Tralee Golf Club

The Back Nine Beyond the Cliffs

The golf course at Tralee Golf Club belongs to a club instituted in 1896, though the present links at Barrow opened in October 1984. Members bought the land in 1980 and commissioned Arnold Palmer, working with Ed Seay, to create his first European course.

The opening nine crosses relatively level linksland before the routing moves closer to the Atlantic. From there, elevated ground gives way to cliff edges and heavier dunes. Fairways rise and fall through marram, while coastal wind can quickly change the required line and landing point.

The par-three 3rd, "The Castle", plays towards a green with a ruined castle standing left and behind. A miss right can find the rocks or sea. The 17th, "Ryan's Daughter", begins from an elevated tee across a ravine, then asks for an approach to a small raised green.

The contrast between the calmer opening ground and the exposed finish gives Tralee its identity. Palmer's routing lets the landscape build in scale as the round moves towards its hardest decisions.