Craziest Hole

deko43

Now that we have done the shortest and the hardest, what about the craziest hole in the country....??

The 12th in Clontarf comes immidiately to mind. Before they changed it a few years back it was along side the railway, over the hill, over the water,
up a 90 degree angled slope to a green surrounded on three sides by a walled housing estate.... think it is simi sane nowadays so I'm sure there are some other candidates...

Par72

The 12th in Coollattin is a nutty little par 3 in an old walled garden. The green is shaped like an upside down bowl and has bunkers around it. If that's not bad enough, stray too far left or long and you will be up against a brick wall.

fatherbuzcagney

3rd hole in carrick on suir, tough drive and crazy approach shot from uphill lie {normally}to green on mountain top, you can't see the bottom of flag from anywhere on the fairway ,.climb to green is very steep[close to vertical].

3rd in coolattin is a beautifull hole! wish it was my in back garden

f22

8th in Corballis. 245 yard dogleg par 4. You can go straight for the green with a long iron with the risk of beheading someone on the green.

waterville72

There is a hole in Strandhill in Sligo..think its the 13th but not sure..downhill 90 deg dogleg right par 4 with two dunes either side of the green and a gap between them thats no more than 10 yards wide. Absolute joke of a hole which has a nickname which cant be repeated here! Definitely the craziest Ive played.

Mister Sifter

The 7th on the Smurfit course is a pretty surreal experience... felt like i was in a theme park working up the fairway with the tin-like rocks on the right.

WHIP IT!

Graeme1982 wrote: »

The 7th on the Smurfit course is a pretty surreal experience... felt like i was in a theme park working up the fairway with the tin-like rocks on the right.

Is that the Par5 with the blind tee shot over the "rocks"??

Ridiculous hole.

Par72

Graeme1982 wrote: »

The 7th on the Smurfit course is a pretty surreal experience... felt like i was in a theme park working up the fairway with the tin-like rocks on the right.

Yeah, you're just waiting for a giant fibreglass dinosaur to come up out of the water!

Fatswaldo

The 12th in Coolattin mentioned earlier is a brilliant hole, could be in any of the three categories - shortest, hardest, craziest. if you're not on the middle of the green from the tee, you in the do-do - trouble in all directions. Thing is that its only about 120yds but as the green is in the corner of an old walled garden, its totally enclosed and looks shorter. You cannot be long or left or right as over the wall is OB.

That third in Carrick-on-Suir is known locally as coronary hill!

madds

waterville72 wrote: »

There is a hole in Strandhill in Sligo..think its the 13th but not sure..downhill 90 deg dogleg right par 4 with two dunes either side of the green and a gap between them thats no more than 10 yards wide. Absolute joke of a hole which has a nickname which cant be repeated here! Definitely the craziest Ive played.

Birdied that hole when I played there in July on a stag. 3 lads I was playing with all hit blind drivers off the tee whilst I hit a hybrid. While they were looking for their balls in the cabbage I hit a PW into 3 feet.

IMO there's a crazier hole on that course. It's after the hole above. It's a par 4 and you hit to a fairway that is running steeply uphill from right to left, then hit a long approach shot 30 feet uphill to a green which slopes steeply from back to front. Your second shot is coming in so low from 150 yards away (remember you're also waaaaay below the level of the green) that's impossible to get the ball close if the pin is cut at the front.

If you manage to hold the green with your approach, you have to then dolly a putt down ensuring you leave it short, cause if your ball misses the hole with any pace on it whatsoever, you'll roll off back down the valley. I had a great card going when I played it (2 over) but took a 7 and scratched it.

Trampas

a hole in Clonmel on the back 9 across the hill. Very hard to stay on the fairway. Need to play it in the rough and hopefully trickles back onto the fairway,

Morrisseeee

There's a par 4 in Muskerry, all uphill, about a 45 degree angle all the way !!
There's the par 4 (10th I think) in Blarney, 150 degree dogleg !!
There's quite a few in Frankfield, all with fairways at 45 degrees...

PS. How many degrees is that altogether ? ho ho.

