Needle movers – explore new fairways and uncover hidden gems this season

As the season tees off in earnest for many golfers, I thought this would be an opportunity to encourage you to venture beyond your usual stomping grounds and visit a course you may not have played before. Here are six I highly recommend.

We have so many sweet, sweet parklands, and the big guns so often grab the glory. Yet there is so much more. Portarlington is a lovely, low-lying parkland overwhelmed by gorgeous trees and a sense of tranquillity that floats around you for much of the round, especially on the later holes next to the River Barrow. There are some brilliant holes here, and red squirrels frequent one of the best – the par-4 7th. It is shrouded in oak, and it’s a terror if you can’t hit the ball straight.

For the green fee alone, I would play holes 3, 7, 8, and 14 to 17.

It is one of our superb second-tier links, and its quality has been improving steadily in recent years. One of Arklow’s great beauties is the vista you see when you first arrive: flags, fairways, greens, and grasses are laid out below as holes stretch towards the sea. By my count, at least 12 flags are on show. Another nugget to consider is the stretch of holes from 7 to 13, which includes four thrilling par-3s.

An issue golfers raise about Arklow is the so-called parkland element late in the round. What rubbish. Only the par-5 16th swings down a parkland avenue, and it’s a hole of huge risk and reward.

I readily admit that I was not enamoured with Royal Dublin when I was younger. I also admit that some courses improve the more you play them and the more they reveal themselves to you. Add to that the exceptional new bunkering, which, in my view, has helped to transform the entire course, and Royal Dublin has re-established itself as one of our finest links.

The history of this place is astounding, from the formation of Bull Island, which dates back to 1801, to the greats who have played here, to the legacy of being Ireland’s oldest links.

The gorse is spilling out in a blaze of colour that will last for many weeks. It may be a terror, but it also adds such beauty. Macreddin is awash with it, and so much is on show with holes layered across the valley sides and views stretching for miles. Gorse embraces every hole on the front nine as they sweep back and forth, mixing with tall pines. The back nine finds more shape and more pines, as well as Ballycreen Brook, and your encounter with the stunning par-4, Index 1 12th will long be remembered. Only the 18th plays over flat terrain, the river running through it.

Nine holes of seaside happiness, and not nearly enough people know about the gem that is Connemara Isles, on the road to Lettermore. Not only are you playing golf on an island, surrounded by mountains and sweeping Irish landscapes, but you also play across the sea twice as you encounter another island hosting two holes.

It is not big, fancy, or famous – there’s an honesty box here – but it is overflowing with charm, fun, and adventure. And it revels in being a little bit different.

Yes, Esker Hills, the home of Shane Lowry. Yes, the reason his short game is so very good. Yes, the course that goes up, down, side-to-side, and has bucketloads of fun doing it. Some courses are designed to ooze fun, and Esker Hills basks in that glow, with the eskers producing glorious shapes and greens that can be utterly wild. Maybe you’ll be told it’s too hilly, but you can always take a buggy. Personally, I’d walk; it gives you such an appreciation for the landscape and the design.