Mullingar Golf Club (221)
We have passed Mullingar Golf Club many, many times on our trips around Ireland so we thought it was high time to actually play it, and today we did.
Arriving last night we happened to meet Albert Lee, GUI President, who is a member at Mullingar. So without further ado we launched into our story and before long we had the OK to park overnight and Albert generously bought us a couple of pints of Guinness. We tried to catch up on the latest at the Scottish Open but they couldn’t seem to find anything on SKY (so we had to endure some dull looking dance-off reality TV show until someone had the good sense to switch it over for the hurling).
Mullingar is a mature parkland course that was founded in 1894 and has been in it’s current location since the 1920s. There are hundred of magnificent, occasionally gnarly, old trees many of which form integral parts of the course and must be negotiated with a high, long drive or a low punch iron.
We learned that for the past three years the course has undegone some major improvements to the greens and tee boxes. The quality of both was excellent, particularly the greens which were fast, large and nicely shaped. The 8th (I think) was also reshaped, moving the green to alleviate a problem where too many greens were placed together. The rehaping makes for a very narrow approach the green through the trees and is a very nice hole. It has a great collection of tricky park threes – not the most picturesque, but long and well protected with bunkers and sloping greens.
We were playing with a member called Eamon Shaw. Despite feeling “a little groggy” on account of his parents-in-law’s 50th wedding anniversary celebrations the night before, he was striking the ball well. He played off 9 so it’s to be expected really. Again, it’s great to play with a member and Eamon was an interesting and chatty guy.
The course is a delight to play from start to finish. The design is excellent – you feel like you’re going a journey around the course rather than merely playing up and down the fairways. The mature surroundings add to that. There are just enough bunkers, some ditches, ponds and streams and those mature trees all adding to experience.
Just one downside that I could see – it appears to hold onto the water. It was pretty soggy in parts, so much so that it was lift, clean and place for today’s competition.
Thomas says:
I did not acquit myself well today at all. My poor golf was no match for the lovely surroundings. Mullingar is perhaps one of the nicest parkland courses we’ve played this year. A real treat to play. Despite the soggy conditions the course just feels very nice. The mature trees and interesting course design are enough the take anyone’s mind off the awful shot (or three) they’ve just played.
Eamon was great company and his groggy comment at the beginning wasn’t fooling me as he proceeded to play some great golf. It’s about time we played this course and it ranks high on my list of favourites.
Clive says:
I am amazed how well we fall in with golfers in their clubhouses. Thomas will tell you I’m always looking for the ‘officer commanding’ and tonight it was Albert Lee, very big in GUI circles. Again the clubhouse seemed to empty rather quickly – I don’t think we had anything to do with this!!
The weather looked good early although it did cloud over. However it turned to be a lovely day. When Eamon told me that David Jones had redesigned the course, I was able to tell him that I played golf at Shandon Park with him when we were young men. One of the holes he did work on was the par 5 4th and I promptly scored a par! I then proceeded to the par 3 5th, hit a 5 wood onto the green and sank the putt! It’s a pity that the rest of my round didn’t shape up. I did like the track with its various meanderings. Hardly one hole was alongside another which made it a great experience. We’ve obviously played stacks of parkland courses and Mullingar ranks high amongst them. It’s lush and varied with many turns and twists. We couldn’t have had a nicer man to play with as Eamon was. He’s good at golf and a very modest chap.
Again I would thoroughly recommend Mullingar – for the golf and the friendly welcome.
