Golf Digest Ireland’s Top 100 Ranking 2010
Royal County Down
Royal County Down is number one in the 2010 Golf Digest Ireland Top-100 rankings.
Royal County Down has regained its spot as Ireland’s top course in the annual Golf Digest Ireland Top 100 ranking.
The Co Down links swapped places with Portmarnock, the number one course in 2009, as Royal Portrush rose one place to third and The European Club dropped one to fourth in a ranking compiled by a panel of golf course architects, former amateur internationals and golf administrators.
The Robert Trent Jones Snr designed Adare in Limerick is the only parkland course in the Top 10 while there are eight new entries in the top 50 alone and 21 in total. (Click here for 2008 ranking and here for 2009)
In a controversial move, Golf Digest Ireland has decided that “all golf clubs that we were aware of being in receivership, at the time of publication, were not considered in these rankings.”
Jack Nicklaus’ Killeen Castle in Co Meath, host venue for next year’s Solheim Cup, is the top new entry for 2010 at 14th followed by the Nick Faldo course at Lough Erne (22nd). Other high ranking new entries include the Old Tom Morris Course at Rosapenna (33rd), the West Course at Powerscourt (38th), Concra Wood in Co Monaghan (39th), The Valley Course at Royal Portrush (44th), Farnham Estate in Co Cavan (48th) and Luttrellstown (49th).
Golf Digest Ireland’s Top 100 Ranked Golf Courses 2010
Tralee10. Tralee
Position – Up 1
Where – Co. Kerry
11. County Sligo (Rosses Point)
Position – Up 5
Where – Co. Sligo
12. The Island
Position – Up 6
Where – Co. Dublin
13. Mount Juliet
Position – Down 1
Where – Co. Kilkenny
14. Killeen Castle
Position – NEW
Where – Co. Meath
15. The K Club (Palmer Course)
Position – Down 5
Where – Co. Kildare
16. Ballyliffin (Glashedy Links)
Position – Down 1
Where – Co. Donegal
17. Enniscrone
Position – Up 3
Where – Co. Sligo
18. Royal Dublin
Position – Down 5
Where – Co. Dublin
Position – Up 30
Where – Co. Donegal
Position – Up 4
Where – Co. Londonderry
Position – Down 4
Where – Co. Donegal
22. Lough Erne
Position - NEW
Where – Co. Fermanagh
23. Killarney (Killeen Course)
Position – Down 9
Where – Co. Kerry
24. Carlow
Position – Up 8
Where – Co. Carlow
Position – Down 4
Where – Co. Mayo
26. Seapoint
Position – Up 1
Where – Co. Louth
27. Druids Glen
Position – Down 5
Where – Co. Wicklow
28. Castlerock
Position – Same
Where – Co. Londonderry
29. Cork
Position – Up 8
Where – Co. Cork
30. Carton House (Montgomerie Course)
Position – Down 4
Where – Co. Kildare
Position – Down 6
Where – Co. Dublin
32. Ballyliffin (Old Links)
Position – Up 6
Where – Co. Donegal
33. Rosapenna (Old Tom Morris)
Position - NEW
Where – Co. Donegal
34. The K Club (Smurfit Course)
Position – Up 6
Where – Co. Kildare
35. Portsalon
Position – Up 10
Where – Co. Donegal
36. Doonbeg Links
Position – Down 2
Where – Co. Clare
37. Dooks
Position – Up 30
Where – Co. Kerry
38. Powerscourt (West)
Position – NEW
Where – Co. Wicklow
39. Concra Wood
Position - NEW
Where – Co. Monaghan
40. Headfort (New)
Position – Down 10
Where – Co. Meath
41. Malone
Position – Down 8
Where – Co. Antrim
42. Slieve Russell
Position – Down 6
Where – Co. Cavan
43. Belvoir Park
Position – Down 8
Where – Co. Down
44. Royal Portrush (The Valley)
Position – NEW
Where – Co. Antrim
