Castletown Golf & Country Club
Castletown Golf Links, Langness Peninsula, Derbyhaven, Isle of Man.
Castletown Golf Links is a championship links course on the Isle of Man. It is unique, in that its setting on Langness Peninsula provides stunning vistas of the Irish Sea from all tee's, fairways, and greens. The Links was founded in 1892 and designed by Old Tom Morris, widely regarded as the founding father of modern golf, whom also had a hand in the design of Royal County Down, Muirfield, Prestwick, & Royal Dornoch amongst other greats. Following the war Castletown was later updated by Mackenzie Ross, also designer of the Ailsa course at Turnberry.
Castletown has been independently rated within Rolex's Top 1,000 Golf Courses in the World and in 2015 was voted as the 75th Best Links in Great Britain & Ireland by National Club Golfer. It offers a 17th hole which drives "over the Irish Sea". The links has hosted, among other events, the PGA Cup (1979), Europro Tour 2002, Manx Classic Pro Am and the Duke of York Young Champions Trophy in 2003 and again in 2005.
Murray Crowe was the course professional for 40 years, with his daughter Jackie Kebbell as the touring professional representing Castletown Golf Links. Jackie has taken part in the Weetabix LPGA tournament several times and played in Australia for a period.
Castletown Golf Links came under new ownership in November 2011 - since then investment of time and has seen the development of a new clubhouse along with renewed equipment, with the result being significantly better course conditions and a steady increase in membership. The new course website *Castletown Golf Links provides information to visitors and allows for online tee bookings.
The Castletown Golf Links website (below) has a gallery showing views of the Langness Peninsula and the other parts of the golf course including that part between Langness and Castletown. The 7th Hole is named the Race Course because, there, a century and a half before the first ever English Derby the Isle of Man and the then Earl of Derby also the Lord of Mann held the first ever Manx Derby over three furlongs. This was also thirty-nine years prior to the Newmarket race, which has been proclaimed to be the oldest horse race in existence.
The 18th hole at Castletown Golf Links overlooks the historic St. Michaels Isle, a small island joined to Langness Peninsula via a short causeway built in the mid-18th century. There is evidence for human activity on the island from the early medieval period, some 6,500 years ago, and there remain two ancient buildings that aptly represent the history of the island’s uses through the ages - for both religious worship and the focal point of battles for control of the Isle of Man.
St Michael's Chapel, dating back to the 12th century, is located on the south side of the island. This was a Celtic-Norse chapel and was actually built on the site of an even earlier chapel, or 'Keeill' in Manx Gaelic.
Two great battles for the control of the Isle of Man took place on St. Michaels Isle in 1250 and 1275, when England, Scotland and the Manx were fighting for control of the island. In the first battle the Manx won but 25 years later, they lost control to Scotland. The circular fort that still stands strong today was built later, in the year 1540 (16th Century) during the reign of Henry VIII, as part of a kingdom wide coastal defensive system. The Round Fort had 8 foot thick walls with a wall walk at the top and supported eight cannons.
These defenses were re-fortified in 1640 by James 7th Earl of Derby, a strong royalist, against the ships of Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War. The fort was renamed Derby Fort and the Earl's initials along with a date of 1645 were engraved above the fort door recording the change.