The Heritage Golf Resort (Ballesteros Course)

Ballesteros and Howes shaped five lakes into this County Laois test.

DUBLIN Location
PARKLAND Course type
18 Holes
72 Par

Beyond the Scorecard

Course established: 2004
Course designer/s: Seve Ballesteros and Jeff Howes
Known for: Ireland's only Ballesteros co-designed course
Defining feature: Five lakes and 96 shaped bunkers
National ranking: #62

The Ballesteros Course at Killenard

The golf course at The Heritage opened in 2004 as Ireland's only layout co-designed by Seve Ballesteros, working with Jeff Howes. They routed two broad loops of nine across 300 acres of gently moving County Laois ground. The course later hosted the 2007 Seve Trophy, where Great Britain and Ireland defeated Continental Europe.

The scale is clear from the championship tees, where it stretches to 7,319 yards. More than 7,000 planted trees frame the holes, yet the fairways still offer room to choose a line. Five lakes and a stream bring water into play on ten holes, while 96 shaped bunkers make the safest route easy to see but harder to follow.

The par-three 4th captures the design well. A stream cuts diagonally towards a pond on the right, while two large bunkers guard the left of the green. The 9th and 18th finish on opposite sides of the same long lake, giving both nines a memorable return towards the clubhouse.

Why Add This Course to Your Golf Experience

The Heritage gives a Kinfern golf experience a substantial inland round between Dublin and Ireland's south-west. Strong drainage and teeing distances from 5,747 to 7,319 yards make it practical across the seasons and suitable for groups with different playing levels.

The hotel and spa sit beside the course, with the golf academy close by. Kinfern can pair the course with Mount Juliet or one of the K Club layouts, adding Ballesteros design history to a route that may also include Ireland's coastal links.