“A 9-hole links of charm, fun, quirk and views, Mulranny is perfect for holiday golf… while offering plenty more for those with a keen eye for links quality.”
Once upon a time, you could have played this sweet links in the constant company of cattle and sheep. It was common land that farmers used for grazing their animals and it often presented a hazard of a very different kind. Greens were protected by barbed-wire while fairways were blessed with fertilisers of a different hue.
Today, the cattle appear only occasionally while the sheep remain as uninterested spectators.
They can lounge in front of the basic clubhouse or surround you on a tee box. They might wander in front of the green as you set up for your approach. You just never know when they will make their presence felt. It adds to the round. The views, too, are of the exceptional kind, stretching south to Croagh Patrick across Clew Bay. As we stood on the 1st tee – the sheep having trotted off when we arrived – it was a somewhat euphoric moment. There’s a tight ridge that runs just above and beyond the clubhouse, stretching the length of the 1st hole.
Once you round that at the southern end, en route to the 3rd green, you head out to the bay, the views and the stretch of holes along the shoreline. At the northern end, the 9th green clings resolutely to that ridge before dropping sharply to the tee, and a vista of greens and sleek fairways that calmly slip into the sea.
How to get there?
Mulranny (or Mallaranny) is on the way to Achill Island, on the N59 road, north-west of thriving Westport. The golf course is just shy of the village, and the lane drops quickly out of sight so it’s easy to miss.
Tee Times?
Visitors welcome every day. Book online at www.mulrannygolfclub.com
Round costs?
€15 (Nov-Apr); €25 (May-Oct)
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