At just over 401 meters, the first is a challenging opening hole. From the tee box, a slight hill to your front, conceals the expanse of the fairway and ideally your drive should land right of centre. For your second shot a fairway bunker needs to be navigated and the perfect shot is to the right of the green. All the trouble is to the left including a greenside bunker and the courses first water hazard. The putting surface is reasonably flat, sloping slightly towards the water hazard with a lower tier at the back of the green.

The second, at only 292 meters, is a short par 4 but this is by no means an easy hole. The green is very well guarded so the sensible target is to the middle right of the fairway. There are trees to the left and a pond to the right and the newly raised green is well protected by several bunkers. The putting surface is reasonably flat with just a slight uphill slope from the front towards the back.

The first par 3 on the course is 139 meters and from the tee, the green presents itself as a reasonably wide and long target. However the small valley at the front stops short just in front of the putting surface so correct club selection is essential. Bunkers to the left, right and back will catch any wayward shots and once on the green the putting surface has a few undulations that will need to be traversed.

The fourth hole is 368 meters uphill with a very slight left to right dogleg. The fairway is relatively wide and the ideal landing position is slightly left of centre to avoid the trees on the right hand side. Though bunkers protect this green on both the right and left hand side the real challenge on the fourth is to land your second shot below the pin. The entire putting surface slopes downwards and any player above the pin will have a tantalising challenge to make their putt.

The fifth at 503 meters is the first par 5 you will encounter and the elevated tee box gives you a panoramic view of the course and the fairway ahead. The ideal drive should fade a little around the corner towards the centre of the fairway. Long hitters may be tempted to take on this green with their second short however the pin will be out of sight behind the hills and valleys that run along the fairway. The green is slightly raised with a higher tier towards the back and the putting surface is true with only the higher tier to be navigated if the pin position is towards the back of the green.

The six par 3 hole is 165 meters and you play this hole from an elevated tee box hitting over a deep valley aiming for the opposite hilltop. The green is well protected with hazards to the left and right and there is a bunker to the front of the hole, so golfers ideally want to carry all of the danger when playing this hole. The green is large and gently slopes towards you making it preferable to have an uphill putt if possible.

The seventh hole at 416 meters has the honour of being the hardest indexed hole on the course. With a slight right to left dogleg a long drive is required from the tee if you are to reach the green in two. Ideally your drive should land right of centre and while the green is unprotected by bunkers it’s approach is hindered by a hill to the right and a natural bank to the left so an accurate shot is required to make it home in two. The putting surface has a few natural slopes throughout the green.

The eight, set on one of the highest parts of the course, is possibly the most picturesque hole in Carlow Golf club. Even though its 397 meters long a well place drive down the middle of the fairway will normally be rewarded with a generous run down the hill. However going left or right needs to be avoided as trees on both sides of the fairway quickly come into play. There are some greenside bunkers protecting the green, but the putting surface is relatively large and fairly flat.

The ninth hole is 373 meters and the ideal landing position for your drive is on the left hand side of the fairway to avoid the gully to your right. The green which is in front of the club house is quite narrow and it’s protected by bunkers on both sides so an accurate second shot is required. This is a two tiered green with the higher surface toward the back and everything naturally slopes down towards the front of the hole.

The tenth hole at 279 meters may be the shortest par 4 hole on the course but with water to the front of the green the sensible option is to hit an iron from the tee box left of centre, avoiding the bunker ahead on the left. This should give you an excellent view of the green for your second shot but you will still need to carry the water hazard and the greenside bunkers. This green slopes slightly downwards from the front towards the back.

The eleventh is an uphill par 4 and at 393 meters it is another testing hole. A good straight long drive is required to have a chance of going for this green in two and the trees to the right should be avoided as they can easily block your second shot. There are several fairway bunkers to navigate on your approach to the green and there are more bunkers just in front of the green. The putting surface is slightly uphill from the front of the green towards the back.

The twelfth is 344 meters and the ideal tee shot is left of centre avoiding the trees on the right. There are steep slopes running the whole way around the green with only the right side offering a flat surface to any shot that misses the green, however the green itself presents a large landing area and the putting surface is reasonably flat and true.

The thirteenth hole is a par 3 with an elevated green 163 meters from the tee box. The green slopes downward from right to left and it is surrounded by several deep bunkers. There are trees to the right and left of this green for those who may hit a wayward shot and the putting surface runs downward along the natural slope of the green.

The fourteenth is 435 meters with a right to left dogleg. An accurate drive left of centre is the ideal line and most of the open space is on the right. You also need an accurate second shot to make this saucer shaped green in two. The approach is guarded by fairway bunkers left and right and there’s a greenside bunker on the left. The putting surface has a few slight inclines that will vary depending on the pin position.

The fifteenth is 354 meters and a straight tee shot is the ideal line as the trees to your left may block your second approach shot and you really want to avoid the woods to the right. The green is narrow with just one bunker at the front to be carried however the main hazard on this hole are the trees to the right of the green that will penalise any wayward shots. The green is slightly dipped with the incline rising on the left and right hand side.

The sixteenth holes at 401 meters brings the golfer to the top of a high tee box from which a wide fairway beckons. A long drive is required to bring the green within range keeping away from the trees to the left and the rough to the right. Your second shot will be over the saddle of a hill avoiding the hollow to find the green on top of another hill. The green is banked on the left hand side with a bunker protecting the right hand side. The putting surface slopes down from the back toward the front.

A great par 3 at 144 meters, the seventeenth requires an accurate tee shot as you hit from one hilltop to another. The green is surrounded on all sides by rough terrain and it is further protected by deep bunkers. On the green there are two tiers with the higher tier at the back and ideally you want to land on the tiers where the pin is located. The putting surface slopes down from the top of the hill towards the front of the green.

An excellent finishing hole, the eighteenth is 482 meters and the fairways runs down a hill with a slight right to left dogleg. A good drive may be rewarded with the option of a second shot to the green but the trees to the left need to be navigated and a miss hit drive to the right may find the rough. The green is protected by fairway and greenside bunkers but it’s a large green with plenty of space to aim at. The putting surface is reasonably flat with a few rolling undulations and you are back in sight of the club house where hopefully you can enjoy a drink to celebrate your round.