Course reviews

Tomhoganie

Having read the top 100 course guides in recent golf publications and having a lot of spare time on my hands....:):):):) I was thinking of doing a course review blog.I have already reviewed one course so ill put it below. If anyone thinks it is any use and worth a read ill send you the link. just want to see if anyone thinks its worth reading.......

Wicklow Golf Club


As this was the most recent course I played, I think I will probably have a favourable view of it due to my score, but all in all Wicklow Golf Club is an amazing course.

On the day I played, we arrived and there was a members competition, with members being very friendly in and around the club grounds - even a bit of course advice for a first-timer and that added to the welcoming feel we got in the pro shop!!!

To describe the scenery alone would take a full page, needless to say with the backdrop of the Wicklow Mountains, with most of the holes skirting the beautiful coastline of the Irish Sea - the views are almost worth the green fees alone.

We started on the 5th , a straight 296 yard par 4 - which with the right kind of run, can have you on the green putting for an eagle!!!

The course has so much undulation and as the old saying goes, all the putts break towards the sea - which is easier read than actually done.

As it is quite hilly it is an energetic place to play a round, but when you come across holes like the 1st,2nd and 17th you immediately get the wind in your sails and keep on motoring.

Having played 17 before 1 and 2, a beaut of a par 3 with water in front and gorse on all sides-it truly is a test of your iron play - Short and you are wet,long or left and you are lost in the woods. it plays a little longer than it looks and a par is a nice reward.

The first is a long par 5 and in hindsight I was glad my round was where it was when we came to play it. I can imagine that this hole could ruin peoples days before they get going. Trouble on the left and some seriously undulating fairway with patches of rough scattered, means accuracy is key off the tee and 2nd shot selection is crucial. A wonderful opening hole. The backdrop is breathtaking and adds to the amazing feel you get off the course as soon as you arrive.

2 is a beautiful hole, anything left and your telescopic ball grabber will need a hundred foot extension pole and some binoculars to find it in the sea. A green protected on the right and slopes down towards the sea, but definately birdie chance if your straight off the tee!!!

After the round, we enjoyed some nice clubhouse food and the staff were very friendly, and not too pricey either.

All in All, a tasking course, beautiful scenery, nice staff and members and a great day out.

Mr. Larson

You're so right about the 1st. It's hard not to be bricking it facing this opening tee shot on a Major/Monthly Medal.

O.B. all the way down the left, lateral water hazard if you're too far right about 240 yards down there. Need to carry about 240ish if you're to get over the valleys - otherwise you could be playing an 8iron for your second.

Tomhoganie

so what you think jabberwocky, was a a decent review???

Mr. Larson

Good review yes. I'm glad you enjoyed your experience there. As a matter of interest, which tees did you play from?

I assume the green tees or mats? I'm a little surprised you didn't comment on how short the course is. It's a very short golf course so it's challenging in more traditional ways as a result. Although it's a good test off the blue tees, your average 15 handicap golfer with a little course knowledge could be able to go around in less than 80 from the forward tees on a good day...

The 6th hole when played off the blue tees is one of the toughest driving holes with a 200 yard carry to the fairway over cliffs and the Irish Sea. Often played into the teeth of a gale this can be a seriously daunting hole.

All Par 5's are reachable though, with the exception of maybe the 14th unless you have some wind behind, many drivable Par 4's, many more are merely a drive and Wedge but there is trouble everywhere, on every hole so you need to be accurate and really box clever.

Tomhoganie

yeah i played off the greens - drove the 5th green and left only a foot for birdie so a great start to the day. Was short but thought it was a serious thinking mans course - not easy to navigate distances with so much undulation and a really nice place to play golf.

So in terms of the review - I am setting up a course review blog - how would you rate it?? Bear in mind i am a 21 handicapper and doing it for guys in the 15-21 bracket.. love to write about my experiences, just wonder if its worth the read for guys on here or am I wasting my time....

Mr. Larson

Kevin Markhams' book/blog 'Hooked' is my bible so you've got some serious competition there... unless you're trying to achieve something different?

ThunderCat

I think its a good idea and the best of luck with it.

