Founded in 1892, the club is steeped in history and has attained a reputation for producing some of Ireland’s greatest golfers over the years. In 1938 Golf Architects, Tom Simpson and Molly Gourlay redesigned the course. A par 72, measuring 7,031 yards from the back tees, our championship links is known for providing one of the purest and fairest tests of links golf in the world. For professional golfer and former Ryder Cup Captain Paul McGinley, this is his favourite links course in Ireland, remarking: “It’s just a great test. All the holes run in different directions, so you have a different exam paper on each hole”.
In 2004 and 2009 County Louth Golf Club hosted the European Tour’s Irish Open. On the latter occasion, the club was etched into Irish golfing history when it famously became the venue where 2019 Open Champion Shane Lowry won the Irish Open as an Amateur. I recall playing in many a championship around Baltray seen Shane’s name on the top of the leaderboard and to see him years later in contention to win on the European Tour playing as an amateur was just sensational. I remember the weather turning wild over the weekend and thinking this will suit Shane to stay around the top of the leaderboard. Shane was on fire on Saturday and had a spree of birdies on the back nine including the Par 4 11th which is one of the toughest holes in golf. It has three deep pot hole bunkers lining the right side if the fairway which is the side you have to play for if you are to shorten this long Par 4. Bailing out to the left is not easy either because there is a heavy rough that awaits any wayward shots that miss the fairway to the left. Even if you do get a good tee shot away, the second shot will leave you with usually a long to mid-iron left to a very narrow sloping back to front green and even if you do manage to hold this green, you are still always looking at a challenging putt with the undulations that feature on this narrow green.
The front nine opens with a gently Par 4 but is unusually followed by three Par 5’s in the first six holes. The second, third and sixth holes are all Par 5’s and you can go on a run of birdies or even eagles if you are hitting the ball well. The main reason I love the course is birdies are available on every hole but also are double bogies. It is an exciting course to play but I have learned if you are too aggressive and you attack pins and barely miss to the wrong side you can easily drop one if not two shots from nowhere. If you know the course well you can actually end up closer to the pin locations by not playing for them but by using the slopes available that lie all around the greens. Local knowledge is of utmost importance if you are to score well around Baltray.
The Par 3’s are just spectacular and are also very challenging. Distance control is the most important attribute to playing the Par 3’s. For instance, the 5th & 7th holes both have very narrow greens and if you play these downwind you have to land your tee shot in the first 10-15 feet of the green otherwise your ball could end up bouncing over the back of the green leaving you with an extremely difficult second shot to get near to any pin location. However, a tee shot can also land 5ft on the front of the green and end up bouncing backwards down the steep slope the awaits any ball that doesn’t reach the centre of the green. Hence why distance control is vital if you are to find the greens surface.
The finishing holes at Baltray are extremely memorable. The short Par 4 14th is played from a high elevated tee box that is probably the highest point of the golf course. This Par 4 is drivable, however holding this undulating tiered green is difficult with a wedge not to mention with a driver from the tee. The 15th is another strong Par 3 that needs plenty of focus and commitment if you are going to find this greens surface. The 16th is one of my favourite holes it is one of the more generous fairways for width and the further you hit your drive the more you need to take your drive down the right side of this fairway. There is a risk and reward element to this tee shot because if you risk taking your driver down the right side you can leave yourself very close to this green giving yourself a great chance for a birdie especially if the pin is located near the front of the green.
The Par 3 17th is a long hole usually you would need anything from a 5 iron to a 2 iron on this hole and even possibly a wood if the wind blows into you from the southerly direction. Again, like the others even if you do reach the green surface, you are never left with an easy putt. The final hole is a strong Par 5 that has an extremely challenging tee shot. To the right there is an out of bounds area just to the right of the fairway and down the left side of the fairway again three deep bunkers await any tee shots that drift to the left of the centre. Should you find the fairway you then have a risk and reward to go for this green in two. If you manage to carry the bunker that sits some 60 yards short of this green you will get very close to the greens front edge, leaving yourself a relatively easy opportunity to birding the final hole.
The beauty of Baltray is there are plenty of birdies available but you can easily also drop shots if you get too aggressive. When I played here in an event earlier this year, I was -3 after four holes but I was very quickly +2 after fourteen and then managed to birdie the last four holes to finish on -2. Like all links courses the direction of the wind at Baltray really determines how the course should be played. Playing links golf is a bit like playing Poker you have to know when to hold them and know when to fold them.
What also stands out to anyone visiting Baltray is how friendly everyone is around the clubhouse and the course. Any member you bump into wants to know where you have travelled from and if you have enjoyed your day. The staff in the pro shop and the bar go above and beyond to make sure they do everything they can to make your day more special.
