The Links Thread

thewobbler

Ventured over to Castlerock today and got an unusually benign day for it.

To generate any negatives here would require an extreme level of nitpickery, It is varied, fun and testing, with great views, and its perimeter holes must be truly daunting in a stiff breeze. Holes 6-10 is a fantastic stretch.

Genuinely brilliant value for money at £55.

Oddly enough they’ve gone with an “all bunkers are GUR” policy for the season, to allow them to recover after becoming overgrown and messy during lockdown. Typically this saw me only hit one bunker all day!

—-

Also visited Portstewart’s 2nd course (Riverside) yesterday. It’s decent and has some very good par 3s in particular. At £30 it softens the blow a little of shelling out for the neighbours.

But it’s not really a links. Plays more like a heathland course.The ground game isn’t even close to an option on most holes.

The single toughest hole I played all weekend (including Portrush) was the index 2 on Riverside.

440 yards of par 4 upwind, heavily bunkered, across a stream, surrounded by cabbage. A well connected drive, 3-wood and wedge wasn’t enough.

Jim Stynes

Played Portrush today for the first time. Amazing place and very tough of course. How much is the membership for the likes of these places. I was playing with a fella who is a member but only plays it a handful of times a year.

Seve OB

Jim Stynes wrote: »

Played Portrush today for the first time. Amazing place and very tough of course. How much is the membership for the likes of these places. I was playing with a fella who is a member but only plays it a handful of times a year.

Smells of I’m playing golf but the rest of yiz aren’t :mad:

Jim Stynes

Seve OB wrote: »

Smells of I’m playing golf but the rest of yiz aren’t :mad:

Haha I actually forgot about that. I’m hoping the a north doesn’t follow the South’s stance on things!!

willabur

Irish Open at Carne next year

Massive news for the club and course

dan_ep82

willabur wrote: »

Irish Open at Carne next year

Massive news for the club and course

Mount Juliet then Portstewart. Carne are hosting the Irish PGA Championship

DuckSlice

willabur wrote: »

Irish Open at Carne next year

Massive news for the club and course

Unfortunately they don't have the facilities to host the Irish open. Don't even have a range that an amateur can hit driver on never mind a pro.

willabur

Oops, sorry.

PARlance

etxp wrote: »

Unfortunately they don't have the facilities to host the Irish open. Don't even have a range that an amateur can hit driver on never mind a pro.

Plenty of reasons for it not to hold such an event but I'd say they'd get around the range issue by utilising 1 or 2 of the additional 9 holes in some way.

I can't list them off but I'd imagine there are a lot of links courses that get big events which use a temporary range. Driving ranges not being exactly typical to traditional links courses afaik.

blackwhite

PARlance wrote: »

Plenty of reasons for it not to hold such an event but I'd say they'd get around the range issue by utilising 1 or 2 of the additional 9 holes in some way.

I can't list them off but I'd imagine there are a lot of links courses that get big events which use a temporary range. Driving ranges not being exactly typical to traditional links courses afaik.

Quite a few of the Open courses have used their 2nd 18 as location for both range and also for tented village over the years. If it's good enough for them, then I'm sure Carne wouldn't turn their noses up at it

hurleronditch

blackwhite wrote: »

Quite a few of the Open courses have used their 2nd 18 as location for both range and also for tented village over the years. If it's good enough for them, then I'm sure Carne wouldn't turn their noses up at it

Bethpage has hosted 3 majors and will be hosting the Ryder Cup in a few years, and you can’t hit any more than a 4 iron on their weird, downhill, rubber matted range, so if Carne ever did have the want to push for something better than the Irish PGA they’d figure it out.

DuckSlice

hurleronditch wrote: »

Bethpage has hosted 3 majors and will be hosting the Ryder Cup in a few years, and you can’t hit any more than a 4 iron on their weird, downhill, rubber matted range, so if Carne ever did have the want to push for something better than the Irish PGA they’d figure it out.

Yea that's true I suppose, they would probably have to look at using the air strip next to the course, which im sure could be arranged. Cant think of many other places flat enough on the course to set up the range.

