Mount Wolseley Golf Club
Mount Wolseley isn’t our kind of place. It’s a massive hotel/spa/holiday home complex and when we’re on one of our tours it’s not what we’re into. When we arrived last night to went through to the very posh looking golf reception and spoke to Martin. He said that he didn’t see any problem with parking overnight (it’s a giant hotel car park after all) but that’s it wasn’t his call and we should ask at reception. So we did that and the guy said it’d be fine and suggested we park down one end of the car park where there is less likely to any traffic during the night. We had a drink in the stupidly busy bar/restaurant area and this is why we prefer nice, small clubhouses. The staff were clearly pushed, there were kids running around, loads of tables still needed clearing. It just wasn’t out scene, plus the Guinness was awful. We did have a nice chat with a family who came to sit at our table to order their dinner. They raved about the hotel (the mother had former hotel connections and got a good deal!) and said it was great for kids – loads for them to do.
It was a perfect morning. No wind, clear sky and getting warmer by the second. We had a tee off time of 8am with two others, who didn’t show.
As far as the course goes it’s case of saving the best to last as it’s by far the best course we’ve played on this tour. Nice variety of landscape and shapes to the holes, plenty of water to make you think and the best greens of the bunch we’ve played so far – the nicest green was probably the three-tiered 8th. All very photogenic and once again in top class condition with one criticism – the fairways were too hairy. They were more like our first cut of rough back home than closely mown fairyway. Still, it didn’t detract from the pleasure of playing the course.
The par 3s are punishing – the shortest is 184 yards going up to 204 yards (from the white sticks – if you’re playing from the blues they’re all over 200 yards). The 9th, the 184 yarder, is the most difficult since to reach the green you have to carry the water all the way up to it. This is possibly the nicest hole on the course.
On the whole the course is challenging but not too difficult and is well worth playing. At €35 it wasn’t the cheapest open competition entry fee (that’s the top end of what we’d consider paying for a round of golf anywhere) and we never did find out how much a regular green fee was – expect to pay upwards of €70.
Mount Wolseley is just outside Tullow in Co. Carlow – it’s signposted quite well through the town so you can’t miss it.
Thomas says:
I really enjoyed playing this course and could easily see myself coming back. Managed to sink a long, snaky putt for a birdie on the par 5 12th but my favourite hole was another par 5, the 525 yard 10th. It’s a dogleg right and I creamed the drive, then the second shot blind over the hill and round the corner to set myself up nicely for chip over the water, through the trees and onto the green. Missed the birdie putt by a hair. The great weather is a help to any course but even on a rough day I think this one would still be nice to play. Lots of memorable holes and definitely well worth a go (if you can get it cheap!).
Clive says:
The golf course is just beautiful but the complex is just awful – as ever I think it doesn’t do the image of golf any good – but I am probably too old fashioned. We slept well enough although a few revellers did disturb our snoozes.
We were the first off on the tee and actually it was good that we were on our own. There were lots of ponds with ducks, waterhens and coots and also a couple of swans sitting on nests within a clublength of many of our shots. They don’t seem to bother – they know that one hiss from them will send inquisitive golfers flying. The first holes were just lovely and I played quite well. However the wheels came off in the inward nine – I had 3 points after 6 holes but I did redeem myself over the last three with an additional 7 points. The 18th is fabulous – an elevated tee box, a sweeping fairway and plenty of water to test one’s golf. Yes the rough is too clingy but you just have to deal with it – better still don’t go into it! Thomas thought his work society might come here. Carlow is actually nearer to Belfast than to most places in Donegal. That’s the Northern Irish for you – the Republic consists only of Donegal – they never go anywhere else. Silly people, especially when you have so many other lovely Irish counties to visit, both north and south.
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