Ireland's Best Risk vs Reward Holes - Your Thoughts

Kevinmarkham · 16-06-2026 08:42AM #1

I’m trying to produce a list of Ireland’s best risk-vs-reward holes and a wise man - @FixdePitchmark – suggested I post on here.

If you have any holes that immediately spring to mind, please let me know.

I divide this into two:

Driveable/short par-4s are obvious contenders, assuming there’s a lot of danger around the green – Jameson Links 17, Corballis 2, 7 and 11, The Heritage 11, Enniscrone 13, Strandhill 13, Dun Laoghaire (Middle) 4, Lough Erne 10, Dromoland Castle 15, Mount Wolseley 4, Castlewarden 10, St Helen’s Bay 18.
Tough Par-4s/5s – typically doglegs – where a big, if risky, drive negates much of the difficulty of the hole, making the approach shot considerably more manageable. Holes such as Druids Glen 13, Esker Hills 14, Old Head 12. Or par-5s where a high-risk second shot must be inch-perfect to avoid disaster, such as K Club 7 and 18, Cork 5.

Just a few examples. If you have some, I’d appreciate your suggestions.

thewobbler · 16-06-2026 09:07AM

Neither of these quite fit into either of your categories.

But the par 5s at 13 and 15 Concra Wood are proper risk v reward holes. Neither is long; 15 is barely a par 5 at all.

The question they pose is about just how much risk you’re willing to take off the tee.

On 13 there’s a clear line over the lake and inside the pond that makes it into a par 4. Any additional fade and the ball is dead. Play safe into the bailout area left and you leave yourself a long second over the pond to give yourself a chance.

15 isn’t complicated: bite off as much as you can and leave yourself a semi straightforward approach and a potential eagle putt. But again, any indecision or the slightest fade off the tee is dead.

Gandalph · 16-06-2026 10:22AM

I'd think the 11th at Corballis virtually risk free (if you have a spotter!) as far as short par 4's go, most people who have the distance are going for that one. 2 and 7 are definitely better examples (albeit going for 7 off the members tees is generally a no go).

I consider the 1st in Balcarrick a complete conundrum, very easy short layup par 4 with a uneventful green (as easy a greenside up and down can be). I'd be confident of hitting the landing area around the green 60-70% of time off the tee with an iron if I tried…the problem being it's the very first hole, I'm not entirely sure how I'm hitting them that day yet and I'd generally be upset at myself if I do any worse than a par there which heavily weighs on my overall risk perception of that hole. So I end up laying up 99% of the time, I can imagine if it was later in the round it would be a different story.

Adiaga 2 · 16-06-2026 11:16AM

The 11th in Balbriggan is a very good risk/reward hole. 330m Par 4 - dogleg right. OB up the right side bordered by tall, mature trees and there's a water hazard left up to just beyond the corner of the dogleg. Really big hitters can get on or very close to the green. But even for not so big hitters, you can cut just enough of the corner to leave you within 100 yards of the green. An iron down to the corner will you around 150 - 160 yards with the green protected by a sizeable front bunker. The tee box sits well above the fairway and that's what makes it all the more tempting but it doesn't take much of a push or a pull to find big trouble.

celtic_oz · 16-06-2026 11:40AM

15 in Concra wood is better ( no video unfortunately) but 13 not too shabby:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLKIvD09ZQ0

spacecoyote · 16-06-2026 11:44AM

Sounds like you've already picked up on some of the courses my crew with @FixdePitchmark were discussing.

Some other potential options maybe would be:

Carlow, 10th hole. Short par 4, lots of trouble right and on the line straight at the flag.

Macreddin, 12th hole. Similar i guess to the index one at Druids Glen. Tough dogleg par 4, the more aggressive the line off the tee, the better the chance of going at the green, but with a forced carry on the approach. With a safer option to the left on approach

blue note · 16-06-2026 04:03PM

Ah risk / reward, the agonising decision making process of how you're going to mess up a hole.

The 2nd in Portsalon is an obvious one (and a wonderful hole). That's the sort of hole I bought a laser for, so I could decide, as opposed to guess, what line to take.

