A Century of Golf at Carlow : From Gotham to Deerpark 1899-1999

Carlow Golf Club, originally founded as the Leinster Golf Club in 1899, began with a 9-hole course in Gotham, Co. Kildare. The club was renamed Carlow Golf Club on June 27, 1901, and moved to its current location in Deerpark, Carlow, in 1921. The club was affiliated with the Golfing Union in 1903 and their first clubhouse was erected in 1905. The club is located on land leased from the Bruen family, part of the former Bruen Estate. Over the years, the club has been managed by various dedicated members, including notable figures like Harry Ewing, who contributed significantly to the club’s development.

The club’s first competition took place in July 1899, with thirteen members participating. The course was designed by Richard Larkin, the Bray Professional. The new Deerpark course was initially designed by Cecil Barcroft in 1922 was followed Hawtree and Taylor (1926) and later redesigned by Tom Simpson in 1937 for a fee of £72.8s.6d for the visit and phased upgrades, with assistance from Molly Gourlay. Their work has stood the test of time, with only minor cosmetic changes made since then. Other renowned architects proffered their advice on the course design for a fee and these included Alister MacKenzie (1931), John Staunton Fleming (J.S.F.) Morrisson (1953) and Donal Steel in 1984-1994 for proposed future developments of the course. Carlow Golf Club is known for its challenging layout, with undulating terrain, numerous elevated tees, and small, slick putting surfaces. The course is considered one of the top championship courses in Ireland and has hosted numerous national and interprovincial titles. In 1934 it hosted an exhibition match between Gene Sarazen and Joe Kirkwood who were due to play in the Irish Open in Portmarnock.

The club has seen various property deals over the years, including the leasing of land from the Bruen family and the acquisition of a racehorse to fund the rebuilding of the clubhouse after a fire in 1960. A new clubhouse was opened in 1992. The Oakpark course designed by Jeff Howes was opened in 2002 and is a nine-hole layout and mirrors many of the features of the more challenging Deerpark Course.

The signature holes include:: the par 3 6th hole that can vary significantly in length, requiring anything from a seven iron to a wood; 16th hole which was described by Christy O’Connor Junior as the finest 16th hole in Ireland, played through a tunnel-like valley; the 7th hole is a  two-shotter requiring a long, well-placed drive followed by a precise iron shot to hold the sloping green; the 12th hole is a delicate pitch across a deep ravine to the fastest green on the course and the 8th hole is a picturesque hole with a tee shot played to the west from the highest point on the course, down to a sloping fairway.