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Waterville, Ireland |
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Waterville Golf Links
Waterville
County Kerry
Ireland |  | Claude Harmon, Eddie Hackett, Tom Fazio |  | Jay Connolly |
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 | +353 66 947 4102 |  | 1 mile N of Waterville |
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Golf Club Website
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 | Contact in advance |  | Noel Cronin |
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The town of Waterville is a famous angling centre, located on a strip of land that separates the Atlantic Ocean from one of the most beautiful lakes in Ireland, Lough Currane. The name Waterville, or An CoireÁn (Little Whirlpool), is the premier coastal tourist centre of South West Kerry. Every year, Charlie Chaplin came to Waterville with his family, and they have named the annual two-day AM-AM after him. The AM-AM has been held since 1984, a two-day golfing extravaganza involving teams from all over Ireland. It also involves a certain amount of merriment!
Golf at Waterville started around 1889 with a modest 9-hole course, laid out on the eastern section of the present course. In the 1950s, the club folded until Jack Mulcahy (an Irish American) bought the links in the late 1960s. Mulcahy commissioned Claude Harmon, his friend and the 1948 Masters champion and Eddie Hackett, Ireland’s most prolific architect, to design a new course. In 1973, the “beautiful monster” course at Waterville opened for play. Tom Fazio was recently commissioned to update the course.
Waterville plays on a promontory surrounded by the sea. It’s a stunning, remote location with views to the northeast of the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks mountain range and to the southwest across the beautiful Ballinskelligs Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The fairways are gently undulating, the front nine plays across relatively flat ground whilst the back nine weaves its way through avenues of tall dunes. The view from the elevated 17th tee, an excellent par 3 called “Mulcahy’s Peak” after the founder Jack Mulcahy, is simply breathtaking.
 There are few courses that can boast such a fine collection of unique and great golf holes. Waterville has three outstanding par threes and three excellent par fives, the par fours are pretty good too. The 11th is a heavenly short par five with a rippling fairway protected on both flanks by towering dunes. The 366-yard par four 16th was once called “Round the Bend” because it follows the natural curvature of the Atlantic coastline. It was here that Liam Higgins, the local pro, had a hole-in-one on his way to setting a course record of 65. Fittingly, the hole is now called “Liam’s Ace”.
The remote location of the Waterville links has precluded it from hosting any big competitions, but many famous golfers find their way here and they all leave with the feeling that Waterville is a very special place.
Payne Stewart was due to be Honorary Captain of Waterville in 2000. Tragically, in October 1999 he died when his private jet crashed in South Dakota. A bronze life-sized statue pays tribute to him and his affiliation with Waterville. | |
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If the above course review article is not accurate, let us know by clicking here |
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 |  | | Average Reviewers Score: |  | | | I see most of the positive comments to be >12 months ago... things have changed. Would agree with pretty much everything said in one of the recent posts having played two rounds last weekend. Course: enjoyable, tough but fair with a couple of really testing holes mixed in with scoring ones. However, greens were a disgrace; looked like a poor fairway having been heavily raked i.e. bobbling puts...sometimes amusing (i.e. going wide to jump an inch into the centre), others not so amusing (i.e. going in to jump wide). This FACT was completely denied by the secretay and management were strangely absent (as was everyone the whole time: no welcome, no send off). Clubhouse: nothing short of embarrassing and a relic. The carpets were old, faded and held a musty smell. The changing facilities were that of a cheap public swimming pool minus any lockers for guests. The shower room would have been more personal had it been we been asked to hose ourselves down outside. The food was that of a cheap cafe, lesson leart: order a panini and chips but nothing more "exotic". The staff: bar and restaurant staff very pleasant, the starter was non existent (or rather didnt leave his box, merely shouted and pointed to the first tee. Funny to read about the driving range... similar experience given they were "not sure if it was open" though four people were sitting in the starters box. Extras: Golf carts are €50 and the come with nothing more than a "its over there"; would have been looking for a complimentary set of tees perhaps or a course guide (extra €5). Oh and if you want to take a towel with you onto the course when wet... get your change out: €2. To sum up, its not so spectacular to go out of your way and the overall experience left you wondering why you had just handed over €200+. If you're pushed for time, play Lahinch and TraLee. |
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| 21 August 2012
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| Response: | | | John | 23 August 2012 | While it is undoubtedly a fine test of links golf (Holes 3,11,12,16-18 being the highlight) located on a beautiful and remote stretch of land the whole experience left me underwhelmed. The course condition was extremely poor. The Greens had recently been cored and sanded which strikes me as strange given we were in the middle of summer/high season. They were at times un-puttable. The fairways/tee boxes were also in poor condition in comparison to other SW Ireland courses we played. It is entirely what you would NOT expect from a Top50 worldwide golf course. Having been a golfer for many years I understand the need for greens to be cored/sanded however It was the Staff’s response which was extremely disappointing. Both the duty manager and pro-shop staff denied there was any issue with the greens. The starter just ignored us when we asked about the quality of greens. Typically a club reliant on its reputation to bring in international visitors at expensive rates would go out of its way to remedy the situation – an apology, reduced green fees, free course guides etc. None of this was forthcoming – only a dismissive attitude from all the staff we attempted to approach.
