Most difficult holes in golf

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.

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

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

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.

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

Must play next time I stay there...

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

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

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.

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.

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..

Right off the top of my head…

17th in Carne (Green on a ledge of a hill, second shot has cabbage on the left that can be a story or more above the hole, a drop to the right 3 stories below the hole..)

16th on St.Patricks Rosapenna… Drive it at the sea in the knowledge the wind will do what you want…Second shot has beach OOB all down the left (no forgiveness) paying off a slop and cabbage on the right..

8th on Connemara if against the wind… Can be brutal, long and if the ball goes up it can go anywhere..

Some notable from memory:

12th in Claremorris put the river in the wrong place, so long uphill shot on to the green which are very slick and they can put pin in the front which makes it delvish from the back…

16th in Galway (Salthill), The drive is crucial wit little margin between hero and OOB… Might not be the hardest but wreaks cards…

4th on Esker Hills, Plays tricks on your mind…

"16th on St.Patricks Rosapenna… Drive it at the sea in the knowledge the wind will do what you want…Second shot has beach OOB all down the left (no forgiveness) paying off a slop and cabbage on the right.."

14th you are thinking of I'd say. 16th is a straightaway (albeit a long one) par 4 with a 100 yard wide fairway

Great photo! I get to play this once a week usually (Apr-Sep) the past 2 years. Great hole & I agree 100% on the pricing. Get 9 holes for €10-15 depending who's working in the evening.