Lough Erne (Faldo)

Designed by Nick Faldo, the Lough Erne championship course extends to just over 7,000 yards from the back tees and it lies at the heart of an upmarket development in a part of the country more renowned for its angling and water sports than golf.

That perception will change once golfers get to know how good the facilities are at a course that sits on a spectacular site along the shores of Lough Erne – indeed, many seasoned observers anticipate the course will be a future professional tournament venue as it has all the attributes expected of a top European Tour track.

Castle Hume Lough and its many wetland areas come into play at most of the holes here so accuracy around the course is absolutely essential in order to score well. A good short game will also help at the handful of par threes on the scorecard, the last of which is played at the final hole, “Cygnets Rest,” where the home green is a welcome refuge for tee shots that avoid sand to the left and water to the right.

A couple of short par fours really catch the eye. The 2nd hole, “Forest Drive,” doglegs right from the edge of the Lough and the 351-yard 10th sweeps to a green jutting out into the water. A pair of par fives are also worthy of special mention. The first, the 637-yard 9th is a strategic three-shotter that plays to a narrow, angled green and the other is the 16th, “Faldo Turn,” which enjoys views over the estate that are simply stunning.

The competitive side of Lough Erne was initiated by a charity match in July 2009 between Ireland’s two leading golfers, Padraig Harrington and Rory McIlroy, when they played an 18-hole stroke play head-to-head match billed as “The Duel on the Lough.” Young Rory edged out 2-time Open Champion Padraig by two shots to claim the specially commissioned Belleek Trophy for the first time.