willing to swallow 290e for a round of golf at the European. We have decided to swap it for Rosslare links. Also, he is not a big fan of links golf so we go 5 parks courses and 3 links

 

He is ferrying in to Cork, I'm flying into Dublin and we decided to book accommodation 5min from Maccredin for the week.

 

I had concerns about course conditions in April but it will be what it will be. We have not made final reservations for the courses, so some flexibility still. When it comes to Wicklow, I don't see a whole lot of other links courses, with reasonable ratings that could take it's place within say 1-1,5hr drive. Blainroe golf could be an option, but it appears to be more parksland and less dramatic in setting as Wicklow is. 

 

When it comes to Parkland, there is an abundance of courses. I compared ratings on a couple of different websites and basically took the ones with the best averages out of those. Others in consideration where Tulfaris golf, Woodenbridge, powerscourt or palmerstownhouse. But based on internet research these all seemed good parkland courses where conditioning typically is good and it comes down to personal preference almost which ones make it to the top of the list. 

 

If we decide to up the golfbudget Druids Glen comes to mind as well. 

 

But in case there are any glaring missing courses on this list, please let me know while keeping in mind it will have to be a golf budget trip. 

 

Thanks for all the help and input 

[Jimi Thing]

Oh yeah, forget to mention: Bunclody was chosen on day 1 merely because of it's name. Turns out it is a pretty decent track. 

[hammergolf]

2 hours ago, Jimi Thing said:

Hi @Ireland2, thanks for your input. We have had some changes to the course list in the mean time. My buddy eventually is not willing to swallow 290e for a round of golf at the European. We have decided to swap it for Rosslare links. Also, he is not a big fan of links golf so we go 5 parks courses and 3 links

 

He is ferrying in to Cork, I'm flying into Dublin and we decided to book accommodation 5min from Maccredin for the week.

 

I had concerns about course conditions in April but it will be what it will be. We have not made final reservations for the courses, so some flexibility still. When it comes to Wicklow, I don't see a whole lot of other links courses, with reasonable ratings that could take it's place within say 1-1,5hr drive. Blainroe golf could be an option, but it appears to be more parksland and less dramatic in setting as Wicklow is. 

 

When it comes to Parkland, there is an abundance of courses. I compared ratings on a couple of different websites and basically took the ones with the best averages out of those. Others in consideration where Tulfaris golf, Woodenbridge, powerscourt or palmerstownhouse. But based on internet research these all seemed good parkland courses where conditioning typically is good and it comes down to personal preference almost which ones make it to the top of the list. 

 

If we decide to up the golfbudget Druids Glen comes to mind as well. 

 

But in case there are any glaring missing courses on this list, please let me know while keeping in mind it will have to be a golf budget trip. 

 

Thanks for all the help and input 

Is your friend picking you up in Dublin? If so, go play Corballis. It’s 15 mins from the airport It’s a great bargain for €30. It’s a quick fun round since it’s a par 66. Has a couple ho hum holes, but 14 really good links holes as well. It’s a great links right on the ocean. Druids is really good, especially after they just put €10 million into the redesign. They took a great course and made it better. 

[Jimi Thing]

@hammergolf, we are actually meeting in Kilkenny. I was considering arriving a day early and playing the island by myself. But flying in kate night, hotel in Dublin and train to Kilkenny next day to play our first course Mount Julliet in the afternoon. 

[El Gringo]

11 hours ago, Jimi Thing said:

Hi @Ireland2, thanks for your input. We have had some changes to the course list in the mean time. My buddy eventually is not willing to swallow 290e for a round of golf at the European. We have decided to swap it for Rosslare links. Also, he is not a big fan of links golf so we go 5 parks courses and 3 links

 

He is ferrying in to Cork, I'm flying into Dublin and we decided to book accommodation 5min from Maccredin for the week.