It is laughable Waterville is marketing itself as a golf “resort” – the changing facilities/showers are without doubt the worst I’ve ever encountered. The food was of a very low quality. The members we spoke to were extremely disappointed. There was no welcome, course introduction, course memento - all of which is strange given management has recently doubled members fees and placed a restriction on numbers in what I can only interpret as a move to “welcome” more high paying international visitors. By all means go and play if you want to tick off another top100 course (various lists are everywhere in the clubhouse) if that’s your aim but prepare to be underwhelmed by the most overrated course on the list. | | | Andy Hopkins | 22 September 2012 | | I have to say I find these comments shocking....I played this course some 5 /6 years ago and thought I'd found Links golfing heaven. How times change although I cannot believe such a fantastic plot of land and such a great layout can stay in the doldrums. I will keep my eye on this site as this has long been one of the courses I had on my "must-play-again"list | | | neil | 10 November 2012 | | having played it recently, i would agree to an extent re the course condition for its green fee price. but, the conditions of the greens were ok, not terrible i.e. slow , with a good tight cut they would be good. the fairways ok. all in all the course seems to be 3 to 4 days without an overall cut. though again for its green fee price you would expect a daily cut! and re the facilities, not great that is true. |
| | | EPIC FAIL. Where do I start?
Welcome: Poor
We arrived to a luke warm greeting and someone (who turned out to be the starter) pointing outside and said you can tee off when you're ready. No souvenier or guidance on the course provided. When asked if we could have balls for the range we were told it was closed.
Course: Disgraceful
After practicing on what can only be described as average winter greens, we headed out onto the course. The greens had been treated, full of sand and cored. Putting was a lottery. The fairways were average at best and some of the bunkers completely neglected.
Changing Facilities:
Health and Safery hazard.
We decided to show after the round and the changing facilities are appauling. The showers make a loud thundering noise when on and the toilets had not been cleaned. The whole place smelt like the toilets in Trainspotting looked!
Food:
I can honestly say I have not been served a worse burger. It was clearly microwaved and the bun was soggy. Thankfully the chips were edible and a generous portion
Customer Service: Non-exsitent
When we asked why there was no mention of the treated greens we were offered this.. "I am not aware of any problems with the greens. Only last week a nice American praised the condition of the course"
American Owners Greed:
After speaking to members we discovered that the course and facilities have been neglected for years. The American shareholders have recently almost doubled members fees to try and squeeze them out. The case is in the high court.
Golf Magazine Shame:
The golf magazines should hang their heads in shame. No sum of money or bribe should justify the rating Waterville is given. The American owners have taken a beautiful course and ruined it!
