During the 1990s, Slieve Russell was a favorite of Following the Fairways, and the course was consistently included in their rankings. The course is nestled amid the lakes and drumlins in the rolling hills of County Cavan. We had to look up the word "drumlins" because we originally mistook them for distant relatives of the leprechaun. Anyway, for those of you who aren't geographically inclined, they're irish hills shaped like the rim of a teaspoon turned upside down, and they're a landform found in areas that were once covered by glaciers.

Paddy Merrigan planned this championship parkland course, which first opened for play in 1992. Slieve Russell is a tough golf course, with 50 acres of water ready to trap the ball. The measure is important from the championship tees, weighing over 7,000 yards, but with several tees to choose from, the difficulty can be calibrated accordingly. It's difficult to tell where the land's natural contours end and where man has formed it. This is not a criticism; rather, it is a complement to Merrigan's design abilities, since the entire style seems to have been designed by accident. The hallmark hole, the 13th, is a fun par five that plays 500 yards from the medal tees. The pit, a dogleg left around Lough Rud, tempts us from the tee to take on more water than we can, with the promise of hitting the green in two shots.

While county cavan is not a natural golfing destination, it is just two hours from Dublin and well worth the trip. Try telling Irishman Des Smyth that this is a quiet and friendly spot known more for angling than golf. In 1996, he won the irish pga championship at Slieve Russell.