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The History of The Ring of Kerry Golf & Country Club
That such a superb Irish golf course exists today is due entirely to the vision of a young man from Templenoe, Donal O'Shea. Donal, whose parents originally owned the land upon which the course is built, saw the potential to create what he hoped would become an internationally renowned fixture. That vision has been turned into reality but tragically Donal was killed in a car crash before his dream came true.
His partner, Dominic Reid, an international financier, continued the concept and brought Tommy McNicholas and the McNicholas Company into the partnership to form a new company, Trentdale, to manage the project. Eddie Hackett, Ireland's famous course designer, was appointed and The Ring of Kerry Golf & Country Club came into being.
When construction started it was soon discovered that most of the land lay on top of a large peat bog. It was decided that the only way to construct the course was to import 250,000 tons of sand and build on top of the peat. This has resulted in "The Ring" having fairways that resemble a links type course but the greens are holding and the Provident Grass ensures a magnificent putting surface all year round.
Eddie Hackett passed away during the construction period and Trentdale employed another designer to shape the greens. This was not a success as they were remarkably severe, bordering on unfair. As a result the course opened in 1998 to poor reviews and the owners, Trentdale, had to reshape some 14 greens under the supervision of that great American designer, Ron Kirby who had just completed the Old Head of Kinsale.
In 2003, Universal Golf Consulting Ltd took a long lease on the course from Trentdale Ltd UGC, comprising Brendan Breslin and Ed Edwards, has continued the development of "The Ring" by building a driving range, remodeling the clubhouse and continually improving the playability of the course.
In the past 3 years "The Ring" has firmly established itself both as one of Ireland's Hidden Gems and as a favourite among many celebrities and Irish PGA Professionals.
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