The great golf course architect Tom Simpson was not a fan of club committees, but the man who left his mark on such gems as the Old Course at Ballybunion, County Louth and Sunningdale New would be thrilled with the transformation of Carlow Golf Club, which he revised to such stunning effect just before World War II.
“A Committee,” Simpson wrote in 1945, “has been defined as a body of people who individually have no authority, and who collectively decide to do one of three things: to do nothing, to have another meeting as soon as possible, or to appoint a sub-committee.”
Not so at Carlow.
Promoted by 2019 Captain Adrian Regan, the club asked Dr Ian McClements, the R&A’s consultant agronomist in Ireland, to do a complete review of the course.
As a result of his advice, the hard work of Thos Hennessy on the greens committee, and the talents of head greenkeeper Tony Pender and the club’s PGA professional Damien McGrane, the course is now back to its fast-running best with many shot values restored following the removal of some 80 trees.
The original nine-hole club was founded in 1899, and in 1922 the 18-hole parkland course was laid out by Cecil Barcroft in a former wild deer park attached to the Bruen Estate.
Simpson and his assistant Molly Gourlay made Carlow one of the finest courses in Ireland as its undulating fairways rolled through sandy, woodland terrain and provided a great strategic challenge.
The overplanting of trees, coupled with the pain caused by the economic crash, led to the course losing some of the charm that made it such a unique venue for the Midland Scratch Cup, which boasts Joe Carr (six times), Mark Gannon (five), Peter McEvoy (four) and Pádraig Harrington (two) among its former winners,
But that’s all now forgotten thanks the efforts the club has made over the last 18 months.
“Old Carlow, as we call it, is back,” reports vice-captain John Fitzpatrick. “Yes, it meant bringing back the fast running element but also the lovely wispy grasses that frame the holes. It’s certainly very much enhanced by the weather at the moment and is looking particularly well. The great thing about Carlow is that it’s a natural course and it’s very undulating, so you don’t get a level stance no matter where you are, and the natural drainage is excellent.
“Ian McClements is an absolutely fantastic guy and he put a programme of work together, and a lot of it involved removing some of the trees because we had overplanted and we lost that links quality.
“Thos Hennessy is in charge of the greens committee and working with Damien, they have changed the mowing lines of the fairways and implemented many other subtle changes that have made an enormous difference.
“Instead of having trees in the way, we put the rough back where it used to be, and it really is a challenging championship course again now. The fairways are still 100 yards wide in spots, so if you hit it down the middle, you’ll be fine, and you’ll get plenty of run. But miss right or left and you won’t be going for the green.”
Carlow has been booming since golf returned from lockdown and the 800 members are not only booking out the timesheet in double-quick time, they have also discovered the beauty of the nine-hole Oakpark Course created by Jeff Howes in 2001.
“The Oak Park nine has matured fantastically well,” adds the vice-captain. “And it worked out very well because we have a lot of elderly members who like to play the game at a different pace.”
The new nine made life difficult financially at first, but it is now a tremendous asset as it allows the cub to rest holes in winter or run competitions over three nines to satisfy growing demand.
“It’s actually been a godsend because the main 18 holes have been overplayed, so the third nine has now come into his own with all the new members we have,” adds former European Tour winner McGrane, who has been PGA professional 2018.
“Over the last 12 months of lockdown, the course committee has removed about 80 trees, and the high rough is back, so it is in championship condition at the moment and plays like a championship course.”
Holes like the 440-yard eighth, which tumbles down from the highest point of the course, and the famously undulating and equally spectacular 16th are two favourites, while the par-threes are all very strong.
However, McGrane’s favourites are two strong par-fours, the index one-seventh and the testing 14th.
“Those are the real eye-catching par fours for me,” he explains. “I think 14 is the most exciting hole to play. First of all, the fairway slopes from left to right, so being a dogleg from right to left, it requires a draw from the tee.
“A tee shot left is a lost ball at the moment, so with a good drive, you are probably going in from 180 yards to a green that slopes off on both sides. So it is a simplistic design, but the lie of the land itself lends itself to it being a quite fantastic hole and extremely difficult for the amateur player.”
New Zealander Greg Turner, a former European Tour player turned designer and critic, visited the course a few years ago and was blown away by its quality of what he now regards as his favourite Irish inland course.
“Being a student of golf course architecture, it’s always interesting to see how, in spite of such enormous changes in the golf balls and clubs, great architecture can stand the test of time,” he wrote. “Your course is a fine example – proof positive that interesting greens along with firm undulating fairways will always captivate. ”
Green fees: Mon - Thurs €40, Fri €45, Sat €60
Society rates : Mon - Thurs, Up to 20 players €40 each; 21-40 €35 ; 41+ €30. Fri, Up to 20 players €45 each; 21-40 €40; 41+ €35. Sat, Up to 20 players €60 each; 21-40 €50; 41+ €45.
Buggy hire: Yes, €30
Club hire: No
Electric trolleys: Yes, €10
Range Balls: No
Membership rates: Full Membership €950 (Entrance fee €1,000 payable over 10 years); Juvenile €107; Student €160; Overseas €346; Under 35 €718 (Entrance fee €1,000 payable over 10 years); Under 30 €487 (Entrance fee €1,000 payable over 10 years).
Signature hole:
16th, 404 m, Par 4
Sweeping from a high tee to a wide fairway in the valley below, the picturesque, index two 16th requires an accurate tee shot to avoid trees left and rough right before taking on a tough second to the elevated green.
Expert tip: Finding the 16th fairway is crucial if you are hoping to make a par-four here. If you do that, you have a testing second, often with a fairway wood, to an elevated green that banks from the left towards the putting surface. Miss right and sand awaits.
Nearby clubs: Athy, Baltinglass, Bunclody, Castlecomer, Coollattin, Kilkea Castle, Mount Wolseley Hotel Golf and Country Club; Rathsallagh,