A couple of great Irish gems and a 125 years old….

Dooks Golf Club

Dooks Golf Club

Dooks Golf Club is celebrating its 125^th birthday. Dooks is located just on the out skirts of Glenbeigh overlooked by the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks in County Kerry.

The Royal Ordnance Corps in 1889 laid out nine holes just to enjoy a game golf and 80 years later another nine holes were added in 1970. The most recent renovations were completed by golf course architect Martin Hawtree in 2006.

Mr Hawtree, who also renovated parts of Cork Golf Club, Lahinch, Royal Dublin and now he is working on further golf course developments at Trump international Golf Links Ireland, formerly known as Doonbeg. However at Dooks; Mr Hawtree rebuilt 16 new greens and 10 of which were relocated.

Dooks has a par of 71 and measures 6,586 yards from the back tees and worth every shot!

Dooks can be described as a gem and a very enjoyable golf course to play. A solid golf links with a slight parkland feel to some of the holes on the back nine. May I suggest to you that Dooks is an excellent golf course to play for the following reasons?

It’s a fun golf course and possibly easier to play than its neighbours Tralee Golf Club and Waterville Golf links.
If you are based in Killarney, It’s a shorter drive to Dooks than its neighbours.
You will receive a very warm welcome from all the staff & members at Dooks.
The Town of Killarney is approximately a 40 minute drive to Dooks
You can easily play 36 holes a day there! Maybe even spend the week there playing golf!
Concierge Golf highly recommends Nicks Sea Food restaurant in Killorglin, which is only 15 minute’s drive from Dooks. But you could always make a pit-stop, en-route to Killarney and visit the 15 pubs of Killorglin.

There’re a number of standout holes at Dooks that I look forward to playing each time I stand on the first tee. However I strongly believe you should play Dooks, you might take some notes and we can chat about your discoveries thought email.

I heard that to commemorate the anniversary and I encourage golfers to inquire about the 50-percent-off replay offer.

Cork Golf Club, photo by Aidan Bradey, golfcoursephotography.com

Cork Golf Club,

I have been fortunate to have grown up learning how to play golf as a member of Cork Golf Club. Last year, Cork Golf Club celebrated its foundation 125 years ago. Cork and Lahinch Golf Club have a very important historical component incommom. Both courses have been designed and re-designed by Dr. Alistar McKensie

The Club was founded in 1888 in Rathcooney on the north eastern side of Cork before settling in its current home in Little Island in 1897. The location of the course was discovered that year by three gentlemen, Messrs. Crawford, Mausley and Gubbins. These golf enthusiasts were sailing in a boat called the ‘Little Devil’ on the Lee estuary when they spotted some promising looking golf terrain – the site of the golf club today.

From a ‘Little Devil’ to an ‘Angel of a Course’

Speaking at the celebration launch last year, Lady Captain, Valerie Fitzgerald said, “With its wonderful varied terrain, our course remains a tough test for the very best players. We were been awarded the title of “Best Parkland Course in Munster for 2013” by the Golfer’s Guide to Ireland. This is the second year in succession that we have won this award, so our Club continues to be recognised as one of the best.”

What I like about Cork Golf Club;

It’s a great test of golf and the course offers a nice mix of good par 4s, medium to long iron play to the par threes and the pars 5s, well there are a couple you could try to hit in two!
Cork Golf Club is only 15 minutes from Cork City Centre and 30 minutes from Cork Airport
Great big steaks available at the club house restaurant!
The golf course is playable in under 3 hours 30 minutes for a Fourball and it’s a nice golf course to walk
The members are very proud of their golf course and they keep in very good condition.

Over the years, Cork Golf Club has had its share of distinguished visitors and a host of leading Irish and international golfers. Included in the line-up are Harry Vardon in 1909, Henry Cotton in 1953 and Seve Ballesteros, who played the course 30 years ago in 1983. A tree was planted to acknowledge Seve’s visit and it’s located on the left hand side of the 11^th hole approximately 145 yards to the centre of the green in the left rough. If you think you’re a big hitter of the ball, I challenge you to drive the ball beyond Seve’s tree!