Ross Golf Course, Co. Kerry

Lying within the confines of Killarney Racecourse, sits the little nine-hole course, Ross Golf Course. Being one of Killarney’s lesser-known courses, and not too far from Ross Castle, location wise it is well situated. With some big claims on their website, namely “one of Ireland’s most scenic golf courses”, and “widely regarded as one of the best nine-hole courses in Ireland”, I was interested to see if these claims were accurate.

Ross Golf Course - 001. Ross Golf Course is located in the town of Killarney in Co. Kerry, Ireland close to Ross Castle — Ross Golf Course is located in the town of Killarney in Co. Kerry, Ireland close to Ross Castle

With one of the courses I played regularly in the Middle East also being set within a horse racetrack (see my article on Nofa Golf Resort where the back nine holes are set inside the racetrack), I was interested to see how this design compared to that course.

Ross Golf Course - 002. Welcome to Ross Golf Course — Welcome to Ross Golf Course

Below is my review of Ross Golf Course.

Course layout (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆☆☆)

The layout is ok for being confined to the internal of the racetrack. I have seen better designs that make for more interesting holes. I felt that Ross Golf Course has a bit too much of the same going on in places. The highlight of the layout is the four holes that are outside the racetrack. Even these feel a little squeezed together and if you look at a map of the course you will see that these four holes take in about 25% of the ground the other five occupy.

Ross Golf Course - 003. More open space on the racecourse section means the five holes here take up a lot more ground than the other four outside the racetrack — More open space on the racecourse section means the five holes here take up a lot more ground than the other four outside the racetrack

Par 3’s

The two par 3’s are nice holes, and I was impressed by them. Both have water in play, and both are situated outside the racetrack. The 6^th hole is a beautiful little hole with water all along the left and trees on the right. It was probably my favorite hole on the course.

Ross Golf Course - 004. The par 3 6th hole was my favorite hole on the course — The par 3 6th hole was my favorite hole on the course

Par 4’s

The par 4’s are fine but nothing amazing. On two of the par 4’s, you need to hit over the racetrack, from the tee on the 3^rd hole and on your approach shot on the 4^th hole. The two par 4’s outside the racetrack are both dog-legs and while they are both good tactical holes, they just feel a little congested and packed into the space allocated for them.

Ross Golf Course - 005. The 7th hole is a dogleg to the right where you need a well positioned tee shot — The 7th hole is a dogleg to the right where you need a well positioned tee shot

Par 5’s

The two par 5’s on the course feel identical to each other. Both are slight doglegs from left to right and both go in the same direction so even wind direction will be the same on both. The 9^th is a slightly longer hole than the second but other than that they are very alike.

Ross Golf Course - 006. The 9th hole feels very like the 2nd hole as they are both par 5 doglegs to the right — The 9th hole feels very like the 2nd hole as they are both par 5 doglegs to the right

Course condition (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆☆)

The condition of the course was quite good the day I played. Again, it wasn’t up there with some of the other courses I’ve played, but it wasn’t the worst either.

Greens were a little slow I felt, whether this was because they hadn’t been cut in a couple of days or if they are always like this I wasn’t sure. However, once you got the pace figured out, they played nice.

Ross Golf Course - 007. The greens were a bit slow on the day but were otherwise nice — The greens were a bit slow on the day but were otherwise nice

Fairways were actually nice and looked good. There wasn’t too much of the striping that I like to see on fairways, but they were still cut nicely.

Ross Golf Course - 008. Fairways didn't have the nice cut lines but were still in good condition — Fairways didn’t have the nice cut lines but were still in good condition

I found the bunkers to be a little strange. The sand was extremely coarse and there seemed to be quite a lot of small stones and loose impediments in the bunkers.

Ross Golf Course - 009. The bunkers were not my favorite as they had a very coarse sand and lots of loose impediments — The bunkers were not my favorite as they had a very coarse sand and lots of loose impediments

The course however was nice and clean and tidy around it. There was work ongoing around tee boxes when I played but there were no cuttings being left behind and the place was left nice and tidy when work was complete.

Facilities (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆☆)

The clubhouse is part of the larger building which is also used on race days. Inside you will find a café/restaurant which is also where you pay your green fees.

Ross Golf Course - 010. The clubhouse was in the main building and included a cafe and restaurant — The clubhouse was in the main building and included a cafe and restaurant

For practice there is a hitting net close to the first tee. It didn’t look in the greatest condition when I visited, and the mat was laid on uneven ground. Interestingly I didn’t see a putting green. However, there is an extra hole and perhaps this green can be used for putting practice when not in play.

Ross Golf Course - 011. The hitting net wasn't in the best condition on the course — The hitting net wasn’t in the best condition on the course

One thing I did like about the course, was the maps and information on each tee box. They showed a nice map of the hole ahead of you and were very informative if you didn’t know where you were going.

Ross Golf Course - 012. The signage on the tee boxes was informative about the hole you were going playing — The signage on the tee boxes was informative about the hole you were going playing

Price (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆)

During the off-peak season the price for 18 holes is €30, and €40 during the peak season. Considering that the course is located in one of Ireland’s tourist hotspots I find this price reasonable.

For the rates to play the course please click here.

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

The course is located in Killarney town and on the way to Ross Castle. From the course you get some lovely views of the MacGillicuddy Reeks. Would I call it “one of Ireland’s most scenic golf courses”? Probably not. There are a lot more that I have played which I found more scenic, and I haven’t come near to playing them all yet!

Ross Golf Course - 013. The MacGillicuddy Reeks could be seen from the golf course — The MacGillicuddy Reeks could be seen from the golf course

For the location on Google Maps please click here.

Conclusion

To sum up, does Ross Golf Course live up to its claims on the website, is it truly one of Ireland’s most scenic golf courses, and is it one of the best nine-hole golf course in Ireland? Unfortunately, in my opinion, the answer is no to both of these statements. Yes, it has some lovely views. But nothing compared to other courses I’ve played in the country and even the surrounding area. As for being one of Ireland’s best nine-hole golf courses? Out of all the ones I’ve played so far, it comes far down my list I’m afraid.

Ross Golf Course - 014. The views on the course were quite good but I have definitely seen better in other courses — The views on the course were quite good but I have definitely seen better in other courses

Don’t get me wrong, if you’re in Killarney, and you want a nice quiet game away from the hustle and bustle of the other Killarney courses, then Ross Golf Course is a good option. But don’t go there expecting something that you are going to get like is proclaimed on their website.