Perhaps you are thinking about coming to golf in ireland and have been looking at what courses you may want to play. The usual suspects of Ballybunion, Old Head, Royal County Down et al keep being mentioned. Now I’m not criticising these courses, far from it – they are excellent and if you play them you’ll have a great golf experience. The point I’m trying to make is that there are very credible alternatives available that will meet your expectations and not hit you as hard in your wallet. This article is going to examine four courses across the region that you may not have heard of but should consider playing when you come to Ireland for golf.

Northwest – Sandy Hills at Rosapenna Hotel, Downings, Donegal. When I first arrived at Rosapenna I was amazed at how beautiful it was. Why had I not heard more about this place? It’s beautiful, tranquil and Old Tom Morris and Sandy Hills is just brilliant. Rosapenna has to be one of the best kept secrets of golf in Ireland. Located in North Donegal, Rosapenna can be classified as a golf resort. Its a family owned and run business (Frank Casey Snr and Jnr) and this shows in the attention to detail. There are two courses: 1 – Old Tom Morris 2 – Sandy Hills. Sandy Hills is open since the turn of the decade and is at a championship standard. Old Tom Morris course has been there since time began (well maybe not) and is a challenging course in its own right. Both courses straddle Tramore (in Irish meaning Big Beach) and Sheephaven Bay. The scenary is spectacular and has to be seen to be believed. One characteristic of Sandy Hills is the tightness of the fairways, you need to look at placing your tee-shots in the right areas and I would suggest playing with a 1/2 iron or a 3-wood for accruacy. If you leave yourself in the right places you have a chance at scoring. Blind shots are normal and you can walk the whole course without seeing another group such is the height of the dunes and the layout of the course. I think it’s the peacefulness and the course quality that makes Sandy Hills a must play. Green Fees cost in and around €80 and represents great value. The clubhouse is comfortable (serves great food and drink)and overlooks the Old TOm Morris course. Currently in development is a “golf development course” that is purposely built to develop junior golfers and give people a chance to develop their skills.

Southeast – Gowran Park, Kilkenny. The Southeast would not be typically known for its championship golf courses. The major players are Mount Juliet, The Heritage and Foto Island. Just outside Kilkenny city lies a small town of Gowran. Gowran Park Golf course is a parkland course that is set amoung mature country of Co. Kilkenny. Its unique in the fact that some of the holes are located in the centre of a racetrack but don’t let that put you off. The course itself is great with mature features and plenty to keep you on your toes. One personal favourite hole (in Ireland) is the 4th hole (Par 4) that is set amoung a corridor of trees and a stream running up the left handside of the fairway that cheekily cuts across in front of the green to make it a tricky approach. You need to draw your drive and then take a suitable club to ensure you clear the stream – over the green is not a bad shot . A par at this hole is no mean feet. The remaining holes are equally challenging and the layout is well thought out with an excellent closing hole with water all around to keep you on your toes. The clubhouse is comfortable with excellent facilities and great food/drink available. Just to note that the days the races are on the course is closed but it would be ideal for a weekend trip to Kilkenny City – highly recommended. Green fees are very reasonable at around €50

East – Tulfarris, Co Wicklow. Tulfarris Golf Resort is located just south of Dublin. The Blessington Lakes run along its edge and provide a beautiful backdrop. A parkland course it uses the natural topography very well. You make your way out to the lakes and then back in towards the magnificient clubhouse/hotel. The closing stretch of holes make this course with the 17th and 18th tempting you with potential watery graves as you approach the green but are real chances for making birdie. Green fees come in around the €50

SouthWest – Ceann Sibeal (Dingle), Kerry. The most westerly golf course in Europe – next stop Statton Island. Ceann Sibeal (Dingle Links) is located in a Gaeltacht (Irish speaking area) of Ireland. It’s quaint links course that is set in the most beautiful of locations. Its not a long course but like the best links courses it uses the weather/elements for its defence (nevermind the dunes and bunkers). The club is full of local members and actually offer international membership if you are interested. You will be guaranteed a great welcome and will not be disapointed with your round. By the way the food in the clubhouse is exceptional and they boast they have the best chef in Kerry – I’ll leave that judgement to you! Green Fees are very reasonable and come in around €50 mark – well worth a visit for the golf and the people.