All the time on this forum you see posts saying for example "Playing Druids Glen tomorrow and looking for some advice" so if you can provide a blog where people can have a detailed look at a course they are planning to play and get a feel for what to expect then you have provided a valuable service. All too often golf course websites glorify their own course regardless of whats its like so an honest assesment from an everyday golfer is always welcome. It will take time to build up a proper portfolio of courses but even with just the one course covered so far, many people will not have played that course yet and may decide to turn to your blog to get a look at it. Dont forget to keep your assesment as honest as possible though - very important. If a course isnt up to scratch, say so.

Most of the lads on this site, myself included, will have the Kevin Markham book - Hooked, which is along the same lines as what you plan to do. Kevin has played all the 18 hole courses in Ireland so its a complete list that he has but the benefit of creating a blog is that you are not limited to just one page per course as Kevin is in his book and of course you can include photos, course cards etc. Once again, good luck with it and dont forget to take plenty of photos to include on the blog. Kevin also has a blog by the way so maybe check that out for ideas of how to do it, but even though he has done all this himself his opinion is exactly that and another persons opinion of a course will give the reader a better idea as to what a course is like.

Tomhoganie

thanks thundercat - i do appreciate your comments..... I am probably going to start small - but I reckon I want to, between now and end of next year, build up quite a portfolio - I am doing this while trying to improve my game and will probably have a few notes on my own performance included - I am currently playing off 21 and want to get down to the mid-teens.

I have only stumbled across Kevins blog and book recently and agree its very good, but as you say personal opinion goes a long way. hopefully i can steer people in the right direction with my reviews.

Anyway - I will do up some for other courses I have played recently and put them in here. Hopefully people will find it helpful.....

Do like the idea of a course card included actually - Im going to add that to the wicklow post immediately....

Thanks again.

hades

Tom, a bit of advice from me...


I run a pretty successful video game news/review website/blog..... as you know there are litterally thousands upon thousands of these sites out there, but i kind of carved out my niche. At the start i barely had 200 hits a month, but now (around 15 months on) i'm easily getting between 30,000 and 50,000 a month. My reason for doing it is, i love it, plan and simple. Everything else is a bonus.

You're thinking of running a site..... of course there's other sites out there doing something similar, but who cares? Do it anyway, people love to hear a personal story/journey. And if you pour your heart into it, you will succeed, guaranteed. There will be a lot of ups and downs, and times when you won't want to write, but the end result is very satisfying.

I was tempted to chart my own story as i try to get back into the game, describing my lessons and experiences out on the course, but when the gaming season kicked off, i'm left with very little time.

Go for it... enjoy it..... and best of luck.

Basic bit of advice, check out wordpress.

Tomhoganie

hades,

Ive started out on blogspot.com - is wordpress a better site?

hades

Wordpress is better IMO, and when you get to move away from it and start your own site, you can use the free wordpress software on your hosting package.

Using both are very similar, but in my experience there's far more support, fancy plug ins and free theme's for wordpress.

But blogspot is good for getting used to writing, editing and generally feeling your way into the wonderful world of websites

Tomhoganie

the first 4 course reviews will be live this evening - I dont know if I am allowed to post the address to the blog?? if not and you fancy a read pm me.

couerdelion

Tomhoganie wrote: »

the first 4 course reviews will be live this evening - I dont know if I am allowed to post the address to the blog?? if not and you fancy a read pm me.

it's your own not for profit site so add in into your sig

Tomhoganie

Pay and Play Dublin - Part 1


I suppose I might be turning into a bit of a golfing toff - well not so much but I dont think I could start this blog up with talking about the lesser lights that I have enjoyed a round or 20 at since I started playing. That's right, I'm talking about the public courses in Dublin, namely ELM GREEN and GRANGE CASTLE.

I'll start where I, um, started. Playing golf as a new experience was daunting enough and "Granger" is where it started for me. The place still frustrates me though and probably I have been spoilt with some of the clubs I have visited but no proper clubhouse bar or even a decent after round snack is available. The guys who work the desk are very friendly though, and they always have an abundance of trolleys/buggies available. I hear they are discounting their prices now - about time if you ask me, it's a decent place but against it's more elite local competition it doesnt stand up.

Not to say that the course itself doesnt have it merits. When they introduced the new back 9(still growing nicely), they added some difficult holes, including 12, which is a long Par 5 and a tricky approach to a raised green. I personally have a couple of favourites out there, although to be quite honest, having played some nicer courses of late - they pale in comparison.

