Old Head Golf Links
Kinsale, Co. Cork

Quite a dramatic location, this. The course is perched on a promontory jutting out into the Atlantic, hundreds of feet above the sea. I played it on a day when the wind was absolutely howling and the waves were pounding on the cliffs. I lost seven balls and two caps, and had a marvelous time. The course is new as Irish seaside links go, coming on line in 1997, but is has already become a popular fixture in the rota of Irish courses.

Both nines loop back to the fine clubhouse, and nine of the holes play along the cliff tops. Some of the greens are rather too close to the cliff edge for my taste, and somewhat nerve-wracking, but the spectacular scenery simply overwhelms any design shortcomings. Old Head has about six sets of tees for each hole, and is therefore playable for any level of ability. It is located about seven miles from the attractive harbour town of Kinsale, the gourmet capital of Ireland-a particularly fine place to repair to after being blown about above the Atlantic.

I am quite fond of three par threes perched perilously on the cliffs: the second, eighth and sixteenth. All require no shortage of courage with the tee shot. But faith is required on the tee ball at twelve as it is a dogleg par five along the cliff with a blind tee shot to a fairway above and a downward approach to a fiendishly narrow green amid the hillocks. The short fifteenth can be reached with a drive as it is less than 300 yards but failure most likely leads to a lost ball and double bogey at best as the oceans skirts the entire right side. At the end of the round, the difficult climb from the seventeenth green to the eighteenth tee makes thankful of the excellent local caddie programme. Dramatic holes, nearly all!

The developers of Old Head are brothers John and Patrick O'Connor, no strangers to real estate ventures in Ireland or the States. They have created various categories of international membership-reminds me a bit of Loch Lomond's marketing approach without some of the trimmings. One wonders at a green fee that this is appreciably more than Ballybunion or Portmarnock, but I must say the unique nature of the place makes it worth a visit. I like it. No, I adore it as it is the most spectacular course I have ever played!

Independent travellers: All roads seem to come from Killarney. Follow the N22 to Macroom and Crookstown. At Crookstown turn off to the right on the R590 towards Bandon. At Bandon, follow the N71, but before you exit Bandon, turn right, following the signs for Ballinadee, then onto Ballinspittle, Garrettstown and Old Head, taking a right at the Speckled Door pub. Follow the signs for the club. And, plan a meal here. The clubhouse food is almost as good as the vistas.