Maybe they will have to do this for the Irish PGA, as id imagine the current range is just a 6/7 iron for most of them

Seve OB

blackwhite wrote: »

Quite a few of the Open courses have used their 2nd 18 as location for both range and also for tented village over the years. If it's good enough for them, then I'm sure Carne wouldn't turn their noses up at it

The latest edition of The Open did exactly this up north last year. I'm pretty sure I recall same happening in Fota a few years back also

blackwhite

Seve OB wrote: »

The latest edition of The Open did exactly this up north last year. I'm pretty sure I recall same happening in Fota a few years back also

Portrush and Lytham St. Annes were two that sprang to mind where I'd seen it before

Whiplash85

thewobbler wrote: »

Ventured over to Castlerock today and got an unusually benign day for it.

To generate any negatives here would require an extreme level of nitpickery, It is varied, fun and testing, with great views, and its perimeter holes must be truly daunting in a stiff breeze. Holes 6-10 is a fantastic stretch.

Genuinely brilliant value for money at £55.

Oddly enough they’ve gone with an “all bunkers are GUR” policy for the season, to allow them to recover after becoming overgrown and messy during lockdown. Typically this saw me only hit one bunker all day!

—-

Also visited Portstewart’s 2nd course (Riverside) yesterday. It’s decent and has some very good par 3s in particular. At £30 it softens the blow a little of shelling out for the neighbours.

But it’s not really a links. Plays more like a heathland course.The ground game isn’t even close to an option on most holes.

The single toughest hole I played all weekend (including Portrush) was the index 2 on Riverside.

440 yards of par 4 upwind, heavily bunkered, across a stream, surrounded by cabbage. A well connected drive, 3-wood and wedge wasn’t enough.

I'm down to play Castlerock next week but mats are in use. Still will be nice to hit a few balls again. I might try and squeeze in the 9 hole Bann course while I am there. Have you played it and is it worth playing?

slave1

Whiplash85 wrote: »

I'm down to play Castlerock next week but mats are in use. Still will be nice to hit a few balls again. I might try and squeeze in the 9 hole Bann course while I am there. Have you played it and is it worth playing?

When I played Castlerock I regretted not getting the Bann course in as it is supposed to be very good, from memory it allegedly has a fantastic either par 4 or 5

Deporhostia

Hey, does anyone know details about the Rathmore Open?

And specifically if its held on the Valley course or the Dunluce?

Many thanks

IAmTitleist

Played Royal County Down yesterday.

Not to rub it in but what an absolute joy of a place to play. Immaculate considering it was mid-November.

Lovely change after weeks of being bogged down at my home course.

Proper golf.

Jim Stynes

IAmTitleist wrote: »

Played Royal County Down yesterday.

Not to rub it in but what an absolute joy of a place to play. Immaculate considering it was mid-November.

Lovely change after weeks of being bogged down at my home course.

Proper golf.

Were they using mats anywhere?

IAmTitleist

No mats. I made sure to ask that question before i booked!

Poker Face

Video on the new 6th 7th and 8th holes in Tralee. 7th looks like it has been there forever!!

https://video214.com/play/iUeKiT8qWl6Eo80tnYAJcQ/s/dark

willabur

Poker Face wrote: »

Video on the new 6th 7th and 8th holes in Tralee. 7th looks like it has been there forever!!

https://video214.com/play/iUeKiT8qWl6Eo80tnYAJcQ/s/dark

I wonder when they are open for play. Due down there at the start of april this year which might be too early for these. Feckers better give us a discount if 18 holes are not in play

Mushy

Saw a tweet from michael lehane saying they're (politicians) not expecting many international tourists this year (breaking news alert). Hopefully this will lead to some good deals on courses like last year. I was in contact with Portrush and they're awaiting to see if theyll run those open competitions again, fingers crossed

Dwarf.Shortage

Mushy wrote: »

Saw a tweet from michael lehane saying they're (politicians) not expecting many international tourists this year (breaking news alert). Hopefully this will lead to some good deals on courses like last year. I was in contact with Portrush and they're awaiting to see if theyll run those open competitions again, fingers crossed

It is great but there is also an aspect of be careful what you wish for. If Lahinch are in this state some of the big links' could genuinely not survive another year without tourism.

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/lahinch-golf-club-runs-out-of-its-own-cash-after-3m-covid-19-hit-1.4419304

It's easy to say they just need to charge less but the money they take in is being spent on service delivery. I was down in the southwest playing some of the usual suspects over the summer and the amount of staff they have is massive. Someone there to greet you, attendant on the range, enough green keeping staff to present the course 10/10 all year.

Dropping from €250 to €100 might keep the lights on, but a lot of these jobs will go if it continues much longer.