 

I had concerns about course conditions in April but it will be what it will be. We have not made final reservations for the courses, so some flexibility still. When it comes to Wicklow, I don't see a whole lot of other links courses, with reasonable ratings that could take it's place within say 1-1,5hr drive. Blainroe golf could be an option, but it appears to be more parksland and less dramatic in setting as Wicklow is. 

 

When it comes to Parkland, there is an abundance of courses. I compared ratings on a couple of different websites and basically took the ones with the best averages out of those. Others in consideration where Tulfaris golf, Woodenbridge, powerscourt or palmerstownhouse. But based on internet research these all seemed good parkland courses where conditioning typically is good and it comes down to personal preference almost which ones make it to the top of the list. 

 

If we decide to up the golfbudget Druids Glen comes to mind as well. 

 

But in case there are any glaring missing courses on this list, please let me know while keeping in mind it will have to be a golf budget trip. 

 

Thanks for all the help and input 

Wait. Your mate is not a fan of links and is going to Ireland for golf in April? Ireland is 99% about links…especially in April. I hope it works out.

[Jimi Thing]

I know😀 but we will be fine. Worst case we'll be playing arklow each day as course conditions elsewhere don’t allow play. 

[Jimi Thing]

Itenerary is completed. It will be:

Mount Julliet

The European

Druids Glenn

Arklow 

Maccredin

Carlow

Rosslare

Bunclody

 

Very much looking forward to this. Just a week to go and the weather forecast looks promising. 

[Chanceman]

1 hour ago, Jimi Thing said:

Itenerary is completed. It will be:

Mount Julliet

The European

Druids Glenn

Arklow 

Maccredin

Carlow

Rosslare

Bunclody

 

Very much looking forward to this. Just a week to go and the weather forecast looks promising. 

I like it. Macreddin is terrific. 

[Jimi Thing]

We completed a marvelous trip to Ireland, thought I would post some impressions from our trip for others to possibly use as information in their planning.

 

We were based about 1 hour south of Dublin close to Arklow and played courses in the area. We ended up playing:

 

Macrredin, Mount Julliet, Druids Glen, Rosslare golf Links, Bunclody, The European and Arklow links.

 

We were extremely lucky with the weather. We had rain on the first day visiting Macrredin and maybe a hole of rain on Druids glen, other than that it was perfect. And even though you prepare yourself for rain, golf is just easier and more fun without rain. I guess if you're an experienced rain player you have your set up organized in a way that you can easily access what you need, while keeping your stuff dry. I got there by the end of day 1.

 

Anyway, Macrredin. I loved the lay out. Many strong holes, couple on the front 9 that were sort of on a side hill that were OK, not great. But wonderful views across the valley, lots of dog legs, water in play in the right places and quality of the greens was excellent. Recurring theme for all the courses we played except Arklow who just cut and sanded the greens. We were suffering at Macrredin a bit due to the significant amount of rain they had had. Rough had not been cut for a very long time. Just the slightest bit offline was proper chance for lost ball, if you found it, well good luck getting it out.

 

Mount Juliet, the property and experience was upscale. Being welcomed by a gentleman with a high hat is just fun. Everything in pristine conditions, greens were marvelous and it is a lush estate. However, I think I was slightly underwhelmed by the course. The greens, great condition but for a European tour venue I was surprised by how little action there was. Apart from the stretch from holes 2-5 there were few holes that really stood out to me. They were nice, and maybe if the park is in full foliage it would impress more, but it was just a good golf course in really good condition.

 

Druids Glen. Different level, plain and simple. I can remember each and every hole and probably will so for the rest of my life. What a beauty. Augusta vibes, a little bit. But wonderful par 3's, really good green complexes and surrounds. The whole venue is just striking, many strong holes, a proper test but very playable. But just the setting of the holes, it was absolutely gorgeous. Can't find the words to describe it properly it was just that good. Only point of critique was the quality of the greens. Still very good but sanded a little bit and when the rest is perfect, this was just not perfect. But the greens themselves were very interesting. The greens were a test in themselves and never got that feeling at Mount Julliet.

