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Hogs Head golf club Kerry

Hogs Head golf course Kerry

Hogs Head Golf Course

Hogs Head Club Crest

In July 2017, Hogs Head Golf Club soft launched its Golf Course and Clubhouse located in Waterville, Kerry County, Ireland. The owners, Bryan Marsal and Tony Alvarez, had a simple vision to create a world class golf course "built by friends, for friends" who share the love of the game of golf. HHGC has breathtaking vistas including the Finglas River flowing through the course, majestic cliff holes overlooking Ballinskelligs Bay and the seaside charm of Waterville village.

The course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. to seamlessly weave together the unique special beauty of the landscape with golf holes that flow naturally with a links feel.

The 48 suite Lodge at Hogs Head and five Cottages, currently under construction, are set on the shores of beautiful Lough Currane.

The official opening of Hogs Head Golf Club is April, 2018.

Hogs Head was voted the No. 61-ranked golf course in Ireland, by “Irish Golfer” in 2023; (Same)

Hogs Head was voted the No. 61-ranked golf course in Ireland, by “Irish Golfer” in 2022;              

Skellig Bay was voted the No. 96-ranked golf course in Ireland, by "Golf Digest Ireland" in 2013 (Down-14);

Skellig Bay was voted the No. 84-ranked golf course in Ireland, by "Golf Digest Ireland" in 2012;

Skellig Bay was voted the No. 87-ranked golf course in Ireland, by "Golf Digest Ireland" in 2010;

Skellig Bay was voted the No. 74-ranked golf course in Ireland, by "Golf Digest Ireland" in 2009;

Skellig Bay was voted the No. 71-ranked golf course in Ireland, by "Golf Digest Ireland" in 2008;

Green Fees Unaccompanied Guest: €275
Green Fees with a Member: N/A
Green Fees for Opens: N/A
Practice Area: Yes
Club Hire: €35 No
Buggy Hire: €40 yes
Soft Spikes: yes
Course Type Parkland
No Holes 18
Members 400
Designer Robert Trent Jones, Jr. & Ron Kirby
Founded 2005
Address

Waterville,
Co. Kerry

Telephone +353-(0)66-9474133
Email bsherwood@hogsheadgolfclub.com
Website Hogs Head golf club website
Golf Manager: Brady Sherwood
Captain:  
Lady Captain: None
President:
Vice-Captain: None 
Hon. Secretary: Dan Fitzpatrick
Club Pro: Polly Hedderman
Hon. Treasurer: Matty Quirke
Comp. Secretary: Kevin Martin
Hogs Head Golf Course Layout Course Layout

Location Map

GPS Coord*
Lat:51.822083
Long:-10.164917
*Please check information before travelling

General Facts & Information

Course opening hours: Daylight hours Clubhouse opening hours: am to pm
Mobile phones: Not on course
Dress Code: Neat and casual, no denim
Catering: Full catering, facilities Days to Avoid: Sundays & Bank Holidays
Green Fees and Societies Welcome: Other Days Pre-booking for open Tournaments:14 Days in advance

Hogs Head Golf Club Fixtures 2024 provisional*


*Please check information before travelling

Card of the Course

KeyData
White Par 72 SSS 70 6,510 yd's
Yellow Par 72 SSS 69 6,090 yd's
Red Par 72 SSS 72 5,240 Yd's
Green Par 72 SSS 71 6,785 yd's
Blue Par 72 SSS 73 7,140 yd's

