The countdown is on for the most anticipated sporting events of the summer, the 2013 Irish Open. The famous Irish golf tournament will take place from June 27 to June 30 at Carton House in Maynooth, Co Kildare – when the luxury resort will be transformed with festivities on and off the golf course.
Carton House has welcomed guests such as Princess Grace of Monaco, Queen Victoria, Marianne Faithful and Peter Sellers throughout the years, and is worth a visit on its own merits.
It is also home to the Golfing Union of Ireland and was the training camp of the Irish rugby ream and the British and Irish Lions ahead of their 2013 summer tour to Hong Kong and Australia.
But the reason we are talking about it here is because it has once again been chosen to be the crucible in which players slug it out to find out who can bag Ireland’s premier golfing tournament.
The course features two of the finest layouts in Ireland and, let’s face it, we are a country festooned with golfing jewels. There is the stunningly pretty O’Meara Course on one side and the host course for the Irish Open, The Montgomerie, on the other.
The cream of European golf descends on the venue on that final weekend in June, and some of the finest Irish golfers ever to swing a sand wedge are among them. Ireland has been more than blessed over the last decade with super-talented golfing superstars, and they will all play a part at this flagship event.
Not sure who to support? Take your pick from this bunch of golfing A-listers
?¦ Offaly’s Shane Lowry, who is a resident at Carton House, Dubliners Padraig Harrington and 2014 Ryder Cup Captain Paul McGinley – or how about Northern Irish high-fliers Rory McIlroy, Darren Clarke or Graeme McDowell?
It is one thing to support these players from the comfort of your armchair as they stroll the fairways of St Andrews or Augusta, but to actually see them up close and personal is a different story. TV gives you a great view of the overall progress of a tournament, but attending a top-class event such as this just can’t be beaten.
Instead of sitting in your comfy armchair at 1am watching from afar you can get a ringside seat alongside these golfing goliaths, breathing in the same air and absorbing the same tension as they stand mere yards away.
There is also a fantastic grandstand and big screen being erected around the drop-dead gorgeous par-3 17th hole, which has the potential to be a card-wrecker – or, indeed, a kingmaker. It is one of the prettiest holes in Irish golf and I can think of no better place to take a pew, relax and watch as the action unfolds before the treacherous 18th settles proceedings.
Car parks are free of charge and are no more than five minutes’ walk from where the action takes place. The tented village will offer you plenty of refreshments (and seats for any tired legs) so there is plenty to keep you occupied.
All in all, it’s a great day – or couple of days – out, and whether it’s rain, hail or shine you are sure to enjoy your experience rubbing shoulders with golf’s crème de la crème.
After all, that’s just par for the course.