The Links Thread

FixdePitchmark · 21-02-2014 9:56pm

TrapperChamonix wrote: »

No Excuses FD, There is no greater concentration of links courses than in and around Dublin. There are 8 Links Courses (Royal Dublin, St Annes, Sutton, Portmarnock, Portmarnock Links, The Island, Corballis, Rush) within 30 mins of each other. Further north Laytown, Baltray, Seapoint and Greenore, further south, European and Arklow. These cover a wide variety of terrain, high dunes (Baltray, The Island) moorland (Portmarnock), tight (Rush Sutton), flat (Royal Dublin) etc.. Portmarnock, Baltray & The European would routinely be in the top 10 ranked in the country and there is a wide variety of prices to match.
You just don't know when you have it so good.

Personally I've loved playing Ballyconnelly, Murvagh, Waterville, Dooks, Portsalon, Portrush, Rosapenna but don't underestimate the resource you have on your doorstep.

I agree that we are spoilt on east coast too. Low terrain courses are growing on me with age - perhaps age is the factor. But, I love the crazy big dune courses. The ones you listed above - I love most of them as courses, but , (IMO) only The Island falls into that space of memorable deep dunes. I wouldn't put Baltray fully in that space.

Maybe it is a case with me that the grass is always greener or The Dunes are always deeper on the other side.

But, would be interested in others view on East versus West versus North. I've played in all 3 locations - but to my shame, I have never played in Donegal or Kerry.

m r c · 21-02-2014 10:40pm

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

That is the sort of stuff we should stick in thread - ways to get out on the big ones on the cheap.

Maybe a group of us will go to a few things.

I'd play it with ye, for sure.

In that spirit there is a competition that on in Rosses Point called the "Jackson Cup" it's an 18 hole qualifier for a top 64 matchplay.
€40 and if you qualify and continue to progress through the matchplay all games are covered in the initial fee.
It's played the week after the west of Ireland off the blue tees. Tough test.

yettie1701 · 22-02-2014 7:53am

Hi Folks. I'm a huge links fan too I must say. Maybe it's because I don't get to play week in week out. When the weather blows a bit I think the best way to play links is to ignore the score and play each hole as a new challenge. It can be cruel for sure and good shots can often trickle off the green of get sucked in to a bunker but the different shots like the punchy 7 irons from 100 yards are just brilliant.
Some of the lists are very impressive and I must admit I'm envious of some of them. Maybe when the recession is over ill get to expand my portfolio towards the Kerry region. Can't wait for Atlantic Coast Challange in July.
My list is:
Portsalon
Rossapenna both courses
Carne
Enniscrone
Rosses Point
Links Portmarnock
Baltray
Laytown and Bettystown
Arklow
Roslare
Trevose Cornwall
And some Ranch in Anglesea beside an RAF base for about 60 pounds sterling.
I would love some tips for some of the other courses around Dublin as I work there a good bit and could accidentally get lost up there some day with the sticks in the van.

Kevinmarkham · 22-02-2014 9:51am

burnhardlanger wrote: »

It's also on my bucket list to play as many courses on the Open Championship rota as possible.

Be sure to put Royal Liverpool (Hoylake) and Royal Lytham towards the bottom of your list. Dull courses. I played Hoylake before Tiger won it, using a 1 iron off the tee - it'll be fascinating to watch how he takes it on this year. There's very little to excite.

m r c wrote: »

I don't know when you played but there's no excuse for no 1 in any golf club period.
Especially one where the green fees are €90 afaik.

I love the golf experience at Rosses Point, and I have never had a bad experience there, but I have heard a few negative comments. You're right - there's no excuse for it. But while I was writing the book I was talking to a General Manager at one of Ireland's "world-class" courses... and he turned his back on me and walked away mid-sentence. There are a few people (and only a few) working in the game who are known for being rude/arrogant/difficult. You've just got to hope you avoid them and hope that golfing tourists don't go away and gripe about their experiences.

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

That is the sort of stuff we should stick in thread - ways to get out on the big ones on the cheap.

Maybe a group of us will go to a few things.

The 'Challenges' have always been my preferred route for cheap green fees at links courses, but there are others. You/We could have played Royal County Down on the perfect Thursday that's just passed for £50. No mats, no temporaries. Irish Open coming... 50 quid is a steal. It's 75 in March.

And for those who think 50 stg is too expensive, Golf Digest (the US version) recently published its first Top 100 Courses in the world. Royal County Down came 4th - behind Pine Valley, Cypress Point and Augusta... three courses you will never get to play (unless you are unbelievably lucky). If you want to read the piece that Golf Digest's David Owen wrote about his visit to RCD last year, here's the article.

The_Architect · 22-02-2014 11:49am

The links is the soul of the game with regards to golf courses.

