The Course
With spectacular views of the Atlantic from every hole, this location is also host to a number of historical landmarks and Irish folklore with the tower located behind the 3rd green dating back to the 1190’s. Tralee offers up probably one of the best backdrops of any golf course out there.
Don’t be fooled, though, this course will challenge you. With a relatively flat front 9, don’t sit back and relax because the back 9 will test your skills. Where accuracy is always of major importance in Links golf, the par 4, 12th hole confirms any doubters. Playing downhill with heavy rough to the right and a wall on the left be sure to choose your club carefully. Don’t relax yet though as your approach to the green has to be pinpoint.
“I designed the first nine but surely God designed the back nine” was the statement made by course designer Arnold Palmer about his first, and arguably his best, European designed course.
The Clubhouse
Tralee Golf Club prides itself on having modern attractive facilities at your disposal.The clubhouse offers spacious dressing rooms with specially designed shower areas and steam rooms. Locker facilities and towels are part and parcel of the service. While visiting be sure to check out the Bar and Restaurant which offer excellent food and drink while you enjoy the majestic views of Barrow and its surrounds.
The Club Shop is manned by the Club Professionals who can help you with advice and experience. The shop carries and extensive range of branded goods from leading labels, all at a very competitive price.
- FOUNDED 1896
- DESIGNED Arnold Palmer
- TYPE Links
- PAR 72
- LENGTH 6,975 yards
- HOLES 18
Where to Stay
Tralee has quite a few good quality 3* and 4* options for your stay. The best hotel located in the town centre is the 3* Grand Hotel. Slightly outside of the town, but still only a short walk, you will find the 4* Rose Hotel, 4* Manor West Hotel and the 4* Meadowlands Hotel. Slightly further out is the luxurious 4* Ballygarry House Hotel, with award-winning Nádur Spa. If proximity to the Golf Club is your priority, then a night in the 4* Brook Manor Lodge Guest House is your best option, located outside the town, only 10 minutes from the first tee!
Where to Eat and Drink
There is an excellent pub scene in Tralee, albeit mainly at the weekends. If you are looking for a traditional night out, with some good music and craic, during the week your best option would be Sean Ógs Pub, at the weekends your options multiply, with the likes of An Teach Beag, The Brogue Inn, Paddy Macs and Bailey’s Corner all providing top live entertainment. If you would like to get your picture taken close to golfing history, a trip to the Castle Bar is a must, there you will see the wedge Tom Watson used to win the 1982 US Open.
There are some fantastic options for food available, all a short distance from the town centre. Highlights from the list would be Finnegans Restaurant, The Pikeman Bar and The Stonehouse Restaurant. If you are willing to travel slightly further out of town Spa Seafood, the Westend Restaurant, the Oyster Tavern or Brooks Restaurant are well worth the trip.
What to See and Do
Tralee has a multitude of historical statues and monuments to visit, some of which are listed below. The focal point of the town is the beautiful Town Park, 75 acres of green in the middle of bustling streets. The park is basically a monument to the “Rose of Tralee” festival, which takes place annually in August since 1959, housing rose gardens, walkways and fountains to honour those who inspired the festival. Also in the region are the Ashe Memorial Hall, with its medieval experience, Siamsa Tire Theatre, Blennerville Windmill, a restored 18th-century mill & St. Johns Church built in 1854.
For the more active and adventurous visitor, you could go cycling on one of the numerous mountain tracks that surround Tralee, try the rock wall or Paddle Boats in the Tralee Bay Wetlands or go for a stroll along some of the best beaches the country has to offer. Banna, Fenit or Derrymore are all within 20 minutes of the town centre.
Local History
As the capital town of Kerry, Tralee has a long and rich history. The town is over 800 years old and has played a central part in some of the most significant moments in Ireland’s past, from the rebellions against Elizabeth I in the 1500’s to the War of Independence in the early 1900’s.
There are numerous historical monuments scattered around Tralee and the surrounding townlands, such as the 1798 Pikeman Monument, the 2 Cannons at the Courthouse in honour of Kerrymen who died in the Crimean War and Indian Rebellion of the 1800’s or the Civil War Memorial on the main Tralee – Limerick Road.
