[Jerry Kluger]

4,5 and 6 are my absolute favorites at Ballyneal.  The scale of 4 and that wonderful green site followed by the most underrated par 3 Doak has ever built and then one of the best blind tee shots there is - fantastic.

[Steve Kline]

Honestly, I can't pick a three hole stretch that is better than another. I would say my least favorite hole is 15. So, I guess any three hole stretch that included that would be a notch below for me.

[Kyle Henderson]

6th hole

[Thomas Dai]

4th hole

WOW!

Golf in dreamland. Just sandy terrain, big sky and a fairway stretching out into the distance. Paradise. One request - could you please mention the distances/par of each hole.

Super thread though Kyle. Well done. Looking forward to the rest of your tour.

All the best.

[Kyle Henderson]

One request - could you please mention the distances/par of each hole.

As noted several times on page 1, the information you seek was discussed in my previous thread: http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,35401.0.html

[Kyle Henderson]

7th hole

[Matt Glore]

7th hole

There it is!  I can only hope I will see that back pin location on my next trip.  Only two rounds have been right on the front edge. 

[Thomas Dai]

One request - could you please mention the distances/par of each hole.

As noted several times on page 1, the information you seek was discussed in my previous thread: http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,35401.0.html

Kyle,
My apologies for the oversight. Both your previous thread and this one are splendid.
All the best

[Kyle Henderson]

Kyle,
My apologies for the oversight. Both your previous thread and this one are splendid.
All the best

Don't let it happen again!  

[Kyle Henderson]

8th hole

[Charlie Gallagher]

     I just played this amazing course on Tuesday the 2nd. A couple of impressions.
     The chop hills terrain is fantastic for golf architecture. We drove south along route 385 to eventually head west after playing Ballyneal and one could build hundreds of courses in the endlessly rumpled land we crossed.
     Ballyneal is loaded with fantasticly thought out holes. 4 blew me away in how it looks from the teeing area and I would say the same for 10 as each hole plays down hill and presents a long visual of its rumpled character. I found all of the holes to be strong and Doak's deft craftmanship highly appealing both strategically and aesthetically. I also loved the variability of the teeing areas and the lack of defined tee boxes. You can play it any where you choose, a wonderful match play attribute if the winner is picking the next spot for competition.
     I was surprised at the effect the color of the terrain had on my memory of the holes. We played one round mid day and I played 9 more latter in the afternoon. I got a better grip on the terrain and how each hole sat on it in the afternoon round because the shadows helped define features more sharply . There's a lot going on on each hole and I had an easier time differentiating characteristics hole to hole when there was some contrast.
    I have one extremely minor criticism of the course and it is nothing more than a maintenance issue.  I was in two green side  bunkers where overhanging flora forced adjustment in swing arc. My playing partner pointed out to me that it is a hazard, and he is correct, but each bunker was small and restrictive without the added problem of bush hanging into it. Ballyneall is firm as drought Ireland and your going to get into hazard. Doak's hazards are a worthy challenge in their own right, they don't need thick scrub effectively inside to enhance them.
    Ballyneal is a phenomenal testament to great design and the preferable nature of firm and fast ground conditions as the ideal surface for golf. I can't wait to get back and play it again. It's the sort of course that will only give up its subtleties after many plays. That, in my mind, is one of the distinguishing charactersitics that seperates the truly great from the merely good.
  

[John Kirk]

Great course.  Way better than Sand Hills.

[Sean Leary]

Great course.  Way better than Sand Hills.

That made me laugh. Well done JK....

[Kyle Henderson]

Charlie, I agree with your findings.

Kirk, I've only played 1 round at Sand Hills, but it seemed to be an almost flawless golf course. Still, Ballyneal is my favorite (3 trips, 7 days, 19 rounds, countless giggles, occasional premature moisture).

[Jordan Standefer]

There it is!  I can only hope I will see that back pin location on my next trip.  Only two rounds have been right on the front edge. 

Apologies for my generic phone picture, but I took this on my recent trip.  It should give you a good idea of what kind of target you are looking at with a back pin.  I would guess hitting the backstop left of the pin would feed most approaches pretty close.  It's a pretty small target because over is jail to that flag!