Blunder

I love that 13th hole in Strandhill! The 5th in Limerick county or 6th there as well. The 5th an uphill par 5 with probably 100+ height difference between where you are hitting your 2nd from and the green. THe 6th then is from the top of the hill back down roughly the same height. They cut the fairway down the hill now but I remember they usen't to and I always got caught half way up it with a nearly impossible stance. The OB is down the right 2 and from the tee its very much in play!

Imhof Tank

Its a good few years since I played it but "The Dell" at Lahinch (the 6th??) is strange.

Par 3 over a huge dune to a completely hidden green - they put a painted rock on top of the dune to give you a line to the pin.

A.Partridge

The par 4 12th at Doonbeg surely takes the prize for the Craziest Golf Hole in Ireland.

Why?

Because after your tee-shot, your approach iron is to a green with a whopping great bunker stuck right into the middle of the playing surface!

Forget the idea that anyone who hits the middle of a green should be rewarded with a nice two putt par. No, in this instance you can hit the approach pure and straight and still find your ball in a bunker when you arrive at the green. Mad or what?

Although, when I played it I managed to play to the flag side of the green and ended up with birdie, much to the chagrin of my playing partners who bogeyed.:D

Anyway, 12th at Doonbeg...one flew over the cuckoo's nest.

shanks8

18th Laytown/bettystown

Only played it once about 6 years ago but a par 5 and after 2 shots you cant see the green! Its behind a huge hill with a big pole to tell you where it is...or was i dreaming!

fullstop

madds wrote: »

Birdied that hole when I played there in July on a stag. 3 lads I was playing with all hit blind drivers off the tee whilst I hit a hybrid. While they were looking for their balls in the cabbage I hit a PW into 3 feet.

IMO there's a crazier hole on that course. It's after the hole above. It's a par 4 and you hit to a fairway that is running steeply uphill from right to left, then hit a long approach shot 30 feet uphill to a green which slopes steeply from back to front. Your second shot is coming in so low from 150 yards away (remember you're also waaaaay below the level of the green) that's impossible to get the ball close if the pin is cut at the front.If you manage to hold the green with your approach, you have to then dolly a putt down ensuring you leave it short, cause if your ball misses the hole with any pace on it whatsoever, you'll roll off back down the valley. I had a great card going when I played it (2 over) but took a 7 and scratched it.

That's the 16th isn't it? Only played the course once (earlier this year) and was -2 coming to that hole....double bogey and finished level

mccutchie

I agree with an earlier post, the 4th at limerick county, serious lung gasping climb to the green. Definetly knocked me for 6, and the steep downhill next

ThunderCat

i agree with one of the previous comments - the 8th at corballis is crazy. its links golf on heroin.

Sligored

fullstop wrote: »

That's the 16th isn't it? Only played the course once (earlier this year) and was -2 coming to that hole....double bogey and finished level

15th. The locals chase it up the hill at the green in true links fashion. If the flag is at the front of the green you have to be careful (normally captains and presidents day and connacht comps) but 90% of the time its not a hard putting hole.

JCDUB

I was going to mention that hole in Doonbeg mentioned above, but I haven't played it so didn't know the details, just heard the tales of woe from a few people.

There is a par 5 on the back nine at the European club which is a bit similar, a big kidney shaped green.
If you end up at the back of the green on one end of the kidney and the hole is cut at the other end of the kidney you either have to putt down the "spine" of the kidney leaving your ball maybe 20-40ft away, or else chip across the cabbage in between the two ends, although with the quality of greens on this course I thought it was blasphemous to chip off them.

slumped

http://www.athlonegolfclub.ie/hole13.htm

13th in Athlone - Blind drive over a huge mound - big hitters can almost take on the green if they go far enough left.

