Recommendation for West Ireland

[swats]

So the wife and I are going back to Ireland since we were there last in 2001. That time we flew into Dublin and drove south and west. We played Waterville, Ballybunion and Lahinch and had a great time.

 

This time we will be going in March of 2010 and flying into Shannon and flying out of Dublin. I have already decided that we are going to play Royal County Down and Royal Portrush. My big decision is where to play in the west of Ireland. We really only have time for one round in the West and I am trying to decide between Carne, Enniscrone and Sligo (or anything near there). I am open to any recommendations.

[belmullet]

It's tough to recommend courses for other golfers. I would rank them in the order you listed them- Carne, Enniscrone and Sligo. They are all challenging- Carne quite remote, though all three are not that far from one another. Sligo seemed more "conventional" to me but I'm sure others would disagree. If you really liked Lahinch, I think yo would prefer Carne or Enniscrone, both of which are seen by some as a little extreme at times, like Lahinch. Both are links and sand hills Sligo has less of that sort of links feel. But I only played Sligo and Enniscrone once and I played Carne three times so I may be a bit prejudiced. I am also an international member at Carne (full disclosure). I don't think you would be disappointed with any of them- all fine courses with some very nice views.
Craig

[VOX]

I think Enniscrone is the greatest "secret" in Ireland

[puttnforthe8]

So if you only have time for 1 round why would you not play Donnbeg or Ballybunion...these would be my choices first and foremost.

Then you also have Lahinch.

[swats]

Thanks for the responses. I think I'm leaning towards Carne since I do like the somewhat wacky courses (like Wolf Creek in Mesquite) and they have very good rates (especially before 9am). I agree that I cannot go wrong between Carne, Enniscrone or Sligo.

puttn'

I did play Ballybunion and Lahinch the first time in Ireland and they were fantastic. This time I want to play different courses. Unfortunately, Doonbeg is a bit out of the way for the route we're taking.


Belmullet,

We'll probably be staying the first night in Westport. Realistically, how long do you think it will take to get to Carne from Westport?


Here is our rough itenerary so far (nothing's been booked except for the the rounds at Royal Portrush and Royal County Down)

Wednesday: Arriving at 8am. Drive from Shannon to Galway and explore a bit. Drive to Westport through the Connemara in the afternoon for some sightseeing. Stay in Westport.

Thursday: Play golf in the AM (probably at Carne). Explore the route to Sligo, stay the night in Sligo or Donegal if we're feeling ambitious.

Friday: Explore Donegal and the Northwest (just sightseeing), end up either in Derry or Portrush.

Saturday: Explore Belfast and Causeway coast, stay in Portrush.

Sunday: Either hang out or see any sights we didn't get to in the AM, play Royal Portrush in the afternoon.

Monday: Drive to Newcastle, explore on the way. Play Royal County Down on Monday afternoon, stay around Newcastle.

Tuesday: Drive to Dublin, see some sights along the way, fly out of Dublin in the afternoon. We're not spending that much time in Dublin since we explored Dublin on our last visit.

I realize that I could play at least a couple more times but, especially with the wife in tow, I think just playing three times is a good mix of golf and sightseeing.

[belmullet]

Westport to Carne- about 2 hours.

[cheapgolfsfinest]

Personally, swats, I'd go for Carne but it's a real 'spoilt for choice' scenario!

If you're based in Westport, though, do try [url="http://www.thehelm.info/"]The Helm[/url]. It's four years ago now since I was there but it was a great bar and eating establishment and if it's still run by Vinny Keogh, you're in good hands. Tell him that ex 'Sea Angler' writer Jeff Prest recommended it. Then try the monkfish...

[swats]

[quote name='cheapgolfsfinest' post='2075197' date='Nov 20 2009, 08:24 AM']Personally, swats, I'd go for Carne but it's a real 'spoilt for choice' scenario!

If you're based in Westport, though, do try [url="http://www.thehelm.info/"]The Helm[/url]. It's four years ago now since I was there but it was a great bar and eating establishment and if it's still run by Vinny Keogh, you're in good hands. Tell him that ex 'Sea Angler' writer Jeff Prest recommended it. Then try the monkfish...[/quote]

Excellent, thanks for the advice! We'll be sure to check it out.


belmullet, thanks again for the helpful info.

[parpar41]

[quote name='swats' post='2061013' date='Nov 12 2009, 06:37 PM']So the wife and I are going back to Ireland since we were there last in 2001. That time we flew into Dublin and drove south and west. We played Waterville, Ballybunion and Lahinch and had a great time.

This time we [b]will be going in March of 2010[/b] and flying into Shannon and flying out of Dublin. I have already decided that we are going to play Royal County Down and Royal Portrush. My big decision is where to play in the west of Ireland. We really only have time for one round in the West and I am trying to decide between Carne, Enniscrone and Sligo (or anything near there). I am open to any recommendations.[/quote]


What type of weather are you reasonably expecting in March ?

I played Carne in first week of October 2008; the course is as spectacular as everyone says ; I look forward to playing it again someday; the trick is, on the day we played, the wind was so strong it took swartznegger-type strength to even force open the door of the car when we arrived at the course; once on the course, the wind was more than often so strong there was really no possibility of making a back swing.

Part of Carne's charm and beauty is its remote location; I think that means the weather is also going to be iffy most of the time; I think the prospect of golf at Carne in March may be a stretch?

I would be very interested in hearing from any locals about March golf weather.

