Latest news with #Nicklaus-designed
Extra.ie
30-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- Extra.ie
You might need to win an Open to afford this incredible Meath home overlooking golf course
Located in a truly historic setting and overlooking an incredible golf course designed by one of the greatest architects ever, this home in County Meath is on the market for millions. Set on beautifully landscaped grounds, the Killeen Estate on which the home lies is one of the most historic properties in the country, being designed by Hugh de Lacy in the 1100s. It's since been thoughtfully redeveloped over the last century, with a spectacular 18-hole Jack Nicklaus designed golf course, clubhouse and beautiful woodland walks. Heading in to the home itself, you're greeted by a stunning entrance hall that leads into the reception hall. The sitting room and dining room are bright and generously proportioned, being ideal for entertaining. Pic: Loman Dempsey The heart of the home is the kitchen/family room which boasts high quality cabinetry and appliances. The ground floor of the home is completed by a study, separate snug, pantry, cloakroom and double garage, which then leads easily into the adjoining plant room. Pic: Loman Dempsey Heading upstairs to the first floor are five of the home's six bedrooms, all of which have en-suite bathrooms and boast excellent wardrobe space. The master bedroom also has a private balcony, while two of the bedrooms also have balcony access. Pic: Loman Dempsey Heading up the stairs to the second floor is the exceptional additional living space, which includes a cinema room, games room, and storage rooms. The property line also boasts incredible landscaped gardens that enhance its privacy, while the home also boasts lovely views of the Nicklaus-designed golf course. Pic: Loman Dempsey While the home itself is spectacular, it's all about the location, with Killeen Castle being one of the most incredible historical sites in the country. Being initially built in 1181 by Hugh de Lacy, the home later became the ancestral home of the Plunkett family, the Earls of Fingal, until 1951. The home is located on Killeen Estate, which includes the stunning golf course. Pic: Loman Dempsey The estate was since carefully redeveloped to become one of the premier locations in the country, with the piece de resistance in the estate being the golf course. Pic: Loman Dempsey Designed by Jack Nicklaus — one of the greatest to ever tee off — the course was constructed in 2008 and is one of only two designed by 'The Golden Bear' in the country, and is playable 365 days a year, previously hosting the 2011 Solheim Cup and the Irish Ladies Open from 2010 to 2012. Pic: Loman Dempsey Completing the estate is the wonderful clubhouse with dining and bar facilities, while beautiful woodland walks provide the perfect backdrop to the home. The Lucas, 12 The Oakwood, Killeen Castle, Dunsany, Co Meath is available via Loman Dempsey with an asking price of €2,350,000. Pic: Loman Dempsey Pic: Loman Dempsey Pic: Loman Dempsey Pic: Loman Dempsey Pic: Loman Dempsey Pic: Loman Dempsey Pic: Loman Dempsey Pic: Loman Dempsey
Calgary Herald
17-06-2025
- Calgary Herald
These B.C. golf courses deserve a spot on your bucket list
Article content The Okanagan Golf Club Article content Article content Located a couple of McIlroy drives west of the Kelowna International Airport, the Okanagan Golf Club is the perfect place to tee off your trip. Home to two pretty parkland courses — The Bear and The Quail — the Okanagan Golf Club is sneaky good with a wonderful mix of holes that careen through the pines and meander in the meadows. Thanks to its easygoing nature and width, the Nicklaus-designed Bear course is my personal favourite here. Article content After our group (a mix of golf writers from around Canada) worked out a few kinks at The Okanagan Golf Club, we settled into our prestigious address for the better part of the week. Located right on the waterfront in downtown Kelowna, The Royal Kelowna is a luxurious, all-suites resort with a location that cannot be beat. A spectacular rooftop pool area, gourmet kitchens, spacious bedrooms and a fitness centre make it an excellent choice for groups, foursomes, families and, really, anyone who values upper-tier accommodations. Article content Article content Most likely — especially if you place a high value on the 'sipping' aspect of your getaway — you'll want to visit a winery, brewery, distillery, meadery, cidery and so on, during your getaway. And, lo and behold, you will find all of these in the Kelowna area. Article content Our group combined a super-scenic guided e-bike tour with Lakeside Eco-Sports of downtown Kelowna with a few 'sip stops' along the way. My favourites were Meadow Vista (honey wines) and BNA Brewing (perhaps my favourite craft brewery in Canada). Lakeside Eco-Sports, in fact, does a variety of bike tours in Kelowna that incorporate wineries, scenic photo stops, lakeside paths, and historic sites. For example, we also visited the Father Pandosy Mission, which was the first European settlement in the area. It was established way back in 1859 and features a number of original structures. Article content Article content Article content But certainly, the golf was, in my opinion, the 'tastiest' treat we sampled. Tower Ranch, a spectacular Thomas McBroom-designed feast, might be the poster child for what golf in the region is all about. Dramatic downhill shots — right off the start — are a trademark. Deep bunkers, knee-high fescue and a few forced carries over ravines will challenge the best of the best. Article content Just up the road in Vernon, the eye-popping visuals at The Rise (the new clubhouse with The Edge Restaurant and Bar is fast becoming the go-to dining spot in the region) are even better. The challenging and secluded Fred Couples design is wild mountainside golf with jaw-dropping views throughout. Article content Article content Last but certainly not least, the Predator Ridge Golf Resort, also located in the Vernon area, is a flagship facility in the region. Two phenomenal layouts — the Doug Carrick-designed Ridge Course and the Les Furber-designed Predator Course — serve up world-class golf in a stunning setting with some of the best topography for golf I've ever seen. Natural rock outcroppings, cliffs, numerous lakes and ponds, rolling hills and grass-capped dunes make for an unforgettable golf experience. If at all possible, play them both!