 

Rosslare links. A true links 9 out, 9 in. Played very different into versus wind in the back. Good greens again, linksy links course of a local town. Very local feel, very welcoming place, people extremely friendly. Nice all around, fairly open, different experience to the links at the European where each hole is a domain of it's own almost. At Rosslare you always have a lot of course and holes to play with.

 

Bunclody, parkland which was still very wet. Good course, but nothing really stood out to me. But a lot of that is due to having played Mount Juliet and Druids Glen before that. They are in the top tier of Parkland and this was a good local Parkland course. Good greens again but just very wet. Possibly my least favorite.

 

The European. This was the nr1 for me in the end. Could write for hours about this. It did not start that way. Club is empty on arrival, 2 cars in the car park. 1 person in the pro-shop, another one in the restaurant and we see 1 green keeper when we hit the range. The place is empty and feels deserted. But the first glimpses we get are very promising. We get ready to go to the first tee when a gentleman in a cart and a walking stick drives up and starts a conversation. Little did I know, this was Pat Ruddy, owner and designer of the course as he is designer of many top courses in Ireland. Starts his introduction to the course, why they have 20 holes, why they have a 127 yard green on the 12th (to re-instate the art of the good 3 putt) and he just gives us a warm welcome to his place. He also explains why he chooses for the course to be played very little and has only 82 members. That kicks off the round for us and I felt welcome and priveliged to be playing there. And what a course it was, absolutely amazing. Each hole it's own amphitheater within the dunes. You hardly see any other holes other than the hole you are playing, makes for a wonderful peaceful experience. The bunkering is impressive and intimidating. All bunkers have wooden faces and the sand is extremely thin. It is easy to thin shots out of it and you are very aware that the slightest mistake might cause physical harm. There has not been a course where I have tried so hard to not get in the bunker. Very conservative as well as very aggressive from the tee to take the bunkers out of play. The entire setting is just gorgeous. They added 2 par 3 holes, 7a and 12a, just because it does not make sense to walk between the green and the tee box for 130 yards just put a hole in there. A lot more enjoyable. So we played 20 holes. My buddy makes a hole in 1 on 7a rewarded with a flag in the pro shop. Costing him zip in the clubhouse as there was nobody there:). We spent at least 30 minutes at the green of hole 12, putting from 1 end of the green to the other, just playing around. And that is what is wonderful, the course is just marvelous and you have it to yourself, you can take as long as you want, picnic after each hole if you like, take a dip in the sea, whatever. Just no rush, play around. We ran into 1 of the 82 members and that was the only other golfer out there for the entire day. With this little play and the level of conditioning they are after it is safe to say that this was the most amazing course we have played. Closely followed by Druids Glen. If I had to choose on what I want to play daily, Druids Glen would be my choice. The European is spectacular, but on many days will be a brutal test. We stopped keeping score at the European quickly and the focus became on playing the course, making the shots.

But building a score with the wind, the bunkering and the brutal rough is just something else.

 

Last day was at Arklow links. We played the open comp with 2 members. A very open links course which can in it's entirety be seen from the clubhouse which sits up high at a dune. This was the best experience of what golf is in Ireland for the Irish. The clubhouse was filled with ladies playing bridge. It was a community experience. People gathered, played golf, did whatever but it was a place for people to get together. The members we played with were so welcoming as well as the people in the pro-shop / clubhouse (a common theme on all courses). But there is just nothing commercial about this type of golf. You play it for $40, the course is a good links course but the experience is just wonderful, you don’t feel a customer, you feel like a golfer. Not as spectacular as the European but on it's own at least as nice an experience.

Edited Tuesday at 09:25 AM by Jimi Thing

[ESOX ZO]

Sounds like a hell of a trip, pretty cool Pat Ruddy was there to talk about the course a bit! 