The holes I speak of would be the 4th - a dogleg left over water to a bunker protected green, the 9th - a straightforward hole, a good score here can really set you up for a run at the back nine. And my favourite hole for the get out of jail card is 18. A short par 5, reachable in 2 and a definite birdie chance to finish your day on a high.

Speaking frankly about the place now, I would only recommend it for an extremely casual game as it is easy to get to and also easy enough to get a tee time. Apart from that I don't think it will be up any half travelled golfer's street as not many of the holes jump out and say - come back and try again.....

heavyballs

Tomhoganie wrote: »

but all in all Wicklow Golf Club is an amazing course.

content of review is generally good but come on,it's not an amazing course or anything near it

Tomhoganie

heavyballs, as a previous poster said, its about opinions - im only starting out in the golfing arena properly and imo i think Wicklow is great - not just for the course and its challenges, but for the breathtaking views - the friendliness of the staff and members and the general atmosphere about the place. As I said if anyone has anything to add, leave a comment on my blog, address is in my signature....

heavyballs

Tomhoganie wrote: »

heavyballs, as a previous poster said, its about opinions - im only starting out in the golfing arena properly and imo i think Wicklow is great - not just for the course and its challenges, but for the breathtaking views - the friendliness of the staff and members and the general atmosphere about the place. As I said if anyone has anything to add, leave a comment on my blog, address is in my signature....

i'm not having a go but my point is this,you called Wicklow an 'amazing' course,my opinion is that's just way off the mark tbh
i suppose if you're new to golf and havn't played many courses doing a decent review is tough as you've nothing really to compare it to
jesus if you play the European club for eg you'll probably need a trouser change:D because compared to Wicklow it's in a totally different class

if you're thinking of doing reviews for all Wicklow courses for eg surely it would make more sense to play them all first,just my opinion

Mr. Larson

Heavyballs - I'm in no way suggesting that as a course, Wicklow is in the same league as the European but in terms of, as he put it, "friendliness of the staff and members and the general atmosphere about the place" it wipes the floor with it.

Now granted he did say it's an amazing course, but I think we can read between the lines and realise he is blogging about the overall experience he had... and he happened to have a pretty amazing one at Wicklow. That's the point he's making.

Your suggestion about playing them all is fair enough - but it's a blog so it's going to be something done regularly over a period of time as opposed to delivering a fait accompli having been around everywhere.

jackal

Good reviews, keep it up, its good to see some decent length reviews of courses. I have kevins book, and its great, but because it covers so many courses there is not enough depth in it compared to reviews of selected courses.

By the way, leaving out corballis from the dublin pay'n'play courses, you have to play it!

derra

heavyballs wrote: »

jesus if you play the European club for eg you'll probably need a trouser change:D

Anyone know how much it is to play in the opens there on a Tuesday?

heavyballs

derra wrote: »

heavyballs wrote: »

jesus if you play the European club for eg you'll probably need a trouser change:D

Anyone know how much it is to play in the opens there on a Tuesday?

i think you're on about the alliance
think it's around €60,but there might be a reg fee also

someone here will know,thinking of headin down myself,will wait for good weather,actually playing it anytime when the wind isn't blowing strong is a must
have seen some mad scores like 30 pts winning down there

Kevinmarkham

Good luck Tomhoganie,
The more reviews out there the better as far as I'm concerned. It's a subjective business and we all have our own views of what's important and what makes it a great day out. Good luck with yours. I tried to concentrate on the course (and occasionally the clubhouse) because things like food and staff/member friendliness can vary depending on who you encounter on the day.

As Heavyballs pointed out - don't be over enthusiastic about a course until you have a good number under your belt and you see how it compares with others - the problem is it leaves you with nowhere to go.

Try to have a formula that you follow that gives a consistency to the review, and then add in any one (or more) of a number of different elements that particularly jumped out at you.

Best of luck and hope you get that handicap down.

derra

heavyballs wrote: »

i think you're on about the alliance
think it's around €60,but there might be a reg fee also

someone here will know,thinking of headin down myself,will wait for good weather,actually playing it anytime when the wind isn't blowing strong is a must
have seen some mad scores like 30 pts winning down there

What the funk is that all about !?
Yeah, would'nt mind playing it sometime.