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| 21 August 2012
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| Response: | | | Pat Ruddy | 22 August 2012 | | Waterville is golfing heaven. Has been that for decades. A great links and a great manager, one of the best in the world, in Noel Cronin and a marvellous professional in Liam Higgins. A two ball rating is impossible to understand. This is a place and a game to die for and it is always a thrill to play there. | | | Kevin Beattie | 23 August 2012 | | Pat, Noel may well be a "great" manager but we lodged a polite complaint about the greens last week and have heard nothing back. Noel wasn't on site in the height of summer (we were there two days) and there was no one to represent him. If Noel or yourself would like to speak with one our team to discuss please give me a call on +44 (0)7900 211620. | | | John | 23 August 2012 | | Dear Pat, I am not sure if you have played Waterville recently but I assure you that the condition of the course when we played it was far from heaven. I have photos of every green which resemble a field that's just been ploughed. Happy to send these to you, I am currently trying to upload them to the site. I think the remaining negativity from the two other recent comments are as much directed at the treatment we received from the staff and ambiance. For example, it would be deemed courteous to alert us to the state of the greens, whilst potentially nececessary short term, prior to arrival; this didn't happen. Upon alerting the staff (reception) to the state of the greens we were aggressively dismissed and management over the two days were nowhere to be found. We have subsequently tried to get in touch for three days now and have not been received or replied to. Therefore I can not share your faith in the customer service adopted at this course. I do however think two ball is a little low, the course is simply in disrepair. If you want links, go to Aberdeen and play Trump for less money. Thanks Three ball rating reviewer | | | John Dwyer | 24 August 2012 | | EPIC FAIL REVIEW. Where do I start? As it is mostly a customer service review, it is impossible to comment on, especially as we say in the business "the customer is always right". The only item really missing here is factual context. Waterville has been one of the most heavily invested golf properties in Ireland in the last 10 years, but the owners chose to invest in the golfing asset first. To that end they retained Tom Fazio for a renovation of the links, and I can say I have never seen him do bad work. I know the members at Augusta National are very happy with him. I agree Waterville does not have an opulent, uncommercial trophy asset for a clubhouse, but I bet most golf facilities now finding themselves in negative equity wish they did not have them either.In relation to course conditioning I can only assume it was one of those "perfect storms" of coincidence. Waterville has been performing one of the most technical long term migrations back to real links turf that I am aware of, and over-seeding is part of that, and yes in the interim there can be less than perfect conditioning, but not at the level inferred in the review, and perhaps the fact that the course is referenced for 2.5 lines of the 17.5 line review is indicative of its credibility. Additionally the quip about owners greed is a disingenuous comment and totally untrue, Opex for the golf industry has increased on average 35% in the last 5 years, and fees\dues have not increased in proportion to this, that is ignoring the considerable Capex of in excess of €7m that the "greedy owners" committed to. | | | Nick Park | 24 August 2012 | The latest reviews have very helpfully flagged up an issue which is of great concern to golfing consumers: how does one assess, in truly objective fashion, the playing quality of greens? Not just for one day, but across a whole year? Apologies now for a long reply.
This is a problem which has vexed me for years; I first wrote about it in Golf Monthly in 1984.It is, of course,completely dependant on the type(s) of grass found in the sward. In essence, there are three parameters of " ball behaviour " to track : speed, firmness and trueness. Speed is hugely overrated as a measure of quality, and recent research has also shown that the Stimpmeter is simply not fit for purpose. However, speed is still a useful number to monitor regularly, and a new ( reliable )tool will soon be available. Firmness is related to moisture, but crucial in determining the effects of spin on the green. It is measured at least quarterly by a Clegg meter. Which leaves us with the real bugbear : trueness.
Now, I must declare an interest as a member of The R&A Golf Course Committee which has worked to solve this problem. The first step was to build a machine which measures trueness(lateral deviation) and smoothness(vertical deviation). This was developed by the STRI and is regularly used by them ( and by The R&A during The Open). But it does not solve the monitoring issue for the wider game. It is too expensive for most clubs to consider. So we have developed a simple tool which allows replicated putts to be made from distances up to about 12 feet. We have also developed a protocol which is based on replicating 10 successive putts from ( usually ) 6 feet. 10/10 is a perfect score for "reliability" and any club wants to see that 365 days a year. Not always possible, but if the sward itself is of high enough quality, then the test rarely fails. Remedial work on such surfaces e.g. overseeding or aeration may look unsightly on a good fescue/bent sward - but it still passes the test. I have plenty of film to prove it! On bad swards ( usually meadow-grass dominated ) we have often found scores of only 6/10 from 6feet. For 8 months of the year!Imagine playing your golf regularly on such surfaces: 4/10 of your perfectly-hit putts will miss from 6 feet because of defects with the surface. This tool is currently on test in various countries/climates and (subject to results ) The R&A expect both the tool and the protocol to be widely promoted to greenkeepers and clubs early next year.
