The Old Course at Ballybunion Golf Club – As Wild As it Gets
There has never been a marriage more inspired than the one
which joined the game of golf with the terrain of
southwestern Ireland. Nowhere is this inspiration more in
evidence than in a small County Kerry town located at the
juncture of the Shannon River and the Atlantic Ocean, where
next to golf, seaweed baths are the greatest attraction.
Those seaweed baths, however, are a poor second in need.
Watching over this town from high above, where it has stood
as a sentinel since the 13th century, and played a
significant role in the Norman conquest of Ireland, are the
ruins of a castle. The image of that castle's wall has
gained new fame as a symbol of the town's top attraction,
its Golflinks.
The town, of course, is Ballybunion, and for a very long
time it is golf links were one of golf's overlooked
treasures. They might still be a secret, were it not for a
visit by America's champion golfer Tom Watson, who in the
early 1980s declared the course at Ballybunion's golf club
to be one from which many golf architects could learn much
about the art of golf course design.
The Ballybunion Golf Club has now become a favorite practice
course for the elite golfers who gather from around the
world each July in compete in the British Open. The names of
Nicklaus, Faldo, and Woods are just three which have joined
Tom Watson's in the club register, which dates back to 1893.
The original Ballybunion Golf Club, however, faced an early
demise, and was nearly a total financial failure until in
1901 its board of officers was changed. The Ballybunion
links continued to develop as did The Golf Club's
reputation, and by 1927, it was a full 18- hole course. Six
years later, it drewl attention as the site of the Irish
ladies golf championship, and in another five years
Ballybunion Golf Club hosted The Irish Men's Close Amateur
Championship.
Ballybunion Golf Club, however, did not achieve the
recognition it deserve until 1957, when the Irish
Professional Championship was played there. In the more than
five decades since, Ballybunion has hosted hundreds of other
major competitions, and received consistently high marks
from players at every level. The Old Course at Ballybunion
tests the pages of skills of every golfer with the
Atlantic-driven winds, while simultaneously rewarding them
with spectacular ocean views.
The 7th and 11th holes at Ballybunion, at more than 400
yards each, offer everything that is good about the game of
golf. The course between them winds along the sea and among
the dunes, allowing the players to soak in the sense of
salty air, watch the sea grass bending in the breeze, and to
feel the sand yielding beneath their feet. The 9th hole at
Ballybunion Old Course has a green which resulted from
bisecting a sand dune, while the 17th hole requires the
golfer to send his or her drive directly toward the sea.
The amenities at Ballybunion Golf Club do justice to its
remarkable courses. The newly completed modern clubhouse has
a premier dining room, two bars, and several welcoming
relaxation lounges. Its Pro Golf Shop can meet every
conceivable golfing need, and for golfers waiting for tee
time to arrive, Ballybunion Golf Club offers practice
putting and chipping greens, a driving range, and even a
practice sand bunker.
A golfing vacation which includes a visit to County Kerry's
Ballybunion Golf Club will reward you with a naturally
challenging course in an historic setting that will leave
you with memories which last a lifetime.
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