To The Manor Born

It doesn’t come more opulent than Adare Manor!

I’d been warned! “Leave Adare Manor to the last,” Barry McGuigan told me, not the World Championship boxer but the Irish coach-driver. Barry punches well above his weight when it comes to his knowledge of Irish golf.

“You’ll want to finish on a real high,” he emphasised. “This place is as high as it gets.”

He was so right! Top-hatted, coat-tailed gatemen greeted us like long-lost relatives. At the main building, we were ushered in like the King & Queen of Ireland.

“Just look at the view,” Elsa told me as we stumbled into our sumptuous suite. With the golf course beckoning beyond the boxed gardens, I was tempted to get the golf gear out but dinner was just around the corner and dinner at Adare was bound to be something seriously special!

Bedroom View No 1

View No 2

Dining options at Adare include the Carriage House Restaurant attached to the clubhouse for more relaxed dining. We had a drink at the clubhouse bar then headed back to the hotel for dinner. I couldn’t help calling feeling I was in ‘Dumbledore's Secret Sanctuary’ complete with gargoyles looking down at us from on high.

The service is impeccable and the general ambience is transcendent. And dinner lived up to any expectation.

THE GAMBLER

Adare Manor is a tiny flutter for a man who enjoys a ‘wee flutter’ from time to time, a certain JP McManus.

McManus was born in nearby Limerick and although he now has property interests all around the world, he has always kept a close eye on his family’s roots. McManus started in business with his father’s plant-hire company but by the age of 21 he was making more as a bookmaker at a nearby greyhound track. Then came horse racing! The Irish know a thing or two about horses and JP honed his interest and now owns around 550 thoroughbreds.

Let’s summarise by saying JP’s net worth is now calculated to be around €2 billion.

Adare Manor reopened in 2017 following a reported €70 million refurbishment which added a brand new 42-bedroom block along with an entirely new spa, board room and even a cinema.

350 people are now engaged directly by the resort and the monetary repercussions rippling through the local economy are substantial.

GOLF EXPERIENCE

The following morning, I was warming up on the driving range when who should stroll up but Pádraig Harrington with his inimitable ‘roadbuilders’ bounce.

“You shouldn’t have gone to any bother, Pádraig,” I blurted out thinking he was coming to play with me. He laughed, wished me a good round and carried on to team up with his brothers in the next bay for their pre-round routine.

OLD ACQUAINTANCES

I was actually playing the course with an old acquaintance, Andy McMahon who now holds the post of Director of Golf Operations at Adare Manor. I knew Andy from The Grove just north of London where he was head pro and a leading hand in a team & operation that had always greatly impressed me. Andy told me that Pádraig was a close friend of JPs and had significant input into the re-establishment of Adare Manor’s new course.

“They shipped in 300,000 tons of sand,” Andy told me as we stood on the first tee. “If you put all those dumper trucks nose-to-tail, they’d stretch from here to Ballybunion.”

RYDER CUP

Andy and I teed up ahead of Pádraig and pals. It was ironic to be playing Adare Manor in front of Harrington, the European Captain for the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits especially when Adare’s going to be hosting the event in 2027.

Of course, this was part of JP’s plan and as usual, it paid off. Getting the Ryder Cup puts the course and resort firmly on the map for years before and after. But Adare Manor would have made it on its own. it’s been reaping all the awards. #1 Resort in Europe by Condé Nast Traveler 2023, awarded a five-star rating by Forbes Travel Guide 2023 and the #1 Resort in the World – Condé Nast Traveler 2022

GETTING HERE

Dublin being only 3-hours away and Shannon Airport, which takes flights from the USA and other parts of Europe only 40-mins to the north of the property.

Also, the Southwest of Ireland has long-catered to us travelling golfers. There is a host of golf-oriented communities nearby with plenty of excellent accommodation so I don’t see an event the calibre of the Ryder Cup being too much of a problem.

I finished the round relatively unscathed and hugely impressed. For an inland course, this is something unprecedented, so utterly plush and seamlessly precise in every single aspect. Hats off to JP McManus and the Tom Fazio team to have the vision and technical ability to create a course that’s above and beyond any new build I’ve ever seen.

I get it that most international golfers are coming to Ireland to play the ancient, rustic links and that’s fair enough. But, consider this! Play this ultra-manicured marvel first, potential host to the Ryder Cup and an incredible experience in its own right. Then take on the likes of Ballybunion, Lahinch and Tralee. Talk about contrast! That would be like sucking the lemon & salt with Tequila shots or jumping into the snow after a Swedish sauna. Those hoary seaside sites will look even more rugged. Maybe that’s not the best reason though. The best reason is this is a supreme golf experience in its own right and should definitely be considered as part of your Irish itinerary.

Ends

I think Adare Manor will rise rather quickly into the panoply of the world’s great golf resorts. For me and my golf guests, I’d say it is now the gateway of choice to the Southwest with Ballybunion, Lahinch, Doonbeg and Tralee in easy driving distances. Waterville, Hogs Head and The Old Head of Kinsale are probably a bit too far to drive but there's always a helicopter. You could, of course, change base and find another hotel in the likes of Killarney or Cork. But I warrant, it’ll be hard to quit the comforts and service of Adare Manor. It really is an operation like no other.