Most difficult / easiest course in Ireland

paulanthony · 20-11-2019 4:34pm #1

Following on from the slope rating discussion (which should theoretically answer this question in due course) which courses do people think are the most difficult and easiest courses in Ireland? It might be interesting to compare with the slope ratings next year.

I have not played that many courses compared to many people on this forum, I suspect, but I think the most difficult I played was Portsalon (and the weather certainly didn't help). Plenty of blind shots and opportunities to lose your ball in the rough (even if you thought you knew exactly where it went).

Easiest was probably R&R Golf course (a public course near Dunboyne, Co. Meath) - relatively straight, not too much water, immature trees with very little undergrowth, hence not many lost balls.

What do you think?

Scott Tenorman · 20-11-2019 4:50pm

paulanthony wrote: »

Following on from the slope rating discussion (which should theoretically answer this question in due course) which courses do people think are the most difficult and easiest courses in Ireland? It might be interesting to compare with the slope ratings next year.

I have not played that many courses compared to many people on this forum, I suspect, but I think the most difficult I played was Portsalon (and the weather certainly didn't help). Plenty of blind shots and opportunities to lose your ball in the rough (even if you thought you knew exactly where it went).

Easiest was probably R&R Golf course (a public course near Dunboyne, Co. Meath) - relatively straight, not too much water, immature trees with very little undergrowth, hence not many lost balls.

What do you think?

It's been a good few years since i played the R&R but off the top of my head there is water on the 1st,2nd,3rd,5th,6th,7th,8th & 10th as well as a fair few OB spots throughout the course.

slave1 · 20-11-2019 5:12pm

Everything else being equal - weather insofar as possible - Lahinch, severe punishment in the long rough and fairway bunkers like flour, firm fairways so easy to run off, good few greenside bunkers set well back from green leaving that horrible distance to get close, greens huge with massive breaks and fast as feck.
Super course though!

ForeRight · 20-11-2019 5:16pm

Links courses are extremely tough in wind etc but not as bad on good days. One course I always found fierce difficult even in the best weather days is Druid Heath.

The_Kew_Tour · 20-11-2019 5:18pm

Doneraile Golf Course is a pitch and put course with the advancement in Technology

brick tamland · 20-11-2019 5:19pm

I imagine some of the Links will be the hardest

Trying to rack my brain for the hardest parkland I've played. Headfort New maybe

GolfNut33 · 20-11-2019 5:21pm

Which tee you're playing off makes a huge difference to its difficulty. Some tracks are less severe off the tips than others.

Benicetomonty · 20-11-2019 5:24pm

European club for me. Long and very difficult, especially the b9. County Down also very punishing if youre slightly offline.

I dont know if Ive ever played a course Id consider 'easy' but Ive always thought castleknock was very playable. Once you get by the 3rd hole, you feel like a score is doable.

DuckSlice · 20-11-2019 5:27pm

Achill golf club, 9 hole, must be one of the easiest course around. Its practically flat. and apart from some OB there is no hazards.

Scott Tenorman · 20-11-2019 5:52pm

Benicetomonty wrote: »

European club for me. Long and very difficult, especially the b9. County Down also very punishing if youre slightly offline.

I dont know if Ive ever played a course Id consider 'easy' but Ive always thought castleknock was very playable. Once you get by the 3rd hole, you feel like a score is doable.

Castleknock is a good shout for easiest

Stacksey · 20-11-2019 6:17pm

Scott Tenorman wrote: »

Castleknock is a good shout for easiest

Ever play Castleknock off the blues on a windy day? 5 Very tough Par 3's

paulanthony · 20-11-2019 6:28pm

Scott Tenorman wrote: »

It's been a good few years since i played the R&R but off the top of my head there is water on the 1st,2nd,3rd,5th,6th,7th,8th & 10th as well as a fair few OB spots throughout the course.

Sorry - yes I remember some water - I guess I meant from the perspective of the water not being massively threatening to your score (ie, lots of greenside lakes etc). It has been a while since I played but I remember it being more straightforward than most.

GolfNut33 wrote: »

Which tee you're playing off makes a huge difference to its difficulty. Some tracks are less severe off the tips than others.

I meant to mention this in the OP, I would refer to the middle (not championship) tees.

etxp wrote: »

Achill golf club, 9 hole, must be one of the easiest course around. Its practically flat. and apart from some OB there is no hazards.

