Beaufort Golf Club, Co. Kerry

Surrounded by forest and the landscape of the MacGillicuddy Reeks, Beaufort Golf Club offers golfers an amazing experience. Amidst the lush greenery and breathtaking scenery, you will find yourself stopping more often than once to take in the tranquil surroundings.

Located approximately 10 minutes from the town of Killarney, Beaufort Golf Club is a course that is often not one that people put on their must play lists when in the county of Kerry. Being a relatively new course, it has been developed into a lovely parkland course originally by Arthur Spring, and then by McKenzie & Ebert Architects. What was once a large farmland is now home to this beautiful golf course.

Beaufort Golf Club - 001. Beaufort Golf Club is situated in a lovely parkland setting not far from Killarney town — Beaufort Golf Club is situated in a lovely parkland setting not far from Killarney town

Nestled on the grounds of the golf course is the ruins of the 15^th century Castle Corr. With the backdrop of the MacGillicuddy Reeks and the highest mountain in Ireland, Carruantuohill, you will find yourself pausing to take in the scenery more than once on the course.

Beaufort Golf Club - 002. On a clear day the MacGillicuddy Reeks can be seen clearly from the golf course — On a clear day the MacGillicuddy Reeks can be seen clearly from the golf course

I had played the course many years ago and wanted to try to refresh my memory and see how it was nowadays.

Below is my review of Beaufort Golf Club.

Course layout (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆☆)

With four tees to choose from, ranging from 5373 to 6950 yards, the course is suitable for golfers of all lengths and abilities. Being a par 71, there are four par 3’s and three par 5’s.

The course is fairly open with wide fairways so you can be a little wayward off the tees and not worry about constantly looking for your ball. Even if you do go into the rough, it’s cut pretty short, so you won’t have too much trouble getting out of it.

Beaufort Golf Club - 003. The fairways are mostly wide and forgiving on the course — The fairways are mostly wide and forgiving on the course

The greens are very large which means that you need to make sure of your yardage for your approach shots. Being in the correct proximity of the flag is important as you could have a very long chip otherwise. A lot of the greens will have the signature trademark of MacKenzie in that there may be more than one tier. Not being on the right tier on a green may leave a tricky putt.

Beaufort Golf Club - 004. Large greens are easy to hit however you need to be in close proximity to the flag to avoid a long putt — Large greens are easy to hit however you need to be in close proximity to the flag to avoid a long putt

Overall, the course is a forgiving course, and it leads to a nice relaxing round of golf where you don’t have to worry too much about losing golf balls or holding up other players.

Par 3’s

The par 3’s are pretty easy holes once you club yourself correctly. With not a lot of danger around them, and big greens to aim at, you should find yourself parring them. Even missing the greens is not the end of the world as you will have a good chance of getting up and down.

The signature par 3 is the 15^th hole, with the ruins of Castle Corr looming behind the green it makes for a beautiful backdrop to the hole.

Beaufort Golf Club - 005. The 15th hole is a lovely par 3 with Castle Corr acting as a backdrop — The 15th hole is a lovely par 3 with Castle Corr acting as a backdrop

Par 4’s

The par 4’s are holes where you can mostly take driver to. With the wide fairways it gives you some scope to be a little offline in the majority of holes. Hitting the greens shouldn’t be an issue once you club correctly, but as mentioned previously it is important to be in close proximity to the flag otherwise your long putting will be tested.

There are some of the par 4’s where you may need to think about the hole a little bit. The 7^th hole is one of these. Taking driver straight out will likely put you in trouble if you’re long. A long iron or fairway wood may be a better option here. However, if you know the aggressive line over the trees you can benefit from this by taking a more direct route to make the hole shorter.

Beaufort Golf Club - 006. The 7th hole is one where you need to play a little strategic instead of just taking driver off the tee — The 7th hole is one where you need to play a little strategic instead of just taking driver off the tee

Par 5’s

The par 5’s are quite long and you will be doing very well to reach them in two. Getting a good drive away on all of them is important to ensure you can get into a good position for your approach shot. Realistically, I found it better to play them as three shot holes instead of even contemplating trying to reach them in two.

