BLARNEY GOLF RESORT

Morrisseeee

called the 'blarney' golf resort

......I suppose if they called it 'Ballyriggert Golf Resort', everybody would say "...wha, where's dat ?" ie. everybody knows where Blarney is, alright boi !!

Jasonw

I've played this course a few times now. I'd say it's not up there with the top courses in cork except in terms of the quality of the greens. It's a bit open and is a good test from the blues. I played in the JSC a couple of weeks ago in a gale. There were only 6 scores in the 70's all by 4 & 5 handicappers. I was pleased to shoot 80 after loosing 2 balls.

I was up at Cobh's new course the other day for a walkaround before it's opening at the start of June. There are some spectacular holes out there. Once it has grown in I reckon it'll be one of the top courses in Cork.

jimbling

soundsham wrote: »

heard from a member that place is now getting too busy and the bank who are running the show are allowing up to 700 in @ €300 up front and €75 per month

members don't seem to have enough tee times either and currently takes bout 5hrs:mad::eek: to play due to all the new blood

best to steer clear of unless u play midweek i'd say

Is 700 a very large number for a golf club? I've heard Muskerry golf course in Cork has nearly 800. What's the norm?

It is very busy all right. Even mid-week, when the weather is good.


It's called "Blarney" because when it started out the main market was going to be the American business class. The plan was, small number of members, lots of Americans coming for conferences and trinkets.
Oh, how times have changed. :rolleyes:

aster99

Muskerry and Blarney courses are only about 3 miles from each other!

jimbling

aster99 wrote: »

Muskerry and Blarney courses are only about 3 miles from each other!

yep, I've never actually played there....supposed to be nice enough though.

So lads, seriously..... what is the normal number of members at a big club?? How many members at your club??

soundsham

<475 men
<120 women as far as i know

its enough as its an active young club

not like muskerry where you have a large proportion of older members who don't play weekend comps

if you had 700 members and even 30% (210) played at the weekend as i'd imagine they would in a new club.........thats a lot of tee time approx 9-10 hrs required
most clubs get 80-90 men out in around 4 hrs 7.30 to 11.30 on sat & sun approx 170
and 30- 40 women needing 40-60 mins each day

thats my reckoning !!
what happens where you are!!

4 for 3

I heard Blarney is doing ok. I was there a few times last year and the place was always immaculate! Even better than more popular places in the surrounding area. Castlemartyr in Midelton is unreal aswell. Haven't been there since Dromoland Castle took it over. I would recommend both - usually around the 30 Euro mark for each courses...

Miley Byrne

4 for 3 wrote: »

I heard Blarney is doing ok. I was there a few times last year and the place was always immaculate! Even better than more popular places in the surrounding area. Castlemartyr in Midelton is unreal aswell. Haven't been there since Dromoland Castle took it over. I would recommend both - usually around the 30 Euro mark for each courses...

Castlemartyr was €40 up till end of April as far as I know. €50 after that. Still good value though. No comparison between that and Blarney. Castlemartyr much superior imo.

4 for 3

I agree - Castlemartyr is better. We played great places since the start of the year with all this recession golf going on - PGA National, The Heritage, Waterville all for 60 Euros's each. Still haven't made the Old Head though for the 60 Euro offer there - very mixed reports I'm hearing about the old head. Obviously its worth a visit though at the price. I hope Blarney stays going - a lot of genuine people paid hard earned bucks to join the club.

soundsham

played c'martyr 3 times last year thought it was ok but a bit short, a few par 4's especially, nice but not too many holes stood out(unlike the funky clubhouse:eek:) par 3's maybe as they were lengthly i think,

worth €35ish presently

4 for 3

The Club House!! What happened there - must have looked good on paper or something!

aster99

Well i was checking it out and they are open for members at moment! €100 per month.
With all these new members is it very busy? Midweek whats the story? Maybe some regulars or members there might let us know...

soundsham

aster99 wrote: »

Well i was checking it out and they are open for members at moment! €100 per month.
With all these new members is it very busy? Midweek whats the story? Maybe some regulars or members there might let us know...

