East Clare's hidden gem

THE use of the term "hidden gem" to describe an emerging golf course is more than a little overdone. But I will risk the wrath of the reader by placing Dr Arthur Spring's creation at Bodyke in Co Clare in that category.

Bodyke, or more formally, East Clare Golf Club, certainly is hidden. It can be found five miles from Lough Derg and 35 minutes from Shannon Airport, albeit with some difficulty but be sure to make the effort.

East Clare is in the news at the moment because it will stage the second Texaco-sponsored pro-am over the June Bank Holiday week-end. It is another sell-out success with just one team to be filled from a May 2 qualifier.

"All the subscriptions were filled more than three months before the event and what makes it even better is that the bulk of the response came from the club's expanding membership along with strong demand from the corporate sector," says pro-am chairman Ger Teeffy.

It is hardly surprising that there should be a display of goodwill for a club that has filled a golfing void in this particular area, or that membership is nearing closure even though you can join for an entrance fee of €1,460 plus a sub of €440, small money these days. It's a pay-as-you-play course where visitors are assured of a warm welcome from secretary/manager Michael O'Hanlon and his staff.

There has always been a golfing tradition in this part of the Banner County. In the early years of the 20th century, there was an active course in Killaloe and the "Golfhouse" was also used during the annual Killaloe races. The course operated until the 1920s and was followed by another nine-holer at Tubbernagath during the 30s. The formation of the Derg Golfing Society in 1988 proved the catalyst for the establishment of a local course. Land at Coolreagh owned by the Boland family was identified as eminently suitable for the purpose and after a few stumbling blocks were overcome, Arthur Spring was contracted to design an 18-hole lay-out. Eight of the nine permanent holes were completed in 1993 and the purchase of the Curtin land in 1996 brought total acreage to 150.

Work on the second stage began in the spring of '96 and, with substantial further assistance from Shannon Development, led to the successful completion of the 18-hole course. The splendid two-storey clubhouse which commands delightful views of the scenic neighbouring countryside opened in 2001. A notable feature of the design was the incorporation of the original stone walls of the old kitchen garden in the development.

So, East Clare now boasts a superb facility. The approach of the founders was positive but prudent so that today there are few debts of any great significance, according to chairman Tony Scott, and yet course and clubhouse are as good as most.

You kick off with a relatively gentle downhill par four before encountering the 2nd, one of five outstanding one-shotters. When the West of Ireland Championship on the European Seniors Tour was staged here in 1998 and won by England's John Morgan from Cork's Denis O'Sullivan, the players were all loud in their praise of the par threes. And little wonder. The 2nd stretches to 162 metres from the back tee and features a back-to-front sloping, well trapped green.

There are two more 'threes' on the outward nine, the 168 metres 4th and the 8th, a little downhill beauty of 131 metres across a ravine to a well protected green. After that comes the 9th, a truly formidable 392 metres par four well worthy of its one index status. Ideally, the drive should be positioned on the left half of the fairway to allow for a testing long iron across one of Bodyke's many strategically located lakes.

The par out is 35 and the only possible complaint is that the two back-to-back fives, the 5th and 6th, run parallel so that when the wind is helping at one hole it is straight into the golfer's face at the next and vice versa. Wildlife abounds with foxes regularly to be seen in the area of the 4th and 8th and the many lakes replete with swans.

The islands at the 2nd and 9th make for a safe haven for nesting birds, one of many good reasons why the club won the AIB Environmental Award for the Munster Region in 2003.

The homeward journey begins with a sharp right-hand dogleg where in favourable circumstances the long hitter may be tempted to go for the double plateau green 325 metres away by the conservative route.

The back nine, in the view of many, is even better than the front and it is interesting to note that the next of the par threes, the 207 metre long 13th, plays to an index of two. Only the best will reach the green here with an iron and it can often play to a full driver.

A superb test by any standards. The par threes continue to captivate and the 17th, which stretches to just over 200 yards, requires a well-struck long iron to clear the pond and settle on a long, narrow green with two levels. A strong par four brings an invariably pleasant round to a satisfying finish.

Visitors to East Clare are assisted in arranging accommodation and, indeed, a new accommodation development beside the clubhouse is in the development stages and should be operating from late 2005. With Lough Derg nearby, fishing, cruising and water sports are other major sporting attractions along with horse riding and hiking.

The club operates on a basis of continuous enhancement and last year completed an extensive programme of irrigation for the greens and a development scheme for improving the lakes.