East Clare

The Derg Golf Society was established in the late 1980s and within a short couple of years members decided to set up their own golf club on land purchased from a couple of local farmers. An initial 9-hole course was laid out and a temporary clubhouse erected. Additional land was then acquired, allowing architect Arthur Spring to set out an 18-hole course in 1997. The following year, East Clare hosted the first (and last) edition of the West of Ireland Seniors Championship.

In the book Hooked: an amateur’s guide to the golf courses of Ireland author Kevin Markham writes: “the club sits at the end of a wonderful maze of little windy roads and it is a charming country surprise. There is an excellent routing, which shows off the surrounding hills, and the variety in lengths and shapes of holes demands careful consideration. At the start you can be aggressive but you will find you are tested more and more as the round progresses.”

Extending to 5,786 meters from the back tees, the course plays to a par of 71, with holes arranged as two returning nines. Water, in the shape of small pons, come in to play at four of the five par three holes on the card. Highlight holes include birdieable par fives at the 5th and 6th; the right doglegging par four 9th (rated stroke index 1) where two ponds protect the front of the green; and the water-laden par three 17th in the southeast corner of the property.