Founded 2002.
Castleisland County Kerry is a market town steeped in history. The town gets its name from the famous castle of the island-an island formed by turning the waters of the river Maine into a moat around the castle, originally built in 1220 by Geoffrey De Marisco. For long the Desmond power in Kerry, the town was centre of much disorder and activity during the land war and the civil war of the 20th century. Castleisland today is a busy retail and commercial centre, situated at the junction of the N21 national primary route (Limerick-Tralee) and the N23 which links the town to Farranfore and Killarney.
The town is an important gateway into county Kerry, only five miles from Kerry international airport. The idea of a golf course was first mooted in 1999 when a 200 acre site was secured which formed the Castleisland shooting ground and owned by Mr. Richard Walsh who ended up constructing the golf course for Castleisland golf club committee. A number of prominent architects were asked to view the site and make submissions and after tedious investigating, the job was allocated to Dr. Arthur Spring. The go ahead was given to build the course having sold 250 shares @ £5000 share capital.
The development committee which included chairman Michael Coote (who is now manager), secretary Paul Geaney, financial controller Andrew Kelliher, along with Dano Dennehy, Sean Brandon, Tomo Bourke, Sheila Hannon and Martin O' Donoghue. The course commands a panoramic view of the McGillycuddy Reeks that forms the backdrop to the lakes of Killarney.
The construction of the course was to have it playable the whole year round and this was achieved by putting mole drains on every meter on the fairways and topping up with sand to allow the fairways to be as good as those found on a links course. This was achieved and while some parkland courses closed due to heavy rain, Castleisland has remained open.
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