Waterville

March 11, 2019 Off By BBF

Western Ireland: Waterville
If you center yourself in Killarney for your buddies golf trip to Western Ireland, be prepared for quite a drive around the Ring of Kerry on your way out to Waterville. The drive is truly picturesque and a treat in and of itself. In fact, you can make a day of it, and if you do, make sure to stop by the Red Fox Inn (on the N70 between Killorglin and Glenbeigh) for a memorable Irish Coffee.

Once you get out to Waterville you will find very nice facilities and an excellent golf course on the water. It’s classic Irish links is a remix of a course that dates back to 1889 — which has captured the hearts of many professional and amateur golfers alike. In fact, there is a statue of Payne Stuart who frequented the course each time he went to Europe. The course itself is a challenging test of golf. Tight fairways, punishing rough, and a seemingly ever present wind make this as much of a mental challenge as a physical one. Make sure you keep a keen eye out for OB along the ocean holes as that is a sure way to rack up a high number. Our caddy was a nice guy and a decent caddy even if he would tend to over-club on into the wind holes. It’s important to discuss those shots with the caddy. There are a couple hotels and B&B’s out by Waterville in case you want to play the course twice, or get a coveted invite to play Hog’s Head.

– Spectacle/ visual: 7
– History: 7
– New/ancient: Ancient(ish)
– Playability : 8
– Memorability : 7
– Buddy-a-bility : NA
– Service/etc: 7
– Value: ?
– Shopping: Reasonably decent sized golf shop with quality merchandise at a somewhat premium price, but not as bad as Doonbeg.
– Warm up facilities/Range: Full grass range with putting and chipping area, there is no lack of a chance to warm up here, and therefore no excuses either
– Food & Drink: No discernible way to get food and drink on the course. You pass by the clubhouse after the 9th. They have a full bar, and the food is pretty good too if you wanna grab a bite to eat after the round. They are very generous with the wing count

CategoryEurope: Ireland Four Buckets

TagsGolf Course Reviews

About The Author

BBF

BBF or “Big Ball First” comes from a golf saying for hitting a shot fat. Or hitting the “big ball first” in that you hit the ground (the big ball) before hitting the golf ball. In the BBF blog, it’s a metaphor for traveling the planet, soaking in exclusive experiences, and pointing people to the Awesome, the Great, the Good, and the not so good out there. We’re hitting the big ball running with tales from international golf courses, with fine wine, fine food, did I mention golf…well, especially the ‘buddies bucket list golf trips’. The hope is that like minded people will enjoy the stories, and hopefully use it as a reference point. If this blog helps people prioritize the experiences they want to have on our planet then we will have succeeded on our mission. We only have so many go’s at “bucket list” travel experiences. Especially the bucket list buddies golf experiences. My hope is you can refine your experience based upon my learning, and take your “big ball first” experiences to the next level.