If you take the normal route you have feck all fairway to aim at.
S

rafared

I'd agree about the 18th in laytown/bettystown. Difficult drive with fairly long carry over waist deep cabbage only to be confronted with a long fairway with the road on the right and dunes on the left with absolutely no idea where the green is. If you take it on its a 200yds shot over dunes with the clubhouse windows directly behind it. The members play it driver, 7iron, 7rion but the third shot is totally blind. Anytime ive played it 2 or 3 people in our group have hit good 3rd shots and cant find the ball.:eek:

PhilipMarlowe

JCDUB wrote: »

There is a par 5 on the back nine at the European club which is a bit similar, a big kidney shaped green.
If you end up at the back of the green on one end of the kidney and the hole is cut at the other end of the kidney you either have to putt down the "spine" of the kidney leaving your ball maybe 20-40ft away, or else chip across the cabbage in between the two ends, although with the quality of greens on this course I thought it was blasphemous to chip off them.

There is a local rule there prohibiting chipping on the greens
You have to putt or else drop under penalty as far as I remember...

ShriekingSheet

JCDUB wrote: »

There is a par 5 on the back nine at the European club which is a bit similar, a big kidney shaped green.
If you end up at the back of the green on one end of the kidney and the hole is cut at the other end of the kidney you either have to putt down the "spine" of the kidney leaving your ball maybe 20-40ft away, or else chip across the cabbage in between the two ends, although with the quality of greens on this course I thought it was blasphemous to chip off them.

Yeah it's a joke.

And the rule that you can't chip is ridiculous also. I think the green shouldn't be that shape in the first place but if they're gonna do it, they should let people try and play the hole as best they can. Then of course the green will be damaged but it just brings it back to a poxy design idea IMO.


Personally I think the 12th in Clontarf is the craziest hole I'v ever played. I had a 4 on it in the Lord Mayor's. I hit a poor 4 iron off the tee, short and well left of the fairway with 170ish to go. Just picked a piece of hedge and hit the thing. Ended up 20 feet from the hole but could have just have easily been in someone's garden.

9 times out of 10 I think that "crazy" holes are just crap really...

SalthillGuy

The silliest hole I have seen is a par five on the nine hole Connemara Isles course.
firstly there is a nice par 3 on to an island.
Then a short par four on the island.
Next you have this crazy par five.
The tee shot is lay-up towards an estuary, then a middle iron over an estuary. Provided you still have the ball, it is then a short iron to an elevated green.
Whatever about men playing it, ladies would literally have to take the ball to within 10 yards of the estuary, then hope to get over it.
Silly, silly, silly.....

RoryW

shanks8 wrote: »

18th Laytown/bettystown

Only played it once about 6 years ago but a par 5 and after 2 shots you cant see the green! Its behind a huge hill with a big pole to tell you where it is...or was i dreaming!

Or you could hit a driver, 3 wood and then a single putt for eagle

gorfield

Has to be the dell in lahinch??? Its nuts. The stone means nothing!!! In the south last year i hit it straight over the stone and sniggered as my opponent pulled his a good 10yds left of the stone. My ball stuck up on the back hill,his was somehow 6ft away!!!!!!!!!!! I did get up and down for a half tho.......

Even the 4th in lahinch could be classed as crazy??

Boden08

SalthillGuy wrote: »

The silliest hole I have seen is a par five on the nine hole Connemara Isles course.
firstly there is a nice par 3 on to an island.
Then a short par four on the island.
Next you have this crazy par five.
The tee shot is lay-up towards an estuary, then a middle iron over an estuary. Provided you still have the ball, it is then a short iron to an elevated green.
Whatever about men playing it, ladies would literally have to take the ball to within 10 yards of the estuary, then hope to get over it.
Silly, silly, silly.....

Local rule allows ladies to drop across the far side. Great hole if you're in the right place as it's a real achievement to carry it!

Myksyk

gorfield wrote: »

Has to be the dell in lahinch??? Its nuts. The stone means nothing!!! In the south last year i hit it straight over the stone and sniggered as my opponent pulled his a good 10yds left of the stone. My ball stuck up on the back hill,his was somehow 6ft away!!!!!!!!!!!

I have to say I like the dell. It's just the right side of crazy!!

What ever about his shot which may have had a fortunate bounce, you might not have aimed at the stone had you read their website which gives a shotsaver and says of the 5th ....

