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Get in a cheap round at some of the country’s leading links

The Ryder Cup saw the millionaires of golf strutting their stuff in Co. Kildare. But you don’t need to be loaded to enjoy a round of golf in Ireland. Avril O’Reilly looks at the country’s golfing scene and shows that it’s not just for the millionaires.

You could be forgiven for thinking there was only one golf club in Ireland.
The Ryder Cup put the name of the K Club on everyone’s lips.

Everybody also knows of the big names: Portmarnock, Lahinch, Doonbeg, but there is more to the scene than that.

But Ireland also has the greatest concentration of courses in the world and nearly a third of all the world’s links venues are dotted along its coastline. This means there is a profusion of idiosyncratic places to play all over the island.

There is a new offer which encourages players to try out new venues. Under the Three Golf Pass scheme courses in the same catchment area group together and offer discounts on green fees.

Golfers get to try out the famous locations but also discover the charms of links and parkways they might otherwise overlook. Here is a selection of the venues taking part in the Three Golf Pass offer.

Cork
Sheraton Fota Island Golf Resort & Spa

The venue for the Murphy’s Irish Open is a demanding 71 par course in a woodland setting. Rare birds and baby rabbits enliven the grounds.
Currently running a Play Three Pass deal where golfers pay £105 for three midweek green fees.The other two courses involved are the Lee Valley Country Club and the Killarney Golf & Fishing Club.
For more information tel 00353 21 4883710 or 00353 21 4673000 or log on to www.fotaisland.ie

Kilkenny
Mount Juliet

Golfers always remember the third hole by the stream on this par 72 layout. The 10th hole with the tricky copse of trees is another talking point. Tiger Woods has admired on the perfect fairways.
By paying £135 golfers can play midweek rounds here and at Waterford Castle and on the perilous Faithlegg Golf Course.
For more information tel 00353 56 777 3000 or log on to www.mountjuliet.ie

Kerry
Ring of Kerry Golf & Country Club

If scenery is what you want then this course at Templenoe is just unbeatable with its classic Kerry lakeside location.
For £90 golfers can take on this 72 par course and the very scenic Lee Valley Golf & Country Club plus the Kenmare Golf Club with views of Kenmare bay.
For more information tel 00353 64 42000 or log on to www.ringofkerrygolf.com

Mayo
Westport Golf Club

Westport Golf Club is offering three day’s golf in Mayo for £50 per person. Designed by Fred Hawtree, who designed the new course at St. Andrews, this course has glorious panoramic views of the West Coast.
Other partners are Castlebar Golf Club and Ballinrobe Golf Club.
For more information tel 00353 98 27217 or log on to www.golfwestsport.com

Kildare
Carlton House

Carton House is the grandest and priciest package. Oh, but look what you get!
Your £210 pays for a round where you can walk in the steps of Mark O’Meara whilst admiring the estate’s magnificent trees and fiddly par five crossing the River Rye.
Then onto the K Club, described as an inland links (to fool those American who only like coastal courses) then finally onto Palmerstown House where the PGA has its headquarters.
For more information tel 00353 1 505 2000 or log on to www.carlton.ie

Antrim
Galgorm Castle

Galgorm Castle is one of seven courses on offer via the Northern Ireland Golf Pass. Players can have three rounds for £70 or five for £110.
Sir Faithful Forescue built his castle in 1618 with an eye on the estate’s five lakes. Nowadays players at the 7th, 14th and 17th curse his name when balls end up in the water.
Kirkistown Castle and Radisson Roe Park also have country estate settings.
For more information tel 028 2564 6161 or 0845 456 3558 or log on to www.galgormcastle.com

Kerry
Castleisland Golf Club

Castleisland Golf Club is a new course with modern sand-based greens and fairways designed to be playable all year round.
Whatever torment your game might bring you at least the setting is very peaceful. A quiet winding road leads to the course and there are panoramic views of the Macgillicuddy’s Reeks.
The Ring of Kerry Golf & Country Club pops up again in this trio as well as the Skellig Bay Golf Club.
For more information tel 00353 64 89169, log on to www.castleislandgolfclub.com or e-mail Jim Shea on take3@wellplayed.com

Wicklow
Tulfarris Hotel and Golf Club

Tulfarris Hotel and Golf Resort has a dramatic setting on three peninsulas overlooking Blessington lakes.
The course has been carefully designed to blend stonework and bunkering with the naturally-occurring wild grasses and wetlands. The Irish Senior Open was hosted here in 2000.
For £110 you also get to play at Druids Heath and Woodenbridge Golf Club.
For more information tel 00353 45 867644 or log on to www.tulfarris.com

Donegal
Portsalon

Portsalon Golf Club is an old fashioned links built in 1890 at the foot of the Knockalla mountains.
The white sandy beaches of Lough Swilly are a joy to behold but the high winds of the Fanad Peninsula can wreak havoc with your flight path.
A special offer allows golfers to play three of five Donegal courses for £60 when staying at participating hotels locally. Dunfanaghy and Letterkenny Golf Clubs are also available.
For more information tel 00353 74 9121160 www.donegaldirect.ie