Card

Name Hole No. Blue Green White Yellow Par Index Red Par Index
Sharke Hands
1 540 525 510
485
5
17
445
5
17
Waterville House
2 395
375 365
335
4
15 300
4
15
Finglas
3 195
175 160
145
3
7
125
3
7
Salmon Run
4 455
430 410
370
4 1
345 4 1
Cascade
5 185
170 155 130 3 9
120 3 9
Biarritz
6 545
515 500
470
5 11 430
5 11
Limbo
7 440
425 425 405
4
5
355
4
5
To The Sea
8 520
495 485
465
5
13 370
5
13
Broken Bowl
9 485
470 450
425
4 3
340 4 3
  Out 3,785 3,595 3,235
2,830
37   2,830 37  
Rising 10 440
415 400
365
4
2
310
4
2
Gail's Dare
11 160
150 140
125
3
16
115
3
16
Courage
12 425
405 380
365
4
4
305 4
4
Kathleen's Choice
13A 225
220 200
195
3
12 170
3
12
Kathleen's Choice 13B 170 160 145 135 3 12 130 3 12
Crooked Wall
14 570
535 525
500
5
8
390
5
8
Pubs Calling
15 220
200 190
165
3
10
140
3
10
Squatters Corner
16 445
425 405
385 4 14
295
4 14
Temptation
17 305
285 275
260
4 18 245
4 18
Get Even
18 565
545 535
495
5 6
440 5 6
  In 3,355 3,190 3,050 2,855 35   2,410 35  
  Total 7,140
6,785 6,510 6,090
72   5,240 72  
  SSS 73  72 71 70     72    

Members Achievements

History of Hogs Head

He’s designed golf courses on every continent on Earth except Antarctica – over 270 original designs in 40 different countries. He’s been honored across the globe not only for his architectural brilliance and lifetime contributions to golf, but also for his tireless philanthropy as a worldwide ambassador of the game. And he’s quite the bon vivant…everyone likes to party with Robert Trent Jones, Jr. He’s a laugh a minute.

But he’d never designed in Ireland.

Talk about a statistical outlier, it’s almost as incongruous as Pete Dye having never designed in the U.K. until just a few short years ago. Here’s a country intrinsically tied to the origins of the game, on the one hand, one of the most accomplished and well-traveled architects in history on the other (and part of a dynasty as well), and for over half a century, somehow, they never crossed paths….until now.

It’s called Hog’s Head, and it’s a stirring site, perched high atop the rocky cliffs overlooking Skellig Bay in the southwest of Ireland, Town of Waterville, County Kerry. And as it took Jones’s whole life to get to Ireland, he figured he’d better go old school while he had the chance. The result was something that looks and plays like it’s 100 years old. We caught up with Bobby and chatted him up about it over a pint.

JF: Tell us about the history of Hog’s Head.

RTJ2: There was an 18-hole course here before called Skellig Bay, [est. 2006], but they went bankrupt and weren’t operating anymore, so we totally blew it up. A few holes have similar playing corridors, but it’s now an entirely new course.

JF: You’re calling it a “headlands course.” What’s a “headlands course?”

RTJ2: Many people misunderstand or misuse the term “links.” They think it means only firm and fast conditions on windy site. That’s certainly part of it, but equally important, a links is a sea level course. A headlands course, on the other hand, is on the headlands, the clifftop overlooking the sea, but has similar playing characteristics to links, like fast and firm conditions, the ground game in vogue, and a golfscape open to the elements so the wind can blow.

JF: So it’s very much like Pebble Beach or Old Head?

RTJ2: Very much so, yes. And it’s out and back, like a traditional links. A few of the holes on the old course played towards the Bay, but now a long stretch of holes, eight through 16, wind around edge of the cliffs.

JF: Now on the outward nine isn’t there a salmon river that is the main natural feature you incorporated into the design?

RTJ2: It is. It’s called the Finglas River, it’s a major salmon run, and many of the early holes play over or around it. After two relatively mild, “welcoming” holes, at the par-3 third, you cross the salmon stream. The fourth and fifth holes, a long par-4 and a long uphill par-3, also play along the edge of the cascading river as well.

JF: Did the salmon cause you any issues regarding environmental restrictions or permitting?

RTJ2: Oh yes, The salmon stream had to be treated properly. braced the stream with rock armor so it would stay in its natural course. This made the habitat more stable and encouraged the salmon to spawn more actively and to thrive.

