Castleknock Golf & Country Club Est. 2005

Yet another 4-star golf course and hotel arrive in the Dublin area, and like most of the other new additions, Castleknock will not disappoint. This is an enjoyable and solid golf course, very well laid out in open, gently undulating ground, where a scattering of new tree planting is still a long way from maturing. Big hitters will appreciate the good width fairways, but slivers of deepish rough, excellent fairway and greenside bunkering, several water hazards (some hidden in dips in the terrain) and one or two tightish holes will all need some careful course management. The greens are terrific - firm and true, with a double-green to be found across a small lake at the 9th and 18th holes - both of them, unusually, par-3's. Castleknock is not an overly technical or fussy course (apart from the short par-4 in front of Somerton House and a severely dog-legging par-5 over water); it is, however, a really good, open layout in a very pleasant rural setting - with some distant mountain views into the bargain as well.