18 holes only. And yes I agree, if these were included Achill would definitely be the easiest I have played (although I would add sheep to your list of hazards).

Johnny_Fontane · 20-11-2019 7:27pm

Easiest is a tricky one, but Castleknock is not a bad shout. You could throw in Clontarf as well. My mate once shot 71 with me in Swords Open so that must have been easy.

Difficult, European Club is up there no doubt, but Rosapenna (Sandy Hills) is my choice. I played it on a fairly windy day (say 2-3 club) with a couple of low single figure guys and it was murder. Two yards off the fairway was gone into hay and lost or completely hack out sideways. We all are members of Links courses but we shook our heads coming off 18. It was a bit silly actually.

brick tamland · 20-11-2019 7:34pm

There must a lot easier than Castlenock surely.

Top of my head most of the dublin public couses

Elm green
Silouge
Grange Castle
Swords open

prawnsambo · 20-11-2019 7:55pm

brick tamland wrote: »

There must a lot easier than Castlenock surely.

Top of my head most of the dublin public couses

Elm green
Silouge
Grange Castle
Swords open

Leopardstown would be an easy course. Very short.

billy3sheets · 20-11-2019 8:02pm

Corballis hardest and easiest!

20-11-2019 8:12pm

European Club for me as well, not much fun when your shot is just a little wayward and the ball is never to be seen again. Last time I played the rough was high, I thought I was going to have to borrow a ball to finish.

Rikand · 20-11-2019 9:41pm

Most difficult - glengariff. Has to be one of the craziest 9 hole courses in the world and some of the uphill/downhill holes are nuts.

Fantastic scenery though. Incredible views

dan_ep82 · 20-11-2019 10:05pm

Moor Park - Easiest
Hardest Parkland I've played, Druids Glen

mike12 · 20-11-2019 10:06pm

European club for me. They are all hard if u are playing badly.

Mantis Toboggan · 20-11-2019 10:52pm

Always found the heritage a tough slog especially when the wind is blowing.
Easiest maybe Grange Castle or Athy.

blue note · 20-11-2019 11:39pm

I don't think I've played any of the really tough ones so there's not much point in me voting that way.

As regards easiest, I reckon it's the 9 hole in deerpark in howth. Played crap and had 6 pars. Other contenders would be the 18 hole in deerpark, elm green, dunmore east. Knightsbrook is a course with a reputation for being tough but I'd a great score there. I think it was just a day I was nailing it though, but I couldn't see the difficulty others were having.

And castleknock is a million miles from the easiest! Fast and slanty greens, long par 3s. It's actually a course I really like. And certainly not a contender for easiest in Ireland!

FixdePitchmark · 21-11-2019 12:42am

The Island
The European
The Heritage
Monty
Killeen Castle
Druids Heath

Probably wasn't playing well but Carlow and RCD another two.

Yes when I think about it.

RCD
The European
The Island

Probably my top 3

GreeBo · 21-11-2019 10:00am

Enniscrone is pretty tough most of the time, especially the further back you play from.

NufcNavan · 21-11-2019 10:02am

Concra Wood.

RoadRunner · 21-11-2019 11:10am

Deerpark easiest - but this may change soon, anyone know anything?

Hardest - the Island, Carne, European, Enniscrone.

Interestingly first time around Corballis it was the hardest, but after you learn how to play it, it becomes nearly the easiest! Maybe that's the same for all links?

(St. andrews also felt very forgiving on the day I played it)

TheRoomWrecker · 21-11-2019 12:13pm

Hardest in no particular order: The Heritage, European, Druids Heath
Easiest: Swords Open, Roganstown (always seem to put a score together there) Elm Green

As most said any Links when it blows is going to be a slog! and tee's also change things too as my home course of the green is a totally different animal off the tips!

frink · 21-11-2019 1:21pm

Easiest: Arklow (Links) Milltown (Parkland)

Hardest: Druids Glen & Heath (Parkland) European & Rosses Point (Links)

First Up · 21-11-2019 1:37pm

Surely Leapardstown is by far the easiest but I'm not sure it qualifies as a proper golf course.

I've never played well on Druids Glen or Heath but a links like Rosses Point, Lahinch or the European in bad weather is as tough as it gets.

swededmonkey · 21-11-2019 2:16pm

RoadRunner wrote: »

Deerpark easiest - but this may change soon, anyone know anything?