Playing Glen of the Downs tomorrow, well i hope so anyway if the course ain't frozen !

heavyballs

derra wrote: »

What the funk is that all about !?
Yeah, would'nt mind playing it sometime.

Playing Glen of the Downs tomorrow, well i hope so anyway if the course ain't frozen !

can you not read?,
he asked about an open in the european club on Wednesday's,they call it the alliance,most know that,wakey wakey

derra

heavyballs wrote: »

can you not read?,
he asked about an open in the european club on Wednesday's,they call it the alliance,most know that,wakey wakey

wakey,wakey, i asked

heavyballs

derra wrote: »

wakey,wakey, i asked

...........................

heavyballs

heavyballs wrote: »

ok Derra you win now....................:mad:

h

Tomhoganie

Pay and Play Dublin Part 2


Having not yet experienced the well spoken of Corballis(I intend to play it in December) - I can't solidly claim that this is my favourite pay and play in the Dublin area - but between here and Grange Castle, I definitely prefer here.

Always quite easy to get a tee-time and well maintained - also the benefit of a decent putting green, short game area(quite small) and a driving range - especially if you are early for a round or look to do a bit of practice after a bad one(happens too often for me!!)

The course itself is hardly a tester - although there a few that have you thinking off the tee - the first is short enough to get to with the right bounce but if your off the back its a tough little up and down.

Not much to report until the 9th - Index 1 par 4 - an extreme dogleg left par 4 that I have never reached in 2. Thought I had comfortably beaten the corner one day only to get around the corner and spend an age looking for "the ball that can't be found".

I do enjoy the 3 finishing holes, 16 a long par 5, 17 a well protected Par 3 where going through the green is not an option, and 18, a hole where the index(4) means it's straightforward nature can lead to a good finishing score.

All in all, Elm green is cheap and cheerful, the course is well looked after and the clubhouse does a mean breakfast to send you home satisfied, without denting your golfing budget majorly. It is never going to be anything better than it already is, buts it's location and facilities make it a nice little place to spend a few hours. I have no photos but take it from me- if you are on a budget I could think of a few worse ways to spend your money.

strokes1

Fine for pay and play! Cheap and cheerful! Dont ever think about joining- getting on the timesheet is a case of who you know- a complete click!!!

By far the best "pay and play" in Dublin has to be Swords Open!

Tomhoganie

Thanks Strokes - I am going to get out to Swords soon enough - I hope the weather allows at least 1 round pre-Christmas!!! Not saying Elm Green is the best pay and play in Dublin - just saying that between it and Grange Castle I prefer Elm Green....

Tomhoganie

My golfing horizons are being broadened on a regular basis thanks to one of my regular golfing pals, Christy. His love for the game means that by a Tuesday morning the tee has been booked and in a place where the weather is going to be favourable(ish). He has gotten it right a lot this Autumn but Rathcore was a bit of an exception.


A late start due to frost meant the society in front of us had everyone backed up - so a tee-off on the 10th was in order. As it was quite frosty there was a lot of hold up on the greens and fairways but they were well maintained for this time of year.


As the frost lifted the course became more enjoyable and as usual I will include 3 favourite holes - these are not always the most difficult - sometimes I like a hole if I find it easy to score on based on its Index - especially if its a 1 or a 2 and I've scored well!!!


Playing the back 9 first and 15 was tricky - if your like me and partial to the odd slice, you will be wet on the dryest day of summer.


Coming back around the turn and playing the 3rd - a tight dogleg left. My playing partners all took wood / metal and found OB - I took a 5 iron and just hit to the corner. Advice here - unless you have the most accurate right to left drive, take the iron out and await a longer apporach shot.


A nice way to finish with a water guarded par 3 9th - and a birdie to finish my day.


Didn't sample the clubhouse so can't comment on it - although the Proshop was not well stocked so make sure you have everything you need before you get there.


Once again, an inexpensive course with a decent set-up. If you are in the area I am sure there are plenty of more mature courses but this one wasnt too bad. Not great but not bad at all.......

jackal

Tomhoganie wrote: »

Pay and Play Dublin Part 2


.....

