18 great GB&I links holes with no sand bunkers

[Niall C]

A few more, recent ones from me:

Silloth-on-Solway: 13th (and you could probably include the 4th)
Seascale: 9th

I'm glad I posted 

Niall

[Mark Pearce]

Three great suggestions from Niall.

[Robin_Hiseman]

Brancaster 9th.

[Sean_A]

Niall

Not sure about Silloth's 4th when Rye's and Strandhill's are on the table.  But the 13th is a good shout. I also like the Seascale suggestion.

Ballybunion's 11th is a good call too.

I call foul on Prestwick's 13th.  The bunker is quite obviously for both holes - its a shame though.  

1  par 4 Brora
2  par-5 Perranporth
3  par 4 St Enodoc; par 4 Carne
4  par 5 Strandhill?; par 4 Rye?
5  par 3 Lahinch
6  par 3 Portrush (seems crazy not to have the 14th!)
7  par 3 Rye
8  par 4 Saunton East; par 4 Valley Links?
9  par 4 Seascale
10  par 4 St Enodoc; par 5 Valley Links (can't remember if there is a bunker)?
11  par 4 Ballybunion Old (I want to keep Bally's 6th, but I need a better 11th)
12  par 4 Hunstanton
13  par 5 Silloth
14 - par-4 Foxy Royal Dornoch (poor ole Calamity Corner!)
15  par 4 Formby
16  par 3 Cruden Bay
17  par 3 Enniscrone
18  par 4 TOC

What I have so far for me using the one hole per course rule and trying to come up with a good course. Would like to find a par 3 at the expense of a par 5.  

Ciao

[Mark Chaplin]

Sean - the 7th at Rye has a short centre bunker, the 13th has a couple on the dune and 15 has a couple down the right. 1, 10, 11 & 14 are also bunkerless.

[James Boon]

A few others for discussion, unless I've missed them being mentioned already... The next debate will relate to their greatness  

1 Hoylake, par 4 with internal out of bounds
3 Gullane 2, that steeply uphill long 3/ short 4? (Didn't someone mention Gullane earlier?)
4 Baltray, par 4
6 Burnham & Berrow Channel, par 4
7 Golspie (I don't remember any bunkers), short par 4
8 Brancaster, par 5
9 Brancaster (Robin beat me to it) or Turnberry, both par 4

11 Hunstanton par 4(Sean, I think you are thinking of this hole as the 12th at Hunstanton is bunkered)
12 Burnham & Berrow, par 4
14 Burnham & Berrow, par 3
17 Southerness, par 3

Sean, see 11 above, plus 13 at Burnham has a bunker short right of the green!   please feel free to point out any that I've mentioned with sneaky little bunkers hidden somewhere.

I was actually surprised thinking of this list how many have just 1 bunker. This also got me thinking of how for many of these that 1 bunker is pivotal, but in other cases seem to me to be redundant and could be removed?

Cheers,

James

[Michael Felton]

Sean - you could drop in 4 at Deal.

Incidentally, does 6 at Deal have any bunkers? I don't remember any, but I may be wrong. 18 I think also doesn't.

[Mark Chaplin]

At Deal 1, 4 & 18 are bunkerless. 6 has a pretty out of the way bunker way left off the tee at around 180 yards.

[Ally Mcintosh]

Sean, maybe you are thinking of 5 at Strandhill rather than 4. Both holes have 2 plus bunkers though. Think 17 at Enniscrone has one too although it's either recently been removed or added and I can't recall which.

What about great holes at Machrie. Haven't played it myself.

[AJ_Foote]

Plenty of options at The Machrie - I'd start with no 17.

Andrew

[Sean_A]

Michael - Deal's 4th contends with Rye's and that would also make three par 3s in a row.  

Doc - I like the shout for Brancaster's 8th.

Boonie - what do ya think, Hoylake for Brora's 1st?  

Ally - I don't k now Machrie.

1  par 4 Brora
2  par 5 Perranporth
3  par 4 St Enodoc; par 4 Carne
4  par 4 Rye
5  par 3 Lahinch
6  par 3 Portrush (seems crazy not to have the 14th!)
7  par 4 Saunton West
8  par 5 Brancaster
9  par 4 Seascale
10  par 5 Valley Links (can't remember if there is a bunker)?
11  par 4 Ballybunion Old (I want to keep Bally's 6th, but I need a better 11th)
12  par 4 B&B?; par 4 Perranporth?
13  par 5 Silloth
14 par 4 Royal Dornoch (poor ole Calamity Corner!)
15  par 4 Formby
16  par 3 Cruden Bay
17  par 3 Enniscrone?
18  par 4 TOC

I still don't like the spread of 3s and I think there are more 5s than I would like.  

Ciao  

[Thomas Dai]

Here's the updated listing.

Hopefully I've included all the holes nominated above!