 

Arklow sounds like a place my wife and I could be a member at no doubt. We leave for our trip in 31 days! 

[hammergolf]

5 hours ago, Jimi Thing said:

We completed a marvelous trip to Ireland, thought I would post some impressions from our trip for others to possibly use as information in their planning.

 

We were based about 1 hour south of Dublin close to Arklow and played courses in the area. We ended up playing:

 

Macrredin, Mount Julliet, Druids Glen, Rosslare golf Links, Bunclody, The European and Arklow links.

 

We were extremely lucky with the weather. We had rain on the first day visiting Macrredin and maybe a hole of rain on Druids glen, other than that it was perfect. And even though you prepare yourself for rain, golf is just easier and more fun without rain. I guess if you're an experienced rain player you have your set up organized in a way that you can easily access what you need, while keeping your stuff dry. I got there by the end of day 1.

 

Anyway, Macrredin. I loved the lay out. Many strong holes, couple on the front 9 that were sort of on a side hill that were OK, not great. But wonderful views across the valley, lots of dog legs, water in play in the right places and quality of the greens was excellent. Recurring theme for all the courses we played except Arklow who just cut and sanded the greens. We were suffering at Macrredin a bit due to the significant amount of rain they had had. Rough had not been cut for a very long time. Just the slightest bit offline was proper chance for lost ball, if you found it, well good luck getting it out.

 

Mount Juliet, the property and experience was upscale. Being welcomed by a gentleman with a high hat is just fun. Everything in pristine conditions, greens were marvelous and it is a lush estate. However, I think I was slightly underwhelmed by the course. The greens, great condition but for a European tour venue I was surprised by how little action there was. Apart from the stretch from holes 2-5 there were few holes that really stood out to me. They were nice, and maybe if the park is in full foliage it would impress more, but it was just a good golf course in really good condition.

 

Druids Glen. Different level, plain and simple. I can remember each and every hole and probably will so for the rest of my life. What a beauty. Augusta vibes, a little bit. But wonderful par 3's, really good green complexes and surrounds. The whole venue is just striking, many strong holes, a proper test but very playable. But just the setting of the holes, it was absolutely gorgeous. Can't find the words to describe it properly it was just that good. Only point of critique was the quality of the greens. Still very good but sanded a little bit and when the rest is perfect, this was just not perfect. But the greens themselves were very interesting. The greens were a test in themselves and never got that feeling at Mount Julliet.

 

Rosslare links. A true links 9 out, 9 in. Played very different into versus wind in the back. Good greens again, linksy links course of a local town. Very local feel, very welcoming place, people extremely friendly. Nice all around, fairly open, different experience to the links at the European where each hole is a domain of it's own almost. At Rosslare you always have a lot of course and holes to play with.

 

Bunclody, parkland which was still very wet. Good course, but nothing really stood out to me. But a lot of that is due to having played Mount Juliet and Druids Glen before that. They are in the top tier of Parkland and this was a good local Parkland course. Good greens again but just very wet. Possibly my least favorite.

 

