Adare Manor

The course has hosted a number of important national tournaments, including the Irish Seniors Open, held here for three consecutive years starting in 2002. The 2003 Irish PGA Championship was also staged at Adare in 2003, when Paul McGinley emerged victorious. Two editions of the Irish Open were also contested in 2007 and 2008, with Pádraig Harrington and Richard Finch winning these events.

The Irish Open put the dashing and stylish Adare Manor firmly on the map and as a consequence the event cemented Adare's position as one of the best inland tracks in Ireland. But the course began to drop down the golf course rankings becoming just another pleasant, but tough, resort course.

In 2015, Irish businessman and racehorse owner J. P. McManus bought Adare Manor for an estimated €30 million and immediately embarked on a redevelopment programme. It was reported that the businessman purchased the property with a view to returning the Irish Open to Adare and with a long-term view of bringing the Ryder Cup back to Ireland in 2026.

Golf course reconstruction started in March 2016 under Tom Fazio’s guidance, the architect commented as follows: "Most golfers will never have seen anything like this course. It looks and plays like no other course in Ireland. This will be a stand out course in Europe and, with the Adare Manor house and estate as its setting, will be one of the finest stay and play venues ever created – everyone is going to want to see this place.”

The brand new golf facility reopened in Spring 2018 with SubAir systems installed for the first time in Ireland. The golfing bar, condition-wise, has been stratospherically elevated and the course significantly altered by Fazio Design.

The site was capped with more than 200,000 tonnes of sand, 50 miles of drainage pipes were installed and fibre optic conduit buried around every hole for future television requirements. All told, there’s now 135 acres of maintained grass on the property. The course routing remains intact but the fairways have been regraded to improve playing surfaces and promote firm and fast playing conditions.

Overgrown areas have been cleared, with non-native species removed, allowing light and air to enhance the quality of the greens and fairways, as well as opening out views across the estate. Green sites have also been raised and there are now only 42 bunkers in play throughout the course. Great credit is due to Atlantic Golf Construction for transforming the old course into the pristine layout now in operation.

It’s too early to tell whether or not the makeover will propel Adare Manor back up the golf course rankings. Some golfers will love the opulence, service and immaculate grooming. Other golfers will choose to head to the coast to savour Ireland’s classic and modern links courses. We’ll just have to wait and see whether or not the extraordinary investment in Ireland’s heartland pays off.

Adare Manor to host 2026 Ryder Cup was the July 2019 announcement, but the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the 2020 event at Whistling Straits to be delayed by a year. Consequently Adare Manor will now host the event in 2027.