Ireland - From Lough to links
Whisper it quietly in the presence of a Scot, but Ireland possesses some of the most stunning coastal golf courses in the world. There, I said it.
Lough Erne
Lough Erne
Telephone:
028 6632 3230
Email:
Website:
Courses:
Faldo: 7,167 yards, par 72
Castle Hume: 6,269 yards, par 70
If you are fortunate enough to experience some of these majestic courses you will begin to understand the true meaning of the phrase the ‘luck of the Irish’ as they depict the Emerald Isle in all its glory. You may even feel like some of the luck is rubbing off on you; never a bad start to a round of golf.
Lough Erne Golf Resort promotes itself as ‘the link to the links’. While not strictly home to a links course itself, Lough Erne is ideally situated in north-west Ireland, equidistant from Belfast and Dublin, making it a perfect place to stay if you wish to visit some of the popular links courses along Ireland’s west coast. However, far from merely providing a link to other courses, Lough Erne affords some excellent golf itself. With two championship courses, the newest of which is designed by a certain Nick Faldo, the club has swiftly become a major force in Irish golf. It is also proud to boast Rory McIlroy as its touring professional with the young star himself declaring the resort is ‘a great place to stay; a great place to play.’
The Faldo Course is the one to really look out for at Lough Erne. It takes full advantage of the area’s natural landscape to produce 18 holes of truly magnificent golf. With water a potentially punishing feature on 14 of the holes, it is not a course for the faint-hearted but inevitably presents some outstanding holes. It arguably reaches an inimitable peak on the island green 10th hole, aptly named ‘Emerald Isle’, but this is rivalled all the way by the final hole, voted the best par-three finishing hole in the UK and Ireland by Golf World magazine.
With the very different, but equally impressive, Castle Hume course also located here and a luxury five-star hotel readily available, it is an excellent package all on its own. However, it also provides the perfect base for golfers in search of authentic links golf, living up to its ‘link to the links’ promotion.