45. Westport
Position – Down 2
Where – Co. Mayo
46. Dun Laoghaire
Position – Down 7
Where – Co. Wicklow
47. Old Head Golf Links (Kinsale)
Position – Down 18
Where – Co. Cork
48. Farnham Estate
Position – NEW
Where – Co Cavan
49. Luttrellstown
Position – NEW
Where – Co. Dublin
50. Dundalk
Position – Down 2
Where – Co. Louth
Position – Up 29
Where – Co. Donegal
52 Carton House (O’Meara Course)
Position – Down 5
Where – Co. Kildare
53. Tullamore
Position – Up 6
Where – Co. Offaly
54. Palmerstown Stud
Position – Down 23
Where – Co. Kildare
55. Druids Heath
Position – NEW
Where – Co. Wicklow
56. Connemara
Position – Up 2
Where – Co. Galway
57. Hermitage
Position – Down 5
Where – Co. Dublin
58. Tramore
Position – Down 4
Where – Co. Waterford
59. Bunclody Golf and Fishing Club
Position – NEW
Where – Co. Wexford
60. Glasson
Position – Down 14
Where – Co. Westmeath
61. Portumna
Position - NEW
Where – Co. Galway
62. Arklow
Position – Up 21
Where – Co. Wicklow
63 Powerscourt (East)
Position – Down 22
Where – Co. Wicklow
64. Killarney Golf and Fishing (Lackabane)
Position – NEW
Where – Co. Kerry
65. Dromoland Castle
Position – Down 12
Where – Co. Clare
66. Kilkenny
Position – Down 9
Where – Co. Kilkenny
67. Rathsallagh
Position – Down 17
Where – Co. Wicklow
68. Ardglass
Position – NEW
Where – Co Down
69. Clandeboye
Position – Down 7
Where – Co. Down
70. Bantry Bay
Position – Down 15
Where – Co. Cork
71 St. Anne’s
Position – NEW
Where – Co. Dublin
72. Shannon
Position – Down 4
Where – Co. Clare
73. Royal Belfast
Position – Down 2
Where – Co. Down
74. Castlemartyr
Position – NEW
Where – Co. Cork
75. Courtown
Position – NEW
Where – Co. Wexford
76. Mount Wolseley
Position – Down 34
Where – Co. Carlow
77. Balbriggan
Position – NEW
Where – Co. Dublin
78. Mullingar
Position – Down 22
Where – Co. Westmeath
79. Knightsbrook
Position – Down 35
Where – Co. Meath
80. Castle
Position – Down 14
Where – Co. Dublin
81. Galway
Position – Up 1
Where – Co. Galway
82. Galgorm Castle
Position – Up 8
Where – Co. Antrim
83. Strandhill
Position – NEW
Where – Co. Sligo
84. Grange
Position – Down 19
Where – Co. Dublin
85. Castletroy
Position – Up 4
Where – Co. Limerick
Position – Down 2
Where – Co. Meath
87. Skellig Bay
Position – Down 13
Where – Co. Kerry
88. Ashbourne
Position – Down 3
Where – Co. Meath
89. Galway Bay
Position – NEW
Where – Co. Galway
90. Athlone
Position – Down 14
Where – Co. Roscommon
91. Ballinrobe
Position – Up 5
Where – Co. Mayo
92. Faithlegg
Position – NEW
Where – Co. Waterford
Position – Down 6
Where – Co. Kerry
94. Blainroe
Position – Up 1
Where – Co. Wicklow
95. Woodbrook
Position – Down 26
Where – Co. Wicklow
96. Letterkenny
Position - NEW
Where – Co. Donegal
97. Curragh
Position – Down 5
Where – Co. Kildare
98. Rosslare
Position – Down 22
Where – Co. Wexford
99. Esker Hills
Position – Down 24
Where – Co. Offaly
100. Roganstown
Position – Down 27
Where – Co. Dublin
Golf Digest Ireland’s Top 25 Ranked Links Golf Courses
1. Royal County Down
2. Portmarnock
3. Royal Portrush
4. The European Club
5. Ballybunion (Old)
6. Waterville
7. Lahinch
8. Co. Louth (Baltray)
9. Tralee
10. Co. Sligo
11. The Island
12. Ballyliffin (Glashedy Links)
13. Enniscrone
14. Royal Dublin
15. Donegal (Murvagh Links)
16. Portstewart (Strand)
17. Rosapenna (Sandy Hills)
