The Hardest hole in Ireland?

Mister Sifter

Inspired by the shortest par 3 thread...

What do you think the hardest hole in Ireland is... one that you HAVE played?

The 18th at Forrest Little is one i played recently that i thought was really tough. Pin was on the right and off the back tee. Very tough finishing hole.

Blunder

The new No. 8 at Bundoran will be a monster especially with the prevailing wind. An already tough hole has been extended by 40+ yards, add in an undulating green and the entrance to the green is lined with bunkers.

curranjames

13th on Killeen in Killarney GC is a monster one!

Par4 would take a 5 on the tee and run!

Niall09

13th on the Cashen Course at Ballybunion

Blazer

Man I laughed my ass off at this title on the main page before I realised it was golf related

fullstop

Blunder wrote: »

The new No. 8 at Bundoran will be a monster especially with the prevailing wind. An already tough hole has been extended by 40+ yards, add in an undulating green and the entrance to the green is lined with bunkers.

Is that the one up the hill beside the hotel? Joke of a hole. Last time i played there in a match it took 4 attempts for the ball to stay on the green.
2nd in sandy Hills would be one of mine, or maybe the 6th on the same course

1916

6th in Moyvalley, although its a Par 5 the whole hole just falls away to the stream/scrub on the right, just sucks you in to it.

Hardest for me anyway

1916

Blunder

fullstop wrote: »

Is that the one up the hill beside the hotel? Joke of a hole. Last time i played there in a match it took 4 attempts for the ball to stay on the green.
2nd in sandy Hills would be one of mine, or maybe the 6th on the same course

When did you play it. If you havent played it in the last 6 months then you are probably thinking of the 7th there.(you tee off over the road up to the hotel). While I understand what you are saying, The 7th is one of my favourite holes because the green is so hard. I'd say the flag was at the front right just at the top of the hill when you played it? That is the toughest pin position for holding the green, any ball above the hole either has to go in or you are playing your next shot with a pitching wedge.:D

The 8th is the next one. (obviously!:D) You tee off up a hill where most people will struggle to get to the top of the hill on a calm day never mind when the wind is blowing against you! then you are left with over 200 yards to a green thats well protected by bunkers on the entrance to the green. I've parred it on a calm day but I'm yet to make better than a double bogey on it when the wind is against. It was previously the index 2 hole before any changes were made so its a very tough hole.

stockdam

A difficult question to answer and to some extent very personal.

Some holes change dramatically when you are off the back sticks and sometimes the prevailing wind makes all the difference.

Most of the holes on a championship course off the back tees are difficult.

I find long par threes that are all carry to be hard. For example the 14 (Calamity) at Portrush. It's 210 yards or more from the back sticks and the problem is that anything short or right goes down to the sea. So you either have to bail out to the left and try to chip and putt or carry right onto the green. Then there's the wind. The tee is at the edge of the cliffs and the wind is often in your face and pushing the ball towards the beach.

A perfect looking shot sometimes just lands short and rolls down the hill into the deep rough = lost.


Another difficult par three is the 17th at St Helen's Bay near Wexford. It's a fairly long par 3 with OOBs left (beach). You can't see the green from the tee and anything left is in a sand-dune. I think long is also lost. It's at this hole that my natural draw seems to be magnified by the wind and the ball curls onto the beach. A real card wrecker.


Last one.......the 2nd at the Ava Course at Clandeboye. It's a par 5 (not that long) but it's a tight drive - anything that doesn't hit the fairway is lost. Then the 2nd shot is equally as tight with a narrow landing area.........once again if the ball doesn't hit the fairway then it's lost.

I can think of others where it's all or nothing. Where you have to hit a fairway wood or iron from the tee over deep gorse 200 yards or so. The bail out is to hit towards OOB and a draw or pull will be OOB. I have trouble fading the ball so anything that doglegs to the right is difficult for me.

So many many challenging holes.

ShriekingSheet

Haven't played too many of the above but that Par 4 in the European Club would be up there for me.

Think it's the 7th, into the wind with a river all up the right.

jaycen

16 (I think) on the Headfort new course in Kells, water, water, everywhere :eek:

deko43

13th in Druids Glen does it for me. 2nd shot through the trees over the water. Agree with previous post. Very personal choice and the weather
can be such a factor on the day ...

stockdam

Sometimes the hardest holes are the short par 4s.....let me explain.


