Cork GC

Alister Mackenzie designed this track and not surprisingly he has left behind a beautiful and testing course

Cork GC

Alister Mackenzie designed this track and not surprisingly he has left behind a beautiful and testing course.

Cork is set on the shores of Lough Mahon near the harbour of the lively southern city of Cork.

The club was founded in 1888 and is now undoubtedly one of Munster's finest golf courses and it has hosted many amateur and professional championships including the Irish Close Championships and Irish Open.

Over the years the course has matured into a fully fledged Mackenzie classic and the great man's genius is evident throughout with accuracy off the tee vital and imagination and precision with the irons equally crucial.

The third, fourth and fifth run along the river Lee before the course enters a quarry at the next.

What is most striking about Cork is its brutally testing finish of five straight par 4s. The run begins at the 430-yard 13th hole and culminates on the last where an out of bounds boundary wall completes the enduring suspense. Enjoy.

Best Hole: 4th 442 yards par 4. No hole exemplifies this demanding nature of Cork more than the 4th. The tee-shot must carry 180 yards of shoreline to find the right of the fairway. Having negotiated that the golfer is left with a view of the slightly elevated, well-protected green and the shot to it can be a two iron or a wedge.

Address: Little Island, County Cork

Tel: 0214 353451

Green fees:75-85 Euros

Restrictions: None

Mike Harris
Content Director

Mike has been a journalist all his working life, starting out as a football writer with Goal magazine in the 1990s before moving into men’s and women’s lifestyle magazines including Men's Health, In 2003 he joined Golf Monthly and in 2006 he became only the eighth editor in Golf Monthly’s 100-plus year history leading the brand until July 2023. He is now Content Director overseeing Golf Monthly and two other iconic sports brands, FourFourTwo and Rugby World.

His three main passions in golf are courses (he's played over 500 worldwide), equipment (he's always in search of something shiny to give him an edge) and shoes (he owns more pairs than he cares to mention!).  

Mike’s handicap index hovers at around 10 and he is a member of six golf clubs: Hartley Wintney, Royal Liverpool, Royal North Devon, Prince's, Royal Norton and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.

Mike's current What's In The Bag? 

Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 10° - Fujikura Ventus Blue 5S - Golf Pride MCC Plus4 grip

Fairway woods: TaylorMade Sim Max 3/15° - Fujikura Ventus Blue 6S & TaylorMade Stealth 7/20° - Fujikura Ventus Red 6S - Golf Pride MCC Plus4 grips

Utility Iron: TaylorMade Stealth UDI 3/21° - Aldila Ascent 90HY - Golf Pride MCC Plus4 grip

Irons: TaylorMade P790 (5-PW)  - Fujikura Axiom 75R - Golf Pride MCC Plus4 grips

Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 50°, 54° and 58° - KBS Tour Hi-Rev 2.0 shafts - Golf Pride MCC Plus4 grips

Putter: Evnroll ER2B - Gravity Grip 

Ball: TaylorMade - Tour Response (Yellow)