Check Out 3 Club Pass

Three of the country's leading golf clubs – Waterford Castle, Faithlegg, and Mount Juliet - have combined to offer exceptional value to golfers as the season gets in to full swing. The now established and original Three Club Golf Pass will allow holders to play one full round of golf on each of the three championship courses. The pass is priced at just €123 with a weekend rate supplement (this may differ per club).

The pass, the original and market leader, offers a significant saving to golfers visiting the region and is also designed to appeal to regular golfers in the south-east who are not members of the three clubs involved but who wish to sample their excellent courses. According to Gary Breen of South East Tourism, who are helping to promote the pass in overseas markets, it is vital that clubs such as the three involved in the pass work together.

"It is now more crucial than ever that service providers look at the situation afresh and strive to offer real value-for-money. In this instance, it is particularly significant to see three competing clubs uniting to develop and market a pass which allows golfers visiting the region to play three exceptional courses in their own time at a very reasonable price."

"Our marketing of the pass will be focused on areas of the UK where awareness already exists among many golfers of what is on offer in the superb golfing triangle created by Faithlegg, Mount Juliet and Waterford Castle. The current sterling-euro exchange rate makes this pass especially appealing to golfers originating in Wales and Northern Ireland while I know that many Irish golf societies and individuals will also be attracted by the great value on offer while the passes will also interest those buying corporate gifts."

Waterford Castle

A unique island golf course surrounded by the River Suir and accessed from Ballinakill in Waterford city by private ferry, Waterford Castle opened in 1992 and was designed by Des Smyth. The superbly-located course set on an historic island has water features on the second, third, fourth and sixteenth holes.

As Des Smyth himself commented after he first viewed the site in 1988, "The Island has a natural undulating landscape with mature forestation and beautiful views of the river. To develop a golf course there was a natural decision for anyone with a keen love of the game."

Faithlegg

Opened in May 1993, Faithlegg was designed by renowned Irish golf architect Patrick Merrigan and boasts a superb setting on the banks of the River Suir in east county Waterford with the course taking full advantage of a wonderful landscape of mature trees, flowing parkland and lakes.

At a championship yardage of 6,674 and a regular yardage from the white markers of 6,284, distance is rarely the main problem for those seeking to card a good score there. Rather, the perils of the course lie in its clever layout and slick, often wickedly contoured greens. (www.faithlegg.ie)

Mount Juliet

Created by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1991, the course at Mount Juliet is synonymous with golfing excellence and has played host to the world's leading golfers including Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Davis Love III and Vijay Singh, along with countless others, including Ireland's Pádraig Harrington and Darren Clarke.

The layout certainly delivers on the promises made by Nicklaus when he first explored the rich pastures near Thomastown, Co Kilkenny and exclaimed, "I think Mount Juliet gets high marks…It's just a beautiful piece of property on which to build a golf course." (www.mountjuliet.com)

The 3 Day Golf Pass is available from Golf Reception – contact 051 871633 or email golf@waterfordcastle.com. (Vouchers will be available from November 2008)

2 Club Golf Pass €75

Should you not have the time to avail of the 3 Club Pass then the 2 Club pass is for you. Exceptional value @ €75.00 to include golf at Waterford Castle and Faithlegg €15.00 supplement for each course if used on weekends. These two courses offer an enjoyable yet challenging test for golf, particularly Faithlegg where it's undulating greens will test anyone's short game.

3 Club Pass

Kilkea Golf Resort On Offer

Clubhouse

Kilkea Castle, Countyu Kildare, one of Ireland's best known historic hotels, together with its golf resort.

When the owner Arnosford Ltd placed it on the market last year the asking price was €16m. Now the receiver Jim Hamilton of BDO is asking for €6m.

Sitting on 140 acres the sale includes its 18 hole golf course and clubhouse as well as 27 of the 33 lodges. With its scenic castle backdrop, the hotel catered for up to 160 weddings a year at its peak attracting business from Dublin as well as the nearby towns of Castledermot, Athy and Carlow.

Paul Collins of agents CB Richard Ellis points out that it is conveniently located between junctions three and four of the M9 motorway linking the capital to Waterford and also linking to the M7 and Kildare's major towns.

A four star hotel, its accommodation includes 36 en suite bedrooms, a dining room, bar, two function rooms, a leisure centre with a 15m swimming pool and a fully equipped gym.

Of the 27 lodges included in the sale, nine have been completed each with three en suite bedrooms. Some of the others are substantially completed while others are at various stages of construction.

Other properties on the estate and included in the sale include a 27-bedroom staff block, an attractive stone cut gate lodge and an extensive disused nightclub and bar.

Arnosford was headed by American Dave Conway and had a lease agreement with another company Leoville which operated the hotel before it separately went into liquidation.

The 18 hole championship parkland golf course facilities include a three-storey purpose built clubhouse which includes a restaurant, bar, pro shop, snooker room and meeting rooms. The golf course was also very popular having approximately 135 members when it closed down from a peak of 290.

Originally built in 1180 by Norman warrior Hugh de Lacy, the castle is one of the largest inhabited castles in Ireland.

Rule of the Week - 6-2b/3

6-2b/3 Competitor Wins Competition with Handicap Which Was Incorrect Due to Committee Error; Error Discovered Several Days Later

Q:The Committee incorrectly calculated a competitor's handicap and posted it on the notice board as 17 when it should have been 16. The competitor won an 18-hole stroke-play event as a result of the error. May the Committee correct the error several days later and retract the prize?

A:Yes. There is no time limit on correcting such an error. Rule 34-1b is not applicable since it deals with penalties, not with Committee errors.

The competitor should not be disqualified but his net score should be increased by one stroke.