Regards ticking off the Open Championship courses, you have to realise that they are picked for the Open mainly because they are of a similar breed. So if the number of courses you play is limited, it serves better to pick some of the lesser known but great courses that offer something different along with some select Open courses.

The Open courses share a couple of things in common. Firstly, they are "big". Secondly, they tend to be less quirky and have less dunes style golf. They are traditional and subtle for the most part.

In Ireland, Portmarnock is clearly the closest style there is to an "Open" course, this despite the fact that Portrush has actually held the event.

There are nine courses on the Open rota.

For variety, I'd probably pick St Andrews, Muirfield and St Georges as the must sees - three golf courses that traverse the full variation of styles.

After that, you may pick Turnberry for the scenery (rather more than the golf course) and I think Hoylake is an excellent course. Birkdale may offer the biggest dunes but the golf is effectively all through flattish, valley bottoms.

If travelling to the UK, you are far better to sample a few of the following dozen mixed in with some Open courses:

Royal Dornoch
North Berwick
St Enedoc
Machrihanish
Cruden Bay
Royal Cinque Ports
Prestwick
Formby
Burnham and Berrow
Royal Porthcawl
Rye
Pennard

Kevinmarkham · 22-02-2014 12:42pm

The_Architect wrote: »

I think Hoylake is an excellent course.

Could you elaborate on this? Four of us played it in 2006 and none of us was impressed. There were four Americans behind us and they were non-plussed as well. I can remember two holes.

The same four guys played Carnoustie the following year and we all loved it. An absolute beast of a course where you have to work over every shot.

spacecoyote · 22-02-2014 12:55pm

m r c wrote: »

I'd play it with ye, for sure.

In that spirit there is a competition that on in Rosses Point called the "Jackson Cup" it's an 18 hole qualifier for a top 64 matchplay.
€40 and if you qualify and continue to progress through the matchplay all games are covered in the initial fee.
It's played the week after the west of Ireland off the blue tees. Tough test.

Think the European club do something similar. Its a matchplay & if you win your first round match you play on based on your initial entry fee.

Can't remember exact details

yettie1701 · 22-02-2014 2:07pm

spacecoyote wrote: »

Think the European club do something similar. Its a matchplay & if you win your first round match you play on based on your initial entry fee.

Can't remember exact details

The European club run a singles and fourball matchplay. For the singles you pay 60 euro to enter and the rest of the competition is free which is great value. For the fourball matchplay is 90 euro per pair to enter( not 100% on that figure but 85%) you organise your own first round match i.e you bring four. After that you are drawn against other first round winners and that's free too. I think they start around March.

m r c · 22-02-2014 10:34pm

Kevinmarkham wrote: »

Be sure to put Royal Liverpool (Hoylake) and Royal Lytham towards the bottom of your list. Dull courses. I played Hoylake before Tiger won it, using a 1 iron off the tee - it'll be fascinating to watch how he takes it on this year. There's very little to excite.

I love the golf experience at Rosses Point, and I have never had a bad experience there, but I have heard a few negative comments. You're right - there's no excuse for it. But while I was writing the book I was talking to a General Manager at one of Ireland's "world-class" courses... and he turned his back on me and walked away mid-sentence. There are a few people (and only a few) working in the game who are known for being rude/arrogant/difficult. You've just got to hope you avoid them and hope that golfing tourists don't go away and gripe about their experiences.

The 'Challenges' have always been my preferred route for cheap green fees at links courses, but there are others. You/We could have played Royal County Down on the perfect Thursday that's just passed for £50. No mats, no temporaries. Irish Open coming... 50 quid is a steal. It's 75 in March.

And for those who think 50 stg is too expensive, Golf Digest (the US version) recently published its first Top 100 Courses in the world. Royal County Down came 4th - behind Pine Valley, Cypress Point and Augusta... three courses you will never get to play (unless you are unbelievably lucky). If you want to read the piece that Golf Digest's David Owen wrote about his visit to RCD last year, here's the article.

That article is really good read Kevin, I subscribe to golf digest and David Owen is IMHO one of their best contributors.
Lucky bugger you to play with people like that, the coffee after and banter is probably better than the golf in some ways.

I want to send you a pm on something else too.

Loire · 24-02-2014 12:23pm

The_Architect wrote: »

If travelling to the UK, you are far better to sample a few of the following dozen mixed in with some Open courses:

North Berwick

Played North Berwick a number of years ago and it was magical. A warm welcome with a big old club house and an 18th very similar to St Andrews.

mike12 · 24-02-2014 4:30pm

Played St. Andrews Old and New last year along with Dundonald on a trip to Scotland. The atmosphere around the place is super but if you stuck the course in Dublin it's no better than Royal Dublin. The New course is just as good. Think a lot of the open venues if you just compared the course against what we have here or courses that are not on the Open Rota in Scotland and England they wouldn't get into a lot of top 10's without the history.
Think it's great the Irish Open is goinf back to a links next year and think it should be played on one every year, golf tourists come here to play links golf so we should be showing it off rather than playing it on an american style course in bad weather.