The par 5 6th hole in New Forest I think is a great risk / reward hole. The fairway zigzags slights right then back straight. If you want to go for the green in two you can carry trouble to skip to the right, or you could fade it through the zigzag. But if you get the distance but go left you're running into trouble. If you don't get the distance but take the right line, you're also in trouble. And then the second shot is another interesting one. There are two tall trees left and right of the fairway. If you're playing it as a three shotter, these come into play if you're at all offline the closer you get to them. Or, for shorter hitters playing from the green tees (or whatever colour the forward ones are), the green is probably reachable in two if you've hit a good drive through the zigzag. But again, these trees will be a factor for anything not straight. I think it's a great hole.

Another one I love which I expect I'm on my own on is the 18th in Tramore. There's OB right and the prevailing wind blows that way. It's a fairly high index hole, so half the people won't be getting a shot on it. But, it's a birdieable hole if you get a good drive away for a decent length hitter. I wouldn't consider it for this thread if it wasn't the 18th, but it is and it's a real decision to make on the tee. If you're on 36 points, maybe 38 could be enough. Or maybe you'll regret not going for the bird!

spacecoyote · 16-06-2026 06:34PM

Couple of others:

13th at the Monty, shortish par 4, have to carry a bunker to go straight at it and green is tricky.

17th Kilkea Castle, tricky driving hole with stream crossing the landing area, options to lay up and give a long tough approach or go hard at it and try clear the stream

16th at Grange Castle. Again, a stream crosses fairway in driver landing area. Lay up short and you probably have close to a 200yd approach to be safe

FixdePitchmark · 16-06-2026 07:04PM

This is an interesting one. And it made me think about if there are enough of them at all. So many course have fairly straightforward strategy. Also , perhaps risk and reward is a function of particularly long hitters. There is guy on here - as far as I can see, he can go for any medium length par 4 in one. But for say these holes that are dog legs - you need to be able to hit it high and long to do anything worth doing and that long might be 280 to 300 yards.

When I was thinking about it - a hole came into my head not in Ireland - but is an iconic golf moment and amazing true risk reward. Seve at the Belfry - 1985 Ryder Cup. With the old equipment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1JytIWQ3DU

Love that Corballis has come up - when you think about it there are so many risk reward holes.

2 (go for green) -

3 go over right mound to catch a speed slot drive - miss lost ball. Make the shot - could be 50 yards from green.

5 go for green - a form of mental illness

7 go for green - another pro v 1 gone

11 go for green - looked good - new balls please.

Fun course - but going for most above - is a charity day for Titleist.

Some other risk reward I love.

Druids Glen 13th - what a golf hole. How far right or can you fade a big stick.

Old Head 12th - amazing hole - and balls required on tee and 2nd shot.

Ballybunion 17th - how left can you go - makes it a shorter hole.

Played last week 5th Portrush - just so hard to pick a line right. 16 a sort of unrewarded risk and reward. Nearly like only shot is a bail out left.

Portstewart - If you hit a big one on the par 5 7th , is an amazing hole to try go for in 2. Fascinating choices on 8 and 9 also. But the risk is not rewarded - so a different type of hole. Forced lay up (lol)

Esker has some great holes you have a choice off tee - even the 1st. But the one that we all know is the 10th - but a few others like 3 and 4 . When you think about it Esker has a wonderful variety of hole types.

Enniscrone 13th - unreal hole

Back to the Belfry above - for some reason can not remember - but there is a hole in Ireland very like it - shape and shot type . FLat out driver you can nearly reach green going right - but lay up is left of water.

Break80 · 16-06-2026 07:16PM

18th in Fota Island Deerpark. Par 5 index 18.

You can use a few different strategies on the tee box. Tight faiway lined by high trees on both sides.

2 five woods and a wedge will get you on, 2 putt par, walk off with your 2 points.

Driver will leave you with a 5 iron on. Definite birdie maybe eagle. Problem is if your drive isn't straight, you're in the trees. If your 5 iron isn't straight, you're in the water. If you make water, up and down for your par, walk off with your 2 points.

