Killeen Castle is situated on a 600 acre estate in Dunsany, the home of Killeen Castle that dates back to 1181, however, the estate only dates to 1997, it enjoys beautiful views of the Co. Meath countryside.
This 18 hole championship golf course is considered by many to be the best course designed by none other than Jack Nicklaus. The course opened for play in 2009 and immediately began to receive rave reviews. It is a par 72, measuring 7,808 yards from the back tees, so is a considerably long course.
The layout and design is meticulous, it sits amongst acres of verdant woodlands and has a marked American feel. This expansive parkland course extends over almost 350 acres of beautiful natural woodland, that is almost twice the size of a typical course. It rolls elegantly between tall grasses, comprising of more than seven thousand strategically placed trees with a number of water obstacles, in the form of small lakes, some of which are hidden.
There is not a weak hole on this course, they are all varied and interesting. There is a not a clear line of sight from the tee to the green, on the fairways they are all interrupted by hills, trees or bunkers, further adding to the challenges of this course. There are two great par 5’s here as well. There are a few slopes on the course but the walks between holes are long, on the whole it is easy to walk around.This undulating course is beautifully maintained, it has a state of the art drainage system allowing play all year round. The greens are large and in some instances wickedly slopping, they are true and smooth with a consistent speed, generous lush rolling fairways are a feature here and are defined in a number of places by mature trees, the rough is not too dense so forgiving for errant shots.
Beware of the bunkers they are big, deep and treacherous and can be mesmerising.It is a picturesque course in a natural and tranquil setting that has no outside interruptions. It offers a fair and rewarding game, there is room for error on the fairways, but the approaches are tricky.When you play here you are testing your golfing skills against “the course that Jack built.”