Irish Open (SPECTATORS)

FixdePitchmark

Couldn't go up due to a family holiday.

For Boards lads who went -
What has the whole experience up North for the Irish open been like ?

Course ?
Golf ?
Weather ?
Atmosphere ?
etc.

Would you like the Irish Open to be there again ?

jpbdrogheda

Was up there yesterday. Great days and beautiful spot. Here are my ratings;

Course - 10/10 Couldnt fault it. In beautiful nick. Only con would be that the rough needs to be tougher if they are to get the Open.

Golf - 7/10 Driving and tee shots - considering small landing areas the players had no problems finding them. in and around the greens - this is where you see the diff between pros and average golfer. high percentage of getting down in 2 from. Putting the same. Approach shots - i was surprised that so many were leaving their approaches short of the pins.

Weather 6/10 - we had a mixed day. starter off fantastic. then got some showers and picked up again in the evening. Its a fabulous spot when the weather was good.

Atmosphere 9/10 - was really surprised with the amount of support for Harrington compared to the local lads. Was on a par if not even better for Harrington. Was tough following GMac and Harry's group though and my best advice is to watch them on one hole and then skip forward 4 holes.

Organisation 8/10 - top notch!! from the park and ride facilities to the tented village. Bit of a lack of scoreboards around the course. Only place i felt the organising could have been a bit better was at the side of the 18th green when GMacs group was coming through. Definitely got a bit dangerous. Call me a knocker but i feel that this was due to the right hand side of the fairway/green being closed off for the VIP hospitality area. SOmething i think they will need to review if they are given the Open.

But all in all it was a great day and very well organised and would love to see the Irish Open going back to it again next year along with the Open in 2016.

fullstop

jpbdrogheda wrote: »

But all in all it was a great day and very well organised and would love to see the Irish Open going back to it again next year along with the Open in 2016.

Well you won't see the Irish Open back there next year anyway.

Seves Three Iron

Up there yesterday, Friday.

Course?
Having listened to the Sky Sports hoopla on Thursday about the course (claims that it was best in GB&I from one commentator) I was looking forward to getting there on Friday and checking it out. Not a huge links fan so was hoping to be won over. But, in all honesty, I could take it or leave it. Prefer Baltray, L&B even, but each to his own.

Golf?
Never get tired of standing behind a teebox at a pro event (the par-5 second) and listening to the impact and watching the flight of the ball. That for me is the beauty of attending an event - watching relatively great players smack drives and seeing the purity of the strike. That's the one thing you'll never get from the TV. Followed Harri and big guys for a while but too much of a pain in the ass. Got best crack from following other Irish guys who nobody was bothered with like David Higgins, McGinley for a while, Dunbar and former Black Bush men Mark Staunton and John Kelly.

Weather?
Not great. I don't mind the wind and rain but when the brolleys go up it's a disaster. They should be banned from golf tournaments - rain gear only. Spent ages getting into many great positions (like watching McIlroy and Bradly on the 9th tee) only for some goon to stand beside me and throw his brolley open, ruining the whole thing.

Atmosphere?
Didn't go near the tented village and all that but it looked lively. Plenty of people necking pints in front of the big screen (why go to a tournament to do this??!!!) Seen a few of the players mingling with the crowd too which was nice.

Would you like the Irish Open to be there again?
No. Too far away. Now if there was to be a 'Northern Ireland Open' it would be a fine choice. Such a hotbed of golf probably deserves such a tournament.

redhill

Seves Three Iron wrote: »

Up there yesterday, Friday.

Course?
Having listened to the Sky Sports hoopla on Thursday about the course (claims that it was best in GB&I from one commentator) I was looking forward to getting there on Friday and checking it out. Not a huge links fan so was hoping to be won over. But, in all honesty, I could take it or leave it. Prefer Baltray, L&B even, but each to his

everyone has their own preferences but the course ranks in the top echelons of a variety of reviews be they Uk, Irish or worldwide,they can't hall have it wrong
Baltray is a fine links too but Laytown & bettystown, UR having a laugh.