Which option would you choose?

spacecoyote · 16-06-2026 07:26PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124555797#Comment_124555797

You could be thinking of 10 at Carlow that I mentioned above @FixdePitchmark

Not quite it, but similar. Green tucked right, water up the right side, safety left

https://youtu.be/Ll0vWovWLPg?is=nOwC2LUCCG0y3Bmu

FixdePitchmark · 16-06-2026 07:34PM

279 M Space , lol, them days long gone.

Anyone see Roadrunner around here. 🧐

But - yes can see going left and long very tempting but a bit daft too.

awec · 16-06-2026 09:18PM

IMO a dog-leg hole where the corner can be cut wouldn't be classed as a risk/reward hole to me unless there was more risk than just the distance needed to carry the corner by itself.

Like if the low men at your club are standing up and taking the line to cut the corner in every single Sunday comp then it's not a risk/reward hole, it's just a hole that big hitters can play differently to average hitters.

billy3sheets · 16-06-2026 10:11PM

I think there's a bit of context to this question, depending on both your Handicap / skill level and the index of the hole.

The 12th at St Margaret's is a par 5 but is index 18, so many (most?) golfers don't have a shot there. Long hitters have to clear a bunker right and have maybe 180 to the green, between 2 tall trees with water and a bunker behind. If you don't want to take the risk of the 180 approach, or are further back, you have to contend with the tricky layup to say 100 yards, avoiding being blocked by either of the 2 trees.

Odd thing is that most don't even consider a strategy off the tee, just grab the driver and hope for the best. I'll often hit a rescue short of the bunker, then lay up with say a 7, PW or GW on, sink the putt and walk away with a birdie. 😀

thewobbler · 16-06-2026 11:02PM

@FixdePitchmark the 8th in Rathsallagh is a similar hole.

slave1 · 17-06-2026 09:11AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124556419#Comment_124556419

This, for the average golfer (and above, in terms of handicap) I struggle to think of a true RR hole.

Ideally we should have something along the lines of 220y very tight with penalty looming or extreme dog leg requiring high accuracy but where are they?

billy3sheets · 17-06-2026 09:52AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124557014#Comment_124557014

Well, I guess I see the RR in the second shot here, as opposed to the drive which is the case in most of the holes described above.

Decent drive but maybe slightly left or right of the fairway, 200 yards out, trees to contend with.

Risk is catch the trees, ball is wet or lost sometimes. Miss the trees, you may be in one of 2 bunkers.

Reward is getting on the green and having an eagle putt.

If you go for the layup, still some risk of bringing a tree into play.

I see this weekly. Any other courses I play regularly, I can't recall major RR holes.

slave1 · 17-06-2026 11:06AM

It's a shame, pros get it week in week out, something I always think should be on at least one hole on every course but courses seem to associate length with difficulty too much

soverybored1878 · 17-06-2026 12:01PM

Crazy to me that nobody has mentioned the 13th at Slieve Russell. A shot over a gigantic lake with the line being over the SR logo. It's a long par 5 and you can bite off as much as you want to leave yourself a shorter approach. One of the purest definitions of risk/reward as you're likely to find.

FixdePitchmark · 17-06-2026 03:19PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124557372#Comment_124557372

Id say only 20 % of posters on the golf forum have played the course?.. also as the thread is developing. It is a fairly subjective and skill based. Majority of golfers dont have a risk reward choice...aim at easiest part of fairway to hit nearest to you...how many golfers have say a 240 yard carry plus in the bag...

Id also say ..there are a sizeable number of serious golfers , who dont have an amazing memory of a golf course , particularly with passing of months and years...Also at times you are only playing a course for first time...I think many true risk reward holes need significant enough course knowledge or advanced GPS and laser use...

spacecoyote · 17-06-2026 03:44PM

Is it the 6th in Rathsallagh thats maybe another option?

There's a big tree on the ideal line off the tee on the left. If you hit straight over it, maybe gives chance at green in two, but obviously if you don’t get enough on the drive you're straight into the trees

kyleman · 17-06-2026 04:29PM

The 12th in Macreddin is one of the best par 4s you can play.

You have to risk getting close to the water with your drive as even from the centre of the fairway it’s a huge carry over water to the green,

Only lay up is left of the water but there you are confronted by a large tree.

