Portmarnock GC Pictures – A great Irish Links!

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

I have played Portmarnock twice as a holliday golfer over the years. I loved it and praised it beyond what most did. Then I was part of the Olympic Club in Carr Mara Invitational there last year. We won it by the by which is more than I can say about my Tigers this last weekend. However to play the course four times in competition gave me new levels of respect for this grand links. Portmarnock is living proof of what can be done on a flat piece of land. It has everything a great Championship course should have from world class par 3's, incredibly cool short 4's, strong strong 4's and wonderful 5's. The finishing hole is teriffic as well. I will always have something from that club near me as a reminder of what a grand course it is.

[Chip Gaskins]

there was a lone palm tree on 15, right on the ridge line between the beach and the course.  i don't see it any longer? 

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Chip I thought there was one. i am pleased to say i was not near it though.

[Rob Rigg]

Scott,

Thanks for posting the pics. I was supposed to play Portmarnock my next time over with a friend of the family but, sadly, he is no longer with us. I had never seen any pics before but used to listen to our friend discuss the links at his club with passion - and obviously deservedly so. PGC looks brilliant indeed . . . the hole along the beach makes me think of Ulysses and also reminds me of some very cold dips in the Irish Sea many summers ago.

[Patrick Kiser]

That bunker on the 10th defines what a bunker should be like.

You payz the penalty 

None of that getting out of jail and making par.  Rubbish...

This one in particular sure reminds me of the road hole.

[Ally Mcintosh]

Ally,

  What was done to #12; I find it a more fun hole than #15.

Michael,

I can only hazard a guess seeing as I was unfamiliar with the course before his work... But to me it looks like the whole green complex has been reshaped. Certainly there appears to be a deliberate small shelf back right for a very tricky pin position and I suspect the dips / chipping areas off the back are new...

There are fun shots galore on this green... My playing partner came up short and rolled all the way back down on the right side... He putted from 20 yards off the green around the RIGHT hand side of the short right bunker and allowed the ball to do a 180 degree turn and come back about 20 feet to a finish a few inches from the front pin position... His direct line was completely blocked by the bunker... 99% of golfers would have tried a flop and failed...

You'd be hard pressed to not like a place that has a green that looks like
this (#1)

Another redesigned Hawtree green... In fact, a redesigned hole, the fairway and angles having been moved slightly closer to the estuary

[Sean_A]

Portmarnock is a very fine course.  I like a load of things about it and stuff like this IS GOLF.  How often do we see a bunker mound slipping up to the green surface?  I love how the mound rises above the green and creates a sort of double whammy where a shot just short will miss the bunker but karooooom off somewhere.  


However, the reason I don't put Portmarnock in my top tier is three fold.  Many of the holes dogleg (or as Tilly put Elbow holes) at the about the same angle.  I felt I was seeing the same tee shot several times.  Anybody else get this impression?  Second, I thought the greens were very tame considering the terrific property of low rolling dunes.  Finally, I would like to see a bit of up and over golf whereas Portmarnock seems quite restrained in this way - indeed, it feels very modern, like Hillside though a better version of Hillside.

Ciao

[Paul_Turner]

You'd be hard pressed to not like a place that has a green that looks like
this (#1)

I don't recall the 1st at Portmarnock looking like that?!. but it was 20 years ago.  Martin Hawtree?

[Ally Mcintosh]

You'd be hard pressed to not like a place that has a green that looks like
this (#1)

I don't recall the 1st at Portmarnock looking like that!?  Martin Hawtree?

Yes Paul.... Fairway too... See my post above...

[Paul_Turner]

Ally

Thanks yes I missed that.  Very similar to his work at Dublin; it's quite easy to spot his work.  Not sure that I like this green, the contours kind of "sit on the ground" rather than blending in.  Maybe it's partly the way the grass is cut, it looks modern with those wavy edges.

[Johnny_Browne]

Paul,
The first hole along with other changes was redone by Martin Hawtree.  I do not think it has been a success and there is talk of redoing it.  I did not like it as it seemed out of character with the rest of the course.
Regards,
Johnny

[Paul_Turner]

Johnny...it seems like every redone green has to be a homage to Mackenzie with rolling contours.  A subtler grade level green just doesn't satisfy anymore.  But if the greens around Ireland keep getting changed to this single style, you end up with less variety not more.

[Ally Mcintosh]

Incidentally, Martin Hawtree and his associate Caspar Grauballe have reworked this first hole... I last saw it during grow-in but the new green looks excellent to me, much subtler, closer to grade (or apparent) grade level, closer to the estuary with opened views right out... I believe they will also be removing much of the mounding up the right side of the fairway and adding a new bunker for strategic choices with the estuary which will be very much in play and in sight... All things going well, this could end up as one of the great opening holes...

[Ron Csigo]

When were the greens redone?  I played there in 2008 and found the first hole green to be superb.

[Ally Mcintosh]

When were the greens redone?  I played there in 2008 and found the first hole green to be superb.

Ron,

The first hole was initially altered in 2002 by Hawtree... There were quite a few changes made...

I don't think that it's unfair to say that very few people were enthralled to the new green they laid out... So they were back in late 2009 to make some significant alterations... From my view, I believe these alterations to be very worthwhile...

Ally

[Steve Hyden]

I have a great memory of Portmarnock.  It was 1990 and my buddy and I were on our second trip to GB&I, first to Ireland.  We had set up a typical itinerary, just two American tourists generally playing a 2-ball.  We were about to tee off when suddenly a young man runs up to us shouting "Are you the Yanks?  Let's have us a match!"  And so we did - the four of us were pretty evenly matched, but the Yanks blew it on the 18th.  No matter, we bought lunch and some pints and staggered out for more.

Maybe I've played better courses, but I've never had a better day of golf.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Love this incredible course. It has always been 3rd on the Island for me.

[Sean Leary]

Love this incredible course. It has always been 3rd on the Island for me.

Behind?