A Fan's Photo Tribute to Lahinch - New 12th Green Photos Added

[Patrick Glynn]

Hole 18 Par 5

Blue 534
White 503

Tee Shot: An interesting point to note is that the teebox actually points you into the rough/bunkers on the right. Not saying it is a good thing, but it still catches me on occasion.



After a good tee shot one is left with ~250 to the green. The hole definitely plays longer that its yardage, a combination of the prevailing wind, road just left on the green and the fact that there is a subtle rise up to the green for the last 50 yards or so.



An idea of the fairway undulations. Strangely enough the "flat" area on the right side of the fairway is actually exactly where you do not want to be. The angle is poor, the green actually slopes away from you, and there is a slight downslope to it much like the 15th at Auguta.




From Ran's profile, more of the same:



From just short left, giving you an idea of the upslope just short and the size of the green. A very good green in my opinion, not as dramatic as some but interesting features abound. The right to left slope is always under-borrowed, the fall off left plays on your mind, the kicker from the mound on the right can help as well as hinder.



The fall off left, and a credit to the greenstaff for keeping the area firm and tightly mown allowing for both a lob and the ground game.



That concludes the photo tribute - I hope it whetted the appetite of the group. As you can see from the last picture, the 1st tee is immediately adjacent to the 18th green. Time for another 18?  

[Patrick Glynn]

How could I have forgotten the goats:

[Michael Taylor]

Thank you for the guided tour mate.  It's a pleasure to look at beautiful pics like this.

Pup

[Ash Towe]

Patrick,

Thanks for the tour.

Possibility I might get there myself next year.

[Jason Topp]

In 1992, I rode a bus past the course and thought the course looked incredible.  I did not know its name or have any idea what town I was in.

In 2004, I was about to depart on a trip to Ireland.  Lahinch was on the itinerary.  I searched on the internet and found this site.

In my mind the difference in quality betwen Lahinch and Ballybunion is very small, if it even exists.

Also - when the Irish forecast calls for a "fresh breeze" - in the US terms one should expect "very windy"

[Brendan Dolan]

Patrick,

Thanks for jogging my memory of such a great course.  It is truly a spunky course with tons of character, and I would never bore of playing it!  Your a lucky man to live so close.

Brendan

[Brad Fleischer]

Pat

Thanks for the tour. Interesting to see it through a member's eye's. Hopefully I get back sooner rather than latter and we can hook up
this time around.

Brad

[Patrick Glynn]

I got these from my uncle today and thought I would share them with the group.

The Dell in 1909:



The Klondyke Tee in 1909:



The 7th Tee in 1909:



And another pic of the "13th" tee from 1909 (hole no longer in play post MacKenzie).



Amazed at how little the Dell has changed.
Patrick

[Tony_Muldoon]

The Dell in 1909:




Amazed at how little the Dell has changed.
Patrick

Your picture of today’s version.



A blind par 3 over a large dune.  Others
The Maiden, 6th at Sandwich.  NLE
Sandy Parlour, 4th at Deal.  NLE
Cader, 3rd at Aberdovey.
Any other similar holes at a similar stage in the routing?  Which was first and do all of the above date from the 1890’s.


Thanks Patrick lovely photos.  The gals really believed in giving it a lash!

[Sean_A]

The Dell in 1909:




Amazed at how little the Dell has changed.
Patrick

Your picture of today’s version.



A blind par 3 over a large dune.  Others
The Maiden, 6th at Sandwich.  NLE
Sandy Parlour, 4th at Deal.  NLE
Cader, 3rd at Aberdovey.
Any other similar holes at a similar stage in the routing?  Which was first and do all of the above date from the 1890’s.


Thanks Patrick lovely photos.  The gals really believed in giving it a lash!

Tony

Burnham's Majuba - NLE - originated in 1891.  In fact, Burnham had a few more blind par 3s to dell/bowl greens which are NLE.   

Ciao

[Ally Mcintosh]

Thanks Patrick... Something's not quite right with those dates though... Need to check back on the Gibson routing but it's impossible to have the 4th green picture and 7th tee picture on the same date with those numbers.... The Dell picture must have been prior to 1907...

However, I'd be interested in finding out exactly where that 1907 Gibson 7th tee was situated... It could give us an idea of exactly how much land has been eroded since then and possibly how far out MacKenzie's 7th green was situated... This'll knock on to my theory about MacKenzie's 3rd...

We should meet down there sometime Patrick...

[Robert Thompson]

Patrick: Thanks for this. I'm heading to Lahinch with Ian Andrew in May, and had done a lot of reading on the course. Nothing, however, was as detailed as your post on the course. Thanks for taking the time. Looks like it'll be one of the great experiences in golf -- exactly as I was hoping.

[Doug Siebert]

A blind par 3 over a large dune.  Others
The Maiden, 6th at Sandwich.  NLE
Sandy Parlour, 4th at Deal.  NLE
Cader, 3rd at Aberdovey.
Any other similar holes at a similar stage in the routing?  Which was first and do all of the above date from the 1890’s.

Prestwick's 5th.  I have no idea if this hole was in the original 12 hole layout, but I doubt it.  I believe the present day 18 hole layout happened in the 1880s?

