.. like all clubs it has had its ups and downs ... i believe that we have a good course ,a good test of golf for any level of player ... if you break par in Birr your doing well ... yours in golf john dwyer

None of us were expecting much but we all came away having enjoyed Birr very much. It’s no championship course but it’s a little cracker and for €25 a round it’s an Irish bargain.

Let me put this into perspective and I’m not bragging about how many courses I’ve played, but I’ve teed it up at all the big Irish names: Druids Glen, K Club, Dromoland, Adare (which is perhaps my No.3 followed by the excellent K Club’s Smurfit course) but Birr is better for me. Birr is a compact layout that will perhaps put some people off regarding this as a “championship” test and a few may regard it as quirky, but let me tell you that it has topography to die for and some. There are a few “Esker” courses in Ireland but this is the best and it’s every bit reminiscent of an inland links which heaves up and down like the ocean. There’s blind and semi-blind shots, small wickedly undulating greens and two or three “go-for-it” par fours. This is far better than a gem and should, just like Castle Golf Club, be ranked in Ireland’s Top 30. If you are planning a trip from Dublin to the west coast (or vice versa) then I can recommend nowhere better than Birr to stop off for a fun and incredibly enjoyable round of golf. Incidentally, I’m not a member here or in any way associated with the club, I just think Birr is brilliant and should be better known as it’s absolutely fabulous.