Irish Golfer Magazine Top 100 Golf Courses

Haven't had a proper run through it yet, but had a few posts up on twitter hit my feed with people giving out about Concra Wood only being at 59 on the list, given it was a EuroPro Tour event host, etc...

Top nine hole course in the country after the members saved the place from extinction this time last year.

downthemiddle wrote: »

Top nine hole course in the country after the members saved the place from extinction this time last year.

Have to agree, this 9 hole course Blessington lakes should not only be recognised as the best 9 hole course in the country but as 1 of the best courses in the country..There is a bit of a look down your nose situation with this as " it's only a 9 hole course" but I'd challenge anybody pro to low amateur to break par there...Well done lads on keeping it going

You seem confused.

Eoinyh wrote: »

Forget about them the blessed lakes 15 minutes from the M50, 25 from dunboyne,super track

Golfhead65 wrote: »

Don't undersell it Downthemiddle, for about 700 euro if I'm not mistaken..you would have a top 100 course (if powers that be) recognize a 9 hole course as such ,on the outskirts of Dublin ..Top notch if you ask me..look forward to playing it again in 2019

It isn't my intention to make this thread about my club. We are proud of everything we have achieved this year. Being recognised as the best 9 hole course in the country is further vindication of all the good work the members are doing. We believe that we offer genuine value for anyone who wants to play our course and people are welcome to come along and play and judge for themselves.

Corballis making Top 100 is a bit of a stretch, especially if current condition is taken into account. I played it in November and the fairways were in dreadful condition. Partly due to the drought which killed off all of the grass but also full of divots which had not been repaired. Had to have placing and then difficult to find a decent bit of grass within the allowed 6 inches. Light rough was full of divots too but no placing there meant some horrible lies with no relief.

Ollieboy wrote: »

100% agree, how can Corballis be ranked and when it's ranked its ranked before North West which is a proper full 18 hold course and only €15 to play. Corballis is a fine pay and play but that's it. Also Knightbrook missing, the list is a joke and the Island and Co Louth both before the two Ballyliffen courses... Wow.

I think they need new people to rank the courses.

I think I played a part in getting Corballis in there :D

I love Corballis - but would not consider it a full course. So would not consider it for the list.

I haven't played the courses in Ballyliffin -

But from playing the other courses you mentioned - Co Louth and The Island are top of the range. The Island in my opinion is the best course on the full east coast.

Knightsbrook - I wasn't too impressed with, a bad Christy O'Connor hotel course and a swamp when I played there.

davegilly wrote: »

Do you know how Palmerstown ended up so low?

I can't say - But , I've played Palmerstown House once - and it isn't a particularly memorable course.
It relies on being very very hard and over use of silly bunkers and water

From a playability perspective it is just comically difficult and that is not what the majority of golfers are going to like. The total length of the course including between greens and tee boxes are going to make it a long day.

At the end of the day it is a course designed for buggies - it is a holiday course over manufactured.

It seems a bit low alright - but if you said to me do you want to play Tullamore or Palmerston tomorrow - I'd be off to Offaly and drive past there.

Corballis in a top 100 list!
=
Joke.

Ive played more than half those courses and very much enjoyed most over the years.

One or two though I wouldn't thank ye for a free game on though.

Personally, I don't take any notice of rankings. I know what I like. I've paid good money to play on some and their condition didn't match the green fee. That's disappointing. On others I've been more than surprised of the quality versus the green fee.

I think the rankings also take clubhouse facilities, accessibility etc also in to account.

I agree Corballis probably not in 100, but for value, convenience, and all year round playable, with good - v good putting surfaces, it's great value for money. In my opinion. But that's just my opinion, same as how that list came about. Opinions.

Golfhead65 wrote: »

Does anyone know if the top 100 listed courses is purely for 18 holers I stand corrected but I don't notice any 9 holers on it.Surely Blessington Lakes would have to be on it if it's been voted as best 9 hole in the country and that was after it was played along with other 9 holers for the best part of 3 years to judge playability and conditioning at different times of the year..if it was down to these it would be right up there, Again it's just an opinion .

Just 18 hole courses. They have a separate one for 9 hole courses. Click on the link in the OP and go to page 78 and you'll find it there.

Golfhead65 wrote: »

Good man I see it there but an overall best courses in Ireland should be undertaken as a matter of balance as there are a few 9 holers there worth a mention..Castlegregory is an absolute gem of a course and maybe it might be worth a Friday game before the society's Captains day in 2019

I think it would be a bit unfair on nine hole courses to be included. If courses are being marked down for facilities, club houses etc. nine less holes would probably put them at the bottom of the list.

prawnsambo wrote: »

I think it would be a bit unfair on nine hole courses to be included. If courses are being marked down for facilities, club houses etc. nine less holes would probably put them at the bottom of the list.

