The Links Thread

Gandalph · 28-10-2025 10:29AM

Yeah it was 9 when I first looked a few weeks back but looks like it has moved out to 13.

The Big Easy · 28-10-2025 11:13AM

Booked into the open at the European this Thursday, was really looking forward to it, but it looks to be a gale with serious amounts of rain all day.

What are the chances of them shutting?

I'll play if they're open, just a pity with the timing, but you're rolling the dice booking well in advance at this time of year!

benny79 · 29-10-2025 02:50PM

Do links ever close 😂

awec · 29-10-2025 06:20PM

Played County Sligo and Strandhill recently, two amazing courses. Was my first time playing Co Sligo but I've played Strandhill 3 times now.

Co Sligo is just a class course, I can't think of a bad hole. I'd love to give it another rattle now that I've seen my way round it. Got caught out a few times, for example the 17th I didn't know there was a rough area in the middle of the fairway at the bend, so I got punished for what was otherwise a great drive.

Strandhill has a few more quirky holes. The 4th hole with the huge incline in front of the green is tough. The 12th? with the blind tee shot around the corner, then second shot through the tiny gap in the dunes, 3 times I've played that hole and I've a combined nil points on it. 15 another huge hill up to the green, then 16 with the massive tier in the middle of the green. It's a course where you generally need to score well on the front 9 as the back 9 is definitely more difficult.

swededmonkey · 30-10-2025 11:00AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123946742#Comment_123946742

Played strandhill with 2 members who referred to the 12th as the c**t. Hard to get in, but once you're there, its lovely and warm 🤣

MojoMaker · 30-10-2025 02:57PM

We'll be sure to pass that tip on to all our female members.

REFLINE1 · 31-10-2025 09:49AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123943383#Comment_123943383

Did you play it in the end? weather was rough yesterday!

The Big Easy · 31-10-2025 10:11AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123950712#Comment_123950712

No, we didn't, we would've been the last group out and caught the worst of it. The European is hard enough without playing it in the middle of a gale.

They kindly let us rearrange for another day, hopefully have better luck with the weather then.

I wonder did many brave it and how rough it got on the coast?

REFLINE1 · 31-10-2025 10:15AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123950766#Comment_123950766

that was decent of them, it would have been pretty unplayable

FixdePitchmark · 31-10-2025 01:24PM

When Is the course actually closing ?

blue note · 31-10-2025 01:26PM

Someone said 8th December I think. I'm playing on the 4th. Probably not worth my while bending over to repair pitch marks. Also, probably won't be an issue.

the lawman · 19-11-2025 02:15PM

Played European on Sunday just gone. They have removed pretty every tree and shrub in the place already, felt strange driving in and seeing the first tee on the right hand side, usually trees blocked view to the course from carpark. They are redesigning the whole course but wouldn't reveal the designer name to me, said it will be announced in Jan26. Got a good feeling from the guys in the pro-shop, I think it's in good hands.

Still playing as tough as always but managed to shoot an 80 after having a solid 3 over on the front. The wind and cold picked up on back 9 and birds/pars were a tough ask! Will miss the glorious beast.

REFLINE1 · 19-11-2025 02:17PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124000894#Comment_124000894

Tom Doak would be my guess, they're trying to appeal to the US market and given the reception St Patricks got in world golf he holds a lot of appeal.

slave1 · 19-11-2025 04:12PM

Presumably making it more playable…

Dr Turk Turkelton · 19-11-2025 04:23PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124000894#Comment_124000894

Played it for the first time last week and wanted to give it a shot before the renovations.

The lads I played with had both played it many times and loved it so it was a last hurrah for them.

To be honest from hearing people speak about it before I was expecting a beast but I didn't find it too hard, maybe if all the gorse was there I might have been singing a different tune!

the lawman · 20-11-2025 02:49PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124001260#Comment_124001260

Its playing much easier now in fairness. All the rough is cut down and some of the eye lines off tees are easier to spot now too. Less disorientating I suppose. The 8th hole index 1 now doesn't have the reeds on the left and the trees on the right are all gone. Totally different hole and much easier.

blue note · 15-12-2025 11:58AM

I got my round on the European and I still don't think it's really a links. It is an incredible course though. And we were utterly blessed with the weather. Storms either side of our day, but I was thankful for my sunglasses on the day. There was a bit of a breeze at the start which was helping. Then we had one hole into it and it died down. I'd say there weren't many easier days you could play the course. Strangely, there was a PCC of 3 on the day, so maybe people still found it hard. I came in with 24 points, so didn't score well at all, but if I could have picked conditions I probably wouldn't have been as greedy as picking the conditions we got.

The sent us out on the back which was great. A full timesheet on 8th December would leave those at the back struggling get in before dark and instead everyone was nicely spaced out. I spoke to the starter before we set off and he said the architect doing the redesign is an international one with links experience. My money is on Tom Doak, but really I'm basing that largely on my lack of knowledge of designers. With the pressure of the starter on the tee, I was the only one of the fourball to get a decent drive away - I couldn't have hit it better, just left of the fairway. Always a relief on the first tee. Two of the other lads sliced theirs way right and the other topped his. They all found theirs no problem, mine was AWOL. We were off the yellow tees and I didn't realise how much a lot of the course narrows up the fairways.

The condition of the course was superb, you'd think they'd have let it slip slightly with the place closing, but the fairways and greens were better than most places in summertime. And the work didn't affect us massively other than when you go way off line.

It's a wonderful course and one that will sorely be missed. I'd be amazed if it's not an incredible course after the redesign, but it won't be the same one. There'll be a bit of a pentimenti effect where we'll see Pat Ruddy's course coming through, but it'll be a new one I reckon. But what we'll miss more than anything is a course of that caliber being accessible to Irish golfers on the east coast. I got to play it twice in the last couple of years for €80 a pop. And that was available to us all winter long, not once a year in an open that's full the second it goes up online. The sleeper bunkers gave great character and excitement. We hit them twice and you just don't know if it's going to land on someones head! The bunker in the middle of the green I still think is stupid. The 100 yard long green is great fun. I four putted and couldn't really say I hit an terrible putts on it. One of my playing partners left his putt about 80 feet short and it found a run off into a bunker. I laughed :)

Ah, fairwell European! We were lucky to have you.

slave1 · 19-12-2025 10:51AM

Just on the greens being better than most, I played a lot of non-links courses this year and found it the best year ever in terms of greens quality, everywhere had amazing greens, was a mild winter and great summer for the grass

big_drive · 19-12-2025 02:41PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124081854#Comment_124081854

100% agree, I found the same. Rarely played on poor greens anywhere. Hopefully same again for next year

spacecoyote · 19-12-2025 02:51PM

The only bad greens I played on may have been on a links. Early in the year at the Jameson on a couple of the new greens that were realistically opened way too early and got far too much traffic through them before they'd a proper chance to bed in.

The other greens on the course were super as always

big_drive · 23-01-2026 07:51PM

I see that The European will be renamed when it reopens to the Brittas Bay Club

FixdePitchmark · 23-01-2026 09:36PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124174287#Comment_124174287

Very strange word Links not in name -

big_drive · 23-01-2026 10:41PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124174599#Comment_124174599

Ya something like "Brittas Bay Links" would have a nicer ring to it

FixdePitchmark · 23-01-2026 10:44PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124174777#Comment_124174777

I'm holding off for my payment for that name……….bizarre not Links in name. Nobody comes to Ireland to play a course that isn't a Links - now there are two places that have pulled it off - Old Head and Dooks.