[Bruce Wellmon]

Pat

Thanks for the tour. Interesting to see it through a member's eye's. Hopefully I get back sooner rather than latter and we can hook up
this time around.

Brad

My day there was just horrible weather. Even the goats stayed inside. What a great course though.

[Greg Taylor]

Great thread and pictures.

For me Lahinch is great for the course (obviously) but also the greens were unbelievably fast and true when I played.

I also liked the lack of stuffiness... the club house and members were very relaxed which added to a great round and day.

Without question a top tier course IMHO.

[Patrick Glynn]

Hi All,

Over the last winter, we had a bit of work done on the 12th green in Lahinch. The consensus view was that the green was very severe & would not accept anything other than a wedge. The green was worked on my Hawtree and I do feel that it is better now, retaining significant contour and interest.

As part of this change, a bunker was added 30 yards short. Personally, I am not a huge fan of this one as the hole already presented significant challenge without it and it is now a very tight run-up shot.

View from 40 yards short:



A couple of further looks from just short of the green to give an idea of the undulations.



And from slightly lower down :



This seems like a case where the membership, in concert with the designer have made an informed decision to "soften" a green. I am not a fan of flattening greens in general, however, in this case I feel the end result is a better hole and merits it.

Thoughts?

Regards,

Patrick

[Ivan Morris]

Good photos, Patrick! The 'greenness' of the grass reflects the wet Irish 'summer.' @Mike Malone - I've played at Lahinch in shirt sleeves and balmy 60f weather on Boxing Day! In too many places Mr. Hawtree 'over-Americanized' Lahinch by reducing the options for the long, run up shot.

[Sean_A]

Patrick

You would have to speak to Hawtree, but I reckon the new green is meant for an aerial shot.  I am not sure what there is to complain about.  This is a par 5 with a bunker 30 yards short of the green.  Bunkers that far short of reachable par 5s are often great placement.  My beef with the hole is all the rough up by the green on the right - totally unnecessary.

Ciao 

[Patrick Glynn]

Hi Sean,

How did you enjoy the hole in your trip this year?

I agree that a bunker short of a par 5 is not too extreme. Yet, just such a bunker already existed (3 in total - one front-left, one short right and another back right). The approach shot now plays extremely tight with the addition of the 2nd bunker short right. Let's not forget that O.B. lurks just left of the green...

Are you referring to the thick rough at the green, or more along the entire right-side of the hole?

Thanks,

Patrick

[Sean_A]

Patrick

I am speaking of the rough right of the green - pin high.  The area by the white spot (a sign) in my photo is a dead zone. 


I too don't think the rear right bunker is necessary.  In fact, I would have liked to see a different tact in the rear bank being used as a back stop sort of like on Klondyke - at least for a portion to the rear of the green.  It would give a break for the downwind approach for the guy in position and willing to accept the "fat part" of the green. 

Even so, I thought the hole was an improvement on what existed.  Much more so than the previous hole.  No way the new 11th is better than the old 11th!

Ciao

[Dan Moore]

Patrick,

Thank you for the tour of Lahinch.  I wish I had seen it before my June visit!  I'm pretty sure I figured out your house from one of the fabulous aerials you posted-is the prize still available.  :-) 

Twelve is a wonderful par 5.  Just wish I hadn't 3 putted from 20 feet on the incredibably slow new green. 

I can offer no judgement on new vs old 11 as I played only the new.  The view is fantastic and the new hole plays pretty good too.  Didn't really see the original that day.

I absolutely loved Lahinch, the history, the scope and character of the terrain, the proximity to town.  Just grand.  I can see spending a summer there some year. 

Sean,

Here is a a photo from the Lahinch website showing less long grass around the greenside bunker.  Perhaps they heard you.  I thought the tight approach was appropriate for the length of the hole.  Some real danger if wayward in 2 and requiring a precise pitch if you lay-up.  All seems in balance to me. 

[Mark Chaplin]

But, Patrick, have you played it with sleet in your face on Christmas Eve ?

Surely one of the finest posts of all time, Mile Malone not realising Patrick was raised in Lahinch. The picture from his bedroom window that follows is perfect!!

[Patrick Glynn]

The club have updated the website with a pretty good photo tour. Believe a professional photographer was hired to capture the course - I am definitely a fan.

http://www.lahinchgolf.com/the-course/old-course/

Patrick

[Ivan Morris]

Patrick - I've been a member at Lahinch since 1967 and even when the wind blows straight up the 1st hole. I have never, ever, thought about the first hole as an easy way to start a round - far from it. Whenever I manage to par it, I give a big sigh of relief. I'd consider a birdie to be like stealing. There was a time when the second hole was relatively easy but not any more it ain't. Lahinch is a great test of golf from first to last without being perfect in every way.

[Patrick Glynn]

Hi Ivan,

In relation to the difficulty of the first hole at Lahinch, I would agree that it is not a straight forward par for even the accomplished player. However, as an opening hole it has no huge card-wrecking traits, e.g. out-of-bounds, forced carries, deep rough, water hazards.

It is eminently possible for a scratch golfer to run up a 6 if he gets sloppy, but equally an 18-handicapper should be able to plot his way up the left side & have a chance at making 5.

One of my favorite first holes anywhere.

Patrick