GREAT GOLF IN THE GOLDEN VALE
Major investment means Ballykisteen is set for an exciting new chapter
THE BUILDING boom that brought Irish golf a string of new courses in the 1990s came to a shuddering halt when the economy crashed nearly ten years ago.
But Ballykisteen Golf Hotel and Golf Resort in the shadow of the Galtee Mountains has been reborn under new management, bringing yet another quality golf product to the market in Munster.
Acquired by Great National Hotels last year, more than €500,000 has been invested in the Des Smyth and Declan Branigan-designed golf course, which was born when the great Tipperary amateur Arthur Pierse suggested to the original landowner, Josephine Ryan, that it would be ideal golfing terrain.
With the PGA Europro Tour set to stage the €55,000 Great National Hotels Irish Masters there from May 10-12, the former stud farm has joined the stable of top quality Irish venues.
The club recently signed a threeyear deal with Carr Golf to oversee all course maintenance operations and make sure that it is in tip-top shape, not just for the professionals in May, but all year round.
“Ballykisteen will have access to our specialist knowledge, equipment and technology and our partnership with them will provide members and visitors with a much-improved playing experience,” said Ed Pettit, managing director at Carr Golf.
“We are delighted to be working with the Des Smyth championship layout that has much to offer golfers of all levels.”
Situated at Monard, only minutes from Limerick Junction, water comes into play on 11 holes at Ballykisteen, which added a golf hotel in 2002.
“It really is a great golf course,” said club professional Marian Riordan. “Once people discover where we are, they come back again and again because you can park the car and stay here for a few days golf with everything on site. It’s just ideal for a short golf break.
“Many people wouldn’t know where Ballykisteen is, so the Europro Tour event will put us on the map. We’re literally just across the road from Tipperary Racecourse, so you can come down, play golf and go racing too.”
Ballykisteen is a golf resort but it is also a members club with an active women’s section under Riordan’s expert guidance.
“We have 500 members in all categories and more than 300 of those would be very active,” Marian explained. “We try to find the right balance between our members and our green-fees visitors. So we get a lot of society golfers, who love the fact that they can stay on site and have everything on their doorstep.
“The course measures 6,703 yards from the championship tees, so it really is a very good test, and with the investment that has been made in the course, it’s in great condition.”
Pat Barrett, the golf and events manager at Ballykisteen, is excited about the resort’s new chapter under Ennis-based Great National Hotels.
“We were in receivership but Great National Hotels bought the hotel in October and they own 11 hotels in Ireland, including the Mulranny Hotel in Mayo and the South Court in Limerick, and manage 53 hotels across the UK and Ireland.
“But we are their only golf resort and they have made a major invest- ment, bringing Carr Golf on board so that the course can exploit its great potential to the full. It really is great news for us and for the locality.
“We are very conscious of the fact that we are a golf resort, so while we area busy members club, we are all there to offer our visitors a great hotel with great food and topquality championship golf course.
“We want to be an enjoyable course for our members and visitors but we also want it to be a challenging one for the professional who will play from the back sticks in the Europro Tour event in May and the PGA Pro-am in August.
“A huge amount of work has been done on the course to prepare for the arrival of the professionals and a major investment has been made in new machinery and the general conditioning of the course.
“Getting the PGA Europro Tour on board wasn’t just a question of picking up the phone. We went through a long process to persuade them to stage a tournament here and John E Morgan, the former PGA Tour player, came over to put the course through a playability test and we are confident we will put on a great show.
“It will really showcase Ballykisteen around Ireland and the UK and with the significant investment they are making. Great National Hotels are keen to make us one of their flagship hotels. With the Europro Tour coming and Carr Golf involved, this really is a good-news story.
“We have a 40-bedroom hotel with four suites and 11 lodges,” added Barrett, who is one of a 70-strong workforce at the resort.
“We’re also situated in one of the most beautiful and tranquil parts of the country, so it’s just an ideal place to come for a short golf break.”
Situated just three miles from Tipperary town and only 20 miles from Limerick, Ballykisteen has just about everything you could desire from a golf resort.
With Limerick Junction station just 400 yards from the front door, it might even be tempting to leave the car at home and enjoy a railway trip to the heart of the Golden Vale.