Hole Details

The drive must carry gorse and hawthorn to a sloping fairway with an out-of-bounds on the right and gorse and trees on the left. Strategically placed fairway bunkers protect the green which is long and well bunkered. A birdie opportunity for the low handicapper.

At this distance obviously a birdie opportunity but the drive must avoid trees on the left and an out-of-bounds on the right. The long, fast-sloping green is tightly bunkered necessitating a finely judged second shot. Pin placements dictate the difficulty of the putt.

The course now bares its teeth. A brave tee shot over Lough Mahon to the right-hand side of the fairway is rewarded with the best line for the second shot to the elevated undulating green. Those choosing the safer left line off the tee face a demanding second shot to a green guarded on the left by both fairway and greenside bunkers. This is one of the best holes on the course, fully meriting its one index, and considered by many to be one of the best par fours in Irish golf.

A long straight drive is essential as there is trouble both in front and on each side. A miscalculation on the line can lead to a lost ball. The fairway undulates and is bounded on the right by the river estuary to a green bounded by water making for a formidable approach shot. The longest hole on the course and a classic par five.

A feature hole where the blind drive should be placed to the right of a prominent limestone promontory known locally as ‘Spion Kop’. Accuracy off the tee is essential as a misdirected drive can easily find the gorse and hawthorn on either side. A fiendishly difficult second is required to the narrow, double-plateau green with sharp falls off on both sides. Any timidity invariably leads to a missed green and a difficult chip. This is the only hole on the course without bunkers. It doesn’t need them!

This, the first par three, is usually played into the prevailing south-westerly wind. The green is large with a severe slope in front, bunkers on the left and a deep valley on the right. Anything short leads to a testing chip up the slope with the possibility of a re-play from the same spot. Pin positions can be challenging on the severely sloped green. A typical Alister MacKenzie par three.

A left to right dog-leg. The drive is from an elevated tee to the fairway located twenty five feet below. The best line hugs the left-hand side, risking gorse and fairway bunkers. A long second is required to a large two-tier green located in front of a dramatic rock face. One of only two greens on the course not protected by greenside bunkers.

In addition to bunkers the green is protected by a deep valley on the left, a quarry on the right and a slope with trees behind. Anything pushed right is almost invariably lost. The green has a number of levels so pin placement determines the difficulty of the putt.

The drive is over a quarry with gorse protecting the left rough. The second shot is long and demanding, especially when played into the prevailing wind. The green slopes from back to front and is well protected with bunkers in front and on the right. Another classic MacKenzie design.

It is essential that the drive avoids strategically placed bunkers on the left of the fairway. A deep quarry runs dramatically close to both the right hand side of the fairway and the green, which slopes from back to front. A risk-reward hole offering a birdie opportunity for the brave. On the left of the fairway, a beautiful Spanish chestnut marks where Seve Ballesteros’s tee shot finished during his exhibition in 1983.

A short dog-leg right played from an elevated tee. Long hitters, who can carry the trees hugging the right-hand side of the fairway, are rewarded with a short iron for their second shot to the large elevated green which, being on two levels, allows challenging pin placements.

The tee shot is played over a deep quarry and through a narrow gap in trees to the smallest putting surface on the course, which is tightly bunkered in front. Although the shortest of the par threes it is deceptively difficult, often ruining a promising score.

The drive must avoid trees left and right and for the longer hitter, a bunker on the left. The second shot has to clear a strategically placed fairway bunker and avoid greenside bunkers both left and right. Anything over-hit is out-of bounds. The green is large and slopes both front to back and right to left presenting subtle, difficult-to-read breaks.

The drive is from an elevated tee to a tree-lined fairway. Four formidable fairway bunkers should be avoided at all costs. The large green is protected by a front bunker and a valley on the right which acts as a magnet for a misplaced second shot, leading to an awkward chip.

A short hole underrated at one’s peril. Accuracy off the tee is essential with thick gorse and hawthorn running along the fairway on the right and trees on the left. A challenging uphill approach is required to the elevated, lateral green.

The drive, played over a gorse wasteland, is one of the most challenging on the course, where many a good round has foundered. An out-of-bounds runs along the left and two bunkers guard the right of the severely sloping fairway. Anything pushed right results in a difficult second from a sloping lie with mature trees to carry. The green is well protected by bunkers and subtle slopes demand a delicate putting touch.

A dog-left right where the drive must avoid two fairway bunkers and a copse of trees on the right. On the left mature trees guard an out-of-bound road that runs all the way to the green. A bunker protects the front of the large green and an over-hit second may well finish out-of bounds. A demanding finishing hole.