As a general rule, due to an optical illusion, the white stone marking the pin location is ‘off’ by 5-10 yards to the left of the actual pin location

Kevinmarkham

The par four in Blarney is totally mad. I can't give you the hole number because they seem to change the layout all the time, but it's been mentioned above - as the 150 degree hole. You can play it the normal way, with a driver, up onto the fairway. Or you can turn to 3 o'clock (ie 90 degrees right) and hit a four iron almost onto the green - if only you could see the green.
The 18th at Leinster Hills is very similar but you can see the green, clear as day. Turn to 3 o'clock, drive over the 17th green and you'll be putting for an eagle on a 400+ yard hole.
As for the Dell hole at Lahinch - the blind par three - at least they give you a stone to aim at. At Skibbereen you haven't a clue on the par three 2nd, as the flat fairway ends and the green is tucked underneath, out of sight completely.

thegen

Dont know a lot of the holes mentioned.

But have to agree with the 12th in Coolatin, upturned saucer and the 16th there also sPrings to mind a short par 4 with a tree in the middle od the fairway
A rescue club is long enough to reach it.

Some good holes have been ruined IMO, such as 18th in Arklow with the bunker with an island in it. Surely a bunker would have been enough?

soundsham

the 10th in blarney is daft

would be a great par 3

its also a winner in the most dangerous category.....fckn deadly almost as dangerous as half of kanturks first few holes, should be played with hard hat on:D

steelbar

What about the 12th in The European Club, there is a 100+ yard green.

The distance markers are totally useless, you can be 100 yards to the middle of the green but only 50 yards to the pin!

Nuri Sahin

f22 wrote: »

8th in Corballis. 245 yard dogleg par 4. You can go straight for the green with a long iron with the risk of beheading someone on the green.

:pac:

Have to say the holes 12 - 16 at Corbaillis were extremely mental. The 8th isn't half as bad as that stretch of holes. Remember the ball bouncing a yard or two over my head walking down 12.

Actually I'll put 17 down as well, I play off 1 and have never hit that green in 8 or so attempts

Think the layout is changed now though.

A.Partridge wrote: »

The par 4 12th at Doonbeg surely takes the prize for the Craziest Golf Hole in Ireland.

Why?

Because after your tee-shot, your approach iron is to a green with a whopping great bunker stuck right into the middle of the playing surface!

Forget the idea that anyone who hits the middle of a green should be rewarded with a nice two putt par. No, in this instance you can hit the approach pure and straight and still find your ball in a bunker when you arrive at the green. Mad or what?

Although, when I played it I managed to play to the flag side of the green and ended up with birdie, much to the chagrin of my playing partners who bogeyed.:D

Anyway, 12th at Doonbeg...one flew over the cuckoo's nest.

Played it. Just copying the par 3 12th(?) hole at the Riveria GC in LA, held the Nissan Open for many years, now called the Northern Trust Open.

Machman

slumped wrote: »

http://www.athlonegolfclub.ie/hole13.htm

13th in Athlone - Blind drive over a huge mound - big hitters can almost take on the green if they go far enough left.

If you take the normal route you have feck all fairway to aim at.
S

The so-called signature hole.... :rolleyes: they usually employ a couple of teenagers on a Saturday for societies, who stand on top of the hill and flag you for a good shot or lost ball....actually, it's easier to take plenty of club and go for it.. bit of a gimmick hole.

Par72

Machman wrote: »

The so-called signature hole.... :rolleyes: they usually employ a couple of teenagers on a Saturday for societies, who stand on top of the hill and flag you for a good shot or lost ball....actually, it's easier to take plenty of club and go for it.. bit of a gimmick hole.

Yeah that hole is a joke, the one before it (12th) isn't much better either. The green is like glass with a major left-to-right slope. If you are left of the green you may say your prayers as any chip or lob that is not millimetre perfect will roll down off the green into a cavernous bunker where you will have a blind bunker shot back up onto the green. Mickey mouse golf at it's finest.

jimbling

Morrisseeee wrote: »

There's a par 4 in Muskerry, all uphill, about a 45 degree angle all the way !!
There's the par 4 (10th I think) in Blarney, 150 degree dogleg !!
There's quite a few in Frankfield, all with fairways at 45 degrees...

