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Enjoy four green fees for the price of three at Castleknock Golf Club, County Dublin:
NOTHING is as souldestroying to the average golfer as a course made up of relentless parfours, measuring over 400 yards. But there is some respite for the world’s rabbits – and tons of enjoyment for the tigers – at Castleknock Golf Club.
A Rory McIlroy five-wood from the point where the Strawberry Beds sweep down to the Liffey, it’s a course that neatly sums up the Irish golf business over the past decade and the undeniable truth that the customer is king.
Designed by Jonathan Gaunt and Steve Marnoch of Gaunt & Marnoch, and measuring just 6,703 yards from the very back tees, it boasts five interconnecting lakes on a stunning 120acre site and opened 12 years ago at the height of the Celtic Tiger years as a direct competitor to the likes of Carton House and Luttrellstown Castle.
Redeemable share membership, once a snip at €30,000 (or €50,000 for a husband and wife) is no more and golfers can now avail of unlimited membership for just €1,800 or opt instead for a flexible, card-swiping, option for as little as €700.
The €46m development was the brainchild of the late property developer Phil Monahan of Monarch Properties fame, who bought the majestic late Georgian era mansion, Somerton, and its 130 acres for around IR£1.5m.
Somerton was once one of the great Liffeyside country estates alongside nearby Farmleigh in the Phoenix Park and other Guinness family properties.
It had formed part of the Luttrellstown Estate, where Charles Stuart Parnell was a regular visitor, and was bought by Monahan from the family of TK Laidlaw, who acquired it in 1911 and bred two Grand National winners on the grounds:
Following his father’s death in 2003, Monahan’s son Paul headed up what was an ambitious project.
Like many other golf course developers, he didn’t play the game himself, telling the Irish Independent in July 2005 he was “more into polo.”
He didn’t need to know golf to spot a thorough bed opportunity and realise that this was a golf course with readymade customers on its doorstep. What could possibly go wrong?
“This development is a no-brainer,’’ he said. “We have 10,000 houses sur- rounding us here in Castleknock, so we are in the best possible catchment area to attract members and customers.”
He was proved right in many ways before the property crash hit hard.
The course (though not the hotel which is owned by FBD) was eventually put into receivership by the Ulster Bank in 2014 but so attractive was the club to investors that it quickly sold for an estimated €4.5 million – 80 percent more than its guide price – to a fund managed by Los Angeles-based Oaktree Capital Management.
Before that happened, Carr Golf was appointed by the Receiver to stabilise and then manage the business in the run-up to the sale process, ensuring it was able to continue trading and prepare the asset for sale.
Once sold, Carr Golf was able to demonstrate to the new owners the value they could add to the business.
In an era when golfers have a little more spare cash and with flexible membership proving hugely attractive, the club is growing.
As Paul Monahan rightly pointed out, the club’s catchment area is its biggest asset.
But the fact that the golf course is not only beautiful but eminently playable by even the humblest hacker is what makes it even more attractive.
Huge greens are its most prominent design feature with the double green,
measuring close to 90 yards from one side to the other, serving the par-three ninth and 18th holes.
What is even more refreshing about the course is the six-hole stretch from the sixth to the 11th, which is made up entirely of par fives and par threes – nary a four in sight.
More than four miles of buggy paths make it easy to get around what is an aesthetically pleasing course just six miles from Dublin city centre.
As a result, membership and revenue have increased, and the business is now profitable, not just because of its burgeoning membership (currently up to 850), but because it remains a hugely popular venue for golf societies and corporate outings.
Quite apart from quality mainte- nance, the club owes much of its recent popularity to the new short game areas put in place last year.
“We are delighted to have teamed up with Titleist to put in place the leading Short Game Academy in the heart of Dublin city,” said Ryan Donagher, Titleist Brand Ambassador and Director of Golf at Castleknock Golf Club.
“This facility gives people the opportunity to come and learn specific short game skills that will lower their scores in a unique environment.”
The financial success of the club is attributed in part to a novel membership system which was put in place in 2010.
“It’s a very playable course,” said marketing manager, Gerard Kelly, who is an excellent golfer himself. “There are no monster holes, which makes us very popular with societies.
“We have a lot of corporate days, and the Titleist Short Game Academy within the club has two short game areas - one at the clubhouse and another at the far end of the course for teaching and wedge fitting.
“This year, membership has grown by 112, and it appears that membership is now back on the table for a lot of people.
“We offer traditional full membership and flexible membership for either five or seven days, which is a credit card based model where you swipe your card and credits come off your card for golf, your spend in the bar and restaurant or even in the pro’s shop.” Members can use the short game facilities for free, but members of the public must book lessons or a fitting with one of the three resident professionals.
“Corporate is very big for us, and we also have the hotel on site, which is owned by FBD, and we work hand-in-hand with them with international groups from Scandinavia and Germany, who are regular visitors,” Kelly added.
“But it’s a members club at the end of the day so there is a great club atmosphere and there is never a problem getting a tee-time.”
A former Elite Golf Scholar at UCD and a member of County Louth since he was 14, Kelly won the Silver Medal awarded to the leading qualifier in the North of Ireland Championship in 2010, only losing to international Dermot McElroy in the quarter-finals.
“It’s not that it’s easy to play, but it is very accessible for golfers of all levels,” he said. “If you are a scratch golfer, you will enjoy playing it because you can make birdies and have a go at the par-fives in two.
“For the high to medium handicappers it is a real challenge, but they will always have great fun and get around without a problem.”