One of the best holes around.

dan_ep82 · 17-06-2026 08:03PM

Second shot on the 18th in Rathcore

spacecoyote · 17-06-2026 08:18PM

There are a couple of holes at Dromoland too.

The 9th I think (driveable par 4). Might actually be the one that Fix was thinking of before

11th, a par 5, probably a double risk-reward. How much do you take off the corner off the tee. How willing are you to hit at the green over the water.

15th, another "driveable" par 4. More reachable than 9, but lots of nasty run offs.

18th, again a par 5, can be tempted to be greedy off the tee, and then the big tree on the fairway on the approach comes into play if someone being aggressive with their approach.

moycullen14 · 18-06-2026 10:15AM

The 3rd in Castlegregory. Very short par 4 (~230-270yds) , driveable for most golfers in the summer. The sting is that the closer you get to the green, the more danger there is from an off-line shot. Hit the target and an eagle is very much on. Offline and it's double bogey or worse.

I like it because it is risk/reward for most golfers. However, an offline layup (~150 yds) is in serious trouble too!

Hardest easiest hole in Ireland :-)

awec · 18-06-2026 10:26AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124557014#Comment_124557014

Strandhill 13.

Dog leg right to left, but the line to cut the corner is fairly tight. Don't cut the corner enough and you'll head straight into the heavy rough on the far side of the fairway, high chance of a lost ball. Cut it too much and you'll stay in the heavy rough on this side of the fairway, high chance of lost ball.

2 bunkers in the vicinity of the landing zone of the proper line as well.

If you're going for the green (which is about 260 metres so only really doable for the big hitters) you have about a 5 metre wide window to aim for.

The reason I would classify this as proper risk reward is there is genuine reward for cutting the corner, but it does come with significant risk if you aren't accurate.

Playing short and safe off the tee leaves you with a difficult approach shot as you're navigating the narrow gap to the green with a mid iron instead of a wedge on your approach.

Kevinmarkham · 18-06-2026 11:55AM

Thanks for all the responses

There's certainly a difficult balance of what constitutes a RR hole based on your handicap and length off the tee. A lot of dogleg corners can be cut when it's about getting your ball over the trees but the question is, how much risk do you take for how much reward? Are you only reducing length or have you removed a big risk (water, OB, severe bunkering) from your next shot? That's why I think 13 at Druids Glen is a contender, because the risk of cutting the corner is huge (water and rock face) but the reward is turning one of Ireland's toughest holes into a drive and an 7/8 iron. But you do have to be long off the tee to even consider it.

I'm intrigued by the selection of Macreddin's 12th. I've never looked at it as a RR hole. Personally, I find it ALL risk. Too short, too long, too left, too right… it's all trouble.

I actually think @FixdePitchmark might be talking about the 4th at Mount Wolseley, but Carlow, Rathsallagh and Dromoland Castle all have that short par-4 left-to-right dogleg with big water protecting the green.

slave1 · 18-06-2026 02:59PM

IMHO taking on a corner is fun, but if it rewards you from a 3W approach to say a 7i then its just course management, if you hit the green or are a pitch in then RR, especially so if a green with water to avoid

I'll throw in the 10th at Esker Hills off the forward tee as a potential RR, can drive the green off the tee but the R is wet ball

Yeah Right · 18-06-2026 04:00PM

Always loved the 8th hole on the Red Course in Donabate for this reason. Late enough into the round that it's always a calculated risk, with varying degrees of reward, depending on how well you hit it. It can be the difference between using a 6/7i or a rescue/3W on your 2nd shot, if your ball doesn't end up on the pitches to the left.

FixdePitchmark · 18-06-2026 09:18PM

Looks like the hole in my head Kevin, But it is over 20 years since I played.

There are a good few holes that are like above in Ireland - and few of this type have been posted. - but how many of them a drivable is questionable - it would make for a better hole if these types of holes were genuinely drivable. Because if the carry is say 260 yards plus - makes them a tad pointless for amateurs.

FixdePitchmark · 18-06-2026 09:31PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124560871#Comment_124560871

Is a great hole - only thing can you take a lad out on hurling pitch if it goes wrong - also is there a high net catching balls if you go left. ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeAFBn_r4w4&t=89s

Ireland's Best Risk vs Reward Holes - Your Thoughts

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