The European. This was the nr1 for me in the end. Could write for hours about this. It did not start that way. Club is empty on arrival, 2 cars in the car park. 1 person in the pro-shop, another one in the restaurant and we see 1 green keeper when we hit the range. The place is empty and feels deserted. But the first glimpses we get are very promising. We get ready to go to the first tee when a gentleman in a cart and a walking stick drives up and starts a conversation. Little did I know, this was Pat Ruddy, owner and designer of the course as he is designer of many top courses in Ireland. Starts his introduction to the course, why they have 20 holes, why they have a 127 yard green on the 12th (to re-instate the art of the good 3 putt) and he just gives us a warm welcome to his place. He also explains why he chooses for the course to be played very little and has only 82 members. That kicks off the round for us and I felt welcome and priveliged to be playing there. And what a course it was, absolutely amazing. Each hole it's own amphitheater within the dunes. You hardly see any other holes other than the hole you are playing, makes for a wonderful peaceful experience. The bunkering is impressive and intimidating. All bunkers have wooden faces and the sand is extremely thin. It is easy to thin shots out of it and you are very aware that the slightest mistake might cause physical harm. There has not been a course where I have tried so hard to not get in the bunker. Very conservative as well as very aggressive from the tee to take the bunkers out of play. The entire setting is just gorgeous. They added 2 par 3 holes, 7a and 12a, just because it does not make sense to walk between the green and the tee box for 130 yards just put a hole in there. A lot more enjoyable. So we played 20 holes. My buddy makes a hole in 1 on 7a rewarded with a flag in the pro shop. Costing him zip in the clubhouse as there was nobody there:). We spent at least 30 minutes at the green of hole 12, putting from 1 end of the green to the other, just playing around. And that is what is wonderful, the course is just marvelous and you have it to yourself, you can take as long as you want, picnic after each hole if you like, take a dip in the sea, whatever. Just no rush, play around. We ran into 1 of the 82 members and that was the only other golfer out there for the entire day. With this little play and the level of conditioning they are after it is safe to say that this was the most amazing course we have played. Closely followed by Druids Glen. If I had to choose on what I want to play daily, Druids Glen would be my choice. The European is spectacular, but on many days will be a brutal test. We stopped keeping score at the European quickly and the focus became on playing the course, making the shots.

But building a score with the wind, the bunkering and the brutal rough is just something else.

 

Last day was at Arklow links. We played the open comp with 2 members. A very open links course which can in it's entirety be seen from the clubhouse which sits up high at a dune. This was the best experience of what golf is in Ireland for the Irish. The clubhouse was filled with ladies playing bridge. It was a community experience. People gathered, played golf, did whatever but it was a place for people to get together. The members we played with were so welcoming as well as the people in the pro-shop / clubhouse (a common theme on all courses). But there is just nothing commercial about this type of golf. You play it for $40, the course is a good links course but the experience is just wonderful, you don’t feel a customer, you feel like a golfer. Not as spectacular as the European but on it's own at least as nice an experience.

GREAT trip! Sounds like the redesign at Druids made a great experience even better. Thanks for sharing.

[Jimi Thing]

3 hours ago, ESOX ZO said:

Sounds like a hell of a trip, pretty cool Pat Ruddy was there to talk about the course a bit! 

 

Arklow sounds like a place my wife and I could be a member at no doubt. We leave for our trip in 31 days! 

Enjoy. It was my first time in Ireland, but my impression is that Ireland is full of these kind of places. With a bit of planning you can be playing open comps on different courses daily. What amazed me is the pace of play, both comps we completed just within 4 hours. People move!

[Jimi Thing]

2 hours ago, hammergolf said:

GREAT trip! Sounds like the redesign at Druids made a great experience even better. Thanks for sharing.

It looks like it. Major redesign if 4 makes for a stunning hole now. And they did justice to the less is more approach. Cleared quite a bit of trees to open it up, aiding to the visuals. 
 

If I were to give advice to people that have to choose because of budget, I would advice to only play the European and Druids Glen rather than packing a week full of golf on courses a tier below that. Those courses in the end all blend in where those top courses truly are memories for life. 

[hammergolf]

41 minutes ago, Jimi Thing said:

It looks like it. Major redesign if 4 makes for a stunning hole now. And they did justice to the less is more approach. Cleared quite a bit of trees to open it up, aiding to the visuals. 
 

If I were to give advice to people that have to choose because of budget, I would advice to only play the European and Druids Glen rather than packing a week full of golf on courses a tier below that. Those courses in the end all blend in where those top courses truly are memories for life. 

I’m looking forward to seeing it post redesign. I may try to squeeze it in when I’m there in August. The changes made to 4, 5, and 13 are outstanding.