The Best Irish 18 Holes You've Never Heard Of

Kevinmarkham

OK, a bit of an over-statement - I'm sure you'll have heard of all/most of them so the question is how many have you played?

ssbob is mad keen on Mitchelstown's 4th (as am I) and after including it in his Top 5 Irish Holes it got me thinking about the great holes at courses that most golfers will never visit/play unless it's within a 20 minute drive.

Here are my nominees:
http://www.theirishgolfblog.com/2013/10/Ireland-Best-18-Golf-Holes.html

Would be interested to know if people who have played any of these courses would select a different 'best' hole.

m r c

On the 13th one Rossmore, while I wouldn't disagree that the 9th is a class hole the 1st par 5 stood out in my mind more, drive across the hill to a blind but straight in front of you fairway and a long down hill approach to the tiny looking green. It's a strong start to the course IMHO.

Ally McIntosh

Hi Kevin,

Well done for your continued highlighting of lesser known courses.... I have seen quite a few of these but one that I haven't and piqued my interest from your photo was Killin Park.... Worth a spin?

Ally

Kevinmarkham

Ally McIntosh wrote: »

Hi Kevin,

Well done for your continued highlighting of lesser known courses.... I have seen quite a few of these but one that I haven't and piqued my interest from your photo was Killin Park.... Worth a spin?

Ally

Ally,
Here's a link to some more photos: Killin Park

It's a wonderful landscape and lots of mature trees give it great character, but it's not high quality design or anything. Nor high quality maintenance... but it's a lot of fun

Ben1977

Abbeyleix 12th is a great hole. So many ways to play it. Trouble off the tee and trouble around the green.
What makes the a great hole for me it the approach.
Trees left and right, to protect the green. But it's not your everyday approach shot. Yardage books go out the window, it's a feel shot. Don't be above the pin!!!

Kevinmarkham

m r c wrote: »

On the 13th one Rossmore, while I wouldn't disagree that the 9th is a class hole the 1st par 5 stood out in my mind more, drive across the hill to a blind but straight in front of you fairway and a long down hill approach to the tiny looking green. It's a strong start to the course IMHO.

Yea, 1st is a very good hole too, as are 10 and 11 (as they are now since the re-routing).

FixdePitchmark

That Cloverhill looks amazing,

Have only played 2 of them and heard of about 1/2 of them.

I know it is a hard question to answer - and I always give it a punt , but Corballis is sort of unknown outside of North Dublin . But hey I don't know the other courses , so hard to know the standard.

Cool piece.

thewobbler

Nice list. A few nominations.

18th at Nuremore, 5th at Lisburn, 13th at Warrenpoint, 2nd at Tandragee.

The Premier Man

4th and 14th in clonmel worth a mention too.2 amazing tee shots especially 14.

slave1

11th in Moate, don't know why but I thinks it's a great hole.
14th in Esker Hills, great par 4, love the U shaped fairway with tough elevated green
3rd in Athone, massive improvement when redeveloped a few years back, get a good tee shot and still a tough long shot to elevated green
3rd in Dunmurry Springs, not sure if this is still the third as they've rerouted the course, dogs left with pond to contend with
16th in Tullamore, perfect dog leg left with stream in front of the green

Kevinmarkham

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

I know it is a hard question to answer - and I always give it a punt , but Corballis is sort of unknown outside of North Dublin . But hey I don't know the other courses , so hard to know the standard.

Actually, decided that Corballis was too well known, by comparison, but had 3rd and 4th holes on the list for a good while

thewobbler wrote: »

Nice list. A few nominations.

18th at Nuremore, 5th at Lisburn, 13th at Warrenpoint, 2nd at Tandragee.

As above, all of those were on the list. The 2nd at Tandragee is a peach.

The Premier Man wrote: »

4th and 14th in clonmel worth a mention too.2 amazing tee shots especially 14.

Have to confess, can't recall the 4th, but the 14th is a magical hole, including the walk to and from the green.

slave1 wrote: »

11th in Moate, don't know why but I thinks it's a great hole.
14th in Esker Hills, great par 4, love the U shaped fairway with tough elevated green
3rd in Athone, massive improvement when redeveloped a few years back, get a good tee shot and still a tough long shot to elevated green
3rd in Dunmurry Springs, not sure if this is still the third as they've rerouted the course, dogs left with pond to contend with
16th in Tullamore, perfect dog leg left with stream in front of the green

I had Moate's 7th on the list. How does it compare with the 11th? I'm getting old and can't remember all of the holes anymore. Used to remember all of them - not now.

