A Trio of Delights
SINCE 2017, Golfers Local owner and editor, Paul Chapple, has been lucky enough to be invited each year by Club Choice Ireland’s Tiernan Byrne to visit the Emerald Isle for a three-day, two-night golf break to various parts of South East Ireland.
Club Choice Ireland specialise in creating a tailor-made golf break for your group. In previous years I have always taken one of my golfing buddies with me and we have toured as a pair, mainly around the many fabulous courses in the Dublin area.
This year, however, I was really excited to be getting back to the Kilkenny and Wexford areas, which are about an hour south of the capital.
I had visited here in 2022, but this year I would get to play the stunning Mount Juliet Golf Course, as well as Rathsallagh Golf & Country Club and Palmerstown House.
We were here as part of a familiarisation trip with Tiernan inviting a number of other UK golfers who book regular trips with him.
Like the two years previous, I was joined by my friend and Chester-based PGA professional Scott Booth.
Smooth Start with Stena Line and Full English
Our day started early as we had the 10am Stena Line Holyhead to Dublin ferry to catch, which meant picking Scott up from his Chester home at 7.30am in order to be ready to board the ferry by 9am.
Having had a rough crossing the year before when we sailed during storm Kathleen, it was nice to drive across the A55 in dry and calm weather with hardly a breath of wind.
Our 90-minute coastal drive and subsequent three-and-a-half hour crossing could not have been smoother.
I say it every year, but it never ceases to amaze me just what a smooth operation it is getting all the vehicles and foot passengers on board so seamlessly.
Hence, by 9.30am Scott and I were seated and tucking into a full English breakfast on board before we had even set sail.
First Stop: Rathsallagh Golf & Country Club
We docked in Dublin Port by 1.30pm and headed straight down to our first course, Rathsallagh Golf & Country Club, in County Wicklow.
The course, which measures 6,328m from the back tees, was designed by Peter McEvoy and Christy O’Connor Jnr. It is set in beautiful parkland with mature woodland lining all the fairways.
Scott and I popped in to the pro shop to grab a scorecard and a drink, and were met by the affable director of golf and PGA professional Ted Higgins.
We were only playing the front nine holes, so Ted picked out some of the standout holes, the sixth and eighth, for us to look out for. He also highlighted the Signature 10th hole for us to go and view too.
A variety of ditches and ponds bring water into play on many of the holes here, and we thoroughly enjoyed the course. The par three fourth was a lovely short hole with water short right of the green.
The sixth and eighth holes were both really good matchplay holes with risk and reward opportunities.
With nine holes complete, we needed to get on the road again for a 50-minute drive to our base for the night at Hotel Kilkenny.
We popped up to the 10th tee to see the Signature Hole for ourselves and decided it looked that good that we’d have to play it.
With out of bounds on the left and water up the right-hand side, it’s easy to see why it has a stroke index of one. I was getting four shots off Scott and managed a cheeky par, nett birdie to win the hole and tie the match I thought I’d just lost!
Evenings Stay at Hotel Kilkenny
Tiernan and his sister Aoife had organised a drinks reception and evening meal while we settled down to watch the dramatic final round of this year’s US Masters.
Hotel Kilkenny was the perfect spot for this kind of event. It has 138 bedrooms, a chic restaurant Taste, urban style Pure Bar & Active Club. It really is the perfect base for visiting this medieval city on a golfing break.
We enjoyed a stunning three-course meal that included vegetable soup, slow-cooked beef, and an array of mini desserts.
Tiernan made a speech to thank everyone for the custom over the years. He talked about how he had booked trips for 56 golfers in the year Club Choice Ireland first started 12 years ago. This year, 1,800 golfers are booked in with him.
The Guinness was flowing, and the Masters was coming to its stunning climax. What a memorable evening we had, and how lucky were we to be in Ireland to watch Rory make history.
Breakfast and a Visit to Kilkenny Golf Club
The following morning, we enjoyed a lovely Irish breakfast before heading just seven minutes down the road to call in and see Kilkenny Golf Club.
Head pro Jimmy Bolger was in the shop to greet us and tell us all about the place. He was proud to explain how in the 24 years he had been at the club he had never had a single complaint about the condition of the course.
We didn’t have time to play, but borrowed a buggy and had a drive round to see for ourselves. Jimmy wasn’t lying. The condition of the course was incredible, even for mid-April.
Kilkenny has an incredible 1,270 members, and it’s not hard to see why.
It’s close proximity to Hotel Kilkenny makes it an ideal choice for one of the tracks to play while in this area. Others include Gowran Park, which features five holes within the well-known racecourse.
The clubhouse at Gowran Park is a memorable one. It is situated on the top floor of the grandstand overlooking the golf course and winning post, plus panoramic views of the Blackstairs Mountains and Mount Leinster.
Competition Day at Mount Juliet
For Scott and I, we had a Club Choice Ireland pairs competition to go and get ready for at the amazing Mount Juliet.
