History
Local enthusiasts founded Enniscrone Golf Club after the First World War in 1918. Initially, they played on a 9-hole course. In 1931, the course was expanded to 18 holes. The course layout remained the same for the next 40 years, until 1970 when work commenced under the supervision of legendary Irish architect Eddie Hackett to redesign the course. Eddie and just two employees along with a generous number of volunteer members worked tirelessly to create a masterpiece.
In August 1974 the new layout opened with Eddie hitting the first tee shot. As the club entered the new millennium, links designer Donald Steel was commissioned to reroute the course into the dunescape and to take advantage of the magnificent views over Kilalla Bay. All six new holes were added and three more on the flat land which created the current Dunes championship links and the 9-hole Scurmore course.
The Opening Nine
As always, choose the set of tees to suit your game. There are five sets of tees to play from here. The yardage ranges from 5723 to 7029 yards with a par of 73. We chose to play from the middle sets of tees, the whites at 6563 yards. Our favourite holes on the front nine came early, holes 1, 3 and 5. You may disagree with our choices, that’s fine. You are entitled to your opinion, as are we.
The approach to the first green
Right from the first hole, you understand what awaits you. Your opening tee shot is important as the further left you go, the further you are from the green on this dogleg right 398-yard hole. Your second shot is uphill to a small green planted in a valley between two dunes. Ensure you have enough club to reach the middle of the green as anything short will roll back and leave a difficult up and down. In our opinion, this was the best opening hole on this year’s tour of Ireland.
Tough Holes
Looking back down the 3rd
The 3rd hole is an excellent par 3 of 164 yards. It plays uphill so depending on the wind it can be anything from a hybrid to a short iron. Beware a front pin. Make sure you take enough club to reach the centre of the green. This is a great tip for all the holes at Enniscrone. The green is large and there are plenty of subtle slopes to confuse you when putting. Make three and be very happy.
The view from behind the green at the 5th
The 5th hole is “only” 390 yards but is on the scorecard as the second hardest hole on the course. It has a narrow fairway which pinches in about 270 yards. Aim for the left side of the fairway to get the best view of the green but beware of the two bunkers on the left. The green is protected by two bunkers front left. There are also runoff areas on the right side which makes your approach shot difficult. It’s not a long hole but it is a difficult one to make par on.
An Awesome Back Nine
We could probably feature almost every hole on the back nine, but we have selected our three favourites. We have chosen holes 12, 14 and 15. Those who have played here will wonder why we haven’t featured hole 16. Well, we chose it as our headline photo as we feel it best expresses the joy of playing at Enniscone. We hope you agree.
The approach to the 12th green
The tee shot on the 12th hole can best be described as a shot into the unknown. It’s a 347-yard par 4 which doglegs left. As you stand on the tee, you can’t see much. It plays slightly uphill and there is a strip of fairway to aim at. Thankfully, we had a strokesaver which told us that it was 232 yards to reach the fairway on the line to the green but it was also 232 yards to run through the fairway if you aimed up the right. We played it sensibly by laying up and the photo above was our approach shot. A short iron and we were safely on the green. It was most certainly the way to play this quirky par 4.
Troublesome Twosome
The 14th hole, well most of it!
The 14th, a 488-yard par 5 is named “Valley of Diamonds`’. It certainly is a gem of a hole (Sorry!) You might think that it is a great chance of a birdie however it plays uphill and you MUST hit the fairway with your tee shot. Do that and you will have no sight of the green which is tucked away at the top of the hill on your right. We advise that you keep your second shot on the line of the biggy in the photo as anything right of that will leave you no view of the green.
The small green of the 15th hole
It must be terrifying if you get to the 15th tee and you need four pars for a score as 15 through 17 are difficult holes. The 15th hole is stroke index 1, the hardest hole on the course. It’s not the length that makes it difficult, only 384 yards, it’s finding the fairway and then the second shot to the green. You have to be up the right side to get a view of the green. This brings in the slope of the dunes and the long grass into play. We played it in a left-to-right wind so you were always fighting that, both on the tee shot and the second to the green. We won’t bore you with the details but we didn’t make par…
Par 3 Heaven, or Hell..
The 17th hole
At the last minute, we have decided to include one of the greatest short holes we have ever had the pleasure to play. Links courses abound with great short holes and the 17th at Enniscrone is no exception. It’s 150 yards of terror! There are deep gullies both left and right of the green. The prevailing wind is off the water so left to right. It takes guts to aim into oblivion on the left, with the hope that the wind will push it towards the centre of the green. It took one of our Sunday Best strikes with an 8-iron to land on the green and the relief was palpable. A wonderful short hole but a card wrecker.
In Our Opinion
Enniscrone is one of the top links courses in Ireland and a must-play for those visiting the north and west coasts of Ireland. We think that the opening holes and the back nine are up there with the very best Ireland has to offer. There are quirky holes, difficult holes and just plain gorgeous golf holes. None are easy. We didn’t make one birdie all day and we were happy to make pars on the majority of the par 5’s, such is the difficulty of the holes, especially in the wind.
The course was beautifully presented and the greens were superb. We thank the club’s General Manager, Keith O’Neill for the opportunity to play here and to all the staff for looking after us. It was a memorable visit and one we hope to repeat soon.
Where to Stay
We stayed in the Diamond Cost Hotel close to the golf club. When I say close, it’s about a medium iron from the hotel to the clubhouse. It was the ideal location for us and we had a view of the first hole from our room windows.
Our room
The room we were allocated was enormous. It had the most windows we have ever seen in a hotel room, thirteen windows! There was a dressing room area behind the wall in the corner and a large ensuite too. The hotel must have spent a fortune on curtains as they were of great quality and had blackout linings. The things you notice, eh?
Our fish and chips
The hotel was really busy when we were there. The first night there was a wedding, and the second night it was popular with families. We ate in the Inishaven Bar and had fish and chips, which was excellent. You will not see many dessert photos on our visit to Ireland. Not because we don’t like dessert, the main courses are so large that we can rarely manage anything more. We can testify that the Irish love their food, as well as the Guinness.
Breakfast
A hearty breakfast sets you up for the day
Those of you who regularly read our articles will know that we love a good fry-up. In our opinion, it sets you up for the day. The breakfast at the Diamond Coast is served buffet style, which means you help yourself to whatever you fancy. Cereal, fruit, cold meats, salmon, and hot choices are all available and were considered. However, the fry-up won again as we had a long drive ahead of us, leaving the west coast and the Wild Atlantic Way and heading for Dublin.
Thank you to Jackie O’Brien, Diamond Coast’s Sales and Marketing Director for organising our stay and to all the staff who made our stay a warm and welcoming one.
At a Glance
- 27 holes of links golf
- Full driving range and short game practice area
- Comfortable clubhouse with great food
- Small temporary pro shop
- 3 hours drive from Dublin, 50 minutes from Sligo
- For more info on the golf, visit Enniscrone Golf Club
- For more info on the hotel, visit Diamond Coast Hotel
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