Towering sand dunes, ridge after ridge of them, are formidably in play at this remote but welcoming Irish links. Situated at the edge of the Atlantic, the wind always seems to blow extra hard as you tackle the cliffside holes.

As you drive along the winding road to the clubhouse about 2 miles (3krn) from the town centre your eyes feast on the opening holes. Flags flapping in the wind, plateau greens, a whole host of bunkers, rolling fairways - some generously wide - and a burn meandering across the course greet you. But there isn't a tree or a bush in sight. Instead there are the dunes. Running at right angles to the shore, they readily catch a loose shot. You have to play the ball as it lies, and in summer the grass grows thick and tussocky to add to your trouble. But the views from these hills - both of the golf links and of the ocean and County Kerry countryside for miles around - are spectacular.

Captivating Course

Because of the fame it has acquired - thanks, partly, to Tom Watson's praise - and because of its onshore gales, many golfers think of Ballybunion as a particularly difficult course. Certainly it is a severe test, especially off the Championship tees, but at 6542 yards, par 71, it is not terribly long and contains five par 3s. From the time you stand on the 1st tee you are captivated by the character of the place. It isn't
everywhere that a graveyard presents the chief hazard off the opening tee - but at Ballybunion a slice is literally buried in the town cemetery.

Early Days

Ballybunion Golf course was originally founded in 1896 but died after only two years. The club was re-established in 1906 when a nine hole course was laid out on the instructions of Lionel Hewison, a prominent journalist of the day. It was extended to 18 holes in 1926.

When the Irish Championship of 1937 was fixed for Ballybunion, the English architect Tom Simpson was hired to give advice and make suitable alterations to the routing of the holes and the siting of the tees and greens. He laid out the links very much as we know it today. But when the new club- house was built in 1970 the numbers of the holes had to be altered. The 14th (featuring Mrs Simpson's mid fairway bunkers) became the 1st and the 13th the 18th.

The course - widely accepted as one of Ireland's best - attracts visitors from all over the world. Set in the relatively remote south-west, Ballybunion has not as yet been invited to stage any international professional tournaments, but the Irish men's and ladies' championships have taken place there several times.