The road turns to gravel and then to two hardened ruts before it stops at a hill on what is marked on the map as Loughros Point. There are no picnic tables and no parking lot, just the dark shapes across the water. What may be a waterfall spews out of the dark shapes above the shore. Some holes, like the short second, ascend from tee to green, providing a panorama at the end of the journey. A heart-thumping climb is necessary to reach the green, but from there most of the course is visible again.
Golfers are dots on the rugged canvas below.
The refurbished clubhouse is modest, staffed by two cheerful golf professionals, a small office staff, a waitress, cook and bartender. Photographs, trophies and wooden plaques attest to the club's heritage. An inside window between the grill and a members-only bar allows the bartender to serve both. He adds that he believes Irish links courses, especially those in the west, are among the most scenic in the world. The road to the Connemara Championship Golf Links goes either through Clifden, the unofficial capital of the Connemara region, or Roundstone, another postcard-perfect village.