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The
golf course at Mount Juliet has a rather rich history
in spite of its youth, and in the 12 years since the
Jack Nicklaus v. Christy O'Connor Jr. match that
launched this layout, all signals point to a legacy
that is just beginning to grow. The course opened in
1991 to predictable fanfare, as this was to be the
first and only Jack Nicklaus signature course on the
Emerald Isle, but it quickly garnered a strong
reputation not for the architect whose name it bore,
but for the unique challenge and style of the layout.
More reminiscent of an American parkland course than
the fabled links of Ireland that mark the island
landscape, Mount Juliet moves through hills, swales,
and stands of forest, working around rock-banked
rivers and ponds that meander through the old estate
grounds. The setting is starkly different from that of
a seaside links, and yet just as lush and beautiful.
At 7,264
yards from the championship tee markers, a defining
purpose behind Mount Juliet was the construction of a
course that could host and challenge the game's best
players. Nevertheless, Nicklaus' fingerprints abound.
The course is eminently playable for the resort
golfer, with wide fairways, few forced carries, and
bail-out areas at every turn. The less accomplished
player can still enjoy the course while still getting
a sense of what the field faced at the 2002 World Golf
Championships. The success of the event--both in terms
of the course, and the logistics of hosting an
international golf event in a sparse rural locale,
near only to the old medieval town of Kilkenny--has
left Mount Juliet basking in the sunshine on the
leeward side of the storm. After hosting the most
important event to land in Ireland in years, this
playground for those vacationing souls in need of
their golf fix has never been more attractive.
The
364-yard opener is easy enough, lulling players into a
false sense of comfort. Tee shots should be played
just off the outer limbs of the tree on the left edge
of the fairway, which opens up the green to a short
iron approach. A smattering of bunkers are the only
defense against a good birdie chance, which might make
some wonder, particularly those familiar with the
demand Nicklaus traditionally places on strong tee
shots and long iron play, whether the designer may
have had a change of heart. The 429-yard second,
though, falls back in line, requiring the tee shot to
carry a burn that splits the fairway. Even the
mid-iron approach demands pinpoint accuracy to find a
small green wedged between stands of trees.
The
lowest point of the course can be found at the third
and fourth, where 'American water hazards,' conjured
equally from the land and hand of man, dictate the
course of play. At 182 yards, the first short hole at
Mount Juliet is the prettiest, demanding a full carry
over the stone wall that traces the narrow line
between success and a trip to the ball drop. A similar
ultimatum resurfaces on the approach to the 404-yard
fourth, but good placement from the tee will open up
the green to a short iron that should be played left
of the flag and short on yardage. With no margin of
error to the right or long, even an unexpected firm
bounce can find the hazard. Emerging from the valley,
some will marvel and some will curse at this
interesting pair. It offers a clear contrast to the
closing holes on the front side, which trudge
methodically over higher land.
Turning
to the second nine, the holes gain drama and
complexity from the landscape. The 569-yard 10th
requires a strong tee shot, at which point strategies
must be pondered to avoid a large tree that divides
the two available options, and strikes down shots
struck with any indecision. To the right is the
shorter play, but the sliver of fairway between a
collection of difficult bunkers can mean a
next-to-impossible leave for the third shot. A play to
the left means a longer shot in, but the line to the
green from here is clear, with just a single bunker to
contend with.
The 11th is the first of two
similar yet great par threes
on the back nine. Stretching to 169 yards, the golfer
faces a shot that must carry a small gully filled with
a pond, and a deep bunker on the left cut into the
hillside. Playing to the middle of the green is wise
here, as a miss to either side will likely yield bogey
or worse.
From
here, at the far eastern point of the property, the
course turns for home at the short 13th. Drives will
pitch forward down a gentle slope in the fairway, but
they must be accurate, or the short iron approach over
a stream to a tiny punchbowl green will have to
negotiate the limbs of trees. Nevertheless, playing
from a downhill lie to a green fronted by water makes
the shot from the fairway only marginally easier.
Subtle challenges are commonplace on the closing
stretch at Mount Juliet. 14,
like the 11th, is a strong one-shotter that carries
over a valley to an elevated green banked by bunkers,
and the 16th, at 452 yards, is the most unique hole on
the layout, where a drive must slide between bunkers
left and right and the approach must conquer a green
banked on three sides by a stone wall from an old
estate edifice that contains a large, waste-like
bunker that wraps around the green. Fortified (in more
ways than one), this unusual green setting blends
tradition and history with Nicklaus' modern design, a
fusion of land and imagination largely absent from
many of the designer's other works, an oversight that
has caused him to be vilified by some critics. The
welcome break from tradition gives guests at Mount
Juliet a reference point, for both the estate's
history and the excellence of the golf
experience.
The
closing hole at Mount Juliet is a brute, by every
definition. Monstrously long at 480 yards, the hole
demands two big swats, with accuracy placed at a
premium on the second shot. The lake guarding the left
side is very much in play, as is the greenside bunker
that separates the water and the green. Thankfully for
the resort golfer, Nicklaus left the right side of the
green open to the running shot. However, the favoured
shot to run it up the opening is a draw, but a hook
will dive toward the hazard. The margin for error is
narrow indeed.
Nicklaus
and company undeniably attained the goal of creating a
course for guests that was as intimate as the resort
setting of Mount Juliet. The course meanders around
the estate as if you were golfing on someone’s
private course, and in fact, it is this feature that
draws guests back to Mount Juliet, seeking solace in
the beauty of the setting and the course--even if such
inner sanctimony cannot be found in one's own game.
2005
Packages:
Play
& Stay Midweek Package
Why not overnight at Mount Juliet
Conrad, in the relaxed surroundings of The Hunters Yard and play a round of golf
or enjoy a treatment at The Spa at a very attractive price.
The rate includes shared
accommodation & full Irish breakfast in a Club room in the Hunters Yard,
dinner in Kendals restaurant & a round of golf on our 18 - Hole championship
golf course or a treatment at The Spa.
€239 per person sharing, valid
May - October midweek
Book
this Package
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