Golf in County Sligo: Enniscrone Golf Club
Enniscrone Golf Club in County Sligo, Ireland
"How far is it to the green?" I ask. It can't be more than 190 yards and I fancy my chances.
Pat Sweeney, manager at Enniscrone Golf Club in County Sligo, north west Ireland, shoots me a stern look. "Don't worry about the green. You need to be patient."
This is my first ever experience of playing links golf, and although the wind is mercifully gentle, it is blowing me away.
The incredible rugged beauty of the course and its surroundings is the most obvious attraction. No matter well or how badly you are playing, a walk by the seaside on the west coast of Ireland always lifts the mood.
But even for an average player the challenge of a unique course like this is just as important. After playing at Enniscrone I suddenly understand the purists' point of view: links golf is real golf.
We've all heard the stories about links being a different game. The low, under-the-wind punch shots, the putts from the fairway. But they won't prepare you for the reality of having to think your way around a links course.
Thankfully we didn't have to think, just try and hit the shots. Club manager Pat kindly accompanied our group around the sharply undulating course, doling out invaluable advice and some quality one-liners.
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Hitting long off the tee here is not just unhelpful - it's downright suicidal. "People talk about risk/reward," Pat warns us on the 1st tee. "At Enniscrone, it's risk and reload."
If you're the sort of long hitter who often ends up on an adjacent fairway, leave the driver in the bag. The grassy sand dunes don't allow for inaccuracy.
Pat was full of priceless tips. The putter came out on the fairway several times and almost invariably produced a better result than a wedge. In the past Pat has parred a par five with a drive and four putts.
For me, it was hard to beat the pleasure of hitting a snaking 50-foot putt which broke ten feet right, then ten feet left, shooting sharply downhill and beyond the hole before catching a slope on the opposite side of the green and rolling back to inside a foot. Ironically the line (naturally provided by Pat) was straight at the hole.
This July was the least windy for 40 years on the west of Ireland, but even on a relatively calm day the wind is always a factor.
On the 3rd, an uphill par three, nothing less than a 5-iron would do. In some parts of the course the dunes will shelter you (but not necessarily the flight of your ball) from the wind.
Pat tells us the best American amateurs who come to visit will sometimes ask what the course record is. His answer is simple: "It's intact."
It was a challenging day, and the most enjoyable round of golf I have ever played. I will definitely be going back for more.
Useful contact details:
Enniscrone Golf Club: enniscronegolf.com
Discover Ireland: discoverireland.ie
Sligo Park Hotel: sligoparkhotel.com
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