[belmullet]

I was there in May and the weather was an adventure. The worst round of my trip- weather-wise- was at Enniscrone. Rained the entire 18 holes with high winds and low visibility much of the time I played with an elderly French couple who lasted (to their credit) about 15 holes before giving up. I played the last two holes with three hardy Irishwomen who looked like they could play another 18!

I had pretty good weather at Carne, even the last round when I woke up to an absolute downpour that looked like it would never end. But I had learned enough about Irish weather not to give up. I had a leisurely breakfast, another pot of coffee, and sure enough, it cleared off and I played 18 holes without a drop of rain. The day before I had rain, wind, sun and even a hailstorm! But nothing lasted long. March might be colder which would make playing in the rain a bit more uncomfortable. But that's links golf, right?

Have a great trip!

[joe perry]

an idea might be to get an update on the condition of either carne or enniscrone before you book a tee time - i have heard that the course conditions at carne have been hit and miss since i played there in 2007

[puttnforthe8]

Quick Tip: Get yourself a nice flask and some good brandy or whiskey and pack it the bag....heck put the whole bottle if need be.

Makes the wind and the rain seem non-existant!

[swats]

Thanks for all of the replies and advice. I think given the potential weather and it being the slow season anyways, I will wait as long as I can to book a time at either place. That will keep things more flexible and I don't think I'll be missing out on anything if I wait.

Even if we don't get to play a third round it would still be ok. There's so much to see there, I can't wait!

[T_P]

Personally i think enniscrone is thee single most overrated golf course in ireland! However a real gem is Mervagh (Co. Donegal). It is a real test of golf. Check it out fantastic condition all year round

[spo1971]

So jealous of this trip! County Down is my favorite course in the world, and Portrush is way up there as this American Irishman made his first hole in one on the Dunluce Links in 2001! Have a great time.

[swats]

We had a fantastic time on our trip, great golf (and Guinness!)and incredible scenery. It was unforgettable. We ended up playing Carne our second day there. We were so tired the day before after arriving on no sleep at 8am local time. We still got to see Galway, the Connemara and Westport the first day but then had to crash early before any of the late night festivities. It was really offseason, no crowds or traffic.

Carne was great. We didn’t make a tee time and just showed up at around 10am. There were one or two other groups on the course the entire round. The weather started a bit iffy, high 40s and overcast. But it never rained and by the back nine it was sunny with some clouds and in the low 50s. The layout of Carne is unbelievable! The dunes are huge, but there are not too many blind shots. It was a very fair course and a whole lot of fun. I guess the only negative was that the greens were not great, but what do you expect for March? I really didn’t care. It is a tough walk though, my wife would have killed me for making her walk if she wasn’t having so much fun.

We had really good weather for Portrush as well. That is another fantastic course. We were incredibly lucky in that they had just lifted the winter rules two days before so you didn’t have to place the ball in the rough. We got an extra bonus in that they had very recently cut the rough down. Our caddies zipped us around in three hours. Between the golf and the amazing Antrim coast scenery, I’m really glad we stayed there more than one night.

The only bad weather we had was our day at Royal County Down. It was miserable, about 38 degrees, 20-30mph winds and constant rain. My wife smartly changed her mind and went to the Slieve Donard spa instead. I went out as a single (with a great caddy) and practically had the place to myself. My caddy later admitted it was the worst weather he’d ever caddied in his 15+ years there. I played like crap but didn’t care as the experience was well worth it. Even though the fog was so bad I couldn’t see the Mourne mountains at all, I could still appreciate the beauty of the place and how special the course was. My clubs, bag and shoes were still wet after we arrived home the next day.

It was almost a perfect trip for us. The next time I think we might stay in Donegal for the whole week, since we really enjoyed that part of the trip and there are many high quality golf courses there with fewer crowds and low $$$.

[sane eric]

Stayed in Westport Wed - Sun, last week in May 2008.




Played Ballinrobe, Enniscrone, Carne and Castlebar.

The middle 2 where phenomenal, especially Carne as has already been stated.  Dunes like you have never seen.  My only gripe was the poor greens, otherwise golf heaven.  Inlcuding the dolphins swimming in the bay half way round the back 9.  Enniscrone was also incredible, again some of the play through the dunes was so much fun.

The other 2 where very nice, good value parklands courses, well kept and the greens at Castlebar where beautiful kept.

Westport was a nice town to spend a few days in.  Flew into Knock and it was about 70-80 minutes drive.

[GoggleBoy]

Just in case anyone heads back to Donegal I would highly recommend Narin & Portnoo.

http://www.top100golfcourses.co.uk/htmlsite/productdetails.asp?id=1054

It's a fantastic layout at a reasonable price, a real test of golf if the wind is blowing.
You’re also quite near to Rosapenna which also has two great courses.

http://www.top100golfcourses.co.uk/htmlsite/productdetails.asp?id=269
http://www.top100golfcourses.co.uk/htmlsite/productdetails.asp?id=985

[cj78]

Can't believe no one mentioned,Ballyliffin Golf Club, Ballyliffin, Inishowen, County Donegal, Ireland. Check it out top class. So far you've stayed to the typicial tourist golf course track. Check this place out it's a gem. I'm Irish I know! Even Faldo keeps mentioning it in his coverage on tv.If your heading to Dublin you'll pass through Kildare, take the turn for Kildare town and play Dunmurray Springs, played it last week and the place is groomed to perfection. It made onto Golfers Digest new top 10 courses in Europn a few years back. Its a gift for 30 Euro! Also you can drop the wife off at Kildare village outlet shopping which you'll pass on the way there!