Headfort (New) Course

Wichita Lineman

I'm paying a first visit to Headfort on Sunday to play the New course. I presume some of you have played it as it's been mentioned in previous dispatches.

Whats it like?

Kevinmarkham

In a word, Andy: Excellent. You'll do well to get away without putting a ball in the drink. There are no climbs to speak of so it's gentle from that point of view, but it doesn't need climbs to make it a challenge. The routing is excellent... apart from the 18th which is a tame finish after what's come before.

Enjoy, and stick some photos up - I imagine the colours on the course will be spectacular

slave1

Just the 11th lets it down, in real bother as its a short par 3 with immense shade, here's a shot of the fourth...

BigChap1759

Fantastic modern course - you are in for a real treat

mag

slave1 wrote: »

Just the 11th lets it down, in real bother as its a short par 3 with immense shade, here's a shot of the fourth...

whats wrong with the 11th? its a great hole

Arsenium

The 11th is a cracking hole but the green got some form of disease over the summer. It suffered from that but has recovered now. I was there only last week though and it is now on a temp green. Makes it a very different hole. The same is true for the 8th hole. Another fabulous hole that is quite different with the temp green. The 3rd is possibly on a temporary green also, I didnt play the front 9.

The temp greens have holes the size of buckets...so a birdie is a must :-)

slave1

Arsenium wrote: »

The temp greens have holes the size of buckets...so a birdie is a must :-)

Literally, they are wavin pipes!

spacecoyote

Yeah cracking course. Its more manageable from the society tees, go with the competition tees if you can.

I'd be amazed if you don't really enjoy your round. As Kevin said above there is plenty of water to negotiate

ForeRight

I played it last week. The course in general is fantastic and a tough trek with water in play an awful lot.

The only problem was that par 3 in question above was a tiny temp green off a mat tee box. The hole was only about 100yds instead of the normal green which is fantastic and a tough shot through a corridor off trees.

Also we were off society tee boxes and a few of them were in awful condition. Long grass and all very uneven compared to the proper tee boxes.


Don't let that worry you though as the place is still class.

I can't remember the hole but it's early on the back 9, you will see a bunker and water behind it on the left. You can clear the bunker with a drive no problem but hit an iron to lay up short of that bunker you will see.
The water cuts across the whole fairway and you can't see it right of the bunker.

It caught me out first time I played it and I'd imagine it catches a huge amount out.

ThunderCat

Arsenium wrote: »

The 11th is a cracking hole but the green got some form of disease over the summer. It suffered from that but has recovered now. I was there only last week though and it is now on a temp green. Makes it a very different hole. The same is true for the 8th hole. Another fabulous hole that is quite different with the temp green. The 3rd is possibly on a temporary green also, I didnt play the front 9.

The temp greens have holes the size of buckets...so a birdie is a must :-)

Speaking of the 8th - anyone else notice that they cut that overhanging tree limb that comes into play on the right hand side on the tee shot? It's a pity because with that there it forced you down the left and added that little bit more strategy to the hole. I think the hole is weaker becasue of it, and believe me, ive hit it a couple of times myself.

And as to the OP's original query - it's a hell of a course. My favourite parkland in the country.

Arsenium

I can't remember the hole but it's early on the back 9, you will see a bunker and water behind it on the left. You can clear the bunker with a drive no problem but hit an iron to lay up short of that bunker you will see.
The water cuts across the whole fairway and you can't see it right of the bunker.

It caught me out first time I played it and I'd imagine it catches a huge amount out.

Great advice. That sounds like the 9th hole.

ForeRight

Actually it is the 9th I recall now that you say it. It's after that long par 4 that you speak off with the tree in play if down the right.

whizbang

Well, Andy, did you get your game in today..?

Rained from the minute i arrived, But still took 20 points on the front (off 15)

Only 10th on temporary, I was told its permanent for the winter, but its awful -no grass left, worm casts, deer tracks!

There's new trees planted down the right side of the 8th fairway. Still usable for the slicers, but in a few years, everybody is going to wish they made the left side.

Wichita Lineman

Great course but it was a miserable day weather wise and also scoring wise for me. 21pts off 15. I lost 2 balls on the first hole, one in heavy leaves (or maybe plugged) on the right hand side from my drive and my provisional later ended up in the water behind the green after blading a ball out of the bunker. I never recovered from that really.

I was actually ok off the tee and only found water twice despite there being an abundance of the stuff but my putting was atrociously inconsistent, too hard one minute too soft the next. My best run of holes was from 12th to 16th where at least I got 2pts on each. I did manage pars on the 6th and 16th but that was about it. My playing partners had 29pts x 2 and 35pts so I was a long way off the pace in our fourball.

One little gripe is that for first time players a little diagram on the card or tee box would have helped a lot!!

