Carton House

Roderick Easdale travels to Ireland to enjoy fine golf and off-course pursuits at this former European Tour venue

- Roderick Easdale

The golf
The Montgomerie - par 72, 7,301 yards
The O’Meara – par 73, 7,165 yards

The Montgomerie has hosted the Irish Open three times on the European Tour, most recently in 2013. The course’s designer, Colin Montgomerie, played in it in 2005, when he ended in an 11-way tie for 28th place, and in 2006, when he missed the cut.

The impressive layout runs over a sparse landscape – foliage tends to be outside rather than inside the course. It utilises penal bunkering throughout to give definition to holes flanked by long fescue grass.

The O’Meara