A labour of love in the Garden of Ireland
Rathsallagh has been lovingly restored to its former glory by a passionate owner, writes Brian Keogh
THERE’S nothing quite like a bracing walk on a crisp winter’s day and if you’re looking for something that little extra special, a return visit to stunning Rathsallagh Golf Club in Co Wicklow may be long overdue.
Designed by Christy O’Connor Jnr and former Walker Cup player and two-time Amateur champion Peter McEvoy, the outrageously scenic parkland course closed its doors to the public at the end of 2014 only to re-open under new ownership 18 months ago with big plans for the future.
While Rathsallagh House Hotel remains the property of Joe O’Flynn and continues to flourish, Rathsallagh Golf Club and its rolling 340 acres is now a dream project for new owner Robert Neill.
The deal cost the English-born businessman more than €1.5 million but it was as much a case of love at first sight as a purely business venture and the results are magnificent.
As often happens to those who visit this lovely corner of County Wicklow, just outside the village of Dunlavin, just 43 minutes from the Red Cow, the heart quickly overcomes the head when it comes to Rathsallagh.
“I had a rush of blood to the head because I loved the location and the property and it came with a golf course,” said the new owner, who hails from Wimbledon, the son of a Cork-born father and English mother with happy childhood memories of holidays in Co
Wexford.
“I was in property originally and then diversified into other businesses, including farming and financial services.
“I am now of an age that I could take this on as an investment and as a hobby. It was either this or buy a boring investment property in Sandyford, or something like that, so this was an attractive play. It’s a labour of love.”
Restoring the golf course to its former glory was a priority with professional Bernard Gibbons, the former general manager at Powerscourt, one of several wise heads to give the club the benefit of his expertise.
“It really made sense to reverse the front and back nines so we could start and finish in front of the clubhouse,” said Mr Neill.
“And we wanted to eliminate this long walk between the old first and second. It has been crying out for a new hole to be put in there for some time. In fact, it might have been part of the original concept for the course design.”
Few courses have made bigger leaps up the recent golf course rankings in recent months than Rathsallagh, which can consider itself one of Wicklow’s top two parkland courses alongside Druids Glen.
It first opened for play in 1994, its rolling fairways lined by mature woodland and criss-crossed by ditches, streams and ponds.
The reconfiguration of the course means that play now begins and ends in front of the clubhouse and a new par-three, played over a stream in the woods between the old first and second holes, is a welcome addition.
The old, index one 10th hole is now the opening hole which means that the ‘wow factor’ is evident right from the very first shot.
The new par-three, which is the 11th hole, measures 122 metres (110 metres for ladies) and it has added hugely to the enjoyment of what has always been one of Ireland’s most scenic and testing parkland layouts,
“We have only been open 18 months and we have invested a lot in it, as well as plenty of enthusiasm,” said the owner. “We really have made great strides.”
Golf’s boom times might be over but the new owner of Rathsallagh has high hopes for the future.
“I am hoping the corporate business will come back again and while we will continue to invest in making the golf course even better, we have diversified into other activities.”
Cycling is very popular so if a group comes to use the clubhouse facilities for meetings or a small conference, non-golfers can head out for a spin through the woods at the club’s 7km cycling track.
“We’d like to expand that,” Mr Neill said, adding: “If you are playing golf, you are not even aware that it is there. And there are not many courses where you can play without seeing a house or even another human being, so close to the city.”
Given its location and the quality of the course, the club is attractive to golf societies and the clubhouse a popular venue for private parties, corporate functions or family gatherings for groups of up to 170. Then there’s the food.
“We have our own catering team under Head Chef Anne Byrne and sell our own produce too — house chutneys, Christmas cakes and puddings and artisan sandwiches,” said Vera Brennan, the club secretary.
“So you don’t have to be a golfer to enjoy Rathsallagh. We have a little something for everyone. A lot has gone into making the golf course even better than it was before.
“People who knew the course really love the changes. It really has been transformed.”