We were particularly excited to be playing here as hosted the DP World Tour’s Irish Open in 2021 and 2022. It was also a course where Tiger Woods and Ernie Els have both won in the early 2000s when Mount Juliet hosted the American Express Championships.
The estate’s website says, “Both water and sand play a part in the types of challenges that have come to define Jack Nicklaus’ outstanding golf courses, and our 18 holes embody his ambitious, mischievous approach to course design. Five lakes have been constructed, which enhance six of the holes, while over 80 bunkers have been strategically placed throughout.”
The course features some amazing holes.
The par three third and the par four fourth will long live in the memory. The third is almost entirely over water and the fourth is framed perfectly with trees on the left and water down the right.
The 11th, 13th and 14th holes, are particularly pleasing on the eye, but all three greens are heavily guarded by bunkers and water.
You arrive at perhaps the course’s most unusual feature on the 16th, where you will find a walled green almost entirely surrounded by a bunker!
With two long closing holes to finish, and the temperature dropping somewhat, Scott and I were happy to retreat to the stunning clubhouse with our South Walian playing partners for a couple of Guinness before we checked into the adjacent Hunter’s Yard for the evening.
Overnight at Hunter’s Yard, Mount Juliet Estate
The elegant courtyard of the Mount Juliet Estate is home to the bright and spacious rooms of The Hunter’s Yard. It is a gorgeous hideaway adjacent to the Jack Nicklaus-designed course we had just played.
Hunter’s Yard includes treatment rooms and tempting food in the Hound Restaurant, which offers all-day dining. Scott and I were in one of the 93 beautifully appointed bedrooms.
Mount Juliet also features accommodation at The Manor House. All 32 bedrooms are unique and are named after famous figures connected to the area. It’s only about 200 yards away from the first tee.
Club Choice’s brochure states:
“The Manor House is the beating heart of the estate and has been ever since the first Earl of Carrick and his wife Juliet first made it their home in 1750. Step through its pillared entrance way and you enter a place out of time: lovingly preserved for the present-day; intimately updated in the most faithful manner.”
Whether you choose the Manor House or Hunter’s Yard, Mount Juliet is a golfers getaway of the highest standard.
Final Stop: Palmerstown House Estate Golf Club
The next day we met Tiernan for breakfast and said our goodbyes as he headed back to Rosslare and we set off for the one hour drive back up north to Palmerstown House Estate Golf Club, which is in County Kildare and is an ideal place to play on your way back to the port for the ferry to Holyhead.
The resort, like many in Ireland, has a magnificently grand clubhouse and also boasts a 14-bay floodlit driving range with Trackman technology in each of the bays.
The Palmerstown House Estate course is set in 900 acres of parkland and, like Rathsallagh, was designed by Irish golfing legend Christy O’Connor Jnr and was host to the 2005 Irish PGA Championship and the Irish Seniors Open in 2007.
The course is set amidst thousands of mature trees with impressive bunkering and an exquisite use of water that includes one Ireland’s few island greens.
The water is in play on 13 of the 18 holes, so make sure you either bring a reasonably good game with you or, alternatively, lots of golf balls.
The guys in the pro shop were very friendly and helpful as they sorted us out with drinks and a buggy. They suggested holes four, 10, 16 and 18 as the stand-out holes, but there were lots of others worthy of note too, including the beautiful par three third hole.
The 10th is the Signature Hole and is based on the iconic 17th at Sawgrass. It has an island green surrounded by water. I played here in 2022 and had a tap-in for a birdie two. This time I failed to finish the hole, having twice found the drink!
The closing three holes are fabulous, and again the “wet stuff” features heavily.
At 401 yards long with water running along its entirety, the 18th is a wonderful closing hole that finishes in front of the magnificent-looking clubhouse.
Scott and I agreed that we wouldn’t fancy having a medal card in our hands here each week, but it’s fabulous for matchplay or maybe a Stableford.
Our ferry wasn’t until 4.30pm so we had lunch in the Sindon’s Bar upstairs in the clubhouse. My fish and chips was just what was needed, and Scott really enjoyed his Rogan Josh.
End of the Journey – Until Next Year
Sadly, time was up on our Irish visit for another year. We sailed home to Holyhead from Dublin, and I was tucked up in bed back at home just after 9pm.
So if a golf trip to this part of the world is something that might be of interest, Club Choice recommend using Hotel Kilkenny as your base and then playing Kilkenny, Gowran Park and Mount Juliet.
Other courses are available too, but having stayed at the hotel and visited all three courses, I can highly recommend this package too. You could even try and tie your visit it with one of Gowran Park’s 17 race meetings each year.
Rathsallagh could be added in to Wicklow tour that could include games at Woodenbridge, Wicklow or Druids Glen.
Wherever you decide to stay and play, contact Tiernan at Club Choice Ireland and he will tailor the perfect package for you.
