Esker Hills Golf Club

Ballykilmurray,

Tullamore, Co. Offaly

  • Office

    +353 (0)57 935 5999
  • Pro shop

    +353 (0)57 935 5999
  • Fax

    +353 (0)57 935 5021

About the course

  • The Course:

    18 holes. Tree-lined & open parkland. Undulating terrain - several slopes to climb.

  • Surroundings:

    Rural countryside.

  • Designer:

    Christy O'Connor Jr.

Back
tees
Club
tees
Front
tees
Yards
6626
5836
5043
Par
71
71
72
SSS or slope
71
69
71

Location

Latitude:

53.295362

Longitude:

-7.563979

How to get there:

35 km SE of Athlone

From Tullamore in Co. Offaly, follow the N80 direction Clara and Moate. After approx 5 km turn left off the N80 and follow direction Esker Hills.

Esker Hills Golf Club

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.

Est. 1996

Esker Hills Golf Club: It must have been difficult to envisage the creation of a championship golf course amongst this tightly folding and somewhat hilly terrain. However, that didn't deter Christy O'Connor Jnr from designing a thoroughly absorbing, challenging and highly enjoyable layout.

Every hole at Esker Hills, home club of Open Champion Shane Lowry, has its unique contours and challenges. Sometimes a blind drive or approach shot is required, at other times water hazards try to get into the act. Whether meandering uphill or down dale, along tree-lined fairways or into more open spaces, O'Connor continually keeps the interest of the golfer in mind, testing your overall game, but fairly so.

The greens are generally large and sloping, with good quality bunkering offering additional defence. If you choose to walk the course you'll certainly have burnt off some calories by the closing stretch, but you'll also have the opportunity to reflect on a wonderfully scenic, always probing and delightful layout here in the midlands of Ireland.

List of courses: Ireland - East

Visitors

Who can play and when?

Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.

Must book in advance. Handicap required.

Green fees

Visitor fee, 18-holes: weekdays €35; weekends €45.

Contact club for full details, discounts, packages, etc. [Last updated: 2023].

Other information

Soft spikes only. Players generally walk this course. Golf carts available for hire (if pre-booked).

Practice facilities

Good

Did you know?

Esker Hills is home to European Tour professional and Open Championship winner Shane Lowry. Shane had a glittering amateur career at Esker Hills, which culiminated in 2009 when he became the first amateur golfer ever to win the Irish Open championship. In 2019, as a professional, he went one better and became one of the select band of Irish golfers to lift the Claret Jug as the (British) Open Champion.

Sculpted by natural forces at the end of the last Ice Age (10,000 years ago), County Offaly's narrow ridges of sand and gravel now form the Esker Riada and provide Esker Hills golf course with its contouring. Research has shown that a nine-hole golf course existed for a number of years from 1885 adjacent to the present 16th tee. The revival of golf in this natural location was the brainchild of the Molloy and O'Brien families who own these lands.

The nearby town of Tullamore is home of the world famous Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey.

Published ranking

Ireland's 68th best course (Golf World, 2023).

Where2Stay

  • Tullamore Court Hotel4-star

    Tullamore, Co. Offaly

    +353 (0)57 934 6666

    Visit website

    Located on the outskirts of Tullamore, Co Offaly, the Tullamore Court Hotel is an ideal central Ireland location, just over 60 minutes to Dublin, Galway and 75 minutes from Limerick. A short 5-minute walk from Tullamore train station, the hotel offers luxury accommodation, highly acclaimed food and extensive leisure facilities, which includes a 20-metre swimming pool.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 10 km:

      Esker Hills

    • Golf within 30 km:

      New Forest; Mount Temple; Tullamore (not yet covered by Where2Golf).

  • Bridge House Hotel & Leisure Club4-star

    Tullamore, Co. Offaly

    +353 (0)57 932 2000

    Visit website

    Tullamore is located in the heart of Ireland, 90 minutes from Dublin. Two championship golf courses (Esker Hills and Tullamore) are within a short drive of the Bridge House Hotel.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 10 km:

      Esker Hills

    • Golf within 30 km:

      New Forest; Mount Temple; Tullamore (not yet covered by Where2Golf).

Find a course

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Tournaments

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Solheim Cup: also in September, also in southern Europe, the 18th Solheim Cup will be contested at Finca Cortesin on the Costa del Sol, with Europe defending after their surprise win in Toledo, Inverness Club (Ohio) in 2021 (Sept 22-24). 

Who's Who

Céline Boutier: with many successes as both an amateur and professional golfer, Boutier added a major championship title to her impressive résumé at this year’s Evian Championship.

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Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.

Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.

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Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available

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