County Louth Golf Club, or 'Baltray', as it is affectionately known, is surrounded by the Irish Sea to the east, the River Boyne in the south and the beautiful, raw Irish landscapes to the west. It is widely accepted as something very, very special amongst the connoisseurs of golf. Baltray is ferocious and benign at the same time and while it has hosted the Irish Open repeatedly, it is playable by everyone irrespective of their skill level.

 

With two nine hole loops, a remarkable feature of the Baltray layout as it winds its way through 190 acres of dunes is that the player seldom feels that any two holes play in exactly the same direction. The only exception being the 12th and 13th which run along the sea. This relatively open and flat layout offers some great golf where wind, strategic bunkers and difficult greens seduce the thinking golfer in the heart of natural surrounds. Perhaps only the muted murmur of a ship engine to break the silence, as it quietly winds its way up river to the port.