Castlecomer Golf Club

Overview: Castlecomer Golf Club plays as an 18-hole course at Drumgoole in County Kilkenny, laid through the mature woodland of the former Castlecomer estate. The club describes a setting in a 200-year-old forest with elevated views over the surrounding countryside. Fairways move between trees, rises and estate landmarks, while the Deen River appears as a recurring geographical reference. The course’s character is therefore woodland parkland with a strong sense of place, not an open links layout. Current club material confirms the full course and its continued operation but does not present one consistent tee-length figure.

History: The course development was completed in 2003 and the club credits Pat Ruddy with the design. Its holes carry names connected with local history, including Sawney’s Wood, Wandesforde and the Silvery Deen. Those names reflect the Wandesforde estate, the townlands over which the course extends and the river beside the property. The course history is consequently tied closely to Castlecomer’s estate and industrial past, rather than being a story of a standalone golf development.

Did You Know? The 18th is called The Laundry because a former estate laundry stands beside the fairway. Another hole, The Silvery Deen, takes its name from a local song about the river. These references turn the scorecard into a compact guide to Castlecomer’s cultural landscape, with the golf holes preserving names that pre-date the course itself.