Adore Manor
Stars hail Tom Fazio’s majestic re-do of a former Irish Open venue, the contemporary centrepiece of a quaint village in southwest Ireland.
Welcome to the new Limerick layout Rory McIlroy describes as ‘parkland perfection’. by kent gray
Rory McIlroy described it as “parkland perfection”. Paul McGinley was even more effusive in his praise of Ireland’s newest course, set within the stately grounds of Adare Manor in County Limerick. “The hotel, course and its conditioning are simply majestic,” said the former Ryder Cup captain at last month’s grand opening which featured a charity match including Padraig Harrington and Shane Lowry. “We are blessed in Ireland to have such a variety of great golf courses, venues and challenges - Adare adds significantly to that.”
Indeed. The 7509-yard Tom Fazio layout was built to the “most exacting of standards” with an eye to becoming a European Tour and Ryder Cup worthy venue. Born of the original Adare Manor golf course - opened in 1995 and twice host to the Irish Open (2007 and 2008) – Fazio even enlisted McGinley and Harrington for input in the final routing, contouring and grass selection, the latter to be tended by a team of no less than 50 greenkeepers.
Water features on all by four holes with man-made lakes, streams and the River Maigue but there are just 41 bunkers, the fewest on any Fazio design. Golfers can stay onsite at the 5-star castle hotel owned and beautifully renovated by the McManus family who are already promoting a major charity Pro-Am at the course in 2020. A 25-minute drive from Shannon International Airport or 2.5 hours from Dublin Airport, the 842 acre property also offers falconry, archery, clay pigeon shooting, fly fishing, hikes, cycling, a state-of-the-art spa and cinema. But we suspect the course will be lure enough for most golfers. www.adaremanor.com