BOB81 · 24-02-2014 4:49pm

yettie1701 wrote: »

The European club run a singles and fourball matchplay. For the singles you pay 60 euro to enter and the rest of the competition is free which is great value. For the fourball matchplay is 90 euro per pair to enter( not 100% on that figure but 85%) you organise your own first round match i.e you bring four. After that you are drawn against other first round winners and that's free too. I think they start around March.

Yup its €100 per pair to enter and you have to have the first round played by 15th March, most people just organise a fourball and play amongst themselves in the first round, after that its an open draw for your oponents. Great value as you say - best I've done is the 3rd round, 3 rounds in the European club for €50 can't be beat!

yettie1701 · 24-02-2014 5:41pm

BOB81 wrote: »

Yup its €100 per pair to enter and you have to have the first round played by 15th March, most people just organise a fourball and play amongst themselves in the first round, after that its an open draw for your oponents. Great value as you say - best I've done is the 3rd round, 3 rounds in the European club for €50 can't be beat!

Serious value alright. 3rd round not bad going. Are you playing in it this year and do you know when the closing date for entry is. Thanks

mike12 · 24-02-2014 5:51pm

yettie1701 wrote: »

Serious value alright. 3rd round not bad going. Are you playing in it this year and do you know when the closing date for entry is. Thanks

Think they will take entries up to the week before the 15th you can re enter after the first round for €40 each so best thing to do is 4 go play the first round 2 re enter. Put €70 quid in each so you get 2 rounds for that no matter what happens.
We played 2 guys we didn't know and won so thru to the second round have got to the 3rd round each year so good value. Beaten on the 19th twice and the 22nd the other round.

yettie1701 · 24-02-2014 10:00pm

mike12 wrote: »

Think they will take entries up to the week before the 15th you can re enter after the first round for €40 each so best thing to do is 4 go play the first round 2 re enter. Put €70 quid in each so you get 2 rounds for that no matter what happens.
We played 2 guys we didn't know and won so thru to the second round have got to the 3rd round each year so good value. Beaten on the 19th twice and the 22nd the other round.

Cheers thanks for that. Will try and round up two more guys so. You have it well sussed. God you've been unlucky to loose out in those matches. Hopefully you will get over the line this year. Thanks for that

mike12 · 24-02-2014 10:48pm

yettie1701 wrote: »

Cheers thanks for that. Will try and round up two more guys so. You have it well sussed. God you've been unlucky to loose out in those matches. Hopefully you will get over the line this year. Thanks for that

They also have a singles match play as well. It was the guys we beat in the first round for the second year in a row decided it would almost be as cheap to bring 2 mates down for the day.

FixdePitchmark · 24-02-2014 10:55pm

mike12 wrote: »

They also have a singles match play as well. It was the guys we beat in the first round for the second year in a row decided it would almost be as cheap to bring 2 mates down for the day.

When is the singles mike12 ?

mike12 · 24-02-2014 10:58pm

Think it may have started this year already.

FixdePitchmark · 28-02-2014 12:13am

Kevin and all.

Has anybody ever tried to define the general geographical locations for all the links in Ireland.

East Coast
West Coast
North Coast.

I was thinking I could try finish off east coast this year
West Coast next year
North Coast year 3.

Ambitious - but feck it.

Is it fair to say there is no South Coast links - if you say Wexford is east ?

the lawman · 28-02-2014 10:07am

Old Head is south coast surely FDP

FixdePitchmark · 28-02-2014 10:41am

the lawman wrote: »

Old Head is south coast surely FDP

Was thinking that one - but big debate about it's validity as a Links.

I've played it - love it.
It is a cliff top course - if there is such a thing.
It is an inland links on a cliff top. -

I'm working on it.