The holes by the river are wonderful and are one of many crescendos we hit with the routing. After the river, you turn downhill and play back towards the bay at the par-5 sixth, which finishes with Biarritz green like number nine at Yale. As you would expect, the green is really three little greens in one, which is right for a par-5.

JF: How do you maintain the green?

RTJ2: The entire course is fescue, like Chambers Bay. We doubled down on it here: tees, greens, fairways, and rough. It’s firm and fast since the fescue when unfertilized and gets only rainwater, is perfect in a Maritime climate, where it thrives. We drained the center part of the green to both the left and right so you can mow it without scalping it and fescue aren’t as tightly mowed as bent anyway. They are a little slower, stimping at 9-10, maybe a bit faster when dry.

JF: Then almost the entire remainder of the course plays along the cliffs?

RTJ2: It does. eight plays directly to the sea, and then you weave in and out of the cliffs all the way through the par-3 15th. There are some iconic moments….At 11 you play directly towards the Hog’s Head rock in the Skellig Bay to a double green shared with hole 14. On a blustery day, you have to play both your tee shot and your approach on number 12 into the bay and let the wind bring it back into play for you. (That’s why the hole is called “Courage.”). We call the two greens of the 13th hole “The Twins.” And the seaside 15th overlooks Waterville town in the distance. Finally, you turn towards home for a closing par-5 for maybe a birdie or eagle finish.

JF: A lot is made of your recent epiphany towards designing as much as possible to emulate the great U.K. and Irish courses. How has your architecture changed over time and what do you show us that is new at Hog’s Head?

RTJ2: My mantra here was “Built by friends, for friends, for fun.” So we have wider fairways, less rough, and well-contoured interesting greens, it’s not an overly long course, but it has really interesting smaller bunkers, well placed for strategic options. You need to play the ground game to keep the ball under the strong winds. Most importantly, we put choices in the game. It’s a great match play course.

JF: It seems like the imprimatur here was somewhat minimalistic. Did you use any ultra-modern tech at Hog’s Head at all?

RTJ2: Not really, no. Instead, we are back to basics. This is a Maritime climate, so we just let the grass grow. That’s the way they did it when the game was born, it still works to this day, and it’s totally in keeping with the spirit golf. It makes for a really fun, fast, firm playing surface.

Much of that success has to be shared with Head Superintendent David Dahl and his superb team. David is a young, hard-working fellow who is dedicated to the founder’s vision of providing firm, fast, and fun playing conditions. He’s got quite a green thumb, and he really knows when the weather is changing so he can make quick adjustments. That’s really important in Ireland where the weather can change so drastically so fast.

Roll of Honour

Member Year Hon. Position
Stewart Eakin  2007 Men's Captain
Paul Mulcahy 2007 President
Stewart Eakin   2008 Men's Captain
Paul Mulcahy  2008 President
Matty Quirke  2009 Men's Captain
Paul Mulcahy  2009 President
Sadie Curran  2010 Lady Captain
Dan Fitzpatrick  2010 Men's Captain
Paddy Darcy  2010 President
Jacky Hardy 2011 Lady Captain
Patrick Fitzgerald 2011 Men's Captain
Paddy Darcy 2011 President
Mary Corkery 2012 Lady Captain
Dan Brosnan 2012 Men's Captain
Jacky Hardy 2012 President
Marie Flood 2013 Lady Captain
Eamon McGillycuddy 2013 Men's Captain
Jacky Hardy 2013 President
Eileen Fitzpatrick 2014 Lady Captain
Kevin Martin 2014 Men's Captain
Matty Quirke 2014 President
Declan O'Leary
2015 Men's Captain
Matty Quirke 2015 President
  2016 Men's Captain
  2016 President
  2020 Men's Captain
  2020 President
  2021 Men's Captain
  2021 President
  2022 Men's Captain
  2022 President
  2023 Men's Captain
  2023 President
Haniff Chuhan (8)  2023 Lowest Men's H'cap
     

Holes in One at Hogs Head

Member Date Hole No. Club Used Distance