Enjoy your trip to Ireland and make sure to play some of these courses.

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What are the basics of a good golf swing?
The golf swing is probably one of the most frustrating parts of the game of golf. People are constantly modifying their swing to get more distance or to correct problems like a slice or a hook. Really, though, the golf swing is just a matter of mechanics and putting body motions together in the right way to be consistent. But experienced golfers know this is easier said than done.

What are the basics of a good golf swing?
Your stance should be about shoulder width apart and your feet should be pointing slightly out but not too much!
Let your arms hang naturally down from your body and place the club behind the ball. If your shoulders hunch or you have tension in your arms, you are probably too close to the ball. Stand back a little bit.

What are the basics of a good golf swing?
Place about 70 percent of your body weight on your back leg.Straighten your spine and have a bit of bend in your knees.Keep your eye on the ball during your entire swing. Grip the club as if you are holding a small, delicate bird. You want to keep the bird in your hands, but you don’t want to crush it either. That’s how you should hold your club.

A good golf swing will be a fluid, easy motion with your shoulders turning slightly in the backswing and your follow-through complete.

Make sure you keep your feet planted and slow down in your backswing. Most problems with a golf swing are cause by swinging too quickly in the back swing and then not accelerating through the ball.

What are the basics of a good golf swing?You will want to hit the ball in the sweet spot or the center of the club. Hitting it anyplace else will cause your ball to travel in directions that you really don’t want it to go in.
Then grip it and rip it!

It might help for you to take a lesson or two on the golf swing or even watch the way the pros do it on television. There are numerous articles that exist on the Internet that can help you with your golf swing, so always look for information and take as much advice as you can get.

Learning to swing a golf club takes years of practice as any avid golfer will tell you. There are a hundred things to know and they all have to be working in exactly the right ways at exactly the right time to a have a good, consistent golf swing. Sometimes this just doesn’t happen, but when it does, it certainly is a great feeling!

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Center of Gravity (CG) is the primary focus with the new Cobra S9-1 Driver.  The all titanium driver has been somewhat downsized for each loft.  In addition to the optimized CG, rather dramatic changes have been made from last year’s model such as slightly narrower face and less crown surface area.  The weight has been reduced by almost 6 grams to increase club-head speed – this is huge.  Making golf clubs as light as possible is a very big perk in my opinion.  Stripping unnecessary weight to increase club-head speed.  This is the name of the game to gain additional yardage.

Other notables for the Cobra S9-1 is the new Hotter 9 Points technology to further increase clubface efficiency. What is this?  It’s the design of the driver to maximize COR using a Dual Rhombas insert to promote higher ball speed and a more consistent ball flight across the entire club face.

Comes in three different models (excluding the S9-1 Pro):  S9-1 M for swing speeds of 87-108 and ball speeds of 125-155, S9-F for swing speeds of 97 or less and ball speeds of 140 or less and finally the S9-M (offset) for swing speeds of 97 or less and ball speeds of 140 or less.

Cobra S9-1 Spec Sheet-

Face Height…….. 53 mm
Shaft Length…… 45.5
Face Area……….. 43.7
Heel to Toe…….. 107 mm
Front to Back…… 120 mm
MOI……………….. Very High

The Cobra S9-1 is an absolutely great looking driver.  Cobra has always come out with stellar drivers and this one is no exception.  Very high MOI and balanced face makes this one of the straighter drivers on the market today.  Excellent custom shaft selection such as Graphite Design, YS-6+ and YS-7+, Aldila DVS, Aldila NV, Grafalloy Prolaunch, Proforce V2, Fujikura Speedax, Rombax, and the Mitsubishi Diaman to name a few.

The Cobra S9-1 is probably more geared for the average player.  Lacks lower loft selection (starting at 9.5) unless you go to the Cobra S9-1 Pro model – this is not a negative to the majority of players however.

