Latest news with #Baltray
Irish Times
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Best golf courses in Co Louth: Bucket list courses and hidden gems from Baltray to Ardee
Bucket Lists The drive from Drogheda along the River Boyne to the village of Baltray is one which heightens expectations of what awaits at the mouth of the river. County Louth Golf Club – a fine, traditional links – has earned its place among the top courses in the country . Originally designed in the 1890s by a Scottish professional with the wonderful name of Mr Snowball, the man most responsible for leaving his imprint on this seaside course – where Shane Lowry won the Irish Open as an amateur in 2009 – was the noted golf course architect Tom Simpson and his assistant Molly Gourlay. [ Fairways to Heaven - Ireland's Ultimate Golf Guide Opens in new window ] The links itself is a true test from start-to-finish, as it weaves its way in different directions but still consists of two loops. The most dramatic run of holes comes on the back nine, with the run from the 10th to 13th comprising arguably the best sequence of four successive par-fours anywhere. The 14th is the shortest of the par-fours but one of the best, playing from the elevated tee with the final destination of a green planted into the sand hills. In every sense, Baltray – the traditional home of the men's East of Ireland championship – is a links that will reward and captivate, while being at all times challenging. Its clever design, utilising the terrain that is primarily flat before delving into the sand hills from the 12th to the 14th, entices and demands attention on every shot. READ MORE The 17th hole prior to the Irish Legends 2023 at Seapoint Golf Club in 2023. Photograph:As part of the bucket list, it is worth factoring in a round at the adjacent Seapoint links – designed by Des Smyth and Declan Branigan – which has matured wonderfully, especially the back nine which takes in views of the Irish Sea from a number of vantage points. The best is probably left to last at Seapoint. The 18th hole running along the coastline back to the clubhouse where the spirit of the 19th hole welcome is very much in play. Co Louth Golf Club, Baltray, Drogheda, Co Louth, A92 HK03; 041-9881530 Seapoint Golf Club, Termonfeckin, Co Louth; 041-9822333; email: ed@ Hidden Gem Greenore is a long established course dating back to the 1890s but remains one of those hidden gems, primarily because its location on the Cooley peninsula overlooking Carlingford Lough ... but it is very much worth discovering as a fine test of golf in a wonderful setting with views across to the Mournes. Wind, given its location, is invariably a factor but the layout is open with the challenge set before the player off the tee with no hidden surprises. Although flat, the loughside course has its challenges with tidal water in play, most notably on the sixth and seventh holes. The tee to the Par 3 sixth is located on a disused railway line and plays downhill to the green, while it is followed by a demanding Par 4 with a tee shot over water. Greenore Golf Club, Greenore, Dundalk; 042-9373212 Honourable Mentions Dundalk Golf Club is a classic parkland course with a reputation for its wonderful greens. Located above the picturesque village of Blackrock, the treelined course has three distinct segments with an opening stretch of four tough Par 4s, then a stretch to the 12th that includes four Par 5s and a tough finishing run all the way to the 18th which is known as 'Harrington's Challenge,' in honour of three-time Major champion Pádraig Harrington who won the Dundalk Scratch Cup in 1995. Dundalk Golf Club, Blackrock, Dundalk, County Louth; 042-9321731; email: manager@ Ardee Golf Club has matured into a lovely tree-lined course and, with the Tain Trail part of the local history, has connections with Cuchulainn in the names of the 1st (Cuchulainn's Crown) and the seventh (Ferdia). The stretch of holes from the 11th to the 14th is very demanding, with the short 13th that has water in play from tee to green showcasing the picturesque nature of the entire layout. Ardee Golf Club, Townparks, Ardee, Co Louth; 041-6853227; email: office@
Irish Independent
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Home sweet home as Caolan Rafferty retains Dundalk Scratch Cup
It gave him a four under par total of 140 and he finished four shots ahead of Co Louth's Gerard Dunne, with another Baltray player, Gavin Tiernan, a shot further back on one over. Tiernan had led by one shot after the first round when he was the only player to break par over Dundalk's tough championship course. He had four birdies at the third, 10th, 12th and 17th but bogeyed the fifth, 13th and 18th for a 71. Dunne was a shot further behind on level par after an eagle three at the 12th and a birdie at the sixth and three bogeys at the third, eighth and 17th. The two Baltray players were followed by four Dundalk members as Aidan Lawless matched Dunne's level par score with Neal MacKell on plus one, while Ben Cahill and Rafferty were on plus two. Rafferty had two bogeys at the par five seventh and 12th and 16 pars in a birdie-free round, but he made up for the lack of birdies in the second round as he went on a charge that eventually yielded victory. Down the front nine he had eight birdie opportunities and took three of them at the second, sixth and seventh to go out in 33 and take a one-shot lead into the back nine as Tiernan dropped three shots as a result of bogeys at the first, fifth, eighth and ninth and a birdie at the fourth. Lawless also fell away after four bogeys on the opening nine, leaving Rafferty's playing partner Dunne to become his nearest challenger. He remained on level par thanks to back-to-back birdies at the sixth and seventh which were cancelled out by bogeys at the fifth and eighth. Rafferty and Dunne both birdied the par five 10th and 12th to move to three under and two under respectively and they were level a hole later when Rafferty three-putted from 90 feet for bogey. He regained the lead when he birdied the par four 15th and extended his lead to three shots at the 16th where he sank a 15ft putt for birdie, while Dunne three-putted from the back of the green for a bogey. Both Rafferty and Dunne found the trees off the tee on the last, but the Dundalk man managed to save his par, while Dunne bogeyed to finish on level par, four shots behind Rafferty. ADVERTISEMENT Tiernan took third on one over after a second round 74, while Dundalk youngster Ben Cahill and James O'Rourke from Naas finished on two over. The win gives Rafferty his sixth victory in the competition and a massive confidence boost ahead of the defence of his East of Ireland Championship in Baltray over the June Bank Holiday weekend. Final standings May 18 Dundalk Scratch Cup sponsored by One Finance – 140 - Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk) 74, 66; 144 - Gerard Dunne (Co. Louth) 72, 72; 145 - Gavin Tiernan (Co. Louth) 71, 74; 146 - Ben Cahill (Dundalk) 74, 72; James O'Rourke (Naas) 74, 72; 149 - Jamie Kelly (Ardee) 76, 73. Round 1 Gross: Aidan Lawless (Dundalk) 72. Round 2 Gross: Eoin Murphy (Dundalk) 70. Overall Nett: 143 - Peter Durnin (Dundalk) 73, 70.