All have a very slight dog leg in them but it’s nothing drastic. You can still hit your driver as far as you can to make sure you get down the fairway enough to leave yourself in a good position for your second shot.

Beaufort Golf Club - 007. The par 5's are quite long and difficult to reach in two shots — The par 5’s are quite long and difficult to reach in two shots

Course condition (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The condition of the course was very good on the day I visited. Greens were cut nicely and rolled well. With the large greens and some of them having more than one tier judging the pace was important.

Beaufort Golf Club - 008. The greens are quite large but are cut well and roll nicely — The greens are quite large but are cut well and roll nicely

Fairways were cut nicely and there was no evidence of grass cuttings anywhere on them. Going off the fairway didn’t set you back too much as the rough was only a little longer than the fairways and it was quite easy to play out of.

Beaufort Golf Club - 009. Fairways were cut nicely and it was nice to play from them — Fairways were cut nicely and it was nice to play from them

Bunkers looked well and the edges were nicely defined on them. They were well raked and clean and in good condition.

Beaufort Golf Club - 010. Bunkers were nicely raked and the edges were well defined and nicely. trimmed — Bunkers were nicely raked and the edges were well defined and nicely. trimmed

Overall the course was in very good condition and maintained well.

Facilities (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆)

In the clubhouse you will find a pro-shop, and a bar and restaurant. However, take note that the bar and restaurant are only open from March to September.

Beaufort Golf Club - 011. The clubhouse in Beaufort Golf Club — The clubhouse in Beaufort Golf Club

For practice facilities, there is a putting green in front of the clubhouse, and also one close to the 1^st tee. There is a large open area which is used for a short game practice area just down from the car park towards the estate entrance. There isn’t a long-range driving range available on the course but there are driving nets also close to the clubhouse.

Beaufort Golf Club - 012. The putting green is located close to the clubhouse — The putting green is located close to the clubhouse

Beaufort Golf Club - 013. There is a practice green located not too far from the 1st tee — There is a practice green located not too far from the 1st tee

Beaufort Golf Club - 014. Driving bays are situated close to the clubhouse for warming up — Driving bays are situated close to the clubhouse for warming up

Price (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆)

During peak season the green fee is approximately €60 and in off-peak season is around €50 which in my opinion is a fair rate for the course.

For the rates to play the course please click here.

Setting & Course location (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆)

The course is approximately 10 minutes’ drive from the town of Killarney so it is quite accessible. Located in the Churchtown Estate, it has great views of the nearby MacGillicuddy Reeks. The parkland setting is full of mature trees, and its signature feature is the ruins of the 15^th century Castle Corr.

Beaufort Golf Club - 015. Castle Corr is a stunning backdrop behind the 15th green — Castle Corr is a stunning backdrop behind the 15th green

For the location on Google Maps please click here.

Conclusion

Beaufort Golf Club is a course that I would recommend to someone who wanted to go and enjoy a nice friendly game of golf. It’s one where you can go about your business without worrying too much about bad shots or having to think too much about the layout of the holes.

Beaufort Golf Club - 016. With wide fairways the course makes for an enjoyable round where you don't have to worry too much about being offline on your tee shots — With wide fairways the course makes for an enjoyable round where you don’t have to worry too much about being offline on your tee shots

The condition of the course was very good and with some nice scenic spots around the course you could really enjoy your day out here. However, if you’re a golfer that likes a tough test, where you must plan out every hole before you play it, and where you get punished for wayward shots, then you may find Beaufort Golf Club a little on the easy side.

Beaufort Golf Club - 017. The course has some lovely scenic areas including some wildflower spots where stand out against the lush fairways — The course has some lovely scenic areas including some wildflower spots where stand out against the lush fairways

Don’t get me wrong, you still need to play good shots to have a good score here. There is just that little bit of extra forgiveness around the course that you won’t find on some other courses. Overall, I enjoyed my day in Beaufort Golf Club. If I get the chance to return there on a day then I wouldn’t turn it down.