Today's was the worst weather of the week IMO, wind was up a bit& with the rain etc the course showed a bit of teeth , atmosphere has been fantastic all week at the course & in the town at nite etc, the crowd are all pulling for a POD victory tomorrow...
One of the things which has impressed me is the transport, we've got home to Portstewart 10-12 mins after leaving course, I've been to Irish opens at Portmarnock, Killarney, Mt Juliet, Carton, Co Louth , ryl Dublin and this has been the best so far, most reports of the park n ride have been v. good. I remember this bring one of the moot points (along with accommodation ) about the Open coming here

themandan6611

Seves Three Iron wrote: »

Up there yesterday, Friday.

Course?
Having listened to the Sky Sports hoopla on Thursday about the course (claims that it was best in GB&I from one commentator) I was looking forward to getting there on Friday and checking it out. Not a huge links fan so was hoping to be won over. But, in all honesty, I could take it or leave it. Prefer Baltray, L&B even, but each to his own.

Golf?
Never get tired of standing behind a teebox at a pro event (the par-5 second) and listening to the impact and watching the flight of the ball. That for me is the beauty of attending an event - watching relatively great players smack drives and seeing the purity of the strike. That's the one thing you'll never get from the TV. Followed Harri and big guys for a while but too much of a pain in the ass. Got best crack from following other Irish guys who nobody was bothered with like David Higgins, McGinley for a while, Dunbar and former Black Bush men Mark Staunton and John Kelly.

Weather?
Not great. I don't mind the wind and rain but when the brolleys go up it's a disaster. They should be banned from golf tournaments - rain gear only. Spent ages getting into many great positions (like watching McIlroy and Bradly on the 9th tee) only for some goon to stand beside me and throw his brolley open, ruining the whole thing.

Atmosphere?
Didn't go near the tented village and all that but it looked lively. Plenty of people necking pints in front of the big screen (why go to a tournament to do this??!!!) Seen a few of the players mingling with the crowd too which was nice.

Would you like the Irish Open to be there again?
No. Too far away. Now if there was to be a 'Northern Ireland Open' it would be a fine choice. Such a hotbed of golf probably deserves such a tournament.

christ thats a depressing post

Smurf1971

Was there on Thursday

Course. Superb and in great nick. However, I dont think it is long enough to hold the Open at it, nor is it a stiff enough challenge.

Golf. We alternated between behind the tee box on the 12th, the fairways on the 4th and 9th, and the 17th green so seen a great variety of shots. Harrington impressed me the most, so much so that when I went home I put £20 on him to win The Open. Best shot I seen all day was Coetzee's shot out of the rough on the 4th which landed on the green. 1st ever tournament I attended and seeing how the pro's hit the tee shot, and the noise when they connect with their second shot is incredible.

Weather. That was the day of the thunder which stopped play for over an hour. Besides that it was fine and the evening's weather was glorious.

Atmosphere. Superb and very respectful to all of the golfers. Every single Irish player, north and south were well supported. Didnt go near the tented village but heard that the players were mingling with the public throughout.

Would you like the Irish Open to be there again? Definitely. Organisation on the course was superb and the Park and Ride was excellent. When we left the course on Thurs evening, I was at my car in the Portstewart Park and Ride within 10 mins.

PGF

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Couldn't go up due to a family holiday.

For Boards lads who went -
What has the whole experience up North for the Irish open been like ?

Course ?
Golf ?
Weather ?
Atmosphere ?
etc.

Would you like the Irish Open to be there again ?

Course: Excellent. Possibly needs to be tightened up for the British Open.
Golf: Excellent. Tee shots into the wind on some of the long par 4s and 3s were superb.
Atmosphere: Excellent. Heard a few shouts of "get in the hole" on TV today but on the course yesterday the atmosphere was brilliant. Stewards were in good form. Some good banter with Rich Beem.

Weather: Brutal. Horrible. Couldn't believe how cold it was. Rained non-stop from half eight until half one. Nightmare.

Would be good to see the Irish Open there again in better conditions.

veetwin

PGF wrote: »

Atmosphere: Excellent. Heard a few shouts of "get in the hole" on TV today but on the course yesterday the atmosphere was brilliant. Stewards were in good form. Some good banter with Rich Beem.

