Bearna

The general rugged, barren landscape in this corner of Ireland that overlooks Galway Bay is, frankly, so bleak and desolate that it is hard to believe anyone would want to construct a golf course in such a place. But that is precisely what architect Robert J. Browne accomplished in 1996 when he turned such hilly and marshy land – dotted with granite outcrops, heather and gorse – into a fine, 6,793-yard, 18-hole moorland track.

Located beside Lough Inch on land that has more than its fair share of inherent drainage problems, it is no surprise to find out that water comes into play as a hazard on thirteen holes at Bearna. To compensate for this, bunkering on the course is minimal, with only a handful to be found on fairways throughout the property and only one or two used per hole as green protection.

The club motto, translated from the Gaelic, is “welcome, and may lark song accompany you.” The club certainly love to bring wildlife into the naming of holes, with some wonderful titles like “Lake of the Fish,” “Plain of the Hares,” “Marshland of the Seagulls” and, best of all, “High ground of the thieving cow, between two Valleys.”