Course Guides

Carton House Golf Club in Ireland

As you enter the walled grounds of the 1,000-acre estate, you are stepping into an historical heritage, stretching back to the Normans. Formerly the ancestral home of the Fitzgerald's, Earls of Kildare; the Carton Estate remains one of the best-kept secrets in Ireland. Following centuries as a private estate, the Carton Demesne has been under the caring stewardship of the Mallaghan family for the past 25 years and is only recently emerging from public anonymity. Though youthful in terms of the golf course, new trees are being planted and improvements are constantly being made. And as you take in the breathtaking vistas and history for the first time, you have a sense that nature has bequeathed it's blessing on this unique golf club.

As its name suggests, the O' Meara Course at Carton House was designed by Mark O' Meara, the 1998 US Masters and British Open Champion and represents his first foray into golf course design in Europe. By O' Meara's own admission, the terrain at Carton House was perfect for the development of a world-class golf course and the end product certainly reflects this initial belief. The par-72 layout measures over just over 7,000 yards from the championship stakes and offers the standard four par threes and four par fives, all of which are well over 500 yards in length.

One of the particularly striking things about the O' Meara Course is the quality of its greens, which are already rated amongst the best in the country. The outward nine, though relatively open, is still a tough test but it is the homeward journey that really makes an impression. Guarded by the River Rye, the stretch of holes from 13 through 15 is particularly notable. The 175-yard, 13th hole requires an accurate iron shot from an elevated tee to a green protected by water to the front and left; the 14th is a long par five, requiring an approach over the river to a green lying under the watchful eye of a weir to the right; while the 15th is another par three, reminiscent in many ways of the 12th at Augusta, which requires a shot over water to a steeply sloping green.


NEARBY COURSES:
Carlow (1 hr, 20 min); Druids Glen (1 hr, 10 min); European Club (1 hr, 35 min); Island (40 min); K Club (20 min); Luttrellstown (25 min); Mount Juliet (2 hours); Portmarnock (40 min); Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links (40 min); Powerscourt (55 min); Rathsallagh (55 min); Royal Dublin (45 min); St. Margaret's (35 min); Tulfarris (50 min)


RECOMMENDED NEARBY ACCOMMODATION:
Alexander Hotel (40 min); Clarence Hotel (40 min); Davenport Hotel (40 min); Kildare Hotel & Country Club (20 min); Merrion Hotel (40 min); Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links (40 min)


LOCATION:
Situated 15 miles west of Dublin City, just off the N4/M4 route from Dublin City, just between the towns of Dunboyne in Meath and Maynooth in Kildare.