Carne (Hackett) - Mayo - Ireland

There's gold in them hills... It was April 2016 in a northwest corner of Ireland, and we expected some tough weather. We got it, of course, in spades, but what we also got was two days of golfing majesty.

If the greens staff were to immediately fill in every bunker, Carne would not become the first bunkerless course in history, but it would inarguably be crowned as the best. It simply doesn't need them. The terrain pushes and pulls you in such fantastic fashion that big holes in the ground half-filled with sand would feel strangely artificial and, in my humble opinion, entirely unnecessary.

There are no weak holes on the course. If I had to pick my least favourite, it would be the 4th, a par 5, which sits at the outskirts of the dunescape on the lowest-lying piece of land, furthest from the sea. Almost every other hole on the course is simply superb.

I'll try to avoid boring you by giving a hole-by-hole account of my dad's and my experience, but as you battle through the fierce winds, soaking in the breathtaking Atlantic views to the right of holes 13 and 14, the staggering altitude difference between the 16th's tee and green, back up to my favourite 17th, and down the wonderfully dramatic 18th, you'll be ecstatic that you made the voyage to this remote but gorgeous golfing outpost.

It's been a full year since we played Carne, but the joy we felt over those 36 holes hasn't diminished. In fact, we're plotting our return. It will test your ball control to the limit whilst exciting your senses beyond measure.

If anyone were to criticise this course, I imagine they'd point their crooked little finger at the conditioning of the greens. If it's Royal County Down you're after, then you're looking in entirely the wrong place.

Make no mistake: Carne is an absolute masterpiece.

Review of the month April 2017

The scenic drive up from Mulranny through the Ballycroy National Park is over way too soon, but Belmullet awaits with another very natural course – the Carne golf links. Although it does look positively ancient (and the dunesland certainly is), this is actually a fairly new development. The late Eddie Hackett's final design consists of 14 roller-coasting holes and perhaps four on the front nine that are merely undulating, but great links golf all the same. The connections between the holes are impeccable and conditioning strikes a perfect balance between natural and playable. Click the link to read more… Ireland – any decent golf on the West Coast?

Stayed at Mulranny which gave me the chance to warm up on the delightful 9 hole links there, now fully recovered from the flood of 2014. Had not played Carne for 6 years (played 9 August 2016) and noted an improvement in the condition of the course – fairways seemed better defined and conditioned and the greens were excellent. There were some boggy areas, notably short of the 16th green due to the very wet summer but overall it was even better than I remember. It really is an extraordinary golf course and it was a disappointment to see so few playing it on a fine if windy summer's day. More practice facilities would be welcome particularly a driving net to warm up in and a practice bunker.

I also played the new Kilmore 9 holes - the design is breathtaking - the fairways swoop up and down between the high dunes with two spectacular par threes across valleys. However a lot needs to be done to the condition of the course to bring it up to standard of the Hackett 18.

The remoteness of Carne makes it something of a pilgrimage to get there, but you won't be disappointed.

Other places try to make the most of their one or two high dunes on the site. At Carne, they had to avoid them in order to create a playable course! These 18 holes are located on such undulating terrain that bunkers are few and greens are essentially flat, the latter a point of criticism and what prevented me from giving this course the highest mark.

Seldom crowded, which means that you can pick your starting time and your playing pace. Try that at the popular courses further south...

The golf package with the Talbot Hotel was fantastic price/quality.

Eddie Hackett certainly knew how to route a golf course. And at Carne he got a piece of land that allowed his genius to show through. One can just imagine the former Portmarnock professional tromping through the marram grass locating one delightful green site after another. The result is 16 holes that from tee to green are as good as it gets. Only the two par 5s at the extremes of the course (the 4th and the 13th) are ordinary. Moreover, Carne manages to challenge the golfer while employing minimal bunkering, another testament to Hackett’s work.

The issue at Carne for me, however, is that the greens do not measure up to the routing. With a few exceptions (most notably # 14), they are rather flat and not particularly imaginative—an unfortunate counterpoint to the excitement the course provides from tee to green. Had Hackett been able to match the creativity of the routing on the greens, we’d have a course to match the best on the island.

Americans who love links golf do so for the firm and fast conditions that are so rare on our side of the Atlantic. On my most recent visit, Carne played neither firm nor fast. The fairways hadn’t been cut in some time and were infested with wildflowers. And the greens read 7.8 on my stimpmeter—the slowest of eight courses I played on the island in May 2016.

Eighteen months after my last visit to Carne, I was back again last week to play the original 18-hole layout. Because I had only played the front nine once before, when it was very foggy, it was great to get the chance to reassess the course on a bright, sunny day with little wind.

Belmullet’s Immediate Past President Jim Brown accompanied me on my round and he regaled me with numerous stories of how the course had developed in the last two decades. Suffice to say, his yarns could easily be combined into a very entertaining book about how, in the modern era, a small, remote community could somehow manage to transform part of its wild, coastal landscape into a world-class 27-hole links facility.