Love Esker's 15th too, Athlone's 16th and Tullamore's 13th - but all of your picks are cracking holes too. And yes, it's still the 3rd at Dunmurry Springs.

Felexicon

Kevinmarkham wrote: »

Actually, decided that Corballis was too well known, by comparison, but had 3rd and 4th holes on the list for a good while

I almost had a hole in one on the 4th a few weeks ago.Hit the cup and back out.

The Par 3 6th in Corballis is one of my favourites. You can make birdie as easily as you can walk away with a 9. Although that's true of most holes on the course

Rikand

I've played more holes in the unknown 18 than the known 18

claremorris, oughterard and abbeyleix

a friend of mine has driven onto that green in abbeyleix, while people were still on it..... it was unintentional.

mighty magpie

thewobbler wrote: »

Nice list. A few nominations.

18th at Nuremore, 5th at Lisburn, 13th at Warrenpoint, 2nd at Tandragee.

One of my very few birdies I got at that course

PARlance

Was fully expecting you to squeeze a Mulranny hole in there Kevin (9th/18th).
Shame on you

Kevinmarkham

ajcurry123 wrote: »

Was fully expecting you to squeeze a Mulranny hole in there Kevin (9th/18th).
Shame on you

No nine-hole golf courses were harmed during the making of this movie.

I only know Cruit Island, Mulranny, Foxrock and Carrickmines. Agree that Mulranny is a fantastic little course - and what a venue. Both Mulranny and Cruit could easily have been on the list. Photos

Kevinmarkham

Rikand wrote: »

I've played more holes in the unknown 18 than the known 18

claremorris, oughterard and abbeyleix

a friend of mine has driven onto that green in abbeyleix, while people were still on it..... it was unintentional.

268 yards straight uphill - some drive!

ssbob

Good man Kevin, getting Mitchelstown in there.

Waterrock is really a hidden gem of Cork golf, it is a little short but anyone who is in the area should really pay it a visit, it is probably the friendliest course I have ever been to! The front 9 lures you into a false sense of security before the meandering back 9 with water on no less than 5 of the back 9 holes(including the mentioned 12th) can test the best of golfers!

http://waterrockgolfcourse.com/

blackwhite

Great shout on the 6th on Roundwood - not many holes in the country with view like that.
If I leave it too late to book my home course I often nip out to Roundwood on a Saturday morning - it's never that busy. Pity that it seems to be struggling as it has a few cracking holes on it (and a few weak ones as well - to be fair).

9th in Elmgreen (par 4 )- need to cut the dogleg over OOB to be within range of green. A fine hole that I'm sure many around Dublin have played at some stage or another, but is probably unknown outside the city.

11th in Seafield (par 3) - great little par 3 across the cliffs that lightens up an otherwise fairly average course.

11th in New Ross (par 3) - very steep downhill with the green sloping back to the tee - if you go long you've a massive pitch back up the hill.

8th in Ballinrobe (par 5) - a tough hole that some love and some hate! Practically impossible to reach in 2, with water in the fairway creating a great risk/reward on the 2nd shot. Laying up short of the water leaves a long enough 3rd shot, but if you carry the water in 2 then it's a short iron or wedge to the green.

Senna

I'll add the 2nd at Portsalon, a great 503yard par 4 hole, especially seen its early in the round. Elevated tee with OB all the way down the left and the right side of the hole is the 17th fairway that slopes away from the 2nd fairway, so playing safe can leave you a LONG way (and blind lay-up) from the green. A good drive (usually into the wind but elevated tee) will leave you 160-190yards over water 15yards short of the green. Its a risk and reward hole but a tough decision early in a round full of decision making holes.

Barnaboy

On my own course, Castlebarna, the 9th is a 115m par 3 (drive past it on the way in to the car park). OOB on the right and left, fairway is 10 yards wide at most all the way, stream behind the green, bunkers guarding the front. Big trees drooping over on the right. If you can hit the green it's an easy par, miss it and you could easily make double. Love the hole!

stockdam

Hole 3. Bangor 5th Par 4, 455 yards, Index 1....a rogue of a hole and the hardest on the course (holes 15 and 16 are not far behind). The 5th is long and requires an accurate tee shot to shave the corner. If you go too far right then you are looking at maybe a 6 or more. There is a nasty hedge short of the green which makes the 2nd shot look much shorter. The hedge also has a habit of grabbing balls and sending them down to Hades.

