COUNTY CORK

Mallow Golf Club is located at Ballyellis in Mallow, County Cork. The course is an 18-hole, par-72 parkland layout and the club notes a long history, spanning around 100 years. The club emphasises course care and provides clubhouse facilities for members and visitors. Visitors, societies and groups are accepted and the club operates a visitors tee booking system for green-fee bookings. On-course support is available through a staffed professional shop run by Head PGA Professional Graham Conway. The Pro Shop is open seven days a week (winter and summer hours are published) and offers lessons, repairs, club hire, trolley hire and custom fitting. Standard custom fitting prices are listed on the site (iron fitting from €20; Dynamic Driver Fitting from €30) and the shop can arrange brand-specific fitting visits when required. Competitions and a regular club diary are maintained and junior/juvenile policies and tennis activities are referenced on the club website. The overall presentation is of a traditional parkland club that caters for a range of golfers, from visitors and societies to competitive members and juniors, with on-site professional services available.

Mitchelstown Golf Club sits on well‑draining parkland beneath the Galtee Mountains in North Cork. Established in 1910 as a nine‑hole course, it was extended in two stages: six new holes opened in 1994 and a further six completed in 2003, with the later work designed by David Jones. The routing pairs older tree‑lined, river‑side holes with newer open hillside holes. Notable holes cited on the club scorecard include the long par‑4 4th (recognised by Irish Golfer Magazine in its Best 100), the short par‑3 14th over the Funcheon River, and the pond‑guarded 15th. Built on top quality, well‑draining ground, the course is playable for most of the year. The club runs a regular competition calendar, welcomes visiting societies and accepts visitor bookings online via BRS Golf. On site, the clubhouse provides a weekend bar, changing rooms and a function room for prizegivings and events; there is free parking. Practical visitor services include buggy hire on request and pull‑trolley hire (€3 per round). Practice facilities include a practice net and a putting green. The club retains archival items and honours boards in the clubhouse and was voted GUI Munster Club of the Year in 2011.

Bandon golf course is a Par 71 parkland layout set amongst mature woodlands and natural hazards and is bounded by the original estate walls that date back to the 1700s. Holes 5, 6 and 7 are set around Castlebernard and offer a unique photo opportunity to visiting players.

Youghal Golf Club is an 18-hole parkland course located on Golf Links Road in Youghal, County Cork, with fairways and greens that face Youghal Bay. Positioned in East Cork and close to West Waterford, the layout is intended to present a stern challenge to golfers of differing abilities, from amateurs to professionals. The club notes that its greens and fairways are carefully nurtured by professional staff to support year-round play for members and visitors. The clubhouse includes a bar and is available for private function bookings; it also offers views over the bay. The club’s website emphasises a warm welcome for members and guests and highlights post-round hospitality in the clubhouse. Contact details provided on the site include a telephone number and an email address for enquiries, and the footer lists social channels such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X-twitter. The site also displays the local postal code P36 A335. A “Book Tee Time” option appears on the website, although no separate booking URL is shown on the pages cited. Visitors should consult the club’s website or contact the club directly for current visiting arrangements, event bookings and any additional information.

Kanturk Golf Club sits in the rolling countryside of north Cork between Mallow and Killarney, with views across the Blackwater valley and toward the Boggeragh Mountains and Mount Hillary. The club offers a mature, 18-hole parkland course laid out to a Par 71 over 5,721 metres. Accuracy from the tee and precise iron play are rewarded: the greens are relatively small and described on the club site as fast, while bunkers and subtle doglegs add strategic interest. The course has developed over decades and presents a measured test for a wide range of abilities rather than relying on length alone. Visitors can expect a traditional clubhouse with bar and restaurant facilities and a friendly local atmosphere. Kanturk welcomes societies and runs open competitions; green fee information is published by the club. Practical visitor arrangements include hireable two‑person golf carts (with tops and windshields) and pull carts. The course’s compact routing and scenic setting make it suitable for players looking for a parkland layout with well-kept greens and straightforward visitor arrangements rather than a heavily commercialised resort experience.

Established in 1927, Doneraile Golf Club is a 9 hole parkland course located in Doneraile, Co.Cork. Set in the fertile pastures of north Cork, Doneraile Golf Club boasts beautiful scenery with challenging golf and is regarded as one of the most stunning 9 hole parkland courses in Ireland. The layout features mature deciduous trees along with contoured fairways and the Bregogue river. New members and visitors are always welcome to our friendly club. We can guarantee that our challenging course and relaxing bar will make the whole experience extremely enjoyable.

Cobh Golf Club is one of the highest rated courses in Munster, and provides a genuine and spectacular challenge to high and low handicap golfers.

Monkstown Golf Club occupies a site overlooking Cork Harbour and was established in 1908. The club has undergone phased development in recent years, including significant bunker improvements and upgrades to course and practice facilities. A dedicated Golf Academy and enhanced short-game facilities form part of the club’s investment in coaching and player development. In August 2025 Monkstown hosted the 115th Irish PGA Championship (the Brown & Brown Irish PGA Championship), the first time that event was staged at the venue following those course and practice facility upgrades. The club has also been recognised by Golfers' Guide to Ireland, being named Munster Parkland Course of the Year for 2023 and 2026, with the award presented in August 2025. The clubhouse, which was replaced with a new building in October 2006, includes modern locker rooms, a pro shop, a bar and restaurant, and a TrackMan teaching room with a simulator. The clubhouse facilities are used both by golfers and for functions; the club states it can provide special menus and cater for events such as weddings and communions.

As I drove away from Berehaven, I couldn’t help feeling that if somebody threw a million dollars at this, largely unheralded gem of a course, it might become a serious rival to California´s Pebble Beach; it really does have that much potential.