Since its been bought over, I've heard they're making 2 courses, one championship and another regular parkland. Alot of investment planned for the hotel and plans to build property also. Looks like another development geared towards American tourists. But given the owners experience, powers court etc, you'd like to think the regular course will be to a decent standard

shamco · 21-11-2019 3:55pm

Hardest
Links : The European Club followed closely by Sandy Hills
Parkland: Palmerstown House

Easiest: Elmgreen

willabur · 21-11-2019 4:46pm

Have to agree that the European is the hardest course I have played, I think its a bit mean in places

Druids Heath also beats me up each time.

Grange castle is listed a few times as an easy course. while it has some generous fairways. I find it tricky enough to get a score going on it as it is long enough. The back 9 especially is not straight forward at all

BigChap1759 · 21-11-2019 5:19pm

Leopardstown as easiest, it's basically a flat field - rekon European is a good shout for one of the toughest, especially in summer

blue note · 21-11-2019 8:18pm

swededmonkey wrote: »

Since its been bought over, I've heard they're making 2 courses, one championship and another regular parkland. Alot of investment planned for the hotel and plans to build property also. Looks like another development geared towards American tourists. But given the owners experience, powers court etc, you'd like to think the regular course will be to a decent standard

What makes a course a championship course? I thought it was one of those things that golf courses say when selling themselves. Like restaurants using words like "artisan" or "local" , job interviewees using phrases like "close attention to detail" any business calling themselves "customer focused."

But I'd have thought that basically all courses describe their course as a championship course.

prawnsambo · 21-11-2019 9:01pm

blue note wrote: »

What makes a course a championship course? I thought it was one of those things that golf courses say when selling themselves. Like restaurants using words like "artisan" or "local" , job interviewees using phrases like "close attention to detail" any business calling themselves "customer focused."

But I'd have thought that basically all courses describe their course as a championship course.

Suitable for holding championship events I suppose. I would imagine that length would be part of it. Anything over 7000 yards could be classed as a championship course, assuming it was a good quality course as well.

BLUEYK · 21-11-2019 9:29pm

Should really split this into 2 categories, links and parkland. A weak links can be a beast on a bad weather day.

Toughest links I've played would be The European. Was battered by the end of it by course and weather.

Toughest parkland I've played is an interesting one. If you go back to the tips on courses that have 3 or 4 tees then they are monsters as some are built for pros. Length should not be the deciding factor but a fair test should be as an amateur that tests all your game. Off the tips in say Heritage, MJ, Druids Glen, etc means you melting the face off your low irons and woods/hybrids all day due to length. Someone mentioned Carlow in this thread, that's a beast no matter the weather and challenges all aspects of your game not just length. Par 70 and I reckon it's probably only 6,500 yards. 7000+ does not mean a challenge or a championship course.

With regards Championship courses and the ease of use of the name, a championship course should only be called that if it has held a top amateur event or lucky enough to hold pro events. Otherwise they should not be allowed to use championship in their name IMO.

Break80 · 21-11-2019 9:39pm

Great to see The European mentioned so often. I played it this summer with this boards society.
It tore me to pieces. I think I had 9 points off 14. Ok I was rubbish on the day but I honestly think even if I was striking it well I wouldn,t break 20 around that course.
I feel better now other golfers find it tough.
Easiest would be a course I played in Blarney Co. Cork years back. All trees were GUR and you could drop out on your fairway side no matter how deep in the ball was.

FixdePitchmark · 21-11-2019 10:17pm

One course I didn't mention and was palmerston.

Daft place.

Way too hard and Celtic Tiger crazy.

yaboya1 · 21-11-2019 10:26pm

European Club is without question the most difficult course I've played in Ireland. No matter what time of year it is, it's an absolute beast. You just don't get near playing to your handicap without playing really well. And if you don't play well, it can be as bad as a single figure amount of points for 18 holes.

Not saying it's the easiest, but I've always found Castleknock fairly straightforward. To give an example, I've had 36pts in Castleknock playing to the same standard that wouldn't get me above 20 in the European.

swededmonkey · 21-11-2019 11:17pm

blue note wrote: »

What makes a course a championship course? I thought it was one of those things that golf courses say when selling themselves. Like restaurants using words like "artisan" or "local" , job interviewees using phrases like "close attention to detail" any business calling themselves "customer focused."

But I'd have thought that basically all courses describe their course as a championship course.

