Macreddin

Ireland’s 40 shades of green are on full display at Macreddin. County Wicklow is known as the Garden of Ireland, and the beauty of this valley golf course and its surroundings emphasises that at every turn. Macreddin was designed by Paul Mcginley and opened in 2008 to become one of the glittering new wave of Irish parkland courses.

It oozes style and shape as fairways tumble through pine forests and between corridors of gorse. Water makes fleeting appearances on the front nine but plays a much bigger role on the back, where a river hustles low for four holes before presenting a real threat on the 18th.

Woodland and gorse

There are so many good holes here and variety abounds, with the par-5 2nd really kicking things off. From a high tee the fairway glides to the right between deep pines. The green sits up, under more pines, and promises both a pretty and peaceful approach shot. It is a perfect example of Macreddin’s woodland holes.

The next par 5, the 8th, is an example of this parkland’s gorse-laced holes, showing off the strong hillside shapes and mounding which define Mcginley’s design. There are big greens often perched above steep banks and there are doglegs aplenty. Accuracy is therefore key.

The holes that shine on the front nine are the 2nd, the 4th (which promises the steepest drop of any par 3 in Ireland), and the enchanting, pine-laced 6th.

Back-nine strength

It’s safe to say that the back nine, starting as early as the signature stroke-index-one 12th, delivers a furious finish. While the front nine typically slide across the valley side, holes now go every which way, through woods and gorse, up and down the hillside and over the river. It’s a strategic test and not for the faint of heart.

Macreddin is a big golf course and an adrenaline rush, so if you are not fighting fit, it’s worth considering taking a buggy round. There are two long green-to-tee walks and some climbs on the back nine can add considerably to this course’s challenges. In what might be a quirk of Mcginley’s humour, the 18th is the only level hole here.