Dromoland Castle Golf Club

DROMOLAND CASTLE is one of Ireland's finest castle hotels. It is one of the few castle hotels that can trace its ownership back through history to Gaelic Irish families of royal heritage. The Castle offers all guests deluxe accommodation and the experience of living as "Landed Gentry", surrounded by breathtaking scenery, absolute luxury and exceptional service.

At Dromoland, the vitality of the Castle lifestyle endures. Blending old world elegance with modern day comforts, it is one of Europe's most desired destinations.

The Castle's commitment to provide the highest level of service is absolute. On entering this tranquil world, the worries of life recede under the gentle care of attentive and friendly staff. Guests can enjoy deluxe accommodation, sample fine food and wine in the Earl of Thomond Restaurant and unwind in the superb health and leisure facilities.

Dromoland Castle Golf and Country Club has been in existence since 1962 and golf has been played for over 40 years over the lush rolling tree lined landscape that drains into Dromoland Lough with the Castle as a backdrop. In 2004, course architects, Ron Kirby and the late JB Carr teamed up again following their success at the Old Head of Kinsale - the result is nothing short of spectacular and places Dromoland Castle at the vanguard of "must play" golf destinations on the island of Ireland.

The par-72 course measures a not insignificant 6,824 yards from the back tees and actually plays even longer for a number of reasons. The first reason is that the course has a couple of short par 4s in the 298-yard 9th and 267-yard 15th. These two excellent holes demonstrate that added length is not required to tackle modern technology, as both demand a thoughtful tee shot to avoid the risk of running up a high score. Another factor that lengthens the layout is the use of dog-legs, well-placed bunkers, and fescue rough that places a premium on accuracy, making driver the less-than-optimum choice off several tees.

The greens at Dromoland Castle are simply exquisite and make the course a tough but fair test. All the greens have undulations that make putting from long distance an exercise in exquisite touch. However, for those playing well enough and bravely enough to attack the pins, the incredibly true roll on these USGA standard putting surfaces allows players to stroke the ball with confidence in the 10-15 foot range. Moreover, despite all the greens being new, the surfaces are absolutely consistent throughout.

A golf course truly fit for a King - www.dromoland.ie