Located near the town of Dunshaughlin, a 45-minute drive from Dublin city centre, this Jack Nicklaus layout is a classic in course design.

Offering 4 separate teeing options for the men, this course can be played at a pleasant 6,118 yards off the green tees to a staggering 7,677 yards from the Black Tees. The ladies are also offered two separate teeing areas, 6,118 and 5,392 yards respectively.

The fairways here are generous, however, landing the ball on the right side of the fairway can significantly improve your approach shot and lead to better scoring opportunities.

Considering the relatively small green complexes that are surrounded by deep bunkers, accurate and deliberate approach shots will dictate the colour of your scorecard. The brilliant design and often tricky pins will force you to play towards the safe parts of the green in order to avoid some tight chips.

On the day we played the greens were running at an ideal speed of about 9 on the stimpmeter which was perfect. While the greens do not have overly dramatic contours, they still demand careful reading, and often present some double-breakers.

Host of the 2011 Solheim Cup, I believe this course, with both its length and design, still possesses the potential to host future professional events, be it on the DP World Tour or Ladies European Tour.

And even for all its difficulty and architectural brilliance, the variety of teeing options ensures that golfers of every level can enjoy the course on the day.

A shout out to our hosts Philip Rock and Cormac Ryan from Killeen Castle for their excellent hospitality and @dublinchamberofcommerce for their kind invitation

If you wish to play the brilliant Killeen Castle, please don’t hesitate to reach out me niall@heritagegolfgetaways.com or phone +353 87 3670816.