Now: this is not an attempt to blind with science.I have every sympathy with customers who feel they have not received value for money at a golfing venue. But, as consumers, we are all much better at judging the quality of the chips or the temperature of the beer. What golfers have lacked - for far too long - is a way of judging if they are getting value for money from the putting surface. The reverse of the coin is that club/course managers need to know that they are actually delivering such quality. Subjective comments from golfers who have an off day are about as unhelpful as the guy who wins the monthly medal on greens which are like pegboards. He says the course is wonderful - but we all know it was just his turn to fluke a lot of putts. The only way forward is objective and regular testing of surfaces, with results ( or even film ) which clubs can publish if golfers want to see the evidence... continued below. | | | Nick Park | 24 August 2012 | | Now,finally to Waterville.I did a piece on the course for The R&A website a couple of years ago - here is the link : http://www.randa.org/en/TheGolfCourse/The%20golf%20course/News/News/2010/September/As%20good%20as%20it%20gets.aspx I stand by my views at that time. The process of fescue reclamation goes on - and is being done as skilfully as you will find anywhere in GB&I. It is very far from an easy process,but the results over 365 days a year are tremendous. I would agree that visually the overseeding can be an issue at times - but it is not affecting the trueness of the surface from 6 feet. And that is the length of putt which The R&A believes is a fair test of reliability for a green surface. As it happens, this test was first carried out - for the first time anywhere - on 28th March 2011 - at Waterville. And much of the development work has been done there, because the surfaces are so good throughout the whole year. One final point if I may. In my opinion, the owners of the club have done a wonderful job in bringing the course up to where it is now. And it will continue to improve, and it will continue to justify a very high rating. Messrs. Hackett and Mulcahy would be well pleased. Happy to answer any queries from the above, if I can. I don't know who " Epic Fail " is but I'm sure he has done a great service by giving us a chance to open up ( in my opinion )the really crucial issue : the quality of the golf and the golf course. Better understanding of all the issues involved can only help clubs to consistently deliver value for money. | | | Keith Baxter | 24 August 2012 | | Having communicated directly with a few of the golfers in the visiting group who were unhappy with the condition of the greens and also to Noel Cronin, the General Manager of Waterville, the matter is now closed. I am now drawing a line under this particular issue, even though it has raised many interesting points. Due to the wettest summer on record, the greens at Waterville were recently aerated and sanded, which was the main point of concern. This process happens at every club at various times of the year and is a necessary agronomy procedure. The visual impact of aeration or scarification can be quite startling and the effect of sand and the aeration scars will challenge even the best putters. I believe it would be helpful if clubs advised visitors, as well as the members, that this essential maintenance is taking place so that golfers can choose in advance whether or not to play during such works. Thanks to everyone for their posts both negative, positive and technical. As always, it’s your views that make this website live. Keith Baxter – Editor-in-Chief |
| | | It is a very good course, but I have to say that I was expecting more given the plaudits it has received. To its credit it was less corporate than Ballybunion but I just kept waiting to be blown away which didnt really happen until 16-18. Having said that thought 2nd / 3rd and the first short hole were all excellent. I actually preferred Dooks to Waterville |
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| 03 August 2011
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| | Played Waterville in very unlikely April Irish conditions - bright sunshine and a very light breeze and its was a fitting culmination to our 3 day trip to SW Ireland. A truely magnificent track that is hard but fair at all times. The place is a pig to get to but once there you really never want to leave as the staff are very friendly, the scenery breathtaking and the course as close to perfect as its been my pleasure to play. I've played 15 of the BI's top 20 and this place is up there with Turnberry and RCD at the very pinnacle. |
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| 01 May 2011
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| | Played 36 holes on June 15, 2010. The course is outstanding from start to finish and the staff is cordial and helpful. The greens were not at their best, probably as a result of the harsh winter. Otherwise, I would rank Waterville just behind Ballybunion. |
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| 29 June 2010
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| | Played Waterville in 2008 with a group and can say that after hearing rave reviews, we were disappointed. First off, the service was downright awful (Nobody greeted our group in the clubhouse or at the 1st tee - we actually felt ignored). We were given our caddies which ended up being kids between the ages of 12 and 15 (who had no clue). There was no effort at all from anyone at the club. As far as the course is concerned, it was extremely tight and had the thickest rough that I've ever played. If your tee ball rolled a foot off the fairway, the longest iron that you could hit was a PW and you were lucky to advance the ball 75 yards. A positive was the fact that the fairways were as fast as lightning. A # of us were hitting 3 irons 280 yards (200 yard carries with 80 yards of roll). Greens were excellent. #18 is a monster of a par 5. I'm probably not being fair to the course, but the experience was not the best. |