mike12 · 28-02-2014 11:33am

Ballycastle 1 £25 Opens Antrim
Rathmore 2 £35 Antrim
Royal Portrush 3 Played £125 Antrim
Doonbeg Links 4 €185 Clare
Kilkee 5 €30.00 Clare
Lahinch 6 €100 Opens Clare
Lahinch Second 7 Clare
Fermoy 8 €20.00 opens Cork
Portstewart 9 Played £80 Derry
Ballyliffin 10 Played Donegal
Ballyliffin Galsheady 11 €80 Opens Donegal
Donegal 12 Played €50.00 Opens Donegal
Dunfanaghy 13 €30.00 Donegal
Greencastle 14 €20.00 Donegal
Narin & Portnoo 15 Played €30 Opens Donegal
North West 16 €30.00 Donegal
Portsalon 17 €40.00 Opens Donegal
Rosapenna 18 Played €60 Donegal
Rospenna Tom Morris 19 Donegal
Ardglass 20 Played £40 Opens Down
Carnalea 21 £17.50 Down
Castlerock 22 £65 Down
Donaghadee 23 £23 Down
Kirkistown Castle 24 Played £25 Opens Down
Mourne 25 Played N/A Down
Royal Co. Down 26 Played €100.00 £140 usually Down
Corballis Links 27 Played €20.00 Dublin
Portmarnock 28 Played €180 Dublin
Portmarnock Hotel 29 Played Dublin
The Island 30 Played €20.00 Dublin
The Links Portmarnock 31 Played €20 Dublin
The Royal Dublin 32 Played €60.00 Dublin
Connemara 33 €65 Opens Galway
Galway Bay 34 Played €20.00 Galway
Ballybunion 35 €180 Kerry
Ceann Sibeal 36 €65.00 Kerry
Dooks 37 €85.00 Opens Kerry
Skellig Bay 38 €70.00 Kerry
Tralee 39 €180.00 Kerry
Waterville 40 N/A Kerry
Seapoint 41 Played free Lout
Co. Louth 42 Played Free Louth
Greenore 43 Played free Louth
Belmullet 44 Played €65 opens Mayo
Laytown & Bettystown 45 Played €50 Opens Meath
Bundoran 46 Played €45 Sligo
Co. Sligo 47 Played €70 Opens Sligo
Enniscrone 48 Played €60.00 Opens Sligo
Strandhill 49 Played €40.00 Sligo
St. Anne's 50 Played €20.00 Sublin
Rosslare 51 €40.00 Opens Wexford
Arklow 52 €40 opens Wicklow
European 53 Played €60.00 Wicklow

mike12 · 28-02-2014 11:35am

Posted a list above not really up to date with greeb fees but have it by county, i have 53 links but may have missed a couple where there are second courses.
Mike

PARlance · 28-02-2014 11:38am

mike12 wrote: »

Posted a list above not really up to date with greeb fees but have it by county, i have 53 links but may have missed a couple where there are second courses.
Mike

Think you have Portmarnock Hotel & Links counted twice Mike.
Once as the Links and once as the Hotel, you also have the other Portmarnock.
(Numbers 28,29,31)

You can substitute in

Mulranny 31 €20 Mayo

mike12 · 28-02-2014 12:34pm

Achill 1
Clogher Valley 2
Cruit Island 3
Cushendall 4
Gweedore 5
Helen's Bay 6
Manor 7
Mulranny 8
Otway 9
Raffeen Creek 10
Rush 11
Buncrana 12
Connemara Isles 13
Spanish Point 14
Berehaven 15
Bushfoot 16
Carrickmines 17
Castlegregory 18
Larne 19

The 19 9 hole links i was able to find, Anyone know how to paste out of excel keeping the boarders as a table.

alxmorgan · 28-02-2014 12:59pm

mike12 wrote: »

Achill 1
Clogher Valley 2
Cruit Island 3
Cushendall 4
Gweedore 5
Helen's Bay 6
Manor 7
Mulranny 8
Otway 9
Raffeen Creek 10
Rush 11
Buncrana 12
Connemara Isles 13
Spanish Point 14
Berehaven 15
Bushfoot 16
Carrickmines 17
Castlegregory 18
Larne 19

The 19 9 hole links i was able to find, Anyone know how to paste out of excel keeping the boarders as a table.

Raffeen Creek is no links I'm afraid

mike12 · 28-02-2014 1:16pm

When i did that about 5 years ago i basically went into the GUI web site and took the description they had there. Very hard to find a list of links courses.

Guisseppeth · 28-02-2014 1:27pm

I just love links golf, even though more often than not I'm cursing at yet another tee shot sliced into the rough!!! The good shots and holes more than make up for it though - holding the green on the 7th at Narin & Portnoo (conveniently ignoring the 3 putt that followed), nearly coming out of my shoes to make the green the 14th at Royal Portrush - Calamity Corner (again 3 putting), making par at the stunning 5th at Royal Portrush after my 2nd was a centimetre from ending up on the beach.... I wish I could say that the list goes on but unfortunately it doesn't :-)

8 of us go for a weekend in September every year and we always play links courses where possible. As mentioned earlier in the thread, there is some fantastic value especially if you play in the opens. We're heading to Donegal again this year to play North West GC on the Friday and then the 2 courses at Ballyliffin on the Saturday and Sunday and its costing €204pp all in including 2 nights B&B in the Ballyliffin hotel. We have looked at North Wales and Scotland as 2 of the group live in the UK but there is nothing like that sort of value across the water. Long may it continue!!

Dublin Spur · 28-02-2014 2:21pm

Portmarnock @ €180 a round
€10 a hole
Utter Madness

ForeRight · 28-02-2014 2:55pm

Is there anyway of playing portmarnock without the ridiculous price charge?

The Links Thread

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