Between mountain and sea Cork is a true golfers’ paradise

EASTER has come and gone and the weather finally seems to be improving – so it’s time to start heading back outdoors for more fresh air, exercise and who’s for a round of golf ?

Ah, yes, a well maintained golf course is a joy to behold, especially if you’ve got a set of clubs at your back and a few hours of leisure time in front of you. It’s fresh air, it’s exercise and, most of all, it’s hopefully doing better than you scored the last time – it’s putting a few more yards into your drive, weighing up those approach shots, avoiding nasty obstacles and lining up those putts just right.

Golf is so much about ‘ being in the moment’ and now is the time to get back into those moments out on the course where every move dictates the difference between sweet triumph and crushing disaster. Well, disaster may be too strong a word but that’s easy to say if you’ve never completely scuffed a seemingly simple shot with a few of your mates and half the golf course looking on.

But you can always recover your dignity at the next hole.

In Cork, we’re spoiled for choice when it comes to the number and range of golf courses available to us. From the dizzying heights of the Old Head to the history of Cork Golf Club to the convenience of your local course down the road – there’s certainly a lot to aim for.

From internationally renowned courses to welcoming local clubs in every corner of the county, Cork really is a golfer’s paradise, which is why Cork attracts golfers from across the world each year. It’s nice to have that right on your doorstep.

And across the country we have more than 400 courses on the island, including over 30% of the world’s links courses. Golfers’ paradise,indeed.

From green parkland to rugged coastal links and everything in between, right here in Cork there is a course to suit every skill level from beginner to pro and, now more than ever before, every budget. The choice for golfers is simply staggering.

One of the beauties from the Cork golfer’s perspective is that you can drive from one end of the county in just a couple of hours and play everything along the way. How about a morning round in Charleville’s parkland course in the shadow of the Ballyhoura, and an afternoon negotiating the harbour views at Fota? Or how about the magnificent John Daly designed course in Blarney followed by a links round on the shores of Bantry Bay – on a course designed by Eddie Hackett and Christy O’Connor Jnr.

In Cork we have the luxury here of some world-class courses within a one-hour drive of each other. In some countries you may have to drive hundreds of miles from one course to another.

We also have a great climate for golf. We don’t get six feet of snow in winter and it’s not 100 degrees in the shade in the summer. It can lash rain here but the ground will be dry within 30 minutes on a links course. In fact, there is very rarely a day here that you can’t play golf in Cork.

And remember, especially if you’ve been out of the game for a while, most clubs and courses have a variety of packages available, allowing you to try out a variety of course without having to commit to shelling out a lot of precious euros on any one.

And almost all courses now have dedicated websites, so you can ‘visit’ before you travel, have a look at what’s on offer, book a tee time and plan a great day out.

So, call up a few mates and throw down the gauntlet, and get on course for a swinging time out in the fresh air.