I played Old Head Golf Links in Kinsale, Ireland. Old Head is a dramatic peninsula in the South East of Ireland. There are some photos below and a more complete set of photos here.
I arrived just after sunrise as a single without a tee time and there was only one opening the entire day (two hours later). They charged €175 which was less than the €220 rate published on the website. I was paired up with some guys from Monmouth County, New Jersey. They were part of a group of seven who had played Tralee, Ballybunion, Fota Island and were headed for Doonbeg and Lahinch. Several of them thought the back nine at Tralee was the best nine holes they had ever played.
Old Head is a spectacular course with stunning views in all directions. The weather was fantastic with a moderate wind. I played in shorts. Started out with a sweater but took it off after a couple of holes.
Course Rating
The golfshake.com ratings for Old Head can be found here. I'd rate the course as follows:
The Course - 5 of 5
Facilities & Service - 5 of 5
Value for Money - 4 of 5
The setting for the course is phenomenal but it's worth noting that the course is dumbed down to help with pace of play. The greens are outstanding but not cut nearly as fast as they could be. The fairways are very wide and on many holes areas that must at one time been bushes or long grass are now cut down to fairly short rough. I'm sure this all helps with pace of play and with high handicap golfers. It reminds me of what has been done on the Bandon Dunes course over the years where the gorse has almost entirely been eliminated.
There were two caddies in our group and they were outstanding. I would use Mickey or Paul again. The service in the clubhouse and food was very friendly. Great coffee and scones were complimentary and of course the view from the clubhouse is great.