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Golf guide • Ireland • County Kerry

Golf in Killarney: the Kerry lakes beneath MacGillycuddy's Reeks

Killarney, in County Kerry in the south-west of Ireland, is the inland base for a Kerry golf trip: Killarney Golf & Fishing Club lines up Killeen, four times host of the Irish Open, and Mahony's Point on the shore of Lough Leane, facing MacGillycuddy's Reeks. The Dooks links is about 35 minutes away, Waterville about 1 hour 15 minutes. Golfers come for golf between lakes and mountains and for the national park; the best season runs from May to September.

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Killarney is a small Kerry town at the entrance to a national park of ten thousand hectares, Ireland's first, given to the State in 1932. On its edge, Lough Leane stretches towards MacGillycuddy's Reeks, the highest range on the island. This is where Irish golf leaves the dunes for a setting of lakes, pines and rhododendrons, on softer ground than the links of the coast.

Killarney Golf & Fishing Club, founded in 1893, moved to the lakeshore in 1937 at the urging of its president, Viscount Castlerosse, who wanted to create the most beautiful course in the world there. Its two eighteen-hole courses, Killeen and Mahony's Point, have hosted four Irish Opens and the 1996 Curtis Cup. They fill two days on their own, and the club is only about four kilometres from the centre.

For wind and sand, take the road west: Dooks, one of the oldest links in Ireland, is about 35 minutes away on Dingle Bay; Waterville, at the end of the Iveragh peninsula, is about 1 hour 15 minutes by road but justifies a full day. Four to six nights allow all four courses to be played, with time left for the national park.

The courses

Green defended by grass-lipped bunkers, tall oaks and birches, russet hills in the background

Killarney Golf & Fishing Club – Killeen

  • Architect: Eddie Hackett, Billy O'Sullivan; Donald Steel (2006)
  • Opened 1972
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

The club's championship course was born in the early 1970s, when Eddie Hackett and Billy O'Sullivan divided the old Mahony's Point layout and added nine holes on new land. Donald Steel rebuilt it completely, with new greens, tees and bunkers, for a reopening in 2006. The lake comes into play from the first hole and water threatens almost everywhere. Nick Faldo won the Irish Open here in 1991 and 1992, Ross Fisher in 2010 and Simon Dyson in 2011. More than 6,600 metres from the back tees: it suits steady players willing to leave the driver in the bag.

Signature hole. The 13th, Castlerosse, is the hardest hole on the course: a 454-metre par 4 whose green is defended by a stream.

Official website

Killarney Golf & Fishing Club – Mahony's Point

  • Architect: Guy Campbell
  • Opened 1939
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

This is the club's original course, laid out in 1939 by Guy Campbell on land chosen by Castlerosse, then reworked when Killeen was created in the 1970s. Shorter than its neighbour, at just over 6,100 metres from the back tees, it stays demanding on the approaches and keeps opening onto Lough Leane and MacGillycuddy's Reeks. The last three holes, which return to the shore, belong to Campbell's original design. It suits every level and is best played late in the afternoon, as the light falls on the lake.

Signature hole. The 18th is a 174-metre par 3 across an arm of Lough Leane to a raised green framed by pines, often into the prevailing wind.

Official website

Dooks Golf Links

  • Architect: Eddie Hackett; Martin Hawtree
  • Opened 1889
  • 18 holes
  • Par 71

Founded in 1889 by officers of the Royal Horse Artillery, Dooks is the oldest club in Kerry. Its members built nine new holes themselves in 1970 to get back to eighteen, with advice from Eddie Hackett, then Martin Hawtree led a complete renovation in the early 2000s. The links occupies a headland on the south shore of Dingle Bay, near Glenbeigh: narrow fairways, well-shaped greens, gorse and heather, views of the Reeks. A par 71 of just over 6,500 yards from the back tees, it is less exposed than other links, and an ideal first links from Killarney.

Official website

Waterville Golf Links

  • Architect: Eddie Hackett, Claude Harmon; Tom Fazio
  • Opened 1973
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Golf has been played at Waterville since 1889, but the present links dates from 1973, when Jack Mulcahy asked Eddie Hackett and the Masters champion Claude Harmon to design a championship course. Tom Fazio later renovated it in several stages. Between the Atlantic, the River Inny and the bog, it measures more than 7,300 yards from the back tees; the back nine winds between the tallest dunes. A bronze statue of Payne Stewart, the club's honorary captain, recalls his attachment to the place. About 1 hour 15 minutes from Killarney, it is a full day out, for seasoned players.

Signature hole. The 17th, Mulcahy's Peak, bears the founder's name: a par 3 played from a tee perched in the dunes, with a view over the bay and the links.

