176–190 Golf Courses

The first hole is a par 5 where if you get a decent drive away then hitting the green in two is certainly a possibility unless you are into the prevailing wind. The 2nd is well known. It plays 326 yards off the white’s but you have a decision to make off the tee. It is a sharp dogleg to the right and if the wind allows then it may be possible to hit driver over the large sand dune on the right and get close to the green but it’s risky. You could also hit a 5 wood down the left and hit a wedge to the green. It is a great risk reward hole.

The 5th is a beautiful par 3 of 155 yards but it has a beautifully undulating green that will catch many out. The day we played, the hole was placed on a ridge and it was a great test with the flat stick in your hand. The 6th is a tough par 4 of 394 yards that plays uphill. It is quite a narrow fairway with lots of trouble down both sides. For us it was into the wind and required two solid strikes to get there.

The 10th is one of the finest par 3’s in Ireland and is one of the most testing too when you consider it played 214 yards for us into the wind. You simply cannot go left or you will struggle to find your ball down a ravine on that side. From the tee, there appears to be little room on the right but there is more than you think. There is no bunker but it does not need it. It is a brute. It is index (handicap) No. 10 but played much tougher than that for us.

The 12th is a lovely par 4 of 430 yards that plays back to the clubhouse. The fairway is full of ridges and bumps and it is a belter. The green is raised and the false front makes getting a par extremely difficult. The 17th is a brilliant and difficult hole. It played 423 yards for us and is without doubt the toughest hole on the course. The fairway is not as wide as you may think off the tee while the green is set into a hillside where there is a huge fall off to the right. A 5 here is just fine.

The 18th is a par 5 of 529 yards that plays downhill but there are more severe ridges before the green so getting there in two shots is difficult. The atmosphere in the clubhouse was super. The staff were extremely helpful and friendly. I played there with Neil, PJ and Cillian and we had a great match that went right down to the last putt.

The course has 5 par 5’s, 5 par 3’s and 8 par 4’s which is not a negative at all. The par 3’s are all excellent short holes. The course condition was ok but not brilliant. The greens were really good, if a little slow. The fairways were patchy while the tee boxes could have been better. It had been a very sunny and dry summer and it showed. Some courses have big budgets and some don’t, which is the way of the world. An irrigation system for the whole course would be nice but that is not always possible. I thoroughly enjoyed the course. The layout and the variety of holes are really good. It also represented great value for money. Carne Links is a great course, has excellent views, has some of the biggest sand dunes you are ever likely to see and is certainly worth playing.