Take for example a straight downhill par 4 of say 350 yards. I stand on the tee and hit a majestic drive that splits the fairway. I then have a short chip onto the green........I could kick the ball on. After a thinned chip over the green and then another weak chip and three putts later I walk off with a 6.

Now that's "hard".


Sorry I couldn't resist.

PhilipMarlowe

ShriekingSheet wrote: »

Haven't played too many of the above but that Par 4 in the European Club would be up there for me.

Think it's the 7th, into the wind with a river all up the right.

That 7th is a brute alright, very long and no where to hide! I played it last nov/dec and it was into the wind... Driver, 3 wood, 50 yard wedge, 1 putt! The rest of the round was awful though

kingshankly

it all depends on the conditions for me it's any links course when your playing off the back sticks and due to the wind you can't reach the fairway

fullstop

Blunder wrote: »

When did you play it. If you havent played it in the last 6 months then you are probably thinking of the 7th there.(you tee off over the road up to the hotel). While I understand what you are saying, The 7th is one of my favourite holes because the green is so hard. I'd say the flag was at the front right just at the top of the hill when you played it? That is the toughest pin position for holding the green, any ball above the hole either has to go in or you are playing your next shot with a pitching wedge.:D

The 8th is the next one. (obviously!:D) You tee off up a hill where most people will struggle to get to the top of the hill on a calm day never mind when the wind is blowing against you! then you are left with over 200 yards to a green thats well protected by bunkers on the entrance to the green. I've parred it on a calm day but I'm yet to make better than a double bogey on it when the wind is against. It was previously the index 2 hole before any changes were made so its a very tough hole.

Yeah it's the 7th I'm thinking of actually. Was about a year and a half ago. Was 5 yards short in 2 and walked off with a 7 or something, lost the hole to a 6! And then my opponents ball blew off the green on the 8th when he was about to putt...

f22

Graeme1982 wrote: »

The 18th at Forrest Little is one i played recently that i thought was really tough. Pin was on the right and off the back tee. Very tough finishing hole.

You wouldn't believe some of the car wrecks that hole has seen in competition over the years, 450 yards, and generally into the breeze with major trouble left and right off the tee.

I'd also throw the par 4 18th in Mount Juliet into the mix. Even off the whites it a mere 474 yards. Water left all the way to a well bunkered green. The wind never helps either!

billy3sheets

Hardest opener has to be 1st at Hollywood Lakes, dogleg left, water front and back left, bunker on right, big tree front right. Many a round destroyed there...

Mister Sifter

billy3sheets wrote: »

Hardest opener has to be 1st at Hollywood Lakes, dogleg left, water front and back left, bunker on right, big tree front right. Many a round destroyed there...

I always find it quite a gentle opener... long iron to the corner and then a wedge or so to the green. Made a little harder the last time by the lack of a 100 yard marker mind.

The 18th is a tough finish, particularly with a wind blowing! Par three (6th or 7th i think) is also one hell of a tough green. I've never taken less than 3 putts on it in fact.

stockdam

I find the hardest first holes are those that challenge you immediately.

For example the first at Galgorm is a dog leg hard right. The trouble is that to reach the green easily then you have to cut the corner and that's over the OOBs. Get it wrong and you will run out of fairway and they let the rough grow really long so it's probably a lost ball if you do. Layup to the corner and you can have a wood to the green if you are too conservative. Do you trust your swing enough to cut the corner for the first shot?

But that's not the worst.

Gracehill has a short opening par 4 - 330 yards or so. Easy peasy? Well no. The tee shot needs to be very precise as the green is guarded by really tall trees. In front is a lake and a steep hill up to the green. It's easy to hit your tee shot too far and into the water. If you stray left or right off the tee then there's little chance of flying the trees and hitting the green so you often have to chip sideways to get the right position (and feel like a tube doing so). Even if you get a good tee-shot then you have to fly the lake onto the green (and if you miss the green then you are likely to hit the trees).

There's a picture on the website that shows how ridiculously narrow it is.



http://www.gracehillgolfclub.co.uk/


Click on Photographs and select the first hole for a view looking back.

Trampas

1st hole in the Island is a tricky start. Especially into the head wind. around 400 metres with a tight entry between sand dunes. Can easily have a blind 2nd shot.

But as said above wind has a lot to do with it.

The 12th Mecreddin? (index 1) is a beast of a hole 450 yards with a big carry and lost ball all down the right. Very much like the 13th in Druids Glen which is another hard hole.