Yeah heard one or two of those on TV also today. I really think if I was at the event and some gob****e beside me shouted that I would have a real problem keeping myself from battering the living daylights out of them!

Really good Irish Open but I reckon the R&A would want a much tougher test for the Open

thewobbler

Really good Irish Open but I reckon the R&A would want a much tougher test for the Open

It this was the case then St Andrews and Turnberry would never get an Open again.

I really don't understand how people can't separate the course from its conditioning.

JerryHandbag

jpbdrogheda wrote: »

But all in all it was a great day and very well organised and would love to see the Irish Open going back to it again next year along with the Open in 2016.

It wont get the Open til 2018 at the earliest, 2016 venue has already been announced as Troon

joebloggs123

The course was in great condition despite all the rain. Overall I thought it was a great event and the park and rides were brilliantly organised even to the extent where they made the buses turn around before dropping people off so that they weren't crossing the road.

One of the things I thought was poor was the crossing points for spectators. A lot of the time they had them positioned on places where players were laying up and then when they hit their approaches you couldnt cross as they were putting and by the time they had putted the next group were ready to hit.

Some of the marshals were terrible and hadnt a clue what they were supposed to do and others just seemed to make a point of blocking your view at tee boxes.
I also felt that the "tented village" was quite small for the number of spectators. The queues for toilets and burgers at lunch time was huge and also prices were quite expensive.

There was a large number of people with phones that they never put on silent. And some that were on silent, they never turned off the shutter noise when taking photos.

Apart from the above, I thought it was a very good tournament and would definitely attend the event if it was at portrush.

searay

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Couldn't go up due to a family holiday.

For Boards lads who went -
What has the whole experience up North for the Irish open been like ?

Course ?
Golf ?
Weather ?
Atmosphere ?
etc.

Would you like the Irish Open to be there again ?

Was there on Thursday.

Course : First time to see Portrush and I thought it was super. The layout makes great use of slopes and hollows and the greens would be a savage test if they had time to get the speed up.

It was only announced early in 2012 that the Irish Open was going to be held there and they did a great job considering. They take 5 plus years to plan "The Open" and build new teeboxes, move bunkers etc around to toughen up courses. They can also do a lot to improve it for spectators and I 'm sure the open is a real prospect.

The golf - Vey good field but if it could have been confirmed earlier I'd say they'd have good more top 50 players into the field as an open warm up.

Weather - Rain, followed by wind, followed by lightning and I ended up sunburnt. Even after the delay, the course held up really well.

Atmosphere - Very good.

Other - Park and ride was excellent. There wasn't much in the tented village and they probably should have had better spectator facilites such as stands, food and toilets out the course but they were probably overwhelmed by the numbers.

Would like to see the Irish open back there followed by The Open.

Hacker111

The course is far too easy and short for an Open..... they seem restricted with most tee boxes so not much hope of lengthening it.... wasn't that great in my opinion.... an Irish Open with easy scoring is about as far as it goes.....

Beaulieu

Went up there on Saturday:o:o -lashed all day until about 4pm ish.
Positives: Access & signage to the course were excellent. Park and Ride was very efficient & walk to the course from the Bus drop-off point was minimal.

The course -solely from a spectator point of view - was in good condition apart from some walkways which needed more bark mulch to absorb the water. Brollies should be banned -unreal the selfishness of some spectators...

The tented village was ok -2 bars -good:D.

The big negative for me was the lack of oncourse maps to let you see where each hole was and the lack of knowledge by the oncourse marshalls on the course layout. They should be given a rain proof laminated course map and all problems would be solved.;)

Enjoyed the day - as ever - it was my 22nd Irish Open and despite the weather was up there with the best of them in terms of course access & viewability.

Brodick

Beaulieu

Course maps were available. They cost £2 and detailed walkways and crossing points which were very helpful in finding your way round the course.

Generally

I thought it was very successful. The park and ride worked fantastically well - no delays at all and only cost £5 per car.