All in all, Elm green is cheap and cheerful, the course is well looked after and the clubhouse does a mean breakfast to send you home satisfied, without denting your golfing budget majorly. It is never going to be anything better than it already is, buts it's location and facilities make it a nice little place to spend a few hours. I have no photos but take it from me- if you are on a budget I could think of a few worse ways to spend your money.

I found elm green to be a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand it exceeded my expectations: Condition of the course, trickyness of it. On the other it was dissapointing: Short, very rigid with price.

I did not find Elm green to be as easy or as bad a course as everyone here would lead you to beleive. Sure, if you can hit the ball straight you are grand, but its quite tight and tree lined on a lot of holes.

I personally prefer Grange Castle as it has a bit more variety/water features/length in it, and they have the 7 hole course if you really really want to get out but the course is booked solid.

Still corballis beats them both for Pay'N'Play drama and value in my book.

tang1

Tomhoganie, you played Rathcore at the wrong time of year, its a much better course in some dry, bright weather. Good review tho.

heavyballs

tang1 wrote: »

Tomhoganie, you played Rathcore at the wrong time of year, its a much better course in some dry, bright weather. Good review tho.

yeah all the other courses are much better in the middle of poxy winter:rolleyes:

tang1

Was wonderin when Scrooge would add his 2 cents worth!! Just love the constructive critisicm.....

heavyballs

tang1 wrote: »

Was wonderin when Scrooge would add his 2 cents worth!! Just love the constructive critisicm.....

if you've a problem with my post feel free to use the report option and an infraction or ban will be handed out if deserved

tang1

Not worth the effort to be honest. Keep coming with the negative comments, we ALL love them.

d2ww

Elm Green-
"All in all, Elm green is cheap and cheerful, the course is well looked after and the clubhouse does a mean breakfast to send you home satisfied, without denting your golfing budget majorly".
Rathcore-
" Not great but not bad at all"
Sorry Tom but this is just nuts. To someone who hasn't played either, you are giving the impression that these courses are much the same, and if anything Rathcore is the inferior course!!
To HB, overuse of the :rolleyes: smilie may lead people to the mistaken impression that you're an arrogant smart-arse.

heavyballs

d2ww wrote: »

To HB, overuse of the :rolleyes: smilie may lead people to the mistaken impression that you're an arrogant smart-arse.

ok,what do you define as 'overuse'?;)

Tomhoganie

d2ww wrote: »

Elm Green-
"All in all, Elm green is cheap and cheerful, the course is well looked after and the clubhouse does a mean breakfast to send you home satisfied, without denting your golfing budget majorly".
Rathcore-
" Not great but not bad at all"
Sorry Tom but this is just nuts. To someone who hasn't played either, you are giving the impression that these courses are much the same, and if anything Rathcore is the inferior course!!
To HB, overuse of the :rolleyes: smilie may lead people to the mistaken impression that you're an arrogant smart-arse.

Suppose D2WW I am only hoping the reviews stand alone - I am not trying to compare courses(apart from the dublin pay and play against each other) - and only hope that my blog - when it is more full - will give people the opportunity to search for the course they are about to play and see what kind of experience I had.

Kevinmarkham

d2ww wrote: »

... if anything Rathcore is the inferior course!!

Rathcore is inferior to Elm Green?? That's the daftest comment I've seen in a long time. Give us an idea why you think that d2ww

Adiaga 2

Kevinmarkham wrote: »

Rathcore is inferior to Elm Green?? That's the daftest comment I've seen in a long time. Give us an idea why you think that d2ww

I think d2ww was surprised that Tom seemed to be giving the impression that Rathcore was inferior to Elm Green.

Tomhoganie

Adiaga 2 wrote: »

I think d2ww was surprised that Tom seemed to be giving the impression that Rathcore was inferior to Elm Green.

didnt mean to give that impression - i suppose on here it looks that way but my blog has all separate entries - I havent played nearly enough courses to start comparing them(aside from grange castle and elm green - but that is only because they are both public courses where I played a lot starting out) so please just try and take each review on their individual merits.....

Adiaga 2

No worries Tom. I was more commenting on d2ww's post and the point he was making rather than agreeing or disagreeing. Keep the reviews coming. Good to read along with Kevin's.

Tomhoganie

thanks adiaga - my bro-in law owns a web design company and is going to help turn my blog into a fully fledged website so I am going to have a section following my progress and also a course review section - i hope to have it up and running early in the new year!