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| 23 January 2010
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| Response: | | | Cedric | 23 January 2010 | | Definitely not fair to the course, you got that dead right!!! Bad day from the staff maybe? Been there a couple of times and service was always superb... |
| | | So it ended up being "one of the worst days we have had in 5 years" by the end of the day, but fortunately we played the first 13 holes in only a mild storm, the 3 club wind and sideways rain did not start until the home stretch. That said, after a tour of the best of SW Ireland, Waterville comes in a strong second behind Lahinch for me. Strong holes throughout, eminently fair - just a great experience and course. Would not hesitate to make the drive again. Can only imagine what it would have been like if the weather was nice. |
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| 29 July 2009
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| | Played in Sept. 2008. I've been lucky enough to play many great USA, Scotland, NW England and Irish courses, and this is right up there. The Ring of Kerry drive to get there is spectacular, the surrounding views of the mountains and water is incredible, and the shotmaking value of this course is exceptionally good. The finish of 16-18 in my book is wonderful as well. |
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| 05 December 2008
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| | I first played Waterville in 1991, when much was made of it's length compared to other courses at the time. That's pretty much how we remember it from those days - long, tough but very beautiful and fair. Now all new courses seem to be 7000+ yards and so returning to Waterville in 2008 was not quite as intimidating. There are many new alterations and subtle changes to the course, but having played many of the UK's best, I would put this right up there with the very best. Every hole throws up a new challenge, you never play the same direction on consecutive holes, and the finish is spectacular. It's more of a brute to get to - the roads are shocking - unless you can hitch a ride on one of the ever present helicopters! My world top 4 - in no particular order - Royal Birkdale (slightly biased I have to confess), Royal Dornoch, Waterville and Royal Melbourne. |
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| 18 August 2008
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| | Simply a wonderful golfing experince. Fantastic hole after fantastic hole. One of the best courses I have ever played. |
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| 30 July 2008
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| | Quite simply stunning, far more relaxed than other big named courses in Ireland. Total package for me, true Irish hospitality from the moment we drove in. The course itself is awesome, there are a few holes said to be the best in Ireland and I totally agree. The course like Royal Birkdale is tough but a fair challenge, we got it on a beautiful links type of day, gentle breeze with the sun shining, I envisage a tough challenge would lie ahead when it blows. I could bore you write pages about the place, just go and experience this magical place for yourself. Certainly in my top 3. |
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| 26 July 2008
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| | Best course in the world!! Great par 5s great views stunning sourounding best course I've played in the world, this should be ranked the best in the world |
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| 28 June 2008
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| Response: | | | Mike | 24 July 2008 | | This is the best golf course I have ever played. It is God's golf course - if he were to be a member anywhere it would be at Waterville. The views are out of this world and there isn't an average hole. Not only is it gorgeous, it's mean as well - it oozes with character and it's as tough as you can get but extremely fair. My advice to any golfer - go play it; you will not regret it. |
| | | Nick, the “replies” you’ve posted on april 1st 2008 (see also the Portmarnock page) are really spot on. This course is superb from start to finish, the routing is so natural and the round seems to fly in minutes. Waterville has to be deserved, the first step is getting there! And the road system is Kerry is far off from 2008 standards. But after all, that’s for the best! It leaves the place with all its charms: a world class course near the far end of the world, probably the only reason why Waterville never hosted big events. Because the course is definitely up for it. 7300 yds from the tips is a looooonng way, 6800 yds from the whites in the condition that we had was tough enough, thanks! Unlike Jim, and if I really want to be picky, 6th and 7th were the holes that impressed me the least. I hope to be back very soon for a salmon fishing/golf combo at their Waterville House: that’s how life should be! Cédric |
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| 09 May 2008