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The natural beauty of Florida's state parks has long been under attack
The need to make Florida's parks scheme-proof against the state's elected officials goes deeper than last summer's plot. The impetus of the State Park Preservation Act (SB 80) before the Florida Legislature this session grew from last summer's clandestine attempt to change the character of some state parks by building among other things, golf courses, pickleball courts and lodges on them. But that was far from the first time that state officials saw Florida's beautiful, undisturbed natural parks as something that needed to be bulldozed, paved and monetized. Thirteen years before Gov. Ron DeSantis envisioned Florida's parks as future sites of Jack Nicklaus golf courses, Gov. Rick Scott was imagining the same thing. Despite Florida being overrun with golf courses, a bill in 2011 was proposed to build Nicklaus-designed golf courses in five state parks, one in every region of the park system. Oh, yeah. And each park with a golf course would also be allowed to have a hotel with a liquor license inside the park. Naturally. The bill, championed by then-state Rep. Pat Rooney, R-Palm Beach Gardens, reasoned that golf courses were needed in state parks 'to enhance the state's reputation throughout the United States as a premier destination for golf.' That didn't fly with the public. But clearly, the tone in Tallahassee since the Scott administration has been looking at state parks as business opportunities, not public preserves of natural beauty. A year after scrapping the golf course plan, Florida approved billboard advertising on the state's nature trails, and the following year, the state floated the idea of selling about 5,300 acres from state parks and watersheds to bolster the state budget, another plan that was stopped by public outcry. As governor, Scott promoted the novel idea that Florida's parks should be able to pay for themselves. In 2015, his newly appointed head of the Department of Environmental Protection, Jon Steverson, told state lawmakers that the state parks only generated 77% of the costs to run them. Instead, Florida's state parks ought to turn a profit, Steverson said. His solution was to allow private timber companies to harvest trees in state parks. As he talked to the senators about the park, he sounded more like a logger than a guardian of Florida's natural public land. He used Torreya State Park in Bristol as an example of a park that brought in 24% of its cost, yet had lots of natural resources that could be monetized. Take our Florida state parks poll: Should Florida's State Parks be developed? | Poll 'What I do have there, standing on the stump, is over 3,000 acres of off-site sand pine,' Steverson told the legislators. 'Right now in the Panhandle, sand pine is the platinum of timber products, bumping on $25 a ton on pole.' 'I need to be cutting that,' he said. Under Scott, eight state parks were opened up for cattle grazing. But when the state planned to allow 315 cows to graze on the land of the Myakka River State Park southeast of Sarasota, there was yet another public outcry. 'The state is looking at state parks as cash cows,' Frank Jackalone at the Florida chapter of the Sierra Club said at the time. 'That's a pun, but that's what it is.' That's been the recent history of Florida's state parks: A parade of bad ideas to degrade them derailed by public opinion. More: Florida finds use for Black history in promoting unwanted golf courses in state park Last summer's park development scheme, hatched by DeSantis' office and dubbed the Great Outdoors Initiative, would have probably happened if it weren't for the courageous instincts of James Gaddis, a state mapmaker in the Florida Department of Environmental Resources turned-whistleblower. Gaddis realized there was something wrong with a secret plan involving public parks, and that the public would have barely any notice about what was going on before it was approved. Once Gaddis revealed the plan, public protests and bi-partisan complaints from lawmakers put an end to it. More: Aborted golf course plan at Jonathan Dickinson State Park bogeys environmental protection And now, Florida Sen. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, a lawmaker who represents the area including Jonathan Dickinson State Park — where three golf courses were slated to be built as part of that plan — wants to make sure that doesn't happen again. Her bill would specifically ban golf courses and other invasive changes to the parks, and require 30 days public notice before any changes in the parks are approved. It's about time. Messing with Florida's state parks has gone on for too long without a legislative guardrail enacted. We can't keep depending on whistleblowers and last-minute grassroots organizing to save the state's parks. Frank Cerabino is a news columnist with The Palm Beach Post, which is part of the USA Today Network-Florida. The editorial was written as part of a campaign by the USA Today Network Florida Opinion Group to support Senate Bill 80 and protect Florida's state parks. Email letter, op-eds, even photos to RChristieParks@ and we will publish them. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida state parks are under attack. It's time for change | Opinion
