Kilkenny Golf Week

Kilkenny is a mediebal city full of character and history and dominated by Kilkenny Castle. It is a popular destination and there are plenty of quality hotels as well as some superior guesthouses.

Set on just 120 acres just 2km from Kilkenny city centre, Kilkenny golf course is inevitably tight. Originally laid out as 9 holes in 1924 it was extended to an18 hole layout, designed by Tom Simpson and Molly Gourlay, in 1938 and further land acquisitions and disposals aimed at providing suitable clubhouse accommodation led to the present day layout being opened in 1962. Tightness of space is further compunded by most fairways being lined with magnificent specimen trees - Kilkenny is a course where using the driver sparingly is a wise option. As ever, Gourlay's par-3s are notable and perhaps here at Kilkenny the most memorable holes. Straight, accurate hitting is the order of the day at Kilkenny while putting skills will be well tested on the deceptively undulating greens.

The Mount Wolseley resort is on the old Wolseley estate in and the manor house has been converted into a luxurious hotel and clubhouse. The golf course surrounds this building, and weaves its way through the naturally attractive surrounding landscape. Mature trees and natural lakes provide the core fabric of the design and at the southern end of the course there are gorse thickets that are spectacular in full bloom. Mount Wolseley golf club is another example of the design credentials of Christy O'Connor Jnr whose courses are strung across Ireland like a string of pearls, from Gort and Galway Bay in his native county of Galway, to Glasson and the simply brilliant Esker Hills in Athlone and Tullamore respectively, on to the stunning new course at Headfort in County Meath and Concra Wood in County Monaghan. Mount Wolseley may be the best of all of them - a terrific challenge once the correct tees have been selected.

The Mount Juliet estate, south of the medieval city of Kilkenny near the picturesque village of Thomastown, is an old hunting estate that spreads over 1,500 acres and contains the mighty River Nore and the smaller Kings River. This magnificent estate is the home of Jack Nicklaus's first course in Ireland. Mount Juliet hosted the Irish Open between 1993 and 1995, the WGC AmEx event in 2002 (Els) and 2004 (Woods), with the Irish Open returning in 2021 and 2022. It is big, measuring 7,264 yards from the tips and the course makes full use of the natural beauty of the terrain with rivers, streams and lakes augmented by the signature Nicklaus bunkering. Highlights of the round include the par-3 3rd hole, with a stream running all the way to a lake protecting the green, the par 4 13th where the aopproach is across a deep pond to a sloping green perched above it and the thrilling last hole, surely one of the toughest finishing holes in Irish golf.