Ribagolfe (Oaks)

The Oaks course at Ribagolfe opened for play in 2004 and was designed by the European Golf Design Company in collaboration with former Walker and Ryder Cup player Michael King. Designed as a members’ course, Ribagolfe Oaks – like its brother course Lakes – is routed through stands of cork oak and it represents a fair challenge in pleasant surroundings.

The overall length of the Oaks course is 540 yards shorter than its sibling and fairways on this layout are more open, leading to large, reasonably contoured greens. Water comes into play at only a couple of holes; the short par four 6th, where a creek cuts across in front of the green, and the long par five 13th, where the same stream slices through the fairway into a small lake on the right side of the hole.

There’s a beautifully balanced set of par threes (measuring between 145 yards and 197 yards) on the Oaks course with the toughest, and longest, of the four short holes played early in the round at the 3rd. Trees partially block the route to the green on the right hand side of the fairway so golfers with a slight fade should do well on this hole.