ok course busy at weekend, not great with members times from what i've been told,
course is ok , but very wide open to elements, no work done hardly since it opened due to lack of funds
shop has v. little to offer, clubhouse ok

€1200 a year is a lot of money even though no hello money is an attraction,
for that money you would be paying as much or more than anywhere else in the county(bar cork or fota maybe), and the way they are taking in members.......................who's to know

aster99

Not having to pay an entrance fee is the big attraction for me, especially for somewhere so close to the city. How long will this €100 per month thing go on, when they have a decent number of members in whats the chances that the annual sub will be increased by a significant amount for next year

soundsham

no one knows
i have a few buddy's joined
they were told membership was capped and that was reached
then it re-opened, as the bank as owners decided to do this:rolleyes:

its for sale,
so a new owner(if they get anyone interested)
may keep things the same or turf everyone out if they feel like it

aster99

chances of someone buying it must be slim enough at present i presume...

soundsham

count me out for the moment anyway:D

aster99

any idea what its like very early in the morning mid-week?

soundsham

no idea, i'm at work
ring em
or call up

jimbling

Anyone any info on the sale of the resort? I've heard they're is strong interest from someone but that's it.

Must say, the course is fantastic at the moment. With the amount of people going through it these days it must be pretty tough to keep it in order. Fair play. Only the bunkers are a let down really.

soundsham

played 2 weeks back course is ok, greens a bit slow really only fault bar the 5hr's:eek: it took to get around ..........criminal:mad:
yawning thinking of it won't be going back too soon

jimbling

soundsham wrote: »

played 2 weeks back course is ok, greens a bit slow really only fault bar the 5hr's:eek: it took to get around ..........criminal:mad:
yawning thinking of it won't be going back too soon

Ya, the greens are playing a bit slow all right. It suits me, so I don't complain.

I mostly play after work during the week so don't really find it slow going.

jimmystars

Played it twice recently. First time only played 10 holes and took 3 and a bit hours. Last time took a full 6. Shocking organisation. Had to wait 20 mins to tee off even though a timesheet was in operation. This is only a recent problem as i was a fan of the place but last two visits have left a sour taste. Would be good if it could get a buyer and maybe a course ranger to speed up the show.

soundsham

it has a ranger :eek:
but the problem is the members dont understand when they should pick up and walk on, it should only take 3hr45 to play ............sad
5/6 hrs thank god i dont play there every weekend i'd do my nut

heard the timesheet is a joke guys playing in 3 & 4 balls or maybe a woman and 3 men .....anything goes and always 20-30 minute delays......

cant understand when they have new members they should tell them how long it should take to be at certain points on the course, or clock guys in and out for a month to find the messers.....the bain of the golfer is the guy out for an auld walk around with no respect for those behind him,

sorry for the rant but nothing worse than having to walk off a course after 14/15 holes to go to work or whatever when you should be able to play 18 comfortably

jimbling

I played yesterday in 3hrs 45minutes. Tee off time was 11am.

Haven't played on a Saturday in a while so can't comment if that's the day you're talking about.

The main reason is obviously the massive influx of new players. It's gone from 180 to nearly 700. It's a big change. It'll take time for them to get used to dealing with the numbers.
As well as this there is also the "new course eager brigade" that will probably back off playing so much after a few months.

Well, here's hoping

jimmystars

Played 10 on friday evening around 2 o clock. Played the 6 hour 18 on a sat morning. Chatting to a new member he said it was the same the week before on sat morning.
Would also back up some shocking antics on the first tee,i saw 6 guys walking down the fairway all hitting shots, looking for balls and strolling ahead of someone who was hitting and not bothered about each other. It would have been funny if i wasnt waiting to play and so dangerous.
You could tell they were new to the game but a friday evening is not the best time to be going out trying to learn.
They did split up into two groups although it happened that they just played out the hole and moved on at different speeds. I base this on the fact that the second group teed off while the group in front were just walking onto the second green.
Its a par 3 170 yards.:eek:

soundsham

heard that a lot of guys turn up to play even though they may not be on any timesheet and off they go, no body stops em, staff not giving a dam and the ranger

6hr round hope ye complained like fook when ye went in, and rang the comp. sec, if its happening as regular as that the place is a joke

dont know how you stayed i'd be long gone,

jimbling

Open comp on yesterday. Got around in 4 hours. Again it was a late start so makes the difference.

