Hard graft behind the jewel that is Enniscrone

As junior members in Enniscrone Golf Club, my friends and I were blessed to have a mentor in the form of the late Charlie McGoldrick, the club professional for many years before his untimely passing in August of 2011.

A gifted teacher, Charlie’s abilities were legendary in Irish golfing circles. Golfers came from far and wide to receive words of wisdom from him on the intricacies of the game.

You could walk across to the practice area down in the dumps about how your golf game was and half an hour later, you’d walk back across ready to take on Tiger Woods himself. Charlie’s ability to get inside your head and convince you that you could do better was unique.

One of my abiding memories of Charlie’s oratorical skills to a wider audience were the many pep talks he gave to visiting groups before they embarked on their round at Enniscrone.

Standing close to the front of the pro shop, Charlie would deliver a sermon on all the surprises visitors were about to discover as they took to the links; a favourite line of his was “in America, you hear the phrase risk and reward, at Enniscrone, it’s risk and reload!” Those visitor numbers have increased in recent years, with the club’s rising prominence internationally attracting golfers from all over the globe. Enniscrone now sits comfortably in the top 15 golf courses in Ireland and, recently, was listed at 87 in the top 100 courses in the world.

It’s particularly apt that this milestone arrives as the club this week marks the occasion of the official opening of the 18-hole course for the first time, on August 4, 1974.

From those initial steps, the local area is fortunate to now benefit from having such an outstanding facility on its doorstep that delivers much in terms of attracting visitors and giving Enniscrone another string to its bow as a tourism hotspot.

I had the good fortune to be part of the effort in bringing together the club’s centenary history in 2018, and through that project we discovered many titbits of information that underlined how big an undertaking it was back in the late 1960s and early 70s for the club’s committee, at that time, to take the leap to 18 holes.

That spirit and thirst for continuous progress has been evident all throughout the club’s history and is clear of late as well, when you take a look at the various projects, big and small, that those involved have initiated to improve the overall offering.

Enniscrone’s membership had dwindled to 14 by the late 1950s, at which time the local course consisted of a nine-hole track, located on some of the land the club currently exists on, but also extending into the area now occupied by the caravan park.

To go from that vantage point – virtually on the brink of extinction – to becoming a vibrant club by the end of the next decade, was down to several factors, not least an infusion of members through local projects such as the Moy Drainage scheme and the building of an ESB plant in Bellacorrick.

With renewed vigour, the club set its sights on expanding to 18-holes and even at that stage, those involved recognised the unique opportunity presented by the remarkable local topography provided by the 400-acre site at Bartragh, which includes some of the best duneland in western Europe.

Of course, the effort to extend the course would cost money but, following the design of Eddie Hackett, work got underway. Some estimates suggest up to £10,000 was saved in helping build the new course and clubhouse through voluntary labour, which is indicative of the spirit and determination of those involved at the time to bring their vision to fruition.

Fast forward 50 years and Enniscrone has turned into what those involved in the late 1960s and early 1970s envisioned: a top class links.

The initial 18-hole layout skirted around the edges, largely, of the biggest dunes on the property but when resources allowed, the club embarked on further progress at the turn of the millennium with the construction of six new holes: 2, 3, 4, 14, 15 and 16, which helped form part of the new Dunes Championship layout. These holes, designed by Martin Ebert and Donald Steel, turned Enniscrone from a good golf course into a great one.

There are few stretches in Irish golf to match the closing seven holes, starting with the par-four 12th where the tee box takes you so close to the Mayo border a good drive in the other direction would see you go close to Bartragh Island, which is visible just across the Moy.

From there to the clubhouse, the golfer is challenged by four strong par fours, 15 and 18 being particularly good holes, two cracking par fives amongst the dunes at 14 and 16, and the splendid par-three 17th, which is Enniscrone’s answer to the Postage Stamp at Troon, the recent venue for the Open Championship.

Sometimes, in this part of the world, we are inclined to talk ourselves down. But, as mentioned in this column last year, in Enniscrone, Carne and Co Sligo, we have three golf courses as good as anywhere.

When it comes to discussing the quality of Irish links golf, all three venues should receive the same prominence as traditional powerhouses like Royal County Down, Ballybunion and Portmarnock.

This Friday, golfers will take to the links at Enniscrone for the annual Charlie McGoldrick Cup, which has become a popular part of the summer calendar.

Visitors and members alike should be minded to remember the words of the man himself as they take to the first tee: ‘you are about to go and play on not only one of the best golf courses in Ireland, but on one of the best golf courses in the world.’ How right Charlie was.