PhilipMarlowe

I've seen a 15 taken at the par 5 12th at Gowran Park during the captains prize (my home course)... par 5 with OOB left off the tee, water right, then doglegs right over water with an drain all the way up the left and it has OOB just beyond the drain.
I'd rate the 18th in Mount Juliet a very tough hole... I remember playing it a couple of days after an Irish open and it was a drive and 8 iron but usually now with the tees back it's a long iron and the water all the way on the left .... yikes!
Links holes that usually are downwind until one day the wind is blowing the 'wrong' way are often tough. Played Rosslare earlier this year and an index 16 hole was a good drive and a good 3 wood.. normally an iron off the tee and a flick of a wedge. Iv'e hit driver to a 160 yard par 3 in Waterville..made the front fringe! now thats tough

Alzar

The 6th in Castlecomer, maybe?
Par 5, slight dogleg left, the hole slopes downhill from tee to green & across from left to right & has water all the way down the right hand side...can be messy at times :eek:

Al.

fullstop

Another very difficult one is the 9th in Strabane. It's only 370 yards or so but for Scratch Cups and the like thy have another tee a bit further back which is also raised and it usually plays into the wind. A river runs the length of the hole on the left and there is a drain on the right with a large hill which is basically a lost ball if you hit it there. I've seen all sorts of numbers on this hole and one year in the scratch cup ther was somebody level par for the other 35 holes and took an 11 at this one. The pic on the website dosn't do it justice I think but you get an idea!

http://www.strabanegolfclub.co.uk/

Oh, and from the start of the long grass left os OOB, wouldn't be too bad if it was a hazard

corban

jaycen wrote: »

16 (I think) on the Headfort new course in Kells, water, water, everywhere :eek:

+1

WaldenByThoreua

18th in Adare Manor or the 7th in the European club

Blunder

limerickmunster wrote: »

18th in Adare Manor or the 7th in the European club

While I can understand why it would be considered tough I dont think its that hard. There is plenty of bail out right off the tee. Lay up short of the river and pitch on. The 11th of the back tees is a tough hole. Trying to hit a small green with a long iron and the river on the right to catch annything pushed. I never like playing that hole!

neckedit

The 17th at Ross's Point, for me personally is a tough golf hole, by memory its about the 470 yds second shot up hill left, on two occassions scuppered my chances of going under par! I'm sure some will find it easier than I say, just never suited my eye:P

Trampas

neckedit wrote: »

The 17th at Ross's Point, for me personally is a tough golf hole, by memory its about the 470 yds second shot up hill left, on two occassions scuppered my chances of going under par! I'm sure some will find it easier than I say, just never suited my eye:P

and you can't drive it as far as you want because of the cabbage that crosses the fairway on the bend

scout353

The opening hole of the new nine in Tramore - actually it is now the tenth of the current course as they are in a three year redevelopment plan. 300m with a fairway that is mostly about 20m wide all the way! Huge trees line both sides and anything but a straight tee shot is in trouble!

Tried everything from 7 iron to 3 wood off the tee! You really have to commit to the shot off the tee!

Tough tough hole!

WaldenByThoreua

Blunder wrote: »

While I can understand why it would be considered tough I dont think its that hard. There is plenty of bail out right off the tee. Lay up short of the river and pitch on. The 11th of the back tees is a tough hole. Trying to hit a small green with a long iron and the river on the right to catch annything pushed. I never like playing that hole!

Ha I find the 11th easy enough! different strokes for different folks! I think 14 and maybe 3 can play tricky enough if you hit a bad drive?

brousuka

Definitely 11th (Irish Open tee) at Adare is the toughest par 3 anyway. It can play 240yds without wind) over the winding river on the right. A monster!

Blunder

brousuka wrote: »

Definitely 11th (Irish Open tee) at Adare is the toughest par 3 anyway. It can play 240yds without wind) over the winding river on the right. A monster!

Yep that was my thinking alright. That hole had me in therapy for a while:o

b0bsquish

stockdam wrote: »

14 (Calamity) at Portrush.

I agree with this one!

I also cant believe this thread has gone so far without someone saying **** ** It has to be some sort of boards.ie record given the title.

Morrisseeee

Par 4 6th in Lee Valley (430yards ish)

Niall09

Morrisseeee wrote: »

Par 4 6th in Lee Valley (430yards ish)

Do you mean 7th? The 6th is a par 3.