It was evident from the large pools of water by the sides of the 4th and 5th fairways that this place has taken a pounding over the winter months – indeed, the rain in recent months is said to have fallen in biblical proportions. I was surprised to see the fairway on the 12th hole has still not properly bedded in, but that’s another consequence of last year’s generally inclement weather conditions.

Overall, for a course that has ONE full time greenkeeper in Daire Higgins, Carne shapes up rather well and the quality of the astroturf pathways that he’s installing around the teeboxes in the dunes are testament to his endeavours. There’s so much exciting golf to be played within the towering dune system here that Carne simply has to be included in any golfing itinerary to the north west of Ireland. Jim McCann.

I've used this website to plan various golf trips and at 33 my appreciation of what a great course is has changed over the last 8 years or so. Me and my dad go Scotland normally every summer for a week some of my favourites (machrinhanish, elie , western gales, Stranraer and of course the old course) my disappointments ( kingsbarns, dundonald). This year we chose Ireland, we played seven courses, The Island,ballyliffin (old) after kingbarns and dundonald,I thought old the way to go. Port salon, narin, Enniscrone, Carne and Lahinch. I felt I had to write this about the amazing Carne, as I nearly didn't go with it being a modern links but you read how natural and wild it is so we gave it a go. So glad we did its everything people say it is an more. Stunning,isolated ,wild if you love he game and you love links golf you have to play here. The potential here is amazing it could ,in time be one of the greats it needs investment but what a place, what a layout. We played Lahinch he day after which was perfection in every way a golf course can be. Both course breathtaking, don't miss Carne out whatever you do.

Much has changed at Carne since I was last here in 2009, especially with the introduction of the fabulous new 9-hole Kilmore course, which has rejuvenated the whole setup. The original 18-hole Eddie Hackett layout is as good as it ever was - indeed, ongoing remedial work to lower the fairway on the 12th hole will actually improve the course - so Carne Golf Links has slowly evolved into a formidable 27-hole golf destination.

Talking at length to Eamon Mangan, one of the club´s original members, before setting out on my round, it was fascinating to hear how ordinary local enthusiasts, with the support of various local government bodies, have managed to develop such a fantastic tract of linksland into the wonderful golf facility that it has now become, providing an income for those who operate the clubhouse and course. In many ways, the story reminded me of Askernish, where kindred golfing spirits on the island of South Uist have achieved something similar with their honest endeavour, albeit on a more modest scale.

Having played elsewhere in the morning, I only had time in the afternoon to tackle the new 9-hole layout at Carne and the back nine on the main course which was a pity as I’d played the front nine holes in fog during my previous round and would have loved to replay them in better weather conditions. Still, missing out this time is as good an excuse as any for a return trip another day…

Jim McCann

Brilliant mad golf course. Stayed in Donegal so it was approx. 3 hour drive to the course. The last hour of the drive was through stunning terrain which added to the experience. Very welcoming club. Decided to hire a buggy which I believe was the right decision especially when navigating the back 9. The front 9 is good, the back 9 is great. The scenery and elevation changes are breathtaking. In all the madness there are some well designed strong holes. The 18th is wild. Absolutely worth the journey. Ive played 70+ GB&I links courses and this is in the top 5 in terms of memorability. (6 handicap golfer - played Carne June 2014)

Links golf is an experience in the metaxy, the in-between, where we find ourselves wandering between sea and land, life and death, time and eternity. It’s hard when the wind is blowing to keep your balance, as it is difficult to maintain a balance of consciousness among the elements that distract and batter us in what we, likely incorrectly, think of as the real world. It’s really hard, when the hail is covering the green and your hands are frozen into wet claws, to see the underlying beauty and order in the scene before you and re-order your own soul in the process- but it does happen..I just returned from my third trip to Carne which is, for me, the place that comes to mind when the word golf comes up in any conversation. It is remote enough that you can play some mornings as a single and walk the linksland as if you were the only person in the world. But it is also a small and friendly club with members that are genuinely welcoming to strangers and a history that is also an uplifting story.This summer I had the privilege of being able to play the new 9 at Carne. For those of you who know the course, the back 9 is what gives Carne its character and reputation. The front 9 is pleasant enough and has a number of nice holes, but it isn’t until you climb the hill to #11 tee that you start to really understand why this is a very special golf course. The new Kilmore 9 will become the perfect companion to the back 9 of the original Eddie Hackett layout to form what may be the best sandhill-inspired links course in the world. So take that turn onto the R313, travel west across the bog lands of Mayo, and take the left (after the Eurospar) coming out of the small town of Belmullet. Enjoy the meaty smell of the turf fires as you wind around the road to Blacksod and don’t let the cemetery on the way to the course intimidate you. You will survive the test. Come once to play and I hope, like me, you will afterwards follow that road as if it were taking you home.