Those in the know refer simply to County Louth Golf Club as Baltray, but it can be quite confusing, as the tee marker logo reads “Baltray Links” and the scorecard logo says “County Louth Golf Club.” A rose by any other name, I guess? The location of the course proves prime for American golfers who collect courses they have played, like seashells on the beach. Baltray lies just 45 minutes from Dublin Airport and a mere 75 minutes from Belfast Airport … maybe quicker if you have a heavy foot.

Founded in 1892, the course was designed by Thomas Gilroy and George Henry Pentland. That original design served golfers well for more than 45 years. Architects Tom Simpson and Molly Gourlay remastered it into the 7,031-yard, par-72 course we know today, with holes heading in every direction. In both 2004 and 2009 the course hosted the European Tour’s Irish Open; Shane Lowry won the 2009 Irish Open as an amateur, sending him into golf legend.

Baltray is a beautiful village as well as home of County Louth Golf Club, with spectacular views of the Cooley and Mourne mountains and a 6-mile-long, dune-laden beach to offer ocean vistas while you play along the Irish Sea. The sea breezes and hole locations mean the wind constantly changes, but on the day we played, as during our entire week in Ireland, the weather was spectacular, with gentle winds and sunny skies. Make sure you snap a few photos as you play holes 12–16 and meander along the dunes. The very walkable course features wide and generous fairways, but we all managed to find the high grass here and there.

We were particularly fond of a sign in the men’s locker room suggesting the more mature members wear a towel as they walk out of the showers to their lockers so as to not offend the younger members. That was a first for me!

I took to the course with Martin Shields, John Ecklund and Neil Curran to join the other American golfers who came to challenge Baltray.

HOLE 3 | “PUNCH BOWL”
544 yards, par 5
One necessity of golf in Ireland is securing proper caddies. I was fortunate to have a young chap, Mitchel, and with him came John Ecklund’s caddy, Jay; Neil Curran’s caddy, Sean; and Martin Shields’ caddy, Milton. Mitchel clearly had enthusiasm and was always positive, but he warned us this longest par 5 on the course can be the most deceiving. After driving your tee shot, there is no visibility of the green for your second and third shots, as mounding on the left side narrows the fairway more and more the closer you approach. Neil and Martin mastered this hole with pars while John and I secured a bogey and double bogey. Without a good caddy’s guidance, you are shooting blind to this small green that slopes left.

Hole 10 © Francis X. Gallagher

HOLE 9 | “CLOC STUCA”
419 yards, par 4
I have been accused of writing only about my good holes rather than the not-so-good … and this was a good one. After getting eight holes under our belts, we were ready to take on the ninth hole and head back to the clubhouse to make the turn. Giving me a pep talk and saying we needed to end the front nine strong, Michel pointed out the best landing area, and I fired a fine drive to the left center. From here, Mitchel knew what club to select and handed me a 5-wood. The ball soared high and forward to land on the green, earning a “Well done” from Mitchel. Two easy putts secured me a par, equally matched by Martin … but mine was more glorious!

HOLE 12 | “THE CRATER”
410 yards, par 4

Holes 12, 13 and 14 are particularly beautiful and run along the beach at Baltray. Twelve is a slight dogleg left surrounded by large dunes and bunkers on the right of the fairway. Down to the green, all balls roll into a crater, hence the name. We all played smartly and walked away with four bogeys. Many think this is the best hole at Baltray, and certainly the view of the Irish Sea proves a plus.

HOLE 14 | “THE CUP”
332 yards, par 4
Say goodbye to the Irish Sea as you head back inland, but make sure you take note of the views of County Down and the Mourne Mountains. Some of the fellas, like Martin and John, could potentially drive the hole or get very close. The caddies cheered us on to “go for it,” and all but Martin secured decent drives, leaving just a morsel to the green. But beware: The green is small and scraggly plus elevated — one miss and this easy par becomes purgatory.

Hole 17 © Francis X. Gallagher

HOLE 17 | “JIB”
207yards, par 3
You have to have a par-3 hole in the story mix … or as my brother Laurence would declare, “I’m a par-3 expert!” That is a good thing, and it can potentially lower your round but can have the adverse effect. On 17 we were the “Three Par-3 Experts.” Mitchel was encouraging not just me but also the other caddies to follow his lead and encourage us all to play well. The momentum resulted in all of us on the green, which is slightly elevated and flanked by two bunkers. My father-in-law, Thomas Shannon III, often said, “Drive for show and putt for dough,” so three of us made our putts and one did not — I will never tell!

HOLE 18 | “COWAN WELL”
559 yards, par 5
The closing hole of Baltray features thick rough on the left and out of bounds on the right. A decent player might even make the green in two swings. We drove well, but my ball headed left toward the high stuff, and I am pretty sure Mitchel kicked it back in the fairway when Martin and I were discussing dinner plans. Bunkers line up three in a row from the left side of the fairway to the center, and Neil found one. More bunkers run across the fairway, where many players land for their approach to the green. In the end, we all parred the hole with the exception of Neil, who paid the price of the bunkers on 18.

COUNTY LOUTH GOLF CLUB
Baltray, Drogheda
Co. Louth
A92 HK03, Ireland
tel 353 41 988 1530