I will definitely try to get back there next year and hopefully it will be a dry day :-)

Arsenium

Its unfortunate that it was such a bad day, and a a bad time of year to play the new course. On a fine summers morning it's spectacular and even if the golf is poor, the surroundings cheer you up. It's not an easy course and if you bring in a good score from it you definitely feel you've done well.

The score cards used to be a lot flashier than the ones in use at the moment. With a map of the course on it. The stroke saver is very good and available on the website, not much use though as you are out on the course :-)

Dargull

Heading down this weekend to play the old and new and was just wondering what kind of nick both courses are in.
Have they sorted out the issues with the 11th green and have the fairways been sanded? Last year we went down and the old course had been sanded pretty heavily. Kinda took away from our enjoyment a bit. Cheers.

Dr_Colossus

Never played the old so no comment but played the new three weeks ago and condition wasn't great. Here's a little piece a wrote on the condition at the time

"Perfect conditions weather wise and such a class course (although not in the best of condition) made for a great day out. Greens were really slow and looks like they hadn't been cut in a couple of days, they're still recovering from hollow tining which was over 3 weeks ago but areas of some greens were badly damaged with disease and others had bald/dead sections. Greens need a lot of TLC as in addition to above also had a lot of pitch marks.
In addition to the slow greens large areas of rough were covered in heavy grass clippings making slightly errant balls very difficult to find. It looks like the rough is let grow for a week or two and then cut down leaving all the grass behind. The 16th in particular looked very bad with grass everywhere and must be an absolute nightmare in the wet.
Great dinner in the clubhouse after and very reasonable, would be worth returning for the food alone but Headfort New is such a great layout it's a pity to see it let slide I in terms of conditioning."

At the time there was a notice up in the club house saying placing was in play on the old course fairways due to sanding so would hope they're recovered by now. Enjoy the rounds, the new really is a class layout but needs to be played from the white tees.

Arsenium

Played the old about a week or so ago and the greens had recovered well from the hollow coring. They were still a bit hairy but I imagine that was in an effort to allow them recover. By now they should be in great nick. Fairways were great and very firm.

I havent played the new in months at this stage but I might try to get over and play it in the next few days..after I buy a bag of balls

Kevinmarkham

hoping to play both of them next week or week after. it will be interesting to see what it is like after dr colossus' comments

dan_ep82

Arsenium wrote: »

Played the old about a week or so ago and the greens had recovered well from the hollow coring. They were still a bit hairy but I imagine that was in an effort to allow them recover. By now they should be in great nick. Fairways were great and very firm.

I havent played the new in months at this stage but I might try to get over and play it in the next few days..after I buy a bag of balls

The old was done a week or so after the New so one course was playable for comps.

The greens on the New are good at the minute, taking pitchmarks etc unlike the Old (from a week ago)

On the 5th green I seen some repair being done, haven't seen anything else.

In good nick

Goldenjohn

Folks, thinking of arranging a society visit to play old and new....what sort of shape would it be in the end of April time usually?

Have the greens mentioned earlier in the thread recovered? Have the society tees improved?

dan_ep82

Goldenjohn wrote: »

Folks, thinking of arranging a society visit to play old and new....what sort of shape would it be in the end of April time usually?

Have the greens mentioned earlier in the thread recovered? Have the society tees improved?

Greens are usually fantastic around then but I'd phone to make sure to avoid hollow coring, not sure when it started last year.

Haven't been on the New in a few weeks but they are doing alot over the winter so I'm sure they will address the problems.

What was the issue with the society tee's?

Goldenjohn

ForeRight wrote: »

I played it last week. The course in general is fantastic and a tough trek with water in play an awful lot.

The only problem was that par 3 in question above was a tiny temp green off a mat tee box. The hole was only about 100yds instead of the normal green which is fantastic and a tough shot through a corridor off trees.

Also we were off society tee boxes and a few of them were in awful condition. Long grass and all very uneven compared to the proper tee boxes.


Don't let that worry you though as the place is still class.

I can't remember the hole but it's early on the back 9, you will see a bunker and water behind it on the left. You can clear the bunker with a drive no problem but hit an iron to lay up short of that bunker you will see.
The water cuts across the whole fairway and you can't see it right of the bunker.

It caught me out first time I played it and I'd imagine it catches a huge amount out.

Hi Dan, thanks for coming back to me. Sounds good so we'll prob run with playing there. I highlighted the tee box comment I referred to.

dan_ep82

I know for a while last year the grass was let grow for about a month with very little cutting, perhaps it was then Fore played it, or earlier in the year after a winter of being used as the main tees.

Generally they're quite good as we used to play with the younger brother from them when he started. The Junior tees on the old are a different story but your wouldn't be using them lol

dan_ep82

oh and if your want to play before give me a pm an I can bring your out on either for €20

Goldenjohn

dan_ep82 wrote: »

oh and if your want to play before give me a pm an I can bring your out on either for €20

Thanks Dan, really appreciate it. Prob won't make it up beforehand but thanks for the offer, your a gent.