With the golfing season now moving into full swing I decided to take the opportunity to visit Mount Ober and check out the facilities on offer for the budding golfer. It is widely accepted that Mount Ober, formally known as Knockbracken, is a breeding ground for quality golfers who move on to bigger and better courses as their games progress. That aside, there is still enough quality to make it an enjoyable trip, even for the lower handicapped player.

However, Mount Ober offers much more than just 18 holes of golf.

The facilities also include the fully floodlit driving range with professional tuition, the public clubhouse and a huge game room with American Billiard tables and full size snooker tables.

The 18-hole golf course is a pleasant, undulating parkland course, which is an enjoyable walk. The undulating greens offer some tricky putts and your iron play will be tested by a series of very good par 3′s. Most importantly the course is accessible to all ranges of abilities, and on the days when your game is not up to scratch then you can enjoy the panoramic views of Belfast and beyond. The best views are available from the 3rd tee and 12th green.

Definatly a place to play for those at the beginning of their golfing career.

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Featured Hole – 3

The third, a dog legged Par 5, plays longer than its yardage suggests. From an elevated tee, everything falls away to the right making the hole suited to a right to left ball flight. Use the central, single tree as a marker, or for the optimum line, use the radio tower situated on Cave Hill. The green is reachable in 2 for the longer players, but with severe bunkerage and water hazards galore, it needs to be a calculated risk.

The green itself is the biggest on the course and wouldn’t look out of place at Augusta National. There are fall away sections both right and left, with a water hazard behind and to the right. Bunkers are in play to the front both left and right. Take care on the approach and a birdie should be yours!

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