Hole 5. Kilkeel 6th Par 5, 487 yards, Index 8....this is a "short" par 5 but it's pretty hard. The tee shot needs to be accurate due to all of the tress. The 2nd shot is generally over a tall spindly tree on the corner of the dog leg that seems to grab any ball hit anyway near it. I'd rate the first as harder simply because I have no idea of how to play the tee shot. The fairway bends at right angles about 150 yards from the tee and the line for a driver is over tall trees. So not only do you need to carry them but you need to get the line correct otherwise you'll run out of fairway (and as the ball will be out of sight you'll probably loose the ball).

Hole 6. Ballycastle 6th Par 4, 310 yards, Index 15.........that's the hole with a "junkyard covered in grass" (or is that the 5th) just where your tee shot lands and which can throw your ball anywhere. I think the shortest hole on the course is harder - the 10th (The Chasm). Oh it's only about 110 yards but it is all uphill to a green that seems to be on a 45 degree hill and you can't see the bottom of the flag. On a clam day it can be a wedge but often it is into a gale and it can be a 5 iron or even more. Even if you hit the green you can putt of the end of it as the slope is so steep.


Hole 14. Dunfanaghy 10th Par 4, 284 metres, Index 16........I've only played it twice and don't really remember it that well. Dunfanaghy can be extremely windy and a short par 4 can be two woods to the green.

I would add the 1st hole at Scrabo as one that everybody should try and also the 4th at Clandeboye. In fact there are lots of difficult holes that many people haven't played. Maybe the 17th or 18th at St. Helens Bay? 9th at Carnalea, 1st at Gracehill, 18th at Knightsbrook, the 4th at Castlerock (OOB right of green is my favourite spot), the 4th at Galgorm Castle over the river...........great writeup Kevin.

Kevinmarkham

Senna wrote: »

I'll add the 2nd at Portsalon, a great 503yard par 4



Portsalon's 2nd made my Dream 18, so I didn't include it in this 'course' - it is an amazing.

PS. That's my photo you're using!

stockdam wrote: »

I would add the 1st hole at Scrabo

Great descriptions of the holes Stockdam, and great call on Clandeboye's 4th - a fabulous hole. As for Portsalon, I didn't include Scrabo as it made my main 18 holes.

stockdam

Clandeboye's 2nd on the Ava course is another great "unknown".

When the tee is at the back then it's a par 5 that has danger everywhere (apart from around the green). The tee shot has OOB left and missing right is almost as bad as the ball will almost certainly be lost in jungle. The fairway is only about 30 yards wide if you hit a layup for your tee shot and seems to be even narrower as the large trees in the OOB drape over the fairway; you cannot start the ball over the OOB as the trees are huge and run all along the hole right from the tee. The tee shot looks like you are hitting along a corridor (nor far wrong). If you slice the ball then you have no shot with the driver as you'll end up either OOB or lost right. If you lay up with anything less than a driver then you are left with a big decision. The OOB comes in sharply at the landing zone and the fairway slopes towards the OOB. The landing zone here is less than 20 yards. The jungle is still there on the right. If you lay up short again then you are left with a very long blind shot over the OOB. If you take on the 2nd shot then you have to be very accurate otherwise you'll either be OOB or probably lost.

Ok so you decide to be brave from the tee and hit driver. You'll need to be straight and committed to the shot. Your next shot is still quite hard as you have to fly the ball over the OOB and the medium sized trees that populate it. The first time you play the hole you'll probably hit a "safe" 2nd shot but if you hit a long one then there's a mound of gorse short right of the green that may hide your ball forever.

It's not a hole for the faint hearted. You need to be accurate from the tee no matter what shot you pick and you'll have to hit another stonking shot for your 2nd. The only disappointing part of the hole is that if you have hit two good shots then the shot to the green is quite simple. If the green was better protected then the hole would be up there with one of the hardest in the country.

So if you ever play Clandeboye then if you have time please play the Ava course as well. It's a short course and has a couple of disappointing holes but it does have a lot of holes that need to be thought about (the 4th, 6th, 7th, 16th are my favourites as you can play them different ways). I like holes that provide a challenge for the long hitters and the short hitters. A good hole should make you nervous pulling out your driver but also make you feel that if you lay up or play safe then you have a harder 2nd shot, so at some point you are hitting a risky shot.

Lovely picture of Portsalon Kevin.