Roscrea Golf Club 1892 – 1992

Roscrea Golf Club was founded in 1892. Initially located at Golden Grove, it moved to its current location at Derryvale in 1911 when it amalgamated with the Mill Park Golf Club which had a seven hole course laid out by Sydney Smith. For awhile the club moved to Birchgrove in 1920 to avail of Sunday golf which the landlord at Derryvale had probibited and while the was an increase in membership the conditions of the course saw members leaving in the course of the next few years and eventually they returned to Derryvale under a new 10 year lease. In the fifties the club engaged Tom Travers, the Dun Laoghaire professional, to look over the nine-hole course and he suggested improvements including alternate tees, tree planting to tighten the course and repositioning of greens. In the early sixties sheep grazing was done from October to March for additional income and a well was dug to supply fresh water to the clubhouse.

During the seventies the club purchased the freehold of the existing land together with 40 acres of bogland and also leased additional land with an option to purchase later and one the club got the approval from Eddie Hackett as to the suitability of the bogland and drainage the club progressed their plan to extend it to an 18-hole course by 1992 to celebrate its centenary. It was later discovered that further costs of €20k would be needed to properly drain the bogland and the development was put on hold.

The 18-hole course was designed by Dr. Arthur Spring, who had won the tender over Eddie Hackett to design the additional 11 holes, in 1992. This was Arthur Spring’s first commission where he was acting on his own. The course features a mix of big evergreens, beeches, and semi-mature trees, creating a challenging yet scenic layout. The expansion to an 18-hole course was made possible by the acquisition of additional land through the seventies and eighties.