Concentrating on the financial aspect of attending the event, I thought it was very cheap. Entry was only £21 for me as an old codger. Portstewart was incredibly cheap to eat and drink in. Pints ranged from £2.50.

We played 2 great course on the way there, Cairndhu outside Larne and Moyola Park near Magherafelt. Both cost £25. (Thanks Kevin Markham for the tips in your book "Hooked".)

I thought the event was well organised apart from the exit between the 17th and 18th which was a bottleneck and a bit scary.

The attendance numbers confirm the success of the event and I hope it goes back ther soon. The British Open too!

Beaulieu

Brodick wrote: »

Beaulieu

Course maps were available. They cost £2 and detailed walkways and crossing points which were very helpful in finding your way round the course.

Yes Brodick but that's not what I'm talking about.

The £2 maps were on the back of the drawsheets which got soaked on a rain filled Saturday:( and so were useless by lunchtime.
To be fair most Irish Open draw sheets in previous years did not have maps on the back so credit to the Organisers for providing them this year. My suggestion refers to the need for signposts & permanent/fixed course maps especially on a links course which is trickier to navigate.

redhill

Hacker111 wrote: »

The course is far too easy and short for an Open..... they seem restricted with most tee boxes so not much hope of lengthening it.... wasn't that great in my opinion.... an Irish Open with easy scoring is about as far as it goes.....

Sorry Hacker, that post is so inaccurate it is laughable , firstly the course is not too short for an open, for example it is longer than this years open venue, Royal Lytham which for the Open this year will measure 7086 yards.

At the presentation event for the Pro-am on Wednesday, there was a lot of discussion about the course and possible lengthening for the Open Championship. There was a lot of teams from Invest NI, Failte Ireland , NI Tourist Board and a team of Past Captains of Royal Portrush. The captains mentioned that a number of iniatives are being looked at to lengthen the course if the Open was to come, these include
New tee boxes at 2nd & 3rd. Contrary to your assertions, there is a lot of land along right hand side at these holes, each could be lengthened by up to 50 yards. To accommodate the 2nd hole lengthening the 1st green may be moved slightly , and this they say will also enable the 11th hole to be lengthened by 30-40 yards, Calamity aside, they see the Par 3s as the weakest part of the course length wise.
On the back 9 new tees could be accommodated at the 15th, this is to toughen this hole to stop the longer hitters hitting over the steep downhill part of the fairway and nearly hitting the green. 
Finally at 17 a further back tee could be put in. This tee would be near(above) the 2nd green of the smaller Valley course,(which also may need to be moved) between it and the Practice Range. This would bring  17 to over 600 yards and make the Big Nellie bunker much more in play. 
These changes if desired can add a couple of hundred yards to the course .
As regards difficult , the course wasn't  set up as a difficult test, the first two cuts of rough were very low, and the fairways were left just as they were as if you and I were playing, which is quite wide by open championship standards. Also holes 9 and possibly 10 would be turned into par 4's, this alone would bring the winning score down a lot. it was set up with a winning score of around -15 in mind,  the winner Jamie Donaldson had the week of his life golf wise, a hole in one and he only had an average of 25 putts per round, i would like to see when any winner of a European tour event had an average less than than, actually never mind winner, any player having those stats, it only happens once or twice a year at most.
On top of this the course was very benign, the wind only got up on the one day (Saturday ) and the course was very soft. As witnessed by McIlroys freakish US Open score last season, when a course is that soft the scores get lower.

Other likely features also included the switching of the holes to have the 16th as the closing hole, apparently it lends itself better to the massive grandstands the Open Championship would require

Seves Three Iron

Excellent post. They'd obviously have to do something about more grand stands as well. Lack of them last week was a pity. Wasn't many places to actually sit down on the course.

An interesting thing also happened, at a couple of the tee boxes the marshals made a big deal about spectators not standing behind the teeing area and also about not leaning on the signage. That was on Friday. From TV coverage across the weekend everyone seemed to be at it. Anyhow, the marshals on the second said the players don't like people in their eyeline behind them and that's why they were insisting on it. Sounded like a crock of sh***. Probably more a ploy to keep the hoardings visible for TV cameras.