Raffeen Creek Golf Club, Co. Cork

Past the city of Cork, out towards the industrial hub of Ringaskiddy, lies Raffeen Creek Golf Club. The course sits where the river Lee runs out to meet the sea. Often overlooked when players are putting together a list of golf courses to play in Cork, I made the trip to play the course to see what this 9-hole course could offer up.

Raffeen Creek Golf Club - 001 Raffeen Creek Golf Club is one of those that is often overlooked in Co. Cork — Raffeen Creek Golf Club is one of those that is often overlooked in Co. Cork

Being a fan of 9-hole golf courses, and especially those which offer a good challenge, I was looking forward to seeing what the golf course was like.

Below is my review of Raffeen Creek Golf Club.

Raffeen Creek Golf Club - 002 Welcome to Raffeen Creek Golf Club — Welcome to Raffeen Creek Golf Club

Course layout (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆)

The course layout was one which I enjoyed. There were a lot of tee shots where you had to think about the hole and not just blaze driver down the middle. The opening tee-shot is quite daunting hitting out through what seems like a very narrow avenue to a landing zone you can’t really see. Precision and strategy worked best for me on Raffeen Creek Golf Club as opposed to powering my way around the course.

Raffeen Creek Golf Club - 003 The opening tee shot gives you a feeling of what is to come on the course — The opening tee shot gives you a feeling of what is to come on the course

Par 3’s

The two par 3’s are totally different holes to each other. The first one you come to is the 5^th. This has one of the craziest slopes I’ve seen on a green! It’s not a long hole. But you need to make sure to hit the correct level that the flag is on otherwise you have one of the most entertaining putts you will ever have on a golf course.

Raffeen Creek Golf Club - 004 An extreme slope on the 5th green means you need to hit the correct level with your tee shot — An extreme slope on the 5th green means you need to hit the correct level with your tee shot

The last hole is the other par 3. This is a great closing hole carrying over water to the green. It’s the type of hole where nerves can take hold standing on the tee. Especially if there are people gathering in the car park close to the tee box.

Raffeen Creek Golf Club - 005 Holding your nerve is important on the last hole where you need to carry over water to the green — Holding your nerve is important on the last hole where you need to carry over water to the green

Par 4’s

There is a nice mix of par 4’s on the course. You have strategic doglegs, and holes you can try to get close to with driver off the tee. The highlight of the par 4’s is the very tempting 8^th hole. You can try to make this green with your drive, but it is practically all carry over water to the green. It’s a fantastic risk-reward hole!

Raffeen Creek Golf Club - 006 Take on the 8th green if you're brave enough otherwise bail out to the right — Take on the 8th green if you’re brave enough otherwise bail out to the right

Par 5’s

The only par 5 on the course is the 4^th hole. Playing at 411m it is gettable in two. However, not knowing the lie of the land, I found it safer to take a fairway wood to the landing zone. This still leaves the green reachable in two, but your view will likely be blocked out by the mounds. It is a hole you can be rewarded for aggressive play, or play it safe and take an easy par.

Raffeen Creek Golf Club - 007 Hitting the landing zone with a fairway wood is a good safe play on the 4th hole — Hitting the landing zone with a fairway wood is a good safe play on the 4th hole

Course condition (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆)

The condition of the course was very good on the day I played it. It made for a very enjoyable experience. Greens were rolling nicely and manicured well. They maintained a consistent pace throughout and were good to putt on.

Raffeen Creek Golf Club - 008 The 9th green was an example of how good the greens were on the day — The 9th green was an example of how good the greens were on the day

Bunkers were raked and were clean and tidy. This is one thing I always think makes a golf course look well is bunkers that are presented neatly. This was definitely the case in Raffeen Creek Golf Club.

Raffeen Creek Golf Club - 009 Bunkers were well raked and nice and tidy all around — Bunkers were well raked and nice and tidy all around

Fairways were mown evenly and there were no patches or areas which looked like they were neglected or passed over. Definition between the rough and the fairways was easy to see.

Raffeen Creek Golf Club - 010 Fairways were nicely cut and it was easy to define rough and fairway — Fairways were nicely cut and it was easy to define rough and fairway

Overall, the golf course was presented very well and was in very good condition on the day I played it.

Facilities (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆)

The clubhouse in the golf course has a bar and restaurant where you can have a quick snack before or after your round. The clubhouse has a view of the 9^th hole and you have a full vantage point of the golfers trying to close out their round.

Raffeen Creek Golf Club - 011 The clubhouse to Raffeen Creek Golf Club — The clubhouse to Raffeen Creek Golf Club

The practice facilities include driving bays, and a putting green. The part that I really was impressed by was the inclusion of a pitch and putt course in the club. For those practicing their short game you can’t really get much better than this! While I didn’t actually play it, it looked like a lot of fun and also in good condition like the main golf course.

Raffeen Creek Golf Club - 012 Driving bays were available to warm up on before your round — Driving bays were available to warm up on before your round

Raffeen Creek Golf Club - 013 The putting green which was located on the way to the first tee — The putting green which was located on the way to the first tee

Raffeen Creek Golf Club - 014 A lovely addition to the course was a pitch and putt course ideal for practicing your short game — A lovely addition to the course was a pitch and putt course ideal for practicing your short game

Price (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆)

The rate I paid to play the course was €25 which I think is excellent value. For a course that is right up my alley in terms of being strategy based rather than power based, and also for a course in the condition it was in, I felt that the price was great value for money.

For the rates to play the course please click here.

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

The course is located not too far from Cork City and close to the towns of Ringaskiddy and Carrigaline. It has some nice views out over the estuary of the river Lee towards the town of Cobh. It’s a nice setting and a good location.

Raffeen Creek Golf Club - 015 Looking over towards the town of Cobh from the golf course — Looking over towards the town of Cobh from the golf course

For the location on Google Maps please click here.

Conclusion

I really rated Raffeen Creek Golf Club highly on the day I played it. I found the layout was challenging and interesting. No two holes were the same and a lot of thought and planning had to go into some of the holes. While strategy was key, getting to the 8^th hole raised the bar a bit and I couldn’t but take out driver and try to get as close to the green as I could!

Raffeen Creek Golf Club - 016 The 7th hole was one example where you needed to plan your tee shot instead of just taking driver off the tee — The 7th hole was one example where you needed to plan your tee shot instead of just taking driver off the tee

Condition wise it was hard to find anything to fault the course, and the little pitch and putt course really took me by surprise. This course is one of the courses that I would highly recommend playing. I enjoyed my day immensely and I hope to be back again someday.