County Louth Golf Club Course Review

Nov 27, 2018

County Louth Golf Club Course Review - County Louth or Baltray, just 40 miles north of Dublin, is a brilliant, natural links course

County Louth Golf Club Course Review

Green Fee Range: €80-€160

Medal Tee: Par 72 – 6,716 Yards

Visitor Times: Monday, Wednesday (up to 11:00), Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday (after 14:00)

Website: countylouthgolfclub.com

County Louth Golf Club Course Review

A Tom Simpson design with more recent work by Donald Steel and Tom Mackenzie, the course is set amongst sand dunes with the wind and the noise of the sea ever-present. The four strong short holes and the excellent putting surfaces stand out.

Related: Top 100 Courses UK and Ireland

County Louth, or Baltray, is a first-rate links with a justifiably high reputation. It hosted the 2004 Irish Open, and the same tournament in 2009 when Shane Lowry won a play-off as an amateur to take the trophy but miss out on the €500,000 winner’s cheque.

Although the club dates back to 1892, the course is largely the work of Tom Simpson in 1938. Despite, or rather because of some more recent changes from Tom MacKenzie, it remains traditional, stirring, bracing seaside golf at its best.

There is an unusual balance with only two par 4s in the first seven holes before you get seven in a row, and the short holes are all at the odds; 5, 7, 15 and 17.

This is of little significance because the individual hole designs are consistently strong and the routing constantly changes direction.

The wind is hugely influential here. For example, when the short 17th is played into any kind of a wind, it is anything but short!

Baltray is one of those consistently strong courses without any real signature holes or scenic views, and is one where the whole is considerably more than the sum of its parts.

What you see is what you get; 18 strong links holes presented in tip-top condition, with some of the finest greens in Ireland.

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