Course Guides

Malone Golf Club in Ireland

The inherent quality of Malone as a golf course is evidenced by its hosting of a number of major golfing events, including the Irish Amateur Close Championship in 1984 and the Irish Senior Masters in 1994, won by Tommy Horton. Tony Jacklin, by the way, won his first professional tournament here in 1966. With a championship measurement of 6,599 yards, Malone may be considered relatively short by modern standards but what it lacks in length, is more than offset by a searching emphasis on accuracy. Characterised by flowering shrubs, tree lined fairways and a large lake, dominating the back nine holes, rest assured that Malone offers a superb challenge.

This mature course is a real pleasure to play and offers plenty of memorable holes. Best on the front nine include the tree lined, par four doglegging 5th hole, which requires a carry of some 200 yards off the tee to set up an approach to a sloping green, guarded front and back by bunkers; and the par four 9th hole, which requires an accurate tee shot to a landing area no more than 20 yards in width, along a fairway lined with mature trees and shrubbery.

The slightly shorter closing stretch is equally challenging and offers a series of holes, which test every aspect of your game. The feature hole of the homeward journey is probably the par three 15th hole, which measures little over 130 yards. With water to the front and back of this narrow green and bunkers to the right, this shot is all about accuracy and club selection. Measuring 425 yards, the closing hole, which doglegs slightly to the right, provides a fitting climax to a majestic test of golfing prowess. Having carried the water from the tee and placed your drive on the left side of the fairway, you are then faced with a difficult approach to a green, guarded by water on the right, a bunker on the left and out of bounds over the back.


NEARBY COURSES:
Castlerock (1 hr, 30 min); Island (2 hrs, 15 min); Portmarnock (2 hrs, 20 min); Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links (2 hrs, 25 min); Portstewart (1 hr, 30 min); Roe Park (1 hr, 35 min); Royal Belfast (20 min); Royal County Down (55 min)


RECOMMENDED NEARBY ACCOMMODATION:
Belfast Hilton Hotel (15 min); Culloden Hotel (20 min); Galgorm Manor (50 min); Glassdrumman Lodge (1 hour); McCausland Hotel (15 min); Slieve Donard Hotel (55 min)

LOCATION:
Situated approximately five miles southeast of Belfast City, just off the M1 motorway about two miles southeast of Junction 2 of the M1 and opposite Lady Dixon Park.