Famous for it’s location on a peninsula, Old Head juts out into the Atlantic Ocean, rising hundreds of feet above the water with towering sea cliffs on which this unbelievable golf course was built.
With the ocean crashing all around you, nature is the biggest challenge. Nine holes play along the cliff tops and all 18 holes provide stunning ocean views.
The day we played (Mon Aug 1, 2016) was one of the worst weather days Ireland has seen in sometime – sustained rains and heavy winds made for a challenging round (by the way - we learned the difference between showers and rain. Rain is what we had – sustained rain. If it was “showers” – it meant the “rain” would quickly come and go).
If you have not played before, we recommend a caddy. Our caddy, Shane was a trooper! We played with Chris and Doug (Father/Son) from NJ/NY and their caddy – Shane. They were terrific company on this rainy round. Rain did not stop our “fun” and photo opportunities – we were “lucky” that the fog did not roll in until later!
You may think because the course is on a “small” peninsula the holes may be narrow, but there was more room to land the fairway than expected. However, some of the greens (particularly 4 and 12) were tucked very tightly between the ocean and the cliffs, so target golf was required. The course is green, lush and breathtaking at every turn. Some highlights along the course are the Lighthouse that for hundreds of years had to manually be wound every 40 minutes until it was automated. And the Lusitania lays 276 feet below the waters – 11 miles southwest (sunk by Germany May 7, 1915 brining the US into WWI).
The overall experience and accommodations are luxurious with wonderful service, the restaurant and food were delicious, as we started off our round with Tea and breakfast and ended with some warm soup and some “chips”. Anthony from golf services was kind enough to dry all our “rainproof” gear that clearly only has a certainly range of rainproof! We only visited for the day and the round of golf, but there are overnight rooms and a spa – so if you have the time and budget, it would be a very relaxing atmosphere for a nice getaway.
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