Mulranny Golf Club

Mulranny Golf Club is home to a wonderfully located and immensely scenic nine-hole golf links, which counts American course architect Tom Doak amongst its many fans. This "off the beaten trail" layout sits beneath the Nephin mountain range, alongside Clew Bay on the Co. Mayo coast.

With no shortage of stunning scenery on hand, Mulranny's rustic seaside links course is not so much a case of "golf as it was meant to be" as "golf as it once was, period!". Here on Mulranny's open, undulating and timeless links, you'll not find too much rough to worry about; the grazing sheep keep the grass nicely trimmed ... and the course abundantly supplied with natural fertiliser.

The greens, varying in size from small to huge, are protected from the ovine grass-munchers by a barely noticeable ring of wire fencing. There's also a single small greenside bunker to factor in, but no sand traps along the undulating fairways.

Two circuits of the nine holes are recommended, especially on a first visit. Two different teeing grounds on each hole creates a varied "front-nine" and "back-nine" experience. Don't expect the high-end greenkeeping and prodigious bunkering of the more renowned "trophy" courses hereabouts. But do expect a course with plenty of challenges, and an abundance of classic Irish coastal scenery!

Opinions can be divided on Mulranny ... open sheep-mown "field" with greens and flags, or iconic "Wild Atlantic" links that captures the very essence of seaside golf. Whatever your view, courses like Mulranny (and nearby Achill Island) are an essential part of the west of Ireland golf experience.