Photo: Wikimedia CommonsKillarney Golf & Fishing Club (Killeen Course)
Killarney, Co. Kerry · Designed by Billy O'Sullivan / Eddie Hackett
In 1936, Viscount Castlerosse — the club president — visited Augusta National and came home declaring that Killarney's new course would be "one of the wonders of the world." He was not entirely wrong. The course opened in 1939 on the shores of Lough Leane, with the MacGillycuddy's Reeks — Ireland's highest mountain range, including Carrauntoohil — rising behind the treeline. Henry Longhurst, the great golf writer who helped design the original Mahony's Point layout, wrote that "only a man devoid of a soul could apply his mind to playing golf at Killarney." The setting earns the hyperbole.
Killeen is the championship course — designed by Billy O'Sullivan and Eddie Hackett, opened in 1972, and used for the Irish Open in 1991 and 1992 when Nick Faldo won back-to-back titles. It stretches to 7,000 yards and water is in play on the majority of holes. The club is home to approximately 700 native red deer — the last remaining indigenous herd in Ireland — and they move freely across the fairways. Encountering a herd of red deer between tee and green, with the Reeks behind them and Lough Leane below, is the kind of thing that makes it difficult to remember what club you had in your hand.
Holes worth knowing
- 14th: Played from a peninsula that extends into Lough Leane — water on three sides from the tee. A short iron or wedge to a green framed by the lake and mountains, demanding only precision. One of the more serene tee shots in Irish parkland golf.
Highlights
- Irish Open host
- Championship parkland
- Lough Leane views
Good to know
- →The 700 native red deer roam freely across the course — they are the last indigenous herd in Ireland. Encountering them on the fairway is not unusual, and they have right of way.
- →Book Killeen for the competition test, Mahony's Point for the view. The two courses make a natural two-day pairing — they share the same club and booking system.
- →Ross Castle is 10 minutes from the course — a 15th-century tower house on the edge of Lough Leane with boat tours of the lake. Worth an hour before or after the round.
- →Bricin restaurant in Killarney town serves traditional Irish cooking including boxty (potato pancakes with savoury fillings) that you will not find on many menus. Danny Mann pub for live traditional music in the evening.
- →The Killarney National Park trails start immediately behind the clubhouse. The walk toward Muckross Abbey takes about an hour and the ruins are free to visit.
Visitor Information
Getting There
Common questions
Is Killarney Killeen the best of the three Killarney courses?
Killarney Killeen is widely regarded as the finest of the three courses at Killarney Golf and Fishing Club. It is the club's championship layout and former Irish Open host. The course winds through Killarney National Park with views of Lough Leane and the MacGillycuddy's Reeks throughout — setting that makes it genuinely unlike any other parkland course in Ireland. It is longer and more demanding than Mahony's Point, and in better overall condition most of the year.
What makes golf at Killarney different from other parkland courses?
Killarney is parkland golf inside a National Park — the arbutus trees, the purple mountains, and the lake at the edge of nearly every hole create a landscape that has nothing in common with a typical manicured resort course. The setting is the thing. Tom Watson has described it as one of the most beautiful places in the world to play golf.
How do I book Killarney Killeen Course?
Killarney Killeen books through GolfNow with reliable online availability. Both Killeen and Mahony's Point are available to visitors seven days a week. Morning tee times in June through August go quickly — booking a few weeks ahead is advisable for the main season.
Should I play both Killarney courses?
If you have two days at Killarney, play both. Mahony's Point is shorter and the 18th green — surrounded by Lough Leane — is one of the most photographed finishing holes in Irish golf. The Killeen is the stronger course overall. One day at Killarney could include a morning round on the Killeen and an afternoon round on Mahony's Point with the same base at one of the Killarney hotels.
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