Official website

Where to stay

The Europe Hotel & Resort

On the shore of Lough Leane at Fossa, The Europe is the golf club's nearest neighbour, a kilometre and a half away. Most of its 180 rooms and suites have a balcony facing the lake and the Reeks. The hotel belongs to the Liebherr family, who installed an ESPA spa of about 4,600 square metres; its restaurants draw partly on the estate's farm.

The Lake Hotel

Run by the Huggard family for more than a century, The Lake Hotel stands on the lakeshore on the Muckross road, at the gates of the national park. Hilda Huggard ran it from the 1940s before handing it on to her nephews. Waterside rooms, a thermal suite and the atmosphere of a family house rather than a grand hotel; the golf club is about six kilometres away.

The Killarney Park Hotel

In the centre of Killarney, two minutes' walk from the national park, the Treacy family's hotel is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. Library, billiard room, spa, suites hung with reproductions of old watercolours of the park, and two restaurants, The Peregrine and The Garden Bar. The concierge arranges tee times on the nearby courses; the club is about four kilometres away.

White country house with a slate roof on a lakeshore, a sloping lawn and a wooded hill under a stormy sky

Where to dine

Cronin's Restaurant

Opened in 1957 by Johnny and Noreen Cronin on College Street, the restaurant is now run by their son Pat and his wife Sheila. Generous Irish cooking and local produce: Kenmare smoked salmon, Ring of Kerry lamb, Hereford beef. A place where locals eat; booking advised.

The Peregrine

The Killarney Park Hotel's fine-dining room is named after the peregrine falcon, a protected species in the national park. Chef Noel Enright serves contemporary, seasonal cooking built on local producers, in a room of hand-painted murals and banquettes around an oval bar. Dinner from Wednesday to Sunday.

Beyond golf

Muckross and the national park

Killarney National Park covers ten thousand hectares of lakes, oak woods and mountains, and is home to Ireland's only herd of native red deer, present since the Neolithic. It is also a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. In the heart of the park, Muckross House can be visited with its gardens, traditional farms and craft workshops; go on foot, by bike or by jaunting car, the local horse-drawn carriage.

Ross Castle

Built in the 15th century by the chieftain O'Donoghue Mór on a spit of Lough Leane, the tower house was the last stronghold in Munster to hold out against Cromwell. A prophecy held that it would fall only from the water: when General Ludlow had a boat put on the lake, the garrison surrendered. The interior is open from March to early November, by guided tour only.

The Gap of Dunloe

This eleven-kilometre pass separates MacGillycuddy's Reeks from the Purple Mountain range. Approach from the north, at Kate Kearney's Cottage, on foot, by bike or by jaunting car, past five small lakes linked by the River Loe. On the way, the Wishing Bridge is said to grant wishes made on it. Allow half a day for a day off from golf.

Ruined medieval tower on a wooded shore in autumn colours, reflected in a calm lake under mist

When to go

The season runs from May to September: very long days around June, mild temperatures and courses in their best condition. The Atlantic climate stays changeable all year, and a shower passes quickly; always pack a rain jacket. April and October remain playable, quieter and with stronger colour in the park, but cooler and wetter. Summer is also the busiest season in Killarney, a very touristy town.

Getting there

Kerry Airport (KIR), at Farranfore, is about 20 minutes by road, with flights from Dublin, London and Frankfurt-Hahn, and seasonal Chalair services from several French cities. Cork (ORK) is about 1 hour 30 minutes away. Trains link Killarney with Dublin Heuston, changing at Mallow. Once there, a car with driver makes the days at Dooks and Waterville simpler.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course in Killarney?

Killeen, the championship course at Killarney Golf & Fishing Club, hosted the Irish Open in 1991, 1992, 2010 and 2011. Mahony's Point, its older neighbour, is known for its last three holes on the shore of Lough Leane.

How many courses does Killarney Golf & Fishing Club have?

Two eighteen-hole championship courses, Killeen and Mahony's Point, both par 72, plus the Academy Course, a nine-hole par 36.

Which links courses can you play from Killarney?

Dooks, near Glenbeigh, is about 35 minutes by road. Waterville, at the tip of the Iveragh peninsula, is about 1 hour 15 minutes away and deserves a full day.

When is the best time to play golf in Killarney?

From May to September, when the days are long and the courses in their best condition. April and October are playable but cooler and wetter.

Which airport is best for a golf trip to Killarney?

Kerry Airport, at Farranfore, about 20 minutes by road. Cork, about 1 hour 30 minutes away, offers more flights depending on the season.

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