Carne (Hackett & Atlantic Dunes)

"Carne is truly brilliant. The front nine, the back nine, every hole, every hill, and every inch of the place is simply special.

"I go to a place like Carne, and I feel, like, just total happiness and peace." 

These words are from author Tom Coyne, who is credited with saving the club, which claims to be on the "edge of the earth."

Carne was conceived in the late 1980s by local farmers and fishermen.

Their vision has resulted in high-class links which have become an economic engine for the isolated Belmullet peninsula. 

The original 18-hole course was the final design of the legendary Irish golf architect Eddie Hackett.

His philosophy was, "I let the land do the work," so Carne is as rugged and natural as any link anywhere.

However, Carne was in danger of going under during the COVID-19 pandemic until Tom Coyne, author of A Course Called Ireland, made a global appeal to save the links. 

His words were the springboard for an international membership drive that kept the club afloat and increased its annual visitor rounds from 2,000 to 15,000. 

This additional income has hugely benefited Carne Golf Links, marking a new, more secure chapter in its history.

The Hackett course was a fixture in Great Britain & Ireland's top 100 courses, and nine of its holes are now combined with the Kilmore course to create the Wild Atlantic Dunes, which is on the current list.  

We played both set-ups in a three-day competition organised by Experience Ireland Golf & Travel.

We were blessed with gorgeous weather and brilliant light, which highlighted the magnificent sea backdrops, dunes, and glorious West of Ireland countryside.

The Hackett course is so much fun. Mrs W and I played as a team, choosing the best tee shot and then playing our individual balls. 

On the first day, Mrs. W had the advantage of playing off the red tees, sometimes 50 yards ahead, and was driving spectacularly well. 

As a result, I could reach greens in two that I wouldn't have otherwise, even on the par-fives.

This included the beautiful first hole, which rises between dunes before dropping to a green flatter than most on the course. 

It is followed by two short par-fours that perfectly capture Carne's quirkiness.

The sharp dogleg second drops between towering dunes before rising steeply to a perched green. 

Approaches that are too short will fall down a bank, and those that are too long could end up in gnarly rough. 

Drives from the third, which descends, must be precise to prevent the ball from running into rough before a near-vertical ascent to the target. 

I hoped for a hole-in-one on the partially hidden fifth, a lovely par-three tucked between dunes. Both times I played it, my ball disappeared toward the hole, but I was fooled. 

It came to rest 15 feet away the first time and 12 feet the second. I missed both putts, but my wait for a birdie didn't last long.

The par-four sixth is a stunner. There is a decent carry to the fairway, which falls into a grassy pit on one side and has a bunker on the other.

The first time I played it, I stayed on the high ground, smacked a five-wood between the dunes, and knocked in a putt from just off the green.

This is followed by a superb par-three played from high on the side of a hill down to a green cut between dunes.

Carne has 27 holes; the first seven are part of both the Hackett and Wild Atlantic Dunes set-ups.

They then separate, with only two holes from the Hackett course included in the remaining holes on the Atlantic Dunes, which incorporates the nine-hole Kilmore course.

I preferred the Hackett over the Wild Atlantic Dunes because the condition of the newer holes isn't as good as the more established ones.

They are also even more head-spinning. For example, the eighth is a par-five that filters downhill before a decision needs to be made to go left or right of a large dune in the middle of the fairway. 

Local knowledge would be essential to understand the yardages here. 

The 10th on the Atlantic Dunes is an incredible par-three of more than 200 yards, cut into the side of a hill with an extreme drop-off to the left.

In my opinion, the short par-four 15th needs some work. Even a relatively short drive will take the steep fairway toward the green and end in the same place as a good one. 

The green is just too sloped. I hit well left of the flag, and my ball fell off the green and ran 20 yards to the right.

The final two holes return to the Hackett course and provide an admirable conclusion. 

The 17th is a cracker. It has a narrow fairway with fall-offs on either side, and avoiding the chasm on the right of the green is essential.

The second time I played it (as the eighth on the Hackett), my ball landed on a bare patch just in front of the green, and I was just a half an inch short of putting it in for a birdie.

We had already remarked on the dangers of hitting too long into the Wild Atlantic Dunes' final hole (the Hackett's ninth) when we were practising our putting. 

This par-five finale falls sharply from right to left before rising to a blind approach.

Thankfully, having been forewarned, we played it well, just as we did the par-four finale on the Hackett that finishes on the other side of the lovely traditional clubhouse.

Two days on the rugged links at Carne were very well spent, and eating on the terrace was a pleasure too. 

I can certainly understand the love for this place and am delighted that the club is now in excellent health.