Good memories of the 7th In the Fred Daly Munster Final, the wind was blowing against, playin really tough. Hit a good drive about 240 yards up the fairway. Had about 210 to the flag, took out the 3iron and hit a low punchy "stinger" kind of a shot, it went a max of 10ft into the air. It finished a couple of inches from the hole

KombuchaMshroom

Niall09 wrote: »

Do you mean 7th? The 6th is a par 3.

Good memories of the 7th In the Fred Daly Munster Final, the wind was blowing against, playin really tough. Hit a good drive about 240 yards up the fairway. Had about 210 to the flag, took out the 3iron and hit a low punchy "stinger" kind of a shot, it went a max of 10ft into the air. It finished a couple of inches from the hole

u still lost you stones :rolleyes:

hardest hole i think is the index one in ballybunion cashen course, its the 13th i think, made much tougher by the prevailing wind it plays into

Morrisseeee

Do you mean 7th? The 6th is a par 3

Actually its the 5th.

Not many birdies on this hole I'd imagine, pars are even hard to come by.

shanks8

European club index 1...a great hole to par

ThunderCat

Hollystown course in dublin has a par 3 hole (on the red course) thats 217 yards uphill - its a beast. big bunkers line the whole left side and even when you get onto the green, it falls sharply away. par 5 in disguise so it is.
Another contender for me would be the par 3 16th (i think) in corballis. not a very long hole but your problems only begin when you are on the green. the slope on the fcuking thing is like a rollercoaster and if the put the pin near the break, you are fcuked. because they are doing the course up at the mo you have to play that hole twice. when the hole was near the break i scored two 8's, but got birdie, par the following week thanks to a different hole location. its crazy golf in disguise.

Mister Sifter

what changes are they making to the course thundercat?

ThunderCat

They are building on an extra 4 or 5 holes. they are being built on the land to the left of the 3rd hole and are supposed to be completed in spring 2009. as it stands at the moment, there are 12 or so holes open for play in corballis but to complete the full round you just play a few designated holes twice. it will be good when the new holes are open. the lad in the clubhouse was telling me that they will be tougher than any of the rest currently in play so that means you need to take the rosary beads with you from spring 2009 onwards!!

JCDUB

Sounds good TC, thank christ they got rid of that shambles across the road, those three really made a mess of what is otherwise the best public course in Dublin, if not Leinster (I don't know many public courses so can't really say).

Graeme nice opener, thanks for the compliment, the 18th at FL is a weapon of a hole alright, it's cost me a prize or two I can tell ya:eek:

Finisher at Royaler has to be up there, not as the hardest but probably most nerve-wracking if you're in with a chance in something major, second shot across the corner of the field, gale blowing in off the sea just waiting to swallow up your ball and carry it into the field, I'd say it's claimed its fair share of victims.

OldGoat

neckedit wrote: »

The 17th at Ross's Point, for me personally is a tough golf hole, by memory its about the 470 yds second shot up hill left, on two occassions scuppered my chances of going under par! I'm sure some will find it easier than I say, just never suited my eye:P

I played this one this weekend for the first time so we played it blind, in the driving rain. I walked away after losing the third ball and had yet to even see the green. Magnificent, can't wait to have another crack at it.

Dolph Starbeam

14th at Tullamore?

Sionnachster

MOG7 wrote: »

14th at Tullamore?

It used to be the old 18th Par 4 back in the day. Great finishing hole and a real tough par.

SalthillGuy

The 17th at County Sligo is a great hole.
Christy Snr described it as the best 17th hole in Ireland.
It is a long par 4 into prevailing wing, where a ball at the front of the green can come bak 80 yards.

dak

18th in St Margarets is tough hole with deep bunkers and large bushes blocking you if you try to take the short route and the pin is ofter quite near the water!

Dolph Starbeam

Sionnachster wrote: »

It used to be the old 18th Par 4 back in the day. Great finishing hole and a real tough par.

Ye i just joined in the year it was changed to the 14th, i've played it probably a thousand time and have only birdied in once (pure luck) and after that mostly bogey or worse:o

slumped

The Index 1 at O'Meara Carton House. The 11th I think.

Long par 4, uphill - a driver and 3 wood on a windy day is needed.

Bunkers around driving landing area and narrow approach to raised green guarded by big bunkers on right.

Super hole and really hard to make par on.

Miley Byrne

For me, it's the par 4 12th at Tralee when the wind is in your face. Index 1. Narrow landing area and a long approach which is all carry due to the huge crater short and left. Super hole though. Not as tough on a calm day as the landing area gets wider further out, but still a very tough approach to the elevated green.