Kanturk Golf Club, Co. Cork
Located in the northern part of the county of Cork, not too far from the Limerick border, lies Kanturk Golf Club. This is a course I had never played before even in my junior days and I was heading up there for a practice round for an inter-club event.
Established in 1973, Kanturk Golf Club is an 18-hole course measuring 5451m from the white markers and is known for its tight fairways and small greens. Being from a club that has small greens as well, I wasn’t really worried about that, but the tight fairways made me nervous! Would my driver behave itself and keep me between the narrow tree lined fairways? Or was I going to spend my few hours out here hidden in the shade of the branches? Only one way for me to find out!
Below is my review of Kanturk Golf Club.
Course layout (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆☆)
There are two main aspects to the golf course that offer up a challenge to those who take it on. The first is the fact that practically all holes are lined with trees either side of the fairways. The second is that the greens are noted as being quite small in size. It’s a course you can score on if you are hitting the ball straight off the tees and if you are accurate with your approach shots. Being a long hitter is not vital but being smart and accurate is.
Strategy
You need to be a little strategic on your approach shots, going for the middle of the greens as opposed to pin-seeking often pays off. Putting the flag to the back of your mind and concentrating on just hitting the middle of the green is something we are not very good at as golfers, no matter our level so it’s not always easy to do!
Missing greens on the same side of the flag can lead to a very tough up and down. Again, another reason not to be greedy and go for flags. Regarding bunkers, on the front nine there was only one hole with bunkers, this was the first hole. On the back nine most holes have greenside bunkers. Only two holes in total on the course have fairway bunkers, and these are both par 5’s.
Par 3’s
The par 3’s were nice holes. I enjoy par 3’s that are not too long and that don’t rely on the length of the hole as a protection measure. The third hole is the longest of the par 3’s which measures at 166m on the card, and this plays a little downhill so actually plays shorter. My favorite par 3 was the 16th hole, playing uphill at a distance of 124m into a green surrounded by trees on three sides it was a nice hole to finish off the par 3’s for the round.
Par 4’s
The par 4’s are mostly straight holes where you can see the flag from the tee box. However, there are some that are slight doglegs, and you need to hit a landing zone without going too far into trouble. There is one extreme dogleg which may be tempting to go for the green but when you stand on the tee and see the line you need to take you may quickly change your mind. Again, the main protection on the holes is the size of the greens, so play smart and don’t be greedy and you should have no problems.
Par 5’s
There are three par 5’s on the course, of which two of them are well within reach for more than average hitters. The last hole is also reachable for longer hitters. Getting a good drive out the centre will leave iron into the greens on the 1st and 15th holes. However, on the 5th hole, you need to hit the right-hand side of the fairway to leave yourself a good line in. Otherwise, you will be laying up due to being blocked out by trees. It’s a tough tee-shot to visualize from the tee due to a copse of trees situated basically in the middle of the fairway but you must trust yourself and try to send it out right of the trees.
Course condition (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆)
The condition of the course was very good on the day I played it. We were amid a few dry weeks, and it seemed like the fairways had been sanded a few weeks earlier but that the sand hadn’t soaked in yet due to the dry spell. However, this did not affect the condition of the fairways and they were still lovely to play from.
Greens
The greens rolled well and were cut nicely. On downhill putts you needed to take extra care as the ball seemed to keep on rolling once it passed the hole. However, on the uphill putts, you had to make sure to hit it as they slowed down quickly. It felt like playing on Bermuda grass greens where you need to be aware of the grain when reading your putts.
Bunkers
Bunkers were raked nicely and trimmed around them. There was a nice consistency to the sand and playing high floaty bunker shots was very possible once the lie allowed you the chance to do so.
Rough
One of the main dangers on the golf course was the trees that lined practically every hole. Yet if you went into these it wasn’t hard to find your ball once you had a good idea of where it went. There was no high grass there where you would spend time looking for a ball and even though you might get annoyed hitting out from trees a lot you weren’t continuously losing golf balls which I feel is a major thing especially for players that have the tendency to veer offline from the tee.
