Ring of Kerry Golf Club, Co. Kerry

Situated high above Kenmare Bay and looking down on the Greenane Islands, the Ring of Kerry Golf Club is the last project of the Irish golf course architect Eddie Hackett. Using the natural contours of the surrounding hills, the course includes both parkland and heathland characteristics in its design.

01. Ring of Kerry Golf Club - Looking out over Kenmare Bay the Ring of Kerry Golf Club takes your breath away as soon as you arrive at the course — Looking out over Kenmare Bay the Ring of Kerry Golf Club takes your breath away as soon as you arrive at the course

The course has recently been taken over by a new owner and is currently undergoing a rehaul. Playing at 6718 yards from the back tees and being a par 73, the course promised to be a test.

02. Ring of Kerry Golf Club - Welcome to Ring of Kerry Golf Club — Welcome to Ring of Kerry Golf Club

Below is my review of Ring of Kerry Golf Club.

Course layout (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆)

The course has a nice mix of holes. There are reachable par 5’s where you will get rewarded for being brave, and punished if you don’t play a good shot. Then you have par 4’s where you need strategy on. Planning your way around these holes is important and you will probably play some holes very different if you play the course a second time. The closing hole is a beautiful par 3 to an elevated green with water and bunkers to navigate. It’s a hole that can cost you a great score if you are nervous on the tee!

03. Ring of Kerry Golf Club - The closing hole is a beautiful par 3 with lots of danger — The closing hole is a beautiful par 3 with lots of danger

The only problem I found around the course was the lack of hole maps on the tee boxes. These would be a welcome addition to the course. Also, in some places it was difficult to find where you had to go for the next tee. In the case of the 13^th hole I almost went to the 15^th tee as the sign telling me where the tee is was halfway back the fairway.

Par 3’s

The par 3’s are lovely holes. Water comes into play in three of them and on two of them especially it can be very daunting. On one of the holes, you are playing to a blind elevated green and it can be difficult to know how much room you have left and right of the flag. The 13^th hole is a monster of a par 3. It plays 233 yards off the back tee. Even though it’s downhill it’s still a tough shot to get to the green!

04. Ring of Kerry Golf Club - The 13th is a very long par 3 that takes a good shot to get to the green — The 13th is a very long par 3 that takes a good shot to get to the green

Par 4’s

There is quite a nice selection of par 4’s on Ring of Kerry Golf Club. Some require you to think about your landing zone as danger comes into play off the tee and driver is not always the club to play. The 6^th and the 9^th are both good examples of this. None of the par 4’s are overly long except for maybe the 10^th as it also plays uphill.

05. Ring of Kerry Golf Club - The 9th is one of the holes where you need to take care off the tee and plan your way to the hole — The 9th is one of the holes where you need to take care off the tee and plan your way to the hole

Par 5’s

There are five par 5’s on the course due to the fact that the 14^th hole was changed from a par 4 to a par 5. The par 5’s are not overly hard and some of them are reachable. The 5^th hole is probably the most dangerous to go for as there is a stream hiding in front of the green and if you don’t connect properly, you can easily end up in this without even knowing it’s there. The 11^th has a massive elevation drop and if you catch the right landing zone with your drive you can make some serious yardage.

06. Ring of Kerry Golf Club - The elevation drop on the 11th is one which takes you by surprise as you walk down the fairway — The elevation drop on the 11th is one which takes you by surprise as you walk down the fairway

Course condition (⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆☆☆☆☆)

The condition of Ring of Kerry Golf Club on the day I played was hit and miss. I understand the course is going through a transition period and there is a lot of work being done on it to try to bring it back to a high standard. Hopefully the greenkeeping crew will be able to turn this around and improve the condition.