They definitely need to get a hold of it on Saturdays all right from what I hear. As far as I know there is a course ranger just for that day, but god knows what he's up to :rolleyes:

soundsham

jimbling wrote: »

Open comp on yesterday. Got around in 4 hours. Again it was a late start so makes the difference.


no i'd say the fact it was in a monday not the weekend

4hr's would not be quick it would be average and would keep everyone happy in most clubs

but as ye were probably on an empty course it wouldn't harm anyone

jimbling

no i'd say the fact it was in a monday not the weekend

4hr's would not be quick it would be average and would keep everyone happy in most clubs

but as ye were probably on an empty course it wouldn't harm anyone[/QUOTE]


We were very slow. Two of us were playing very badly from the tee. In blarney this means looking for a ball on nearly every hole. :mad:

aster99

this might be a silly question but whats the earliest you'd be allowed on the course any morning? is there any rule as such about that?

jimbling

greens were so bad yesterday evening that I'm questioning my membership. I presume they're only thinking of the captains prize in a few weeks but it's no excuse.
Ridiculously long. They're getting like the greens on a bad pitch and putt course.
Also, they're going to have to do something about the pitch marks. I was fixing 10+ pitch marks on some of the greens. Disgraceful.

soundsham

i hope you complained to the pro shop and capt even by e-mail cause if you don't tell your commitee members that there is a constant problem they will not act either, greens should be cut 3-4 times per week at the minute imo,otherwise there's no point moaning here

sounds like all the problems are down to staff levels on the course, if the course is getting crappy i'd pull out or tell e few of your playing patners to kick up a bit too if they feel the same,

ask a few quetions,
like when are they cut, how often,are the green staff there every day?

soundsham

p.s. don't buy the crap about having greens fast on capt prize day

who wants to play for the biggest club prize of the year on greens that they are not used to playing on:rolleyes:,fine pick a few difficult pins by all means but you should be used to playing on greens of a similar speed to weekend competitions in summertime imo

you pay your money for 365 days of the year not 1 day in june

Dylan69

Guys,

Just seen the course layout on the blarney golf club! Will be heading there myself in the summer!
What the craic with the 10th hole, looks like a severe dog leg, can you cut across it and aim for the green, is it possible?

jimbling

soundsham wrote: »

i hope you complained to the pro shop and capt even by e-mail cause if you don't tell your commitee members that there is a constant problem they will not act either, greens should be cut 3-4 times per week at the minute imo,otherwise there's no point moaning here

sounds like all the problems are down to staff levels on the course, if the course is getting crappy i'd pull out or tell e few of your playing patners to kick up a bit too if they feel the same,

ask a few quetions,
like when are they cut, how often,are the green staff there every day?

Ya, cheers. Was going to give them a ring all right.

soundsham wrote: »

p.s. don't buy the crap about having greens fast on capt prize day

who wants to play for the biggest club prize of the year on greens that they are not used to playing on:rolleyes:,fine pick a few difficult pins by all means but you should be used to playing on greens of a similar speed to weekend competitions in summertime imo

you pay your money for 365 days of the year not 1 day in june

Yep, exactly what I was thinking. But from what I've seen it's pretty standard in clubs to have faster greens on days of big comps.

Thank for the advice shoundsham

jimbling

Dylan69 wrote: »

Guys,

Just seen the course layout on the blarney golf club! Will be heading there myself in the summer!
What the craic with the 10th hole, looks like a severe dog leg, can you cut across it and aim for the green, is it possible?

lol, its a horrible horrible hole. Completely pointless.