Overall, I felt the course was kept well and maintained nicely.
Facilities (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆)
The office to check in for your round is a separate little building a short distance away from the clubhouse. There are buggies available for hire here also. You may need to call the mobile phone number in the office as when I was there the office was unmanned but was still open.
For practice facilities there is some hitting bays behind the office. There is also a large putting green and a chipping area with a bunker in front of the clubhouse.
In the clubhouse itself is ‘Bob’s on the Green’ restaurant. This looks like a nice little restaurant and on a sunny day you can avail of the outside decking area which looks over the 18th green and the chipping and putting greens.
Price (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆)
The green fee to Kanturk Golf Club is €40 If you play with a member, it will cost you €20. In my opinion this is a very good price to play the course. Getting any course nowadays under €50 is very good value and so playing Kanturk Golf Club is very reasonable.
For the rates to play the course please click here.
Setting & Course location (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆☆)
Kanturk Golf Club is located about 5 minutes’ drive from the town of Kanturk itself and about an hour from Cork City. Set in a fairly flatlands area the course is not hilly and is easy to walk around.
One thing I did notice on the website for the golf club was the statement, “with a mountain backdrop which can only be described as breath-taking”, however when I was playing the course, I didn’t really see this breath-taking mountain backdrop. It’s definitely not a make-or-break factor whether to play the course or not but when reviewing a course, I like to cover all aspects, and this includes statements made online.
For the location on Google Maps please click here.
Conclusion
Overall, I enjoyed playing Kanturk Golf Club. As mentioned previously it’s a course where you can score well without the need to be a long hitter. Accuracy is the key to the course. Coming from a course that has small greens I can appreciate the need to plan your approaches, including where the best miss is, and Kanturk Golf Club utilizes this well.
Playing the course, it may feel like a lot of holes are very similar but there are still some nice, interesting holes, such as the dog-leg 6th hole, and the 11th and 13th holes where you may be playing less than driver to your landing zones.
I did feel like there was a long distance to walk from green to the next tee on the front nine, but thankfully the wayfinding was good, and the next tees were signposted well which meant I didn’t get lost or turned around at any stage.
To finish, I would recommend trying out Kanturk Golf Club for yourself, it’s an easy track to get around as there are no hills and with the way the off-course areas are maintained you won’t be wasting time looking for golf balls. After nine holes are over, and before you start into the par three 10th, take a few minutes to relax in the lovely little seating area beside the 10th tee, and be thankful to be out on a beautiful golf course.
OVERALL RATING – (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆)
Contact Details for Kanturk Golf Club
Website: Click here
Telephone: +353 29 50534
Email: info@kanturkgolfclub.com
Hole-by-Hole
All distances are from the white tees which I played from on the day.
Hole 1: Par 5, 432m, index 15
A very reachable par 5 to start your round off. There are bunkers down the fairway, one on either side. Longer hitters should have no issue getting over these.
Your approach to the green needs to miss a bunker short right but this is the only real danger by the green.
Hole 2: Par 4, 319m, index 13
This is another hole that longer hitters can get relatively close to with a good drive to leave a pitch into the green. Take a line just to the left of the clump of pines from the tee.
Avoid being too long on your approach in as over the back is a large slope. There are some interesting little humps before the green to be aware of if running it in low.
Hole 3: Par 3, 166, index 9
The first par 3 of the round and it plays a little downhill so bear that in mind when selecting your yardage.
Hole 4: Par 4, 340m, index 5
Again, a straightforward hole playing very slightly uphill. The fairway is quite wide on this one.
The green is quite narrow for your approach shot so it’s a good idea to know where your miss is in the event you are offline on your approach shot.
Hole 5: Par 5, 464m, index 7
This can be a tricky tee-shot to visualize off the tee. There is a clump of trees more or less in the middle of the fairway and you ideally need to be just to the right of these. This will give you a view of the green for your next shot. Being left of the trees means you may be blocked out by trees.
