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Drive to the right of the bunkers on the left at this 522 yard (477 metre) par 5. This gives a clear view, up a generous fairway, to the elevated green, which is best accessed from the right. There are dramatic borrows on this green and a large drop off left and back.
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| Hole 2 |
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When you tee off to the large fairway at this 377 yard (345 metre) par 4, you will notice the River Cashen - which gives the course its name - to the left. Beware of the bunker on the left, which traps many victims. As you hit to the green, be advised that everything feeds to the left, with the flow of the land. This green is a very tricky putting surface.
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| Hole 3 |
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On this tee, to your left, you will see the very picturesque Cashen village, and probably some salmon fishermen at work. This is a short shot - 154 yard (141 metre) par 3 - to a triangular green, with a bunker front and back right.
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| Hole 4 |
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From this 350 yard (320 metre) par 4, you can see the mouth of the River Shannon, with Kerry Head beyond. Teeing off to the generous fairway beneath will pose no real problem, and the guarded green is easily accessible as you progress to what should be an easy par or even birdie.
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| Hole 5 |
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Your favourite long iron, followed by a wedge left of the flag, will have you thinking of more red figures at this 314 yard (287 metre) par 4. This is a dramatic, short, semi-dogleg and elevated green, sculpted into a beautiful hill.
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| Hole 6 |
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This is a very spectacular 155 yard (142 metre) par 3, with more room than first appears. However, miss this green and things can get tricky. There is a hidden bunker at the middle back to catch the over enthusiastic.
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| Hole 7 |
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This par 4, 378 yarder (346 metre) brings you to the furthest corner of the course. A good drive here keeps you well away from the high maram grass (which reaches waist level! ) and sets up a birdie opportunity. Locals use iron at this tee as you have out of bounds all along the left, with valleys and hills covered with maram, to the right.
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| Hole 8 |
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Golfwise, this hole is as awesome as it appears visually - the local geography is breathtaking, but you must stick to your task. A drive to the left edge of the fairway usually falls into a very favourable position. Beware of two sand bunkers approximately 135 yards from the green on the left designed to catch 2nd shots. On the elevated green, 605 yards away (533 metre), there are undulations to perplex even the most focused golfer. This is the longest hole of Ballybunion's two courses.
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| Hole 9 |
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This short 478 yard (437 metre) par 5 presents a good birdie opportunity - one to be availed of, if possible, as you complete the outward half. The back nine up, while stunningly beautiful, present a much tougher proposition. What you see here at No. 9 is what you get, in spite of the visual undulations. There is a tricky pot bunker on the left of this two-tiered, kidney-shaped green.
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| Hole 10 |
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As you head for home, the key over the return journey is to hit to where you can see, but use the driver sparingly! At this 324 yard (296 metre) par 4 hole, for instance, hit your favourite mid-iron to the left edge of the fairway bunker. It is now just a short shot to this elevated three-tiered green. Beware of hidden bunker - front left.
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| Hole 11 |
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This beautiful par 3 sits into the sand hill like it's been there forever. A short shot across a deep ravine, but you must avoid a pot bunker on the front right. Get your yardage right - it's just 146 yards (134 metre), don't be too big !
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| Hole 12 |
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Good results at this elevated 210 yard (192 metre) par 3 from the 'shoulder' on the right. This green is deceptively sloped to the front and extremely fast.
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| Hole 13 |
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You may have seen photographs of this 395 yard (361 metre) par 4 in many golf magazines over the years…. if you never played golf, you would still know you were in a very special place here. The sand hill to your right is the largest natural sand hill in Europe. The tee shot should go over where the fairway cut meets the hill on the left. The surrounds throw nearly all shots back onto the green. In the ravine to the right of the green, there are the remains of a Neolithic settlement, which have been preserved. This is indeed a place of timeless beauty.
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| Hole 14 |
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A 400 yard (366metre) par 4. From this tee, the ground undulates everywhere. Hit your tee shot over the white stone, as long as you like. The second shot is a short tricky pitch to a kidney-shaped green, with a hollow on its left and a hill to the right.
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| Hole 15 |
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This dogleg, 487 yard (445 metre) par 5 demands three well-placed shots to get onto this small, triangular, elevated green. Drive to the white stone with your favourite long iron and, from there, hit your second to the generous fairway beneath. Favour the right hand side of the green, as there is no back left to this triangle! Before moving on, take a look back to where you've come from - awesome!
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| Hole 16 |
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At this par 3, you are assured of a beautiful visual backdrop, provided by the River Shannon as it meets the Atlantic Ocean, and by the County Clare landscape in the distance, but a good shot will bring equally pleasant rewards. It's 164 yards (150 metre) to this little gem of a green, with out of bounds immediately adjacent left.
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| Hole 17 |
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An attractive pathway guides you to this beautifully appointed tee for a special 479 yard (438 metre) par 5 that runs all the way along the Ocean. You drive out left of the white stone. Now decide whether to lay up 80 yards short or go for it. You must now be very aware just how three-dimensional a golf links this can be. This hole yields many birdies.
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| Hole 18 |
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A long iron left of the white stone will leave you a mid-iron to this elevated, large green on this 368 yard (337 metre), final hole. On the other hand, if your driver has been kind to you, you could try using it following a line two thirds of the hill on the left. There is a bunker short left of this tricky green, and a par four is a good result.
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