Over the next few weeks, the KCLR sports team are hitting the golf courses around Kilkenny and Carlow. We’re lucky to have a wealth of established and mature courses in both counties and with more of the team taking up the sport these days, we’ve decided to ‘Get Into Golf’ and get stuck into the courses nearby. We begin with a look at Mount Wolseley Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort.
Mount Wolseley Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort is situated just outside of Tullow Town on the road to Ardattin. If you’re from Kilkenny, Kildare, Wexford or beyond, its easily reachable via the M9 and a network of main roads.
It has a reputation of one of Ireland’s leading parkland courses and takes its place amongst the great courses the country has to offer. It is a challenging 18 hole championship course which was designed by the late Christy O’Connor Jnr and surrounds the Hotel and Leisure complex.
Once you drive in the gate, your eyes are drawn to the manicured fairway on the right hand side which turns around a pond and climbs up to the green in front of the hotel.
The course hosts the European Challenge Tour for the third year in a row this September (2017), a testament to the quality of the venue. The club house is situated at a right angle to the Hotel itself and has clothing, clubs, balls and many other items for sale.
Stephen Byrne, Ken McGuire, John Walsh and Gary McGuire played a four-ball on the courses recently and read their views below.
A Look At The Course
Video: Golf Manager, Eamonn O’Donnell
We spoke to Golf Manager Eamonn O Donnell of Mount Wolseley Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort in Tullow, Co. Carlow about developments at the course and plans for 2017 into next year, see below.
What the team said…
Stephen Byrne
“It is one of the best courses I’ve played and is in my top three”, says KCLR’s Stephen Byrne.
“The course was in fab condition, the tee boxes, fairways, greens, bunkers and water features were all looked after and you can tell that the staff take great pride in the course. I like courses to be challenging and to make you think before every shot and that’s what you have to do. There’s a lot of water over the course of the 18 holes and it keeps you focused and makes sure you’re hitting the right shot.”
“One of my favourite holes was the 11th, which is a par three over a long pond which runs away from you, the green and fairway is to the left and if the ball goes right at all, you’re in the water. I put a tee shot in the water and gave the ducks a fright but its a stunning view from the tee box. I like the fact that it carries the typical parkland features like sloped ground and raised and lowered greens, most of the holes here are scenic and offer a great view from the tee boxes.”
“It’s hard to find any downsides to the course, but one of them could be the amount of water hazards, less experienced golfers might be turned off by them and from how challenging the course is, however most enjoy that as did I, even after losing a handful of Titleist ProV1s that I acquired from various sources. Eamonn (Golf Manager) looked after us well on the day and is always on hand for any questions or assistance you need there.”
Ken McGuire
“In my case, I’m playing golf (regularly) for just over the past year so this was my first shot at a championship course and it didn’t disappoint. Granted, I arrived back to the car park six balls lighter than when we took off in the morning, but that’s part of the challenge – in particular around the fourth with the water to the right hand side. Fool on me for going into the water – just – off the tee, then again from the drop and having the ball roll off the back of the green.”
“By the time we hit the eleventh (top photo above), I was able to resist the temptation to go over the water, instead playing it safe out to the left for a wedge onto the green.”
“With the few months of golf under the belt, I was comfortable enough getting around the course. The long par threes are interesting – and they are long, especially from the back tees – but it gives you a chance to really attack the holes at the same time.”
“From going over the fence at the first tee, to playing the short par three to the hotel at the turn, hitting that approach onto the tenth to coming right back up the 18th to finish the round, it’s a smashing setup, mature, challenging, testing greens, cracking views. It might have been my first shot, but it won’t be my last by any means. Coming up from Kilkenny it was barely 40 minutes, you’re about an hour-twenty from Dublin so a course like it is well within reach of Leinster based golfers looking for a solid day out.”
John Walsh
“I was lucky to have played this course before”, says John Walsh, “and it’s even better than I remember. When I played it before it was a new course and now it has matured into a stunning course, lots of sights and scenery to enjoy, a fantastic course and cant recommend it highly enough. I’m not surprised that it hosts the European Challenge Tour, Mount Juliet has hosted the Irish Open in the past and this club could too, it would be great if it could.”
“We are lucky in Carlow and Kilkenny to have amazing golf courses, and this is one of those. If you haven’t hit a golf ball here well then you haven’t really enjoyed golf at its very best.”
Gary McGuire
“Mount Wosleley is a real treat”, says Gary McGuire. “It’s a great course in superb condition with some great feature holes. My personal favourite was rounding that bend on the 10th to see the green in the corner, over the water, daring you on to take the chance. I’m looking forward to getting out there again soon.”
Options on golf, membership details and offers can be found online at MountWolseley.ie or by calling 059 9180100. Next up at Mount Wolseley is the 2017 European Challenge Tour taking place 14-17 September which sees the next generation of Europe’s top golfers head to Tullow for four days of championship golf.