The Cobra S9-1 will be a hit for players looking for greater distance and accuracy.  A high launch driver that’s straight and long, the general consensus is that it will be a hit for Cobra after making a Gold Rating in the Golf Digest Driver reviews for 2009?. This is definitely a driver putting on your short list this spring.

So your thinking of or perhaps already decided that your next golf holiday will be to Ireland. Well first of all let me say, “Good choice”.

There is a perception that to come golfing to Ireland costs a lot and if I am to be totally honest it has been in the recent past but all that is changing and fast. The golf clubs and tour providers in Ireland are in the middle of an economic correction that is long overdue and if you look at it coldly it is good for golfers and the golf clubs alike. We are now entering a model that allows golfers access to great golf courses (in my opinion the best links in the world) at a great price.

Long gone are the days when courses could name their price. They have now become realistic to the challenges facing their clients (golfers) and havedropped prices considerably. Now is the time to explore Irish Golf Vacations and take that trip to the Emerald Isle.

When I’m asked where is the your favourite golfing location in Ireland – I need to think for a shortwhile. It really is a tossup between the Southwest and Northwest.

The Northwest (Donegal, Northern Ireland, Sligo etc) has one major advantage – its relatively unknown. Its a great place to visit; you have the courses to yourself. Names like Royal Portrush roll of the tongue. All great courses and give you a true feel of links golf. My personal favourite is Rosapenna Sandy Hills course – I just love playing the links overlooking Tramore Beach and not a sinner in site – pure heaven.

The Southwest is where 70% of golf tourists visit and its easy to see why. If you base yourself in Killarney (a beautiful and vibrant town) you are within 45 minutes of Tralee, Waterville, Ballybunion, Dooks, Dingle, Skellig Bay and numerous magical. The big player is Ballybunion (Old Course). Ballybunion is not a 5 star resort but waht it is a place where you can experience what links golf is meant to be about. Don’t expect the clubhouse to be 5star luxury, its not. What you do get is a modern clubhouse with pro-shop, bar and locker rooms. The bar/restaurant overlooks the 18th fairway and the Atlantic and is a welcoming site to the golfers as they make their way in. The course itself starts slowly and then really picks up. When I play there I try not to take the driver from the bag – it generally works out for the better. The course is not long and depends on the weather and the cavernous dunes and hollows to defend it – they certainly do. Coming in on the back nine you get to experience some great holes that will keep you talking for many a day over a pint in the clubhouse – its well worth a visit. Ballybunion is a must if you visit the Southwest.

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Many golfers repeatedly claim that a bad day on the golf course beats the best day at work every time and very few will argue. Whether they are male or female, young or old the goal is all the same to come away from the golf course with a feeling of accomplishment. Not so much in having their lowest score ever recorded, but more for being able to get away from the worries of home and work and spend their concentration on the intricacies of the game of golf.

While many tournaments pit players against one another, to the golfer on the public golf course, it is not enough to have a better score than their competition. While cruising around the course, most rarely consider how well, or how bad, the other person is performing. Instead, they are competing against the golf course and not the other players in the contest. It is not until the end of the round that scores are tallied and then the friendly banter begins and the trash  talk begins about beating them the next time.

Memberships in private clubs can be pricey with the selling point being better course conditions and fewer people on the course, making play faster and less stressful than that on a public golf course. However, those that consider a public golf course their home turf, there is something stuffy about other courses that brag about having fewer people play on their grounds.

Cost Is Often Major Consideration Choosing Courses

Having the notation of being a public golf course does not always equate to being less expensive. While private courses play only to those holding a valid membership, the public golf course is available to everyone and if the course owner hopes to maintain it in an appropriate manner, they may have to charge more than other public courses in the area to pay for the better care and treatment of the facility.

Most golfers are willing to pay slightly more to play on a public golf course that is in good condition, where some food may be offered and the employees make them feel like a welcome addition to their daily work instead of an intrusion. Many of these courses, especially those near popular vacation areas often offer some of the best golf available.

It is also recommended that, while playing the same golf course repeatedly allows people to become better at the game, to truly become a better golfer it will pay to book a golf travel package to see how well different angles and views can be determined in unfamiliar territory.