The first of two courses at Carton House, the O’Meara course opened in 2002 to great acclaim throughout Europe. Mark O’Meara, whose name and talent were a natural fit for the project given his own Irish roots and well-known fondness for warming up for the British Open on the Emerald Isle, spearheaded the design process, and was ably assisted by European Golf Design. Guiding the project along with O’Meara was Tim Lobb of European Golf Design, and the able duo created a special course that is bound to draw visitors and acclaim for the years to come.

The site was a beautiful one, with rolling terrain and trees within the 1,000-acre property contained by an old stone wall. Through these woodlands and fleeting stretches of open pasture is the River Rye, which behaves as golf designers must only dream of, setting up as a hazard beautifully in the southern corner of the course. Holes 13-15 here illustrate O'Meara's fine integration of the Rye, as stone-banked faces mark the threshold between a great approach and a one-stroke penalty. Coupled with some fine historical structures that offer context at various points in the round, such as the Tyrconnell Tower and the Shell Cottage, Queen Victoria's cottage when she visited the estate, The O'Meara Course at Carton House is in one sweep a fine round of golf and a tour of a chapter in Irish royal history. These icons of Irish heritage lend a charming aesthetic touch to the overall golf experience, even though the layout alone ensures an exciting and rewarding round of golf.

Where the Montgomerie Course charts its way through thick fescue grasses and open highlands, often requiring two heroic shots to find putting surfaces on par fours, the O'Meara Course, especially the front nine, has its highlights in a series of shorter par fours. The first, a 380-yard test, simply requires a pair of smart, conservative shots to find the green. Greediness early in the round can cause unnecessary bogeys or worse; patience, the virtue of a major champion like O'Meara, is demanded here. The fourth, also a short par four, teases players to challenge the inside edge of the dogleg, where a cluster of bunkers lurks. To this shallow green, a short pitch is ideal, but a mis-hit drive on a bold line can force a pitch back to the fairway, leaving a testy up-and-down for four. On the eighth, another exercise in concision at 378 yards, bunkers pinch the fairway in the landing area. Driving it long here is tempting, but the narrow green is tightened by sand, so a full, spinning iron from the fairway stands a better chance of staying on the putting surface. 

A stern par four opens the back nine, widely considered the most difficult side of the O'Meara Course, and bogeys are commonplace as the course heads in to those holes decorated by the River Rye. The 185-yard 13th plays from an elevated tee to a green flanked on either side by the river, a wise yet devious green position. Missed shots will be penalized, and marginal shots are often rejected by the stone-laid banks of the Rye. Only great shots will find this green.

Following the dramatic par three is 14, which crosses the river twice en route to the green 557 yards away. Bunkers play a key role, but the hole basically demands that the golfer decide whether to play aggressively or conservatively, as risk/reward strategy is dictated by the decision. The green is perched delicately on the far side of the river, so bold efforts from further back in the fairway must carry the full yardage to avoid finding the river. Laying up short of the bunkers at the end of the fairway leaves the most reasonable pitch to a green that best holds approaches played from this area.

As wonderful as the holes in the southern corner are, the 15th will undoubtedly be the hole that makes Carton House famous – for good reason. The 180-yard tee shot is played from an elevated tee that is laid alongside the Shell Cottage, looking down on the green hugging the far side of the river. Those who play slightly long cannot be blamed as any ball finding land here gives a realistic shot at par.

The course closes strong with two strong par fours, but the 17th merits mention for its prominent location before the castle. The view to the west of the glorious building is the backdrop for this 390-yard par four that requires players to find the proper side of the fairway, setting up an easier shot into the wide green.

The O’Meara course certainly attracted the world’s gaze towards Carton House, and with the most recent addition of the very different Montgomerie course, the popularity of the resort is beginning to flourish.