Surely The Golf Course should be the only consideration, if it's about clubhouses with Mercs outside it's a bit unfair to the ordinary down to earth clubs where everybody knows everybody and fees are not exclusive to the rich

prawnsambo wrote: »

Well if you read the criteria, those are things that are taken into account. Albeit only 10% of the score for facilities. The criteria are:


Course design and layout: 35%
Quality of test/playability: 25%
Condition and presentation: 20%
Club facilities and visitor experience: 10%
Visual appeal: 10%


A 9 hole course would suffer against an 18 hole course in those criteria imo. And there's no need for the Mercs and 'rich' comment imo.

Touchy Touchy, I called it as it is

prawnsambo wrote: »

Really? What exactly does that mean in relation to this topic?

And if anyone's being touchy, it's you on being called on your unnecessary comment. Seriously mate, I did your leg work for you and this is the response?

Jaysus I didnt think you wanted an argument,you're more touchy than I thought .probably best to get into your Merc or BMW or whatever you drive and calm down. I only made an honest comment about 9 hole courses being left out, I didn't need to be quoted rules and regulations on how courses are ranked.if I play a good course I don't need to know that they have big f--off club houses for me to go back,it's what it's like tee to green and all in between ...last comment

Ally McIntosh wrote: »

There seems to be a lot of comments along the lines of “Corballis is a great little course but it’s not Top-100 material”.

Is it purely down to its length and conditioning?

One of the reasons it is there is to show that an excellent golf course does not need to be long nor does it need to have an enormous operating budget in order to provide a huge amount of fun. Given that time and cost are killing the game, we should be celebrating these kind of courses. If I had my way, Mulranny and Cruit Island would have been there too.

Isn’t it more worthy than yet another mediocre 90’s built course stretched to 7,200 yards over heavy, uninteresting bog?

You see the thing is Ive played corballis quite a lot and I kinda like it. So I feel I'm well placed to make the argument here as to why it's inclusion is a joke.

But are you really telling me it is a better course than faithlegg, naas and the Curragh? I ask specifically those because they are the only 3 courses below it on the list which I have played and all them are way ahead of corballis.

And I have also met you and been on your panel in previous years so I do recall scoring factors. One reason you gave for Castleknock not making the list was danger. Corballis is a far more dangerous course than castleknock. Then there is the off the course experience. Sure they have done their clubhouse up but I would hardly call it a clubhouse, can't get grub, closed more often than not when you are finished your game in winter months so no chance of going for a shower. Enjoyment..... Front 9 is very enjoyable, some cracking holes, some poor. Back 9 is brutal. As for the big field with 15 &16, well quite possibly the worst 2 holes in the country. There is not even one real par 5 on the course. Sure short is OK, but not every bloody hole.

more often than not because it is a cheap game of golf the place if full of hackers and it takes forever to get around the place. It's a course that should take 3 hours to play, max. Most of the times I've played it it has been 4.5 avg. That's not enjoyable.

Give Carr golf their dues, since they took it over the conditioning of the course has improved immensely but there are plenty of other courses out there in way better nic.

As for your last comment about including it rather than a bland 90s beast, well that's got nothing to do with it surely. Each course is scored and the best scores should make it into the list, bland and boring will score low, but so should short, dangerous and unwelcoming. (staff are very welcoming but the Shop clubhouse etc is just not going to make the yanks say to their mates, wow what a place, you must go there). And it is not a very challenging course.

Now tell me why it ranks above Greystones, Portarlington, Blainroe and Castleknock, because they are just 4 courses which are streets ahead of it.

I have to admit, I'm fascinated by the focus on Corballis and whether it's Top 100 material or not. I've wanted Corballis to be included in Top 100s for a long time. There are brilliant and natural elements to the links that make it shine. The par threes, the par four 3rd, the short par fours where you can go for big drives if you feel brave. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I respect everyone who has left their opinion on here... as a member of the panel, my opinion is that Corballis deserves its place in the top 100. And about time too. I also wanted Mulranny in there but it wasn't to be.

For those who have talked about the Corballis 15/16 'field/cross-over' issue... fair enough. That may be a problem and that is taken into consideration in the rating process but there are other factors that lift it above those two holes.

Corballis aside, there has been criticism on here of the rankings and that's no great surprise. Any ranking will receive a barrage of comments but, put simply, there were eight people on the panel (Ally is one; I'm another) and we have courses that we agree on and courses where we disagree. That's the nature of opinions and experience. Five years ago I was on here laughing at the Golf Digest Ireland rankings so it's no surprise that people take issue with this ranking. Which, by the way, is only Irish Golfer's second annual Top 100. Last year there were 6 people on the panel... this year there were 8.And that, in part, explains some of the swings in the rankings.
K