Take the K club as an example. You've got one course far superior than the other. That's what I was getting at

newindublin · 22-11-2019 4:46pm

Hardest: European, Island

Easiest: Donabate, Nass, Black Bush

slave1 · 22-11-2019 6:02pm

Easiest, Castle course in Lahinch, very enjoyable

gooseygander · 22-11-2019 6:33pm

Athy is quite easy.

davegilly · 22-11-2019 7:13pm

swededmonkey wrote: »

Take the K club as an example. You've got one course far superior than the other. That's what I was getting at

I wouldnt say far superior. I actually prefer the Smurfit Course over the Palmer to be honest. I think the Palmer lives off the ryder cup name quite a bit - and gets rated much higher than it actually is because of it.

22-11-2019 8:25pm

davegilly wrote: »

I wouldnt say far superior. I actually prefer the Smurfit Course over the Palmer to be honest. I think the Palmer lives off the ryder cup name quite a bit - and gets rated much higher than it actually is because of it.

Totally agree, in a similar vein, I much prefer the more difficult Monty to the supposedly easier O’Meara in Carton. Druids Glen, Heritage and Palmerston have been mentioned here, I really like those three, but I have found some other easier courses difficult. Playing on inter club teams, I have struggled on shorter “easier” course and done better on longer tracks.

slave1 · 22-11-2019 9:50pm

Hopefully when the slope ratings are applied to all of our course someone somewhere will list them all

Dublin Spur · 25-11-2019 11:43am

Toughest - The Island

Not sure about the easiest

Golfgorfield · 25-11-2019 4:36pm

Very hard to say unless its based on either all off back tees etc.

if we are talking back tees, then European is the toughest links ive played, and ive played them all in Ireland anyway.
And parkland then Palmerstown house off the very back is damn near unplayably hard, but off the forward tees its quite easy!

Finlay Harp · 25-11-2019 5:33pm

RCD is the hardest I’ve played. Greenore one of the easier.

thewobbler · 25-11-2019 8:55pm

Difficulty is generally related to length, and the length of carries, hence the longer links on blowy days stick in the memory. Shorter ones like the Old Tom or Strandhill don’t generate the same fear.

Let’s leave aside fields with sticks.

From my society of dysfunctional alcoholics taking trips around Ireland, two courses come to mind as being of the easier variety. Moyvalley had enough length, but was wide open with inviting greens, and saw record Sunday morning scoring. Woodenbridge was another one, quite a bit shorter, where 36 points was at best a midtable finish. Sliver Russell is another one that, while tremendous fun, is relatively straightforward.

In terms of harder parklands, I doubt there’s many tougher for a first-timer than Kilkeel, with its blanket composition of blind holes, undulating undulations, and infestation of trees. It does get easier once you learn where to aim for. Concra Wood is similar first time out. You can see most of the pins on it, but it looks and feels daunting until you get used to it. But the two that threw me the most were Druids Heath - a horrible, cold and unforgiving layout that left me with a bad taste in my mouth, and Mount Wolseley, which I’d love to return to, to find out if it was just me on a bad day, but I just couldn’t work the course out at all, and the greens were insanely tough.

Finlay Harp · 25-11-2019 9:30pm

thewobbler wrote: »

Difficulty is generally related to length, and the length of carries, hence the longer links on blowy days stick in the memory. Shorter ones like the Old Tom or Strandhill don’t generate the same fear.

Let’s leave aside fields with sticks.

From my society of dysfunctional alcoholics taking trips around Ireland, two courses come to mind as being of the easier variety. Moyvalley had enough length, but was wide open with inviting greens, and saw record Sunday morning scoring. Woodenbridge was another one, quite a bit shorter, where 36 points was at best a midtable finish. Sliver Russell is another one that, while tremendous fun, is relatively straightforward.

In terms of harder parklands, I doubt there’s many tougher for a first-timer than Kilkeel, with its blanket composition of blind holes, undulating undulations, and infestation of trees. It does get easier once you learn where to aim for. Concra Wood is similar first time out. You can see most of the pins on it, but it looks and feels daunting until you get used to it. But the two that threw me the most were Druids Heath - a horrible, cold and unforgiving layout that left me with a bad taste in my mouth, and Mount Wolseley, which I’d love to return to, to find out if it was just me on a bad day, but I just couldn’t work the course out at all, and the greens were insanely tough.

I’m a member of Kilkeel and see you’re point especially the 1st.

Most difficult / easiest course in Ireland

Comments