07a - Ring of Kerry Golf Club - There were quite a few patches on the fairways caused by animals — There were quite a few patches on the fairways caused by animals

Fairways in a lot of places had very bad damage caused by presumably animals. Some of the patches were so bad that it would have been difficult to play from if your ball ended up there. Although this was only in a few places it did stand out to me. Not all fairways had this damage though and those that didn’t were in an ok condition.

07b - Ring of Kerry Golf Club - Other fairways were not so bad but still needed improvement — Other fairways were not so bad but still needed improvement

A few of the bunkers around the course were closed off as they are being renovated. But they were clearly marked so you knew they were out of play. Those that were in play could have done with a little TLC. The sand was firm underfoot and the edges would have been nicer if they were trimmed and defined more.

08. Ring of Kerry Golf Club - The bunkers that were in play needed a little bit of TLC to finish them off — The bunkers that were in play needed a little bit of TLC to finish them off

The greens were pretty good. They seemed to roll well and I believe if I had played them on a day they were cut they would have been nice and fast.

09. Ring of Kerry Golf Club - The greens were the best part of the course and were quite nice to play on — The greens were the best part of the course and were quite nice to play on

Facilities (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆☆☆)

The clubhouse is a stunning building. In the lower level you will find the pro-shop and a little café bar. The pro-shop is very well stocked, and I was happily surprised by it. The café bar is a nice little area where you can grab a coffee before your round.

11. Ring of Kerry Golf Club - Next to the proshop is a little cafe where you can top up before your round — Next to the proshop is a little cafe where you can top up before your round

Upstairs in the clubhouse is the restaurant. The restaurant boosts some amazing views of the course and beyond. With a large space inside and a balcony with seating outside there are plenty of seats for people to have a bite of food. Unfortunately, the restaurant wasn’t open on the day I played so I didn’t get to experience the food.

12. Ring of Kerry Golf Club - The restaurant is spacious and has a lovely balcony outside — The restaurant is spacious and has a lovely balcony outside

For practice facilities, there is a putting green close by the first tee, and also a short driving range close to the car park. The range isn’t open yet, but it looks like a good spot to loosen up the limbs before your game. It isn’t overly long so you may not be able to practice driver, but you can work on your mid and short irons at least.

13. Ring of Kerry Golf Club - The putting green is located close to the 1st tee — The putting green is located close to the 1st tee

14. Ring of Kerry Golf Club - The driving range is not open yet but is good for loosening up with some iron shots — The driving range is not open yet but is good for loosening up with some iron shots

Price (⭐⭐☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆)

At the moment there are different rates depending on whether you are a Golf Ireland member or not. If you are a Golf Ireland member the cost is €45 midweek and €55 during the weekends in summer. If you are not a Golf Ireland member these rates then double.

In its current condition, I feel this is a very high price to be paying for green fees. Perhaps in a year or two when the course is back to peak condition and all facilities are operating then it may be different.

For the rates to play the course please click here.

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

Ring of Kerry Golf Club is located about ten minutes outside the town of Kenmare on the Ring of Kerry. The views from the course overlook Kenmare Bay and the Greenane Islands from a nice high vantage point. On a nice sunny day it’s a spectacular setting!

15. Ring of Kerry Golf Club - The setting of the course is one of the major highlights in the club — The setting of the course is one of the major highlights in the club

For the location on Google Maps please click here.

Conclusion

Overall, I believe this course has the potential to be really good. The layout is nice, and the mixture of holes will keep you on your toes all the way around. However, the condition does need to be improved. I know this is an ongoing project and the greenkeeping crew are working hard on this aspect of the course.

16. Ring of Kerry Golf Club - Ring of Kerry Golf Club has potential to be something special — Ring of Kerry Golf Club has potential to be something special

The other major drawback is the cost of the green fees. I feel it’s very overpriced and that a lot of people may leave negative feedback due to the cost in its current condition.

The Ring of Kerry Golf Club will get there soon I’m sure of it. And when it does, I’ll hopefully be back to play it and get to enjoy a nice meal on the balcony overlooking Kenmare Bay.