The Old Head Golf Links situated on a narrow headland, a promontory jutting out into the Atlantic was opened for play in 1997. Despite its youth the impact it has had on the golfing world in such a short time speaks volumes for its shere uniqueness, incomparable amongst its peers.
It rises hundreds of feet high above dramatic cliffs, surrounded by the ocean on all sides and commanding the most spectacular views from every angle. The course can stretch to over 7,000 yards, set up as two loops of nine each returning home. The exhilaration of standing on a tee box with the waves crashing against the cliff edge 2 hundred feet below you is not an average experience. There is nothing average about your visit to the Old Head as they constantly strive to improve every facet of service.
As one of the designers and three times British Amateur Champion Joe Carr puts it best when he said “The Old Head of Kinsale, as a golf links, will in my estimation rate with the great golf courses in the world. Its location, its scenic reality and spectacular terrain remind me of Cypress Point and Pebble Beach, I see the Old Head as a golfers paradise and it has the potential of being the eighth wonder of the world, in golfing terms” .
Course type: Links
Founded: 1997
Par: 72
Yards : 72000
SSS : 73
Designers : Joe Carr, Ron Kirby, Paddy Merrigan
Sea breezes and cliff edge shots. One of the most scenic golf courses in the world. Situated on a peninsula in County Cork, next stop over the Atlantic Ocean is America Ranked No. 99 in the Top 100 courses in the British Isles 2002.
The Battle of Kinsale, fought in 1601 between a combined Spanish, Irish force against English armies, was a turning point in Irish history.
The harbour is guarded by two very fine star-shaped fortresses built in the 17th century:
5 minutes away Charles Fort is well worth a visit. See also the old Courthouse, now a museum; St Multose Church, built in the 13th century and still in use, and ‘French Prison’, the 16th century Desmond Castle.
1 hour away is Youghal town. It has a rich past with the earliest civilization dating back approximately 8,000 years. The Celts arrived to the area about 500 BC. Christianity was introduced in the 5th Century at the Church of Coran and nearby hermitage. The Vikings used Youghal as a base for their costal raids.
25 miles away, Fota Wildlife Park is on one of the three islands in Cork Harbour featuring 90 different species of wildlife where animals roam in their natural habitat. Cheetahs are the only caged animals. The park is the largest breeder of cheetahs in the world. The animals come from five continents. The arboretum has many exotic plants and trees. It is one of the best in Europe.
Kinsale Regatta & Homecoming Festival
Date:
August 2 – 5
Cork Airport 12 miles
Cork City 14 miles
Shannon Airport 90 miles
Dublin 180 miles
Close by is Cobh town the port of departure for many Irish during the Great Hunger from 1844 to 1848. At that time it was known as Queenstown. Many sailed hungry and penniless in the deplorable “coffin ships”,
Toll Free Number - 866-586-4653
(USA and CANADA)
Thru The Links Ltd., 11 Grange Erin, Douglas.
County Cork. Ireland
Telephone: (+011) (+353) (0)214580978
Thru The Links Golf Travel
PO Box 1198, Preston PR2 1NQ
Lancashire England
Telephone: (+44) (0)1772 732222
