Beaufort Golf Club

Beaufort Golf Course is part of the Churchtown Estate, the centre piece of which is the Georgian house built in 1740 by Sir Roland Blennerhassett. The estate was bought in 1860 by James MacGillycuddy Magill who turned it into one of the largest dairy farms of its time in the Southwest region and remained that until recent times. James’s grandson and great grandsons closed the farm in the early nineties and with the help of golf architect Arthur Spring, developed Beaufort Golf Course which was officially opened in 1995.

The golf course was sold to in 2006 and the new owners then redeveloped it into one of the finest parkland courses in the southwest region. The ruins of 15th century Castle Core standing beside the 15th green was designed as a square tower house. Castle Core (Castle of the round hill) was built circa 1480 by the MacGillycuddy’s, a branch of the O’Sullivan Mo’r clan. Fearing that it would have been taken by the English forces Donagh MacGillycuddy burnt the castle in 1641 but restored it in 1660. Donagh went on to become High Sheriff of Kerry in 1687. The castle was abandoned by Donagh’s son Denis in 1696 when he married into the Blennerhasset family in nearby Killorglin Castle. The stone of Castle Core was taken to build the Georgian house which is currently on the grounds of Beaufort Golf Club.