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Bring your dune buggy |
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MONTREAL -- I haven’t been to Ireland (yet), but my impression of what Irish golf courses might be like – based on the Ireland course at Club de Golf de Isle Montreal, which promises “you will find yourself in Ireland without even having to hop on a plane” – is that you’d better hit your tee ball straight. Otherwise, you may spend the day searching for stray shots up and down and over the seemingly endless dunes covered with long, matted fescue.
The Ireland layout is indeed an unexpected oasis in the city, a mere wedge shot from busy Route 138 on the first couple of holes but with a relatively isolated feel as you move further into the course. Virtually every hole is bordered by the steep dunes. Were it not for the velcro-like fescue, crooked drives might all roll back down to the fairway or into one of the numerous European-style pot bunkers.
My favorite holes are 11 and 12 – a picturesque par-3 of 215 yards from the black tees protected along the entire left side by a duck pond, preceded by a reachable par-5 (511 yards), uphill with a string of bunkers angled across the layup area.
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There are only two par-5 holes, and therefore the overall par is 70, so the 10 par-4s can take on a bit of sameness – through the dunes on the tee shot to a narrow landing area protected by bunkers and fescue, approach to a green with run off areas and another bunker or two.
The 14th is the most memorable. A long shallow bunker (with one of the course’s rare trees in the middle of it) guards the inside of the dogleg right on the tee shot to a crested hill. Then the hole tumbles down to a two-tiered green framed on three sides by multi-colored rushes sweeping across a marsh. In the late afternoon, with the dunes to the west casting long shadows and painter-perfect clouds drifting by, it’s a delight just to look at.
The par-3 holes feature a good mix of lengths. The shortest is the 4th, a downhill pitching wedge from the blues, no more than a 7-iron from the blacks. The 15th tee resembles a series of theater loges, each one 20-30 yards further back but 15-20 feet higher in elevation, so compensating for the drop to the green and wind effect requires careful calculation. The 7th is the second-longest at 191 yards and is fronted by a deep sand pit with almost no land route around.
The two finishing holes are, surprisingly, among the two shortest par-4s (No. 17 at 351 yards and No.. 18 at 380), but they are into the prevailing wind.
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Overall, the course stretches to 7180 from the championship tees (reserved for events such as the Montreal Open and the CPGA Canadian Professional Championship). The blacks are 6709, blues 6272, and white tees 5768.
The Ireland name is derived not only from the layout style but from its architect, Pat Ruddy, best known as designer and owner of the European Club, south of Dublin on the Irish Sea, with 16 of the 20 holes (that’s not a misprint, there are 20) offering views of the water.
When we played the CGIM Ireland course in late September (the week of the Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal), the greens and fairways were in very good condition for a public-access track. The primary rough was some of the nicest looking I’ve seen anywhere – I considered taking my divots home – but it played much thicker than it looked, grabbing and twisting the club left every time.
What You’ll Find
- Ireland course – green fee and cart $55-75
- Parkland course – green fee and cart $50-70
- Clubhouse with lightly stocked pro shop, grill/bar restaurant, snack shack near 1st and 10th tees, tournament buffet pavilion, practice range with 75 hitting bays, instruction, rental clubs.
Rating -- CGIM Ireland, Montreal: 3
Rating guide
5 – Make a special trip; a unique experience
4 – Must play if you’re in the area
3 – Worth playing
2 – Okay if you need a golf fix
1 – Use your time for something else
For a review of some real Irish courses, read “Northern Ireland: A Priceless Trip” by award-winning Texas golf writer Art Stricklin (Sports Illustrated, Nicklaus magazine, and many other publications) and “Ireland Golf with Your #1 Golf Buddy” by his father, Gil.