Inside Scoop
The reason for the sever 180Deg dog leg is because the designer of the course was a bit of a cowboy. Had to be reigned in a few times. The worst fck up was that he got the measurements wrong and when it came to the 10th hole they had run out of space for what was supposed to be there.
Result. A ridiculously squashed hole.

EDIT
Oh, and yes... you can cut across it. There are three ways to playing the hole.
Driver/3wood with a cut to it to get up onto the back of the fairway, approx 140y out.
3wood/5wood directly over the tries to try and hit the front of the fairway, about 50y out.
Green. Not sure whats required here, have never tried it.

Options 2/3 result in an absolutely massive amount of lost balls. It is just impossible to accurately tell where the hell your ball is going.
The amount of times I thought I hit a beauty for option 2... then walked around... no ball. anywhere. Mystery.

Dylan69

jimbling wrote: »

lol, its a horrible horrible hole. Completely pointless.

Inside Scoop
The reason for the sever 180Deg dog leg is because the designer of the course was a bit of a cowboy. Had to be reigned in a few times. The worst fck up was that he got the measurements wrong and when it came to the 10th hole they had run out of space for what was supposed to be there.
Result. A ridiculously squashed hole.

EDIT
Oh, and yes... you can cut across it. There are three ways to playing the hole.
Driver/3wood with a cut to it to get up onto the back of the fairway, approx 140y out.
3wood/5wood directly over the tries to try and hit the front of the fairway, about 50y out.
Green. Not sure whats required here, have never tried it.

Options 2/3 result in an absolutely massive amount of lost balls. It is just impossible to accurately tell where the hell your ball is going.
The amount of times I thought I hit a beauty for option 2... then walked around... no ball. anywhere. Mystery.

180 DEGREE DOG LEG!!! ARE U HAVING ME ON MATE!!!!LOL....:pac:

Jasonw

more of a hairpin than a dog leg.

I think you are losing balls with option 2 because you are going too far. I reckon it's no more than a 5 iron across the scrub to where the bell is. I tried it once with a 4 iron and was half way up the bank. The guy I was playing with hit a 5 and when we got there was told by the guy standing on the next tee that his ball hit the bell post and ended up in the water.

Now I grip down on my driver and follow the fairway.

soundsham

the most dangerous hole i've ever played !!

if you over slice your tee shot by accident you could kill someone on the green:eek:

spoke to a guy today who played there this week and he said greens were v. slow and whoever cuts them actually missed bits very noticebly on a few greens including 18th

soundsham

jimbling wrote: »

Ya, cheers. Was going to give them a ring all right.




Yep, exactly what I was thinking. But from what I've seen it's pretty standard in clubs to have faster greens on days of big comps.

Thank for the advice shoundsham

ya no prob having greens slighlty quicker on big days, but they should be quick now all the time ,and a little quicker is fine for big comps, but they can't be alien to you or no one will enjoy it

also it'll take forever to get around

soundsham

heard the latest is the bank will not spend the money on machine for cutting and rolling greens,there as slow as mud.

thats recievership for ya:mad:

jimbling

I haven't played since last week but one of the lads did. Said the greens were vastly improved and should be back up to scratch next week.

aster99

is it still very busy there?

superhooper

Was thinking of joining there as its relatively cheap and close to where I live. Am I mad?This is my first time joining a club.Was half thinking of the 9 hole in Kinsale
or Frankfield??:rolleyes:

soundsham

mad its not been maintained to previous level
bank is bleeding it

aster99

superhooper wrote: »

Was thinking of joining there as its relatively cheap and close to where I live. Am I mad?This is my first time joining a club.Was half thinking of the 9 hole in Kinsale
or Frankfield??:rolleyes:

The fact that its so close to Cork city is a big plus point.

superhooper

No joining fee is also attractive. Is the membership big?

aster99

Think it was mentioned here some time that its about 700

celica140bhp

superhooper, Ringanane (Kinsale 9 hole) would be better than Frankfield. Most of the holes in Frankfield seem to be across the slope but in Kinsale they are either going up or down the hill.
But, Blarney (if the price is right) is a better course than both of them.