Adare Manor Golf Club - The neighbor of the famous Ryder Cup course

in 2027, Team USA and Team Europe will meet in Adare near Limerick in Ireland for the Ryder Cup. The venue will be the fantastic Adare Manor, but with current green fees starting at 500 euros (plus caddie and cart, if desired), it is a real strain on golfers' wallets. However, if you are looking for an exceptional golfing experience in picturesque Adare, you don't have to go far: right next to the Ryder Cup venue, often separated only by a wall, is the Adare Manor Golf Club, a very interesting and also much older alternative.

The course is no longer a bargain - not least thanks to the Ryder Cup - because less than five years ago you could play here for around 50 euros. Green fees of 120 euros are now charged for guests who do not have an Irish membership, and the complete fourball can still be booked for 160 euros. In return, however, you are offered a golfing experience that is as typically Irish as it is unusual. Founded at the end of the 19th century as a 9-hole course, the club was given the 18-hole design it still has today by Eddie Hackett in 1992. The Par 69 course has a total length of between 5,053 and 5,807 yards - and incorporates old ruins and walls into the design. To this day, it is mainly local members who tee up here, but green fee players are still very welcome guests.

The special features of the course can be experienced from the very first tee. The up to 132-yard short Par 3 borders an old castle, the green is virtually in the courtyard of the ruins. On hole 2, you play along a wall that separates the club from the renowned Adare Manor. Next to the green of the fourth hole, a Par 4 dogleg, you can see the remains of an old abbey, which will come into play again later. On the way to the fifth green, there is an old cemetery on the left, which comes into play much more strongly on hole 18. If you've always wanted to lie "dead by the flag", this is the place to do it (but please don't take it literally).

The second half of the round also begins with a Par 3, this time as a classic parkland course. Things get particularly exciting in the second part from hole 13: the only par 5 on the back nine is also the longest hole of the entire round and begins directly in front of the cemetery. This is followed by a par 3 with postcard quality, as it goes from the Tee between trees directly onto the green in front of the ruined abbey. On the subsequent Par 4, you even tee off from the forecourt of the old abbey - guest players in particular tend to lose concentration on their own game in this section due to the joy of taking photos. The 15th hole takes you back in the opposite direction to the abbey ruins. The final point is a Par 4 up to 365 yards long, a dogleg right. However, if you aim too far to the right from the Tee, the ball lands in the graveyard familiar from hole five - the result is, quite unspectacularly, the usual penalty for a ball out of bounds. The fairway then turns to the right and you can complete your round on this exceptional course.

Adare Manor Golf Club is an experience for golfers of all abilities - where else in the world can you not only play right next to one of the most famous courses in the world, but also play with, next to and through ruins?

You can find a detailed report and many more photos here.