Once on the right of the trees if feeling confident you can take the green on. Otherwise, a lay-up to leave an easier shot to the green is a good option too.
Laying up to roughly 100yards gives you a good view of the green.
Hole 6: Par 4, 285m, index 11
This is a dogleg to the right. Your line to leave you a short iron or wedge in is over the shed on your right. You need to go over the trees that are behind this shed too so make sure you have enough height in your club selection. If not confident of getting over those then you can play straighter down the fairway, but you leave a longer shot to the green.
The green is a long narrow green with a large slope on it separating the tiers. There are run-offs both sides so missing on the same side as the flag leaves a tough up and down.
Hole 7: Par 4, 377m, index 1
Take care not to go too far right on this tee shot. The wind may also push your ball out that direction and there is OOB out there. A good line is down the tree line on the left and leave it come in off that.
Once you find the fairway the hole is straight forward enough with no major trouble around the green.
Hole 8: Par 4, 277m, index 17
This hole is another that longer hitters can get close to off the tee. It plays slightly uphill but with a good drive you may have a relatively short pitch to the green.
Just club enough to make sure you get up there taking the slope into account. Again, no major trouble around this green.
Hole 9: Par 4, 389m, index 3
A dog-leg to the left you may need to take less than driver to avoid going through the fairway, although it is a big shot to do that. Just right of the tree that appears to be encroaching into the fairway is a good line.
Once in the fairway there is a little clump of trees that may block you out to the green but you should be able to easily get over these if they are.
Hole 10: Par 3, 162m, index 8
A tricky par 3 as the line to the green is very close to the tree line on the right-hand side. There is also a bunker front right waiting to catch you if you veer slightly to the right.
Hole 11: Par 4, 353m, index 4
On this tee-shot you may also go with less than driver to ensure you don’t reach the trees on the left. The hole goes slightly to the right and a good line is just right of the last group of trees on the left.
The approach shot is slightly uphill and the green is hidden from view, although you more than likely will be able to see the flag. A bank on the right may kick the ball in towards the green if short.
Hole 12: Par 4, 256m, index 18
A drivable par 4 but you need to be hitting your driver straight. It’s quite a narrow passageway down to the green and there are bunkers short left and right of the green.
Alternatively play a safe club down the middle and leave yourself a full wedge into the green.
Hole 13: Par 4, 297m, index 10
You may again want to play less than driver off this tee to put yourself up to the corner and leave yourself a nice approach shot in.
There is a bunker short left and another on the right of the green if off-line with your approach shot.
Hole 14: Par 3, 139m, index 12
A relatively straight forward par 3 with just a bunker short left protecting the green.
Hole 15: Par 5, 425m, index 14
This is another par 5 that longer hitters can reach in two. Your line is close to the tree line on the right-hand side as the holes turns slightly to the right after the tee shot. There is a bunker on the left of the fairway, but it’s quite far back so shouldn’t be an issue.
Once you find the fairway the green comes into view, and you have the choice to lay up or go for it.
For the approach there is bunkers short left and right to be aware of.
Hole 16: Par 3, 124m, index 16
A nice little par 3 playing slightly uphill through the lines of trees. Club enough as there are two bunkers short of the green.
Hole 17: Par 4, 339m, index 2
A narrow exit off the tee makes this tee shot a daunting one. Hit this fairway and walk away happy.
The green is a kidney shaped green and two bunkers protect the green on the left-hand side. The pin may be tucked behind these meaning you need to carry those bunkers to get close to the pin.
Hole 18: Par 4, 307m, index 6
If you thought the last tee shot was narrow, wait until you stand on the last tee box! The one thing about this hole is that it’s short and hitting a long iron up the fairway will still leave you with a wedge or short iron in.
The green has two tiers so try to spot which tier the flag is on so you leave it on the right level and have an easier putt to close out your round.
