Most difficult holes in golf

token56

It is not a course on the same level as some of the others mentioned but having only played it recently for the first time, the 2nd/10th hole in Cill Dara is a very hard and unfair hole in my opinion.

It is obviously a Par 3 that was created to fit into the area available but feels like it has been made more difficult than it needs to be. For those who have not played it Cill Dara is on the Curragh and the greens can get very firm. It is a blind tee sheet over some gorse bushes. From the back tees about a 160 yard shot. A pretty small and narrow green with bunkers short and long, a grass drain to the left and grass mounds to the right. Also the odd gorse bush long and left of the green. With firms greens I think it is a very difficult green to hold and pot luck whether you end up in a bunker or not.

FixdePitchmark

So got to play a hole I said I would - I'd say I have not gone there in a good 10 years.

The 8th in Silloge - sorry photo a bit big. But hole even harder than I remember. Was driving the ball well - but of course when I get to this hole I pulled it left and you don't want to go left.

Punched out to corner and even from corner you are talking a solid 6 or 5 iron with very tight OB left.

A great golf hole - but you would 100 % need a driver to even get to the corner of the dogleg - so needs two great shots to hit green. It felt way longer than I remember to corner - but was a head wind.

Got up and down for a 5 - not a bad score from a bad spot.

Was really interesting to be back up there - a great public facility and in a time when golf is becoming very expensive - lovely to have a course so accessible and cheap. Only played front 9 - some lovely holes. Greens decent.

VW 1

Not unlike the first at headfort new, only a longer first shot to clear the corner. Cracker of a day for it Fix.

swededmonkey

Cant remember the hole number, but the index 1 in druids heath. Been a while since i played it. Tight tee shot, lots of gorse either side of the sloping fairway

FixdePitchmark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123403278#Comment_123403278

Played this hole with a European tour pro...he said it was completely ridiculous...

Played it a few times myself, was a bit daft

blue note

Did they not make Druid's Heath a lot easier in the last few years? I hope so, I'm playing there next week. 😐️

FixdePitchmark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123404803#Comment_123404803

They have made significant changes and softened it...think a good review of changes by Kevin somewhere.

It was notoriously difficult..

Adiaga 2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123401986#Comment_123401986

Brilliant. Fair play to you! I'm glad to hear it's still a very difficult hole - well done on the 5 btw especially after the tee shot. From your photo, I'm pretty sure they cut back a lot of the trees to create that gap that gives a nice view of the fairway now. It's still intimidating but I think it was more so back in the early 90s with tiny headed woods :) Earlier in this thread I mentioned 240 yard drive to be in good position but I checked later on google earth and it's about 240 metres(!) to have a flat lie and view of the green. I remember the 10th hole being tough too - long and really tight off the tee.

Must try get out there again soon just for the nostalgia factor. Always felt it was an unfairly maligned course. It is a great public facility and still makes golf fairly affordable for most.

Kevinmarkham

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123404803#Comment_123404803

The big change is the bunkering. Gone from 97 bunkers to 36. Some of the blinder slopes have been smoothed out, too.
If it's of interest, I did a video of the place last year. The beginning of it is me talking through the changes - if you just want to see the course, go to the 5 minute mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVKJIzbuRp0&t=65s

FixdePitchmark

That's a rather dramatic softening of course , perhaps more aligned to a members course / resort course.

Must play next time I stay there...

awec

I had heard that Druids were planning on pumping money into the Heath now that they've done a job on the Glen?

Kevinmarkham

It was done the other way around. They changed the Heath before the Glen. Same designers

blue note

Thanks Kevin. I'd had actually found it after fix reminded me of it.

I'd always heard of druids heath as perhaps the most difficult course in the country (along with the European perhaps), so was very interested in the first bit. Obviously it's a good thing that it has been neutered a bit, but a part of me was curious to see how tough it was! Course looks great though. It's some annual rugby event, so I suspect we'll be playing from forward tees too, so it really shouldn't be too bad. Although I really should hold off on commenting on how difficult it is until after I play.

Corkey123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123295165#Comment_123295165

😲 Surely the 4th hole in Corbalis off the back tee. You need to land the ball on a patch the size of a hankie 😆

FixdePitchmark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123416731#Comment_123416731

Is a great golf hole , and might qualify as toughest shortest hole in Ireland . Long dead , left a 5 at best. Unreal hard bunker short and treacherous green.

But - Many of the others mentioned , need a 260 yard drive on fairway , then maybe a solid 5 or 4 iron to even hit the green. Two near perfect shots in a row. There are not that many amateur golfers that can hit two long and accurate shots in a row.

Most amateurs should have a reasonable effort at hitting a target from 100 yards.

FixdePitchmark

Played another one today .

The 3rd in Corballis ,

Now with the weather today , it definitely removes the difficulty, tee was at front end of tee box and it make the hole much easier as you can just hit drive over hill on right . This is where Links roll comes into play - on RHS on the fairway if you get right bounce , ball will easily go 100 yards more on ground (if you don't see this as blind) . Didn't hit an amazing drive , but it went 284 yards, This turns the hole into a bit of a joke - as was only 125 yards from the pin. Bad wedge left , but got up and down for a par.

So , maybe the hole not as bad as initially posted, But same with all holes , when temperature up and no wind and a near summer roll - a literal different ball game.

One thing I did consider also on this hole , it is also your first drive of the day - as the previous two holes are a par 3 and a lay up. So something not mentioned so far - is when a hole actually arrives in a round is a factor , a small factor - but we all are playing better golf near the turn. Warmed up , know your ball flight that day.

Still a great golf hole - and as often said , would not be out of place on any course in the country.

GolfPar

Had my first ever eagle on the 3rd in Corballis. Wasn't today or yesterday but many years ago. Held a 4 iron second shot.

blue note

In summer, in good conditions and with the tees forward it's a lot easier than most days, but not a challenger for the toughest hole you've ever played. But even on a day like today it's a very tough hole from the competition tees. Carrying it over the hill is a big hit, if you go right you might never see it again, same problem left or if you don't make the carry. And then it's not that short an iron into the green - maybe 150m? And the prevailing wind is into you, so even a 1 club wind will make a big difference. And neither right nor left are good places to be with your approach.

Gandalph

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123423329#Comment_123423329

Ah yeah, front tees with no wind (which is incredibly rare out there!) makes it much simpler depending on the pin. Its the back tees were you need 260y of carry into the prevailing gusts to clear that dune on the right safely. Short left or right fairway have no chance of attacking the green and getting it through the gap requires a big degree of accuracy. After that I'd honestly be saying that the difference between a front pin and a back pin is 0.75 of a stroke gain/lost.

FixdePitchmark

I've played it under them conditions and it would be that hard say 6/7 times out of 10 .

So a rare outlier day...and much welcome..if I was there to play as hard..