PS. How many degrees is that altogether ? ho ho.

I have absolutely no experience in golf courses... probably only played 7/8 different ones in my life. But 10th in Blarney is definitely the craziest I've come across.

Dylan69

I think this award goes to the 12th hole in Macreddin, although not crazy in that sense but very challenging. It's test of imagination before you tee off and there is only one question, "where do i play the ball"? :rolleyes:

It's a dogleg 90degree from left to right. fairway straight ahead , 220-240 to clear the stream in front and to the right side of the fairway,right all the way to hole.:mad:

Have a look at this! Fun hole but can be a card wrecker if you not careful! :mad:

http://www.macreddingolfclub.com/course/hole12.asp

SalthillGuy

soundsham wrote: »

the 10th in blarney is daft

would be a great par 3

its also a winner in the most dangerous category.....fckn deadly almost as dangerous as half of kanturks first few holes, should be played with hard hat on:D

I agree. I played it, or hacked it.
It was definitely designed at night, and a dark night at that.

mack flyer

the fourth in esker is a crazy hole...u have to hit a big drive to clear a hill and then its into a valley...green is tucked into another hill and its out of bounds from the back of the green...maybe its just me but I never liked it

Dolph Starbeam

The 1st at Baltinglass is a bit mad, striaght hole but up a huge huge huge hill... Well i'm from Offaly so any kind of hill i find a bit mad but the hill up to the green is unreal, you could roll the ball of the front of the green and i'd say it would roll for at least a hundred yards plus.

Also i think its the 16th at Goran Park, only a small par 3 but you play it over the race track iirc. I lost my match in the final of the provncial towns on that hole so not good memories of it lol

PhilipMarlowe

The 16 at Gowran Park is 193 metres (211 yards) off the blues so hardly a small par 3

holidayhere

I played it last week. It is the 5th at Connemara Isle in County Galway.
The 3rd is a lovely par 3 on to an island. On the island is a short par 4.
Then you have this crazy drive on the 5th, still on the island. Next you hit over the sea, then a short shot to the green, if you still have a ball left.
The shot over the sea is the crazy one.
Not being sexist, but I have no idea how the ladies play this hole. Short of dropping a ball at the edge of the ravine and having a few goes. Definitely designed in the dark.

Dublin Spur

Some very harsh criticisim on the European club here.

I think the greens on the 12th and 13th are great examples of unique/exciting course design.

The only area I would have a problem with is their rule that forbids chipping across the green on the 13th, that defeats the puropse of the design. But you see, it's not the design or the hole that's at fault, just the local rule.

The European Club is a top class course and the greens mentioned add to the experience. It's a shame that some players don't get what the designers were trying to acheive on these holes.

Still each to their own I suppose.

Par72

One major criticism I would have of the European is the wooden faces in the bunkers. I think these are highly dangerous, if you thinned a bunker shot into the face of the bunker it could rebound at speed and do you or someone else a serious injury.

holidayhere

Dublin Spur wrote: »

Some very harsh criticisim on the European club here.

The European Club is a top class course and the greens mentioned add to the experience. It's a shame that some players don't get what the designers were trying to acheive on these holes.

I agree. The European Club is tops. Bunkers a bit dodgy, but overall a great job.

stockdam

Kevin will probably know these two.

The first at Gracehill.

It looks easy enough with a big wide fairway. However the green is "framed" with tall trees and unless you are looking straight down the green then it's usually best to chip sideways into the middle of the fairway. If you clip the trees then it's a lost ball as there is a lot of trouble short of the green (river and deep rough).


The next one is at Kilkeel. I'm not sure what hole it is but maybe the 7th.

It's a sharp dogleg left but the tee shot is lined with tall trees. You can't do anything else except hit a 7 iron or so to the elbow. From there is maybe a 4 iron to the green. It seems silly to hit a dunt for the first shot.

The same thing applies at Moyolla and at Dunmurry (15th). I hate par 4 holes where there's no option but to take a short iron for the tee shot leaving a long iron or a wood to the green.

Mister Sifter

The European Club always struck me as being a good player's course... maybe higher handicappers just don't get it?