18. Belmullet (Carne)
19. Seapoint
20. Castlerock
21. Portmarnock Links
22. Ballyliffin (Old Links)
23. Rosapenna (Old Tom Morris)
24. Portsalon
25. Doonbeg
Golf Digest Ireland’s Top 25 Ranked Parkland Golf Courses
1. Adare
2. Mount Juliet
3. Killeen Castle
4. The K Club (Palmer)
5. Lough Erne
6. Killarney (Killeen)
7. Carlow
8. Druids Glen
9. Cork
10. Carton House (Montgomerie)
11. The K Club (Smurfit)
12. Powerscourt (West)
13. Concra Wood
14. Headfort (New)
15. Malone
16. Slieve Russell
17. Belvoir Park
18. Dun Laoghaire
19. The Old Head of Kinsale
20. Farnham Estate
21. Luttrellstown
22. Dundalk
23. Carton House (O’Meara Course)
24. Tullamore
25. Palmerstown Stud
According to Golf Digest Ireland:
Since we started this process of grading courses, it has served to highlight the splendid work clubs throughout the country have been doing to upgrade their facilities. This year, the panel has been modified from 2009 with the addition of some fresh blood to help ensure this massive undertaking got the attention it deserves.
Eddie Connaugton, an esteemed agronomist; Kate McCann, an experienced Curtis Cup Player; Valerie Hassett also of the Curtis Cup ; Cecil Whelan, founder of the famously charitable Links Society and a man this magazine voted as one of the Top 50 most influential people in Irish golf; and Ally McIntosh, the course designer and a writer of regular architecture columns in these pages are all new to the panel, but have the kind of expertise in the industry that is indispensable when trying to make these tough decisions.
They joined our existing panelists Declan Branigan, agronomist and course-designer; Mark Gannon, a Royal and Ancient selector; Michael McCumiskey, the Secretary of the PGA Irish Region; Garth McGimpsey, a former Walker Cup captain; John Quigley, of the Association of Irish Golf Club Secretaries and, of course, the panel’s chairman: Pádraig O hUiginn.
The decision process
76 golf clubs wrote to the panel, either to detail various upgrade work that had taken place over the course of the year, or to request a visit. Each one was visited and accessed over a four month period, as was a further list of 29 golf clubs who did not make last year’s rankings but merited another assessment.
Over a four month period, these golf clubs were visited and assessed.
In October, the panel met for the final time and discussed and debated their individual assessments. Through agreement, 20 clubs were selected that could possibly make it into the top ten. The panel then voted on these courses using a marking system from one to 10, under these headings:
- Shot making/variety 10 points
- Design variety 10 points
- Memorability 10 points
- Condition 10 points
- Playability (all handicaps) 10 points
- Degree of difficulty/fairness 10 points
Once the Top-10 had been decided, the panel then debated what 20 clubs could possibly make it into the 11-20 bracket, and the individual voting process was repeated. The same process was continued throughout the 100 positions.
All golf clubs that we were aware of being in receivership, at the time of publication, were not considered in these rankings.
The Panel:
Pádraig O hUiginn
Eddie Connaughton
Kate MacCann
Valerie Hassett
Cecil Whelan
John Quigley
Declan Branigan
Michael McCumiskey
Mark Gannon
Ally McIntosh
Garth McGimpsey