Old Head Golf Links–Kinsale, Ireland

Old Head Golf Links’  course has at least nine holes that play along the 300-foot cliffs located in picturesque Kinsale, Ireland.  Arguably, this is one of the greatest golf courses on Planet Earth!  You have to play it to experience it.  Afterwards, drop me a line and let me know if you agree.  Make sure you enjoy the relaxed march over the links–ending at the 434-yard 18th hole where your tee shot forces you to admire Old Head’s historic lighthouse.

The Old Head of Kinsale is home to a World-Class Golf Course and Luxury Members’ Accommodation located in County Cork on the Southwest Coast of Ireland. The brainchild of John and Patrick O’Connor, the Club has developed into one of the most recognised and sought after golf experiences anywhere on earth.

Old Head Golf Links is built on a 220-acre diamond of land, jutting out over two miles into the Atlantic Ocean. The promontory is almost an island with numerous caves running beneath your feet as you play the course. The links and practice area occupy 180 acres and the remaining 40 acres of unspoilt cliff (rising in places to over 300 feet) frame the course.

The Old Head of Kinsale is a national monument and an ancient royal site, fortified by a castle at the narrowest part of the promontory, with history traceable back to several centuries before Christ. It is a place of special historical, archaeological and scientific interest.
The Erainn Celtic people, the first Irish settlers, fortified the peninsula by building a fort, the remains of which can still be seen today, along with the castles and signal tower on The Old Head itself. The new lighthouse was built on the site in 1853, carrying on the ancient tradition of “Navigational Fires” situated on the promontory.

Old Head, par 72, comprises five Par 5s, five Par 3s and eight Par 4s – stretching to over 7,200 yards from the tips, with a minimum of six tees per hole. Nine holes play along the cliff tops, and all eighteen holes provide stunning ocean views. With the ever-changing sea breezes, the course provides a stern test to the touring pro and the high handicapper alike. 

Old Head Golf Links is designed as a walking course where Members and Guests are encouraged to walk the links with a Caddie. Old Head boasts one of the largest group of professional Caddies in the country, with approximately 160 Caddies working at the Club throughout the season. The Old Head Caddie Programme is among one of the most extensive and professional worldwide. 

The course is set up, depending on conditions, on a daily basis. Facilities include a warm up range with complimentary golf balls and a short game practice area. Old Head has a team of fully trained outside services staff to cater for your every need.

Kinsale is one of the oldest and most fashionable resort towns in Ireland and is considered the “Gourmet Capital of Ireland” – annually hosting the world famous “Kinsale Food Festival” in October. It is a sophisticated cosmopolitan seaside town with a tourist season stretching from April to November. The town nestles between the hills and the shoreline with a maze of narrow, flower decorated streets with historical links to the French, Spanish, British and Americans.

Today the quaint properties house everything from delightful restaurants, pubs, wine bars, antique and curio shops, jewellery shops, art galleries, beauty and hair salons, coffee shops and crafts showrooms.

There are three busy yacht marinas, an outdoor educational centre, a sports leisure centre, twelve internationally known Good Food Circle gourmet restaurants, thirty pubs/bars most of which serve excellent food, four hotels, numerous boutique style bed and breakfast accommodations, a fully-staffed exclusive private residence to call your own, and some self-catering properties. It also has an internationally known deep sea-angling centre with extensive facilities.

More information on Kinsale at www.kinsale.ie and www.kinsaleartsweek.com

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