The behaviour of many of the top links' during the good times and their attitude to giving Irish golfers a chance to play the course at reasonable cost may not be conducive to sympathy but nonetheless I don't think any of us want to see them in dire straits.

DuckSlice

Dwarf.Shortage wrote: »

It is great but there is also an aspect of be careful what you wish for. If Lahinch are in this state some of the big links' could genuinely not survive another year without tourism.

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/lahinch-golf-club-runs-out-of-its-own-cash-after-3m-covid-19-hit-1.4419304

It's easy to say they just need to charge less but the money they take in is being spent on service delivery. I was down in the southwest playing some of the usual suspects over the summer and the amount of staff they have is massive. Someone there to greet you, attendant on the range, enough green keeping staff to present the course 10/10 all year.

Dropping from €250 to €100 might keep the lights on, but a lot of these jobs will go if it continues much longer.

Lahinch were not very open to doing deals this year and IMO they have themselves to blame. If they had offered a GUI rate they would have had a lot more cash in reserves. I know of at least 10 people that would have played it for 100-150 if they done a deal. I’m sure a lot of people on here could say the same and that’s a lot of revenue they have missed out on.

10 golfers could have brought them in around 1.5-2.5k when you consider food and pro shop purchases. It’s a course I love and really want to play! But I won’t be paying 250 so hopefully they will start to consider the Irish golfers.

slave1

We all know this is US dollar pricing, it is not sustainable in the Irish market and they have build their infrastructure around this elevated pricing.
They need fresh thinking and flex their setup accordingly.
etxp is dead right, €250 LOL is all I can say, needs to be double digits but they are too afraid of perception I'd say to take that step.
I was trying to organise a 4ball to play both the courses with dinner in between Summer 2020 and they would not budge off their rack rates, silly silly stuff, went to Enniscrone instead

DuckSlice

slave1 wrote: »

We all know this is US dollar pricing, it is not sustainable in the Irish market and they have build their infrastructure around this elevated pricing.
They need fresh thinking and flex their setup accordingly.
etxp is dead right, €250 LOL is all I can say, needs to be double digits but they are too afraid of perception I'd say to take that step.
I was trying to organise a 4ball to play both the courses with dinner in between Summer 2020 and they would not budge off their rack rates, silly silly stuff, went to Enniscrone instead

They wouldn’t entertain deals at all. I remember calling them asking them for a GUI rate and they said something along the lines of “No we aren’t doing one but maybe call back in August and we may be doing one.” Emailed one August and still got a no. They could have done a similar thing to Portrush or a 4ball for 5/600 Euro and they would have had plenty of people playing it!

Out of interest what deal did you get in Enniscrone? I bet you got a 4ball for not far off the price lahinch wanted for one green fee?

Dwarf.Shortage

Yeah there's very much two sides to it. If Tralee, Ballybunion, Waterville and Old Head were letting people on for €130-150 then Lahinch should have played ball a bit more than they did. Even Portrush/Portmarnock etc weren't above doing a bit of a deal.

All I was saying is no tourists again in '21 will have a downside too.

Down9194

slave1 wrote: »

We all know this is US dollar pricing, it is not sustainable in the Irish market and they have build their infrastructure around this elevated pricing.
They need fresh thinking and flex their setup accordingly.
etxp is dead right, €250 LOL is all I can say, needs to be double digits but they are too afraid of perception I'd say to take that step.
I was trying to organise a 4ball to play both the courses with dinner in between Summer 2020 and they would not budge off their rack rates, silly silly stuff, went to Enniscrone instead

I think the problem is that links clubs consider themselves are a cut above, yes they have a very good product to market but they must realise that they must not price themselves out of the market, surely charging €80, €90 or €100 is better than €200 and no one playing

thewobbler

I suspect they will all have aggressive pricing in place for the new season.

Last year was a confusing year for everyone in hospitality. There was a sense (probably better described as a hope) in the early part of the season that things would slip back to half normal by mid summer, then that dwindling hope was shifted to end of summer, before extinguishing. And with courses re-opening after a sabbatical, members would have been rightly upset at losing large tranches of tee times to “cut price” green fees.

Same members will now (mostly) accept that a decent wedge is better than no wedge over the summer months; whether its to protect a dwindling reserve or stave off the creditors should make little difference. Both situations have a prudent answer available.

I’d expect Midweek fees to be borderline reasonable across the board.