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| A little like the first time I played RCD, very blustery and overcast weather did its best to interfere with my review of a very fine course (and it was the twelfth 18-holes I’d played in six days so a little mental and physical fatigue was maybe  creeping in as I carried my bag round the course). However, the inclement conditions could never detract from my appreciation of a Tom Fazio renovation that didn’t have a single weak hole anywhere along its routing. I was surprised in places to see one or two areas of rather lush fairway, clusters of imported tropical vegetation and a fair amount of artificially created grass mounding - the last of these should, of course, blend into the landscape over time. To compensate for the slightly more manicured aspects of the layout, there were many patches of lovely yellow gorse in full bloom and the bearded bunkering looked terrific throughout. I really liked the new holes at 6 and 7, where great use has been made of a diverted stream on both fairways whilst “Tranquility” and “Mass Hole” (11 and 12) were brilliant back-to-back holes on the back nine. Waterville is a stern test where the fairways flow one after another in an unrelenting fashion, culminating in three mighty holes in the dunes beside the sea. The club, like others on the west coast of Ireland, has its hands full coping with the sand and sea spray blowing in from the Atlantic at this part of the course but efforts at keeping nature in check are well worth it as the trio of “Liam’s Ace,” “Mulcahy’s Peak” and “”O’Grady’s Beach” form a fitting finish to a fantastic round. Jim McCann |
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| 09 May 2008
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| | A fantastic experience. If you have not played this course then you have missed out on a gem.Great condition throughout and very friendly staff.The par 5's are absolutely brilliant.You could play the 11th or 18th all day. |
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| 06 April 2008
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| | Of all the southwest courses Waterville and Lahinch were our favorites. Of Waterville-18 terrific holes, none weak, (11 was like being in another world), condition excellent for a links course,beautiful setting, the nicest people of all the courses, and the best practice range I've ever seen. It was simply an outstanding experience in every way. |
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| 28 September 2007
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| | The most enjoyable round of golf I've ever had - it's a tough course but very fair because you can always see what's waiting to bite you. Scenery is beyond compare. The best of 18 wonderful holes is probably #11 - you feel like you've gone through the looking glass into another world and if you can hit your drive over 275 yards, you get another 50 yards of roll for free. |
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| 12 August 2007
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| | You can see why the pros like to play here – the combination of such a rigorous test of golf and such a beautiful location must be very rare. For the amateur golfer the course is very demanding and lengthy even from the middle tees – this can make the golf unpleasant at times but correspondingly the satisfaction gained from playing a hole well on a course like this is much greater than usual.
The best of the golf is on the back nine, where the course builds subtly to a grand climax as the final three holes lead you home along the ocean. In addition the 2nd, 3rd, 11th and 12th are all fantastic holes and there is not a weak one on the course. Not cheap (best rates in evening) nor easy golf, but well worth playing once at least.
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| 01 August 2007
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| | Played Watervile for the first time Nov 05 and returned May 06. What a course! The new holes are great, a tough finish all set in stunning scenery. Surprised by some of the earlier negative comments. I play mostly links golf and this is one of the best. A special mention to Noel and his staff who make you feel as if you have been a member for years yet we're just visitors! Stuart Hunstanton Golf Club |
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| 16 August 2006
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| | It is 24 years since I last played Waterville and a lot has happened since then including changes to the course by Tom Fazio. I could remember some of the holes from that time but when I played it again recently I was surprised that I did not remember more, especially some of the opening holes, perhaps it was the rain in 1982! The 3rd hole is excellent, I love the curve round the bay and the green seemingly hung out to dry. The new 6th and 7th are fine holes. There is not a poor hole on this course and the variety in the design has produced such diverse holes as the long 11th, all duck or no dinner par 3 12th, dramatic 15th, 16th and 17th, and fine 18th. One of the best links in Ireland. |
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| 09 August 2006
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| | I can't believe some people don't like this place. Played it in May 2006 and although it was disapponting that the greens had just been dressed, they still payed true enough. The course is special - tough (but fair) and ver picturesque. I can't wait to go back again. |
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| 01 June 2006
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| | Judging from the reviews posted here Waterville seems to elicit a wide variety of responses. Put me down as a fan and admirer of a great links golf course. This course has a sterling collection of par 4's that, in my mind, is rivaled only by Muirfield. The bunkering is penal and stragegic, and the holes have a wonderful flow to them that gives a natural feel to the landscape. The Payne Stewart statue behind the 18th green is a fitting tribute to a wonderful person and golfer. My thanks to the Waterville members for honoring Payne. Richard Smith Knoxvile, Tennessee |
