Woodlands Golf Club
Yesterday after playing at Rossmore we met up with friends in Dublin for a meal (quite good fish and chips in Beshoff, O’Connell Street) and then we went to see The Deep Blue Sea and the Gate theatre (an excellent show which we all enjoyed).
Anyway the play finished at about 10:25pm so we hurried off where we had parked the van and headed out of Dublin. It turned into a bit of a rigmarole. First we missed the N7 turn off for Naas. No big deal, we just took the M50 south and we were back on track. Then I followed the maps that Clive had pulled off Google but when got there what we found wasn’t a golf course, it was an industrial estate. After some faffing Clive asked the man in the security hut if Woodlands nearby. He said it might just be out the road so we moved on. But no golf course. Then we went into Naas and pulled in at a petrol station, but no one there had heard of the course. A man suggested trying the gardai station, which we couldn’t find. Eventually I looked in the Open Fairways book for directions. Woodlands isn’t in Naas at all – it’s in small village just outside Prosperous. Thanks very much Google!
So now we knew more or less where the course was, we got on the right road. But it was getting so late we just decided the pull in at the nearest suitable place and I think we were getting into bed around midnight, way past Clive’s bedtime.
We found the course without any further adventure this morning and Deirdra took our green fees (€30 with Open Fairways) and a couple of cleaning ladies had a bit of fun at our expense.
It was another overcast day but feeling warm and the sun came out for the last few holes. It’s always nice to see a course in good weather. The first tee was across the road in a new 9 holes opened in 2000 (the original 9 holes which are now the back 9 opened in around 1995). Woodlands is a fairly flat, open course but it’s far from boring. It makes great use of the few contours it has and does a great job of masking it’s flatness with plenty of doglegs, ponds, mounds, raised greens, bunkers and ditches.
We both experienced a curious sensation as we set foot on the first green; sponginess. Not in a soggy way though. The greens weren’t wet, there was no squelching and our shoes left no footprints or indentations. There was a bit of a spring as well and they sort felt firm too. Well I did say it was a curious sensation. Whatever, they were good greens. Barely a mark on them and fast enough. The tee boxes too are worth a mention – most were raised, perfectly flat and practically cut like the greens.
There were no truly outstanding holes. The four par 3s were very good – all over water bar one. We haven’t played many courses with four par 5s but the ones on show here were testy enough (except the 9th which had a temporary green when we played). But on the whole this is a really nice course and well worth playing.
Thomas says:
Another very enjoyable course. All the more so because I managed to turn in a pretty good round as well – went round in 85. Nothing majorly exciting here but the whole package is very good. Lovely springy greens, plenty of ponds (of which I found one or two) and deep bunkers (a few of which I landed in). The clubhouse looked pretty new with a modern design which Clive didn’t like much. I thought it looked OK – it’s just a shame we never managed have a go at their Guinness!
Clive says:
When we eventually found this course, my first impression was one of those ‘fieldy’ courses. But I was wrong – the first 9 were particularly delightful, all with water somewhere around. I also found one or two of them. And watch out for a nasty little ditch just in front of the 17th green – and that’s after trying to negotiate yet another pond. As far as the ponds were concerned, they were pretty with lots of lovely water lilies and the like – but not a bird on them. However when I found the pond at the 7th we raised a waterhen and, lo and behold, there was its lovely nest with 6 eggs – it was great to see this as I had not seen one of their nests since I was a schoolboy – and that wasn’t yesterday!
I played the first 9 very well with 19 points including a 2 at the 8th – 8 iron to beside the green and a putter straight into the hole – easy! When we came to the inward 9 my golf went to pot although the last 3 holes weren’t too bad.
I liked this course and the staff, as Thomas has remarked were full of craic and chat – the way we like it. Marks out of 10 for the course = maybe 7 and a half – but certainly worth a visit.
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