Love this hole.

[Mark Saltzman]

Really cool picture, Kyle.  I've never seen that angle before, but it really gives an appreciation for the scale of the humps on the right side of the green.

[Scott Warren]

Kyle,

Loving these pics - 13 months on from my own visit, it's a great trip down memory lane.

But for the love of god could you list the length and par of each hole?!?!

That back pin on 7 is hellish. As with so many Doak greens, you move the pin from one section to another and the hole changes completely.

My immediate feeling after visiting Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska was that Sand Hills and Prairie Dunes were my favourites of the three courses I played, but with some time between then and now, it's Ballyneal and Prairie Dunes I daydream about and find myself plotting to return to the most.

[Sean_A]

7th hole

Of all the features I have seen thru photos of Ballyneal this is my favourite.  One of the big problems with dunes is the cocoon feeling.  Opening the back of this green onto another fairway (don't know which one) is a great way to create visual space between the dunes.  I have said it before, but Ballyneal is easily the Doak course I would like to see most.  Its hard to tell from pix sometimes, but it seems very much toned down concerning sand (given the sandy site) and instead highlights land movement. Thanks for the pix Kyle.

Ciao  

[Scott Warren]

Sean, the green runs out to the 4th fairway, if you look at the below pic, you can just make out about half-way down the LHS of the hole where the 7th green intersects.

[Sean_A]

Sean, the green runs out to the 4th fairway, if you look at the below pic, you can just make out about half-way down the LHS of the hole where the 7th green intersects.

Scott

Thanks.  I must be some sort of freak because I find that pic wild.  With all that land sitting there Doak rams a hole into another!  I find this fascinating.  Tom, what were the reasons for routing the course this way?

Ciao

[Adam Clayman]

Sean, The open space behind 7 green removes any frame of reference. While it's a short hole, it still affects the player's ability to feel warm and fuzzy over any approach. As for the routing, Since 8 was the first hole Jim Urbina found on his initial visit, perhaps thats why the hole was routed there.    

As I recall the story, the 7th green was suppose to be closer to where 8 teeing ground is located. After being unable to build an E green at Sebonack, Tom came out to this hole, with a small piece of equipment, and made the E green. The smaller piece allowed him to make those sharper cuts. It was serendipity.

[Charlie Gallagher]

Ok, Adam, I'll admit my limited knowledge, what the heck is an E green?
By the way, 7 is just a fantastic hole. You can play the thing countless different ways. It reminds me a little of the 17th at Boston Golf Club. The 2nd time  I played it I hit 6 iron, thinking I would be short of the bunker. Wrong! the fairway is designed to feed balls short towards the bunker and I rolled in. The green is quite a challenge especially if one goes long. There's also this little cup of a bunker right front, in two rounds I saw two people in it, I was one of them. The shot out to a front hole location  is a real challenge because it is easy to go long and leave yourself a downhill putt.
7 is just one illustration of the accumulating knowledge that Ballyneal will no doubt impart after repeated plays.
Kyle, great pictiures of a challenging subject. The undulations in the land are difficult to capture with a camera. your pictures are way better than mine.

[Jim Colton]

Scott

Thanks.  I must be some sort of freak because I find that pic wild.  With all that land sitting there Doak rams a hole into another!  I find this fascinating.  Tom, what were the reasons for routing the course this way?

Ciao

Sean,

  It's a nice feature because a lot of times you can't see the flag from the 7th tee -- since that is one hole where you definitely want to know the hole location and plan accordingly, you get a sneak peek if you remember to walk down the left side of the 4th fairway.

[Adam Clayman]

Charlie, I will admit that the other day, the E didn't stand out like it use to. The collar cut appeared to mitigate the ability to see that the green is shaped like an E, with the two bunker lobes filling in the negative spaces of the E.

[Charlie Gallagher]

Adam,
   Thank's for the explanation, it makes perfect sense.
One correction related to a prior post I made, the front side bunker on 7 is actually larger than I suggested, it's just that two of us wound up in the same corner of it which is smaller in that particular area.

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