Old Head Golf Links

A SPECTACULAR,
SOPHISTICATED
& STUNNING
EXPERIENCE
Old Head of Kinsale boasts one of the most dramatic settings in
world golf, and now the golf course and facilities are better than ever
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The Finest Golf – Volume 4 Issue 1
Above left: Elegance in new suites, opened this April.
Above right: Stylish and comfortable bedrooms ensure a good night’s sleep.
Below: Old Head of Kinsale’s rocky promontory juts into the Atlantic - calm seen here, but capable of titanic fury.
Whether you have already visited Old Head of Kinsale or not – with
its setting that is spectacular to the point of being virtually miraculous
– it is time to pack your bags and head to Ireland’s south coast. Things
have changed.
The golf course, which has been gradually improved over its 11-year
life, is now the finished product, with £7 million spent on renovations
over the past five years alone. The greens have been re-shaped and the
fairways re-contoured, and in April this year the club also opened the
doors to 15 stately suites, with the expansion topped off with a spa and
Fitness Suite. Old Head even has a new helicopter service on site.
Old Head of Kinsale is a rocky promontory in County Cork that juts
out two miles into the Atlantic Ocean. It is a site of rare geological
and archeological value, with evidence that some of Ireland’s very first
settlers lived here, Iron-age Celts dating back over 6,000 years, and
Norman ruins from the 12th century surround the entrance to the
golf club.
Ireland’s cherished Stone of Accord is also found here, a limestone rock
with a hole near the top into which ancient tradesman would place their
hands to seal a deal. Locals would also use the Stone to mark marriages
and the end of disputes.
Old Head is owned by Irish brothers, John and Patrick O’Connor, who
purchased the 220-acre site in 1989 and brought in Ron Kirby from the
Nicklaus group to collaborate with a design team that included Ireland’s
own Eddie Hackett and Joe Carr. The par-72 links is over 7,200 yards
long and took six years to build.
Half of the 18 holes run along the cliff-edge, which rises up to 300 feet
above sea level, a characteristic that comes with difficulties. The rocky
terrain meant that 128 acres worth of top soil had to be trucked in, and
when the course was being built a construction truck backed up too
near to the cliff-edge at the 15th tee and crashed onto the rocks below.
Fortunately the driver bailed out to safety.
Such is the ferocity of these Atlantic waters that the golf course has to
be closed for six months each winter, despite its altitude. No fewer than
12 greens have had to be rebuilt after being destroyed in storms or
corroded by the lashings of salt water.
As testimony to this extraordinary golf course, Sergio Garcia turned
up to play as part of his preparations for the Open Championship last
year. He was scheduled to play the course once, but stayed on to play it
three times.
Old Head Golf Links, Kinsale, Co. Cork, Ireland
W: www.oldhead.com T: +353 21 4778 444
Green fees: €295
Seaview suites: €350/night; Presidential suite: €1,000/night
(Residential guests get €25 green fee discount)
The Finest Golf – Volume 4 Issue 1
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