Portumna Golf Club
Date played: 7 April 2007, 8.30am
Weather: Misty start, turning into a beautifully clear and sunny day.
Parkland, 18 holes, Par 72
We play Portumna every year around Easter. It’s our favourite course in Ireland. It’s probably not The Best course in Ireland, but we enjoy this one a lot and it’s always great to catch up with Eileen and Phil when we arrive.
We got very lucky with the weather today – the chilly, misty start gave way to a beautiful summer’s day and we were able to play most of the round in our shirt-sleeves. There’s no denying that having good weather enhances your enjoyment of a course. Playing with good partners also helps and Tony and Brendan were great craic.
Portumna is a great course. They have introduced several new holes in the past 4 or 5 years and they have definitely added to the experience. All of the holes are in fantastic condition. Pay attention to the green on the 12th, it’s contours are unique. The signature hole is the 17th – one of the finest par 5s we’ve ever played. A blind tee off (you need a good drive to reach top of the hill) gives way to a beautiful view down the fairway with water on the right all the way up to the green and trees on the left. Pretty, but treacherous.
Pro shop:
There is no pro shop at Portumna Golf Club.
Clubhouse:
Nice clubhouse which is in the middle of refurbishment. The bar area has an excellent view of the first hole and the 18th green.
Changing facilities:
Decent changing room with showers.
Course conditions:
We were surprised to hear that the competition was summer rules but the fairways were in excellent condition with only one two occasions of mud on the ball. Watch out for droppings from the resident herd of deer. It’s a treat to see them, so keep your eyes peeled. The greens were well trimmed and mostly pitch-mark free. Looked faster than they played, but the lines were true.
Thomas says:
I didn’t play too well today. Some good drives, some woeful irons and a couple of pars. Sadly I bombed out on my two favourite holes, the 12th (two poor shots, then lost one in the trees) and 17th (poor drive, then in the water. Twice.).
But not even bad golf can spoil my enjoyment of this course. Tony and Brendan were great company. It’s nice to play with gentlemen who are of a similar handicap to yourself. They didn’t take it too seriously, and that’s how golf should be approached. It’s a tricky enough course with plenty of challenges and variety.
We’ll be back next year.
Clive says:
We’ve played this course every year since 1998 – it’s our favourite in Ireland. Today, as we stood on the first tee, there was mist but thankfully it cleared as we teed off in the company of Tony and Brendan. I just love this track especially the new holes – the first of which are the 5th and 6th. They have been cut out of the trees and anything less than a straight drive will find trouble – which I did at the 5th. The new 12th is a par five right hand dogleg with a very narrow fairway – apart from that it’s easy. But the real gem is the par five 17th which requires accuracy and length – the lake on the right is a magnet for the stray hits – today I did well – unlike poor Thomas who had his ball twice in the water. As ever we had enjoyed the day and the beautiful weather – we would have felt even better if our golf had been better.
This is still one of the best courses we have ever played and we recommend it to everyone.