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| 27 April 2006
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| Response: | | | Gerard | 08 May 2008 | | Muirfield ????in the same league as Waterville The Muirfield experience is about a nice lunch and sticky toffee pudding Waterville is as good as it gets |
| | | Played in June 2004 so my memories are already getting pretty old.... We had a great day there. The views are fantastic, as is the layout. One small deception, the fairways looked burnt and I doubt it had been that sunny before we arrived in early June. Maybe the salt?? but this course is nevertheless my favorite in that area, with Lahinch, ahead of Ballybunion.... |
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| 30 December 2005
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| | I am compelled to write a review of this course because it is so overrated in these ratings. The layout is nothing special...until you get to 16,17, 18 which are special. In addition when I played the conditioning was awful. Yet the annoying thing I have to say is how "Americanized" (btw - I am an American) this place is: statue of Payne Stewart; carts; etc.). This I can get at Pinehurst. I do not expect it at a "world class" links course. I would not go back. Kelly Conway |
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| 18 December 2005
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| Response: | | | michael rowley | 14 August 2007 | | carts and a statue of Payne Stewart are superficial - the course is superb | | | nick | 01 April 2008 | | is this guy for real, to belittle waterville is golfing ignorance, it is one of the finest links courses on the planet and maybe our american friend should appreciate what real links golf is, the only reason the course has become american friendly is to cater for mr conway and his friends |
| | | Having just returned from a visit to Southwest Ireland, I can safely say that Waterville was the highlight of our trip, which included both courses at Ballybunion, Tralee, Lahinch and Dooks. This was the first time for me at Waterville and I realise that I cannot compare the old layout with the post 3rd phase of the Fazio changes (which I have been keeping an eye on via the Waterville website). The thing that I like the most is that Waterville is in balance as a course (unlike Ballybunion Old and Tralee). The opening hole is quite ordinary and simply gets you away and then things get better and better. The yardage chart wasn't much help because bunkers have come and gone and it was quite confusing getting accurate distances. Granted, we were lucky with the weather, which was sunny and warm with a light winds. When I come back to this neck of the woods (and I will), I will head for Waterville first and probably stay here. Billy. |
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| 06 October 2005
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| | I have played 126 top courses in the UK and Ireland. I have absolutely no doubt that Waterville is THE most over rated course I have ever played -July 2003.
Even in mid summer parts of the course were very very wet. 5 or 6 good holes - the rest are very ordinary as was the condition of the course.
Would not get in my top 60.
David Worley. |
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| 05 October 2005
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| Response: | | | ally | 29 April 2008 | | Hi,
stunned to hear that - one of my favourites.
Play all over the world and would have WV in my top 10 easy, probably top 5.
Was it breezy? Are you a hacker?
Ally |
| | | Wow – what a golf course. This is the real deal and it is where Tiger and his pals practice before the Open Championship each year. I have been fortunate enough to play many links courses over the last few years, over 30 including big names at Portrush, Portmarnock, Ballyliffin, St Georges plus many more …. Waterville is the best of the lot and now becomes my favourite course that I have played. Everything here is spot on, the variety, the quality, the twists and turns, the history and this is just the most fantastic place to play golf. Fav holes, 3rd, 11th and the final four – just the ultimate course. AN. |
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| 24 September 2005
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| | Undeniably a great course but outclassed by Ballybunion, Lahinch and Old Head. It’s exceptionally tough with some top class holes and it’s also fair without tricks. Play here for the stunning location alone and enjoy the warm and friendly Irish welcome. |
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| 12 April 2005
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| | Played this in 2000 and it's a long tough course, but in a great location. I found the front 9 to be quite undistinguished for links golf but the back 9 is superb with the Par 5 18th skirting the Atlantic. Well worth a visit. |
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| 11 April 2005
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| | Waterville is a tough links golf course that requires accurate driving. The course was in great shape and the staff was very friendly. You should add this course to your itinerary when golfing in southwest Ireland. |
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| 22 August 2004
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| | Tough...long...tight...enough said! Not to be missed though. |
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| 14 June 2004
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