Carton House
Founded: 2002
Designer: Mark O’Meara
Type: Parkland
The transformation of the estate into a first class golf resort began in 1999. In 2002, the first phase of the development saw the opening of The O’Meara course. Undoubtedly a parkland, unlike its sister course on the south side of the River Rye, The O’Meara explores the swooping pastures and tiptoes around the ancient specimen trees on this magnificent estate. Feature holes include the 14th, 15th and 16th – a pair of 3’s wrapped around a heroic par 5 – crossing the lazy loops of the River Rye. The beauty of these holes leave you breathless with their daring yet graceful nature. The opportunity to gamble is paramount as is the sense of tranquillity that the holes create. This genteel but challenging journey complements the more vigorous test on the lower ground over the water on The Montgomerie course. Together they are a potent force – very different in nature but both abounding with class which is the overriding feel of the whole estate. “It’s a great piece of property, and I wanted my course to be tough and challenging but playable. I’m thrilled with it.” Mark O’Meara
Montgomerie Course
Founded: 2003
Designer: Colin Montgomerie
Type: Parkland
Host to the 2005 Irish Open this course reflects personality. The course was designed by Colin Montgomerie in association with Stan Eby of European Golf Design, and opened in June 2003 to critical acclaim. Colin Montgomerie expressed his delight with the course – “This is a unique project and I am privileged to be associated with it. You can’t call it a links course, but it plays like a links and has all the characteristics of a links. In designing this course, I attempted to go back to a more traditional course”. “I looked at the great courses around the world – Royal Melbourne, Troon, Turnberry – and worked out what is so good about them. One thing that springs to mind – bunkering. They are hazards and they work with the prevailing wind. Few holes are straight up and down the wind but tend to be across, which brings the bunkering into play. This is the kind of course where the best players would always come out on top”.
Cut through rolling meadows and punctuated by native fescue, The Montgomerie blends a storybook setting with the exciting qualities of links golf. Here, the fairways run firm and fast. The intelligent bunker complexes demand strategic and shot making excellence and the ground game is always in play. The Montgomerie has everything that that helps to make golf so fascinating. At full stretch – 7,300 yards – this links style creation is championship stuff.
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