What prompted Jack Nicklaus to choose this massive country estate to design a golf course here, we are not sure, but the outcome is a very high quality and impressive complex that hosted the Irish Open only two years after its inauguration.

Apart from the golf, this parkland environment has an enormous number of different tree species – some of which border the course but others which provide natural obstacles within the clever design.

The vast area has a number of lakes and the landscaping is immediately impressive. Not all the holes are classics, but the 13th is particularly challenging; At over 430 yards from the back tees, it is a slight dogleg right that climbs to a crest at the landing area and then drops down to a green set directly behind a small lake and guarded on three sides by trees. It is a superb hole!

The two excellent finishing holes are separated by another lake with some massive trees influencing the shot making and providing a fitting climax to an outstanding course.

If asked to name one of the many impressive features at Mount Juliet, we would say it was the lush condition of the teeing area – it was almost a crime to put a peg in it!