1  par 4 TOC; par 5 St Enodoc, par-4 Portstewart, par-4 Deal/RCP, par-4, Portsalon, par-4 Brora, par-4 Burnham, par-4 North Berwick, par-4 Hoylake/RL, Rye
2 par-5 at Perranporth, par-5 Enniscrone, par-4 Montrose, Gullane
3  par 4 St Enodoc; par-4 Carne, par-3 Enniscrone, par-3 Montrose, Gweedore, par-3 Sandwich/RStG
4  par 3 Co Sligo; par 5 Strandhill; par 4 Rye, Deal/RCP, par-4 Tenby, par-5 Burnham, Silloth, par-4 County Louth/Baltray, par-5 Enniscrone
5  par 4 Portrush; par 5 Lahinch; par-4 Trevose, par-3 Ballyliffin Old, par-4 Portstewart
6  par 3 Portrush; par 4 Ballybunion Old, par-4 Carne, Gweedore,
7 par 3 Rye; par 4 Perranporth; par 4 Saunton West, par-5 Portstewart, par-3 Himalayas/Princes, par-4 Cruden Bay, par-4 Golspie, Silloth, par-3 Ballyliffin Old, par-3 Narin & Portnoo, par-4 Royal Jersey
8  par 4 Cruden Bay; par 4 Saunton East, par-4 Portrush Dunluce, par-4 Narin & Portnoo, Brancaster/RWN
9  par 4 Perranporth, par-4 Portstewart, Seascale, par-4 Narin & Portnoo, Brancaster/RWN, Turnberry
10  par 4 St Enodoc, Kingsbarns, Rye
11  par 5 Perranporth, Ballybunnion, par-3 Enniscrone, Hunstanton, Rye
12  par 4 Burnham; par 4 Perranporth, par-4 Carne, par-4 Enniscrone, par-3 Tenby, par 4 Pyle & Kenfig, par-4 Burnham
13  par 3 Aberdovey; par 4 Rye; par 4 Perranporth,  par-3 Tralee, Prestwick, Silloth,
14  par-4 Foxy at Royal Dornoch,  par 3 Calamity/Portrush, County Louth, par-3 Carne, par-5 Enniscrone, par-3 Burnham, Rye
15  par 4 Formby; par 4 Rye, par-3 Cruden Bay, par-4 Enniscrone, par-5 Ballybunnion Cashen
16  par 3 Cruden Bay, par-4 Enniscrone
17  par 4 Co Sligo, par-4 Rosses Point, par-3 Enniscrone, par-4 Portstewart, par-4 Montrose, par-4 Narin & Portnoo, Machrie, par-3 Southernness
18  par 4 TOC; par 4 Rye; par 4 Perranporth, par-5 Carne, Deal/RCP

Notes -

17th at Enniscrone - just checked my photos and Strokesaver book from 2013 and there are no bunkers on this hole

1st at Brora – there is a bunker way left but probably best considered a greenside bunker on the 17th hole

6th at Burnham has a bunker front left of the green

Perranporth – 12 holes have no bunkers at all (only the 1st, 4th, 6th, 8th, 11th & 15th holes have bunkers)

Machrie - from a brief look at the website it would appear that 13 holes have no bunkers at all (only the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 11th & 14th holes have bunkers). Perhaps someone who knows the course well could comment.

atb

[James Boon]

Sean,

I prefer the 1st at Brora, but I know some will prefer the 1st at Hoylake so thought I would add it to the discussion. Thomas is correct in that ever since I was a kid I remember there being a bunker on the Strokesaver off to the left, even though its actually a back bunker for 17???

Thomas,

A bit of editing required to the updated list:

12 at Hunstanton and 13 at Burnham both have bunkers so need taking off.

Cheers,

James

[Niall C]

Sean

I think the short par 3 at Sligo is the 4th but could be the 5th. That would allow you to drop one of your par 5's.

James

The 2nd on Gullane 2 might just be the only hole at Gullane that doesn't have a bunker but its a long way from being a great hole. Its just one of those necessary holes that are required to link one part of the property to the other.

Niall

[Thomas Dai]

Edits to remove the 12th at Hunstanton & the 13th Burnham have made above and the bunkerless par-3 at County Sligo is indeed the 4th hole.
atb

[Michael Felton]

11 at Hunstanton and 12 at Burnham I think both qualify.

Also, the 1st at Hoylake was played as the 3rd in the Open in 2006, so if that made the "flow" of the "course" better, one could probably just about justify it.

[James Boon]

Thomas,

I just spotted your comment about the 6th at Burnham. I was referring to the 6th on the Channel nine.

Niall,

I was only pointing out the 3rd at Gullane 2 as being a hole without bunkers at Gullane as Sean had queried if there were any there? Sorry, should have made that clearer I dont recall it as anything special but that was a long time ago.

Michael,

My only round at Hoylake was a month or two after The Open and so we played it that way around with the 1st as the third. I imagine the pressure of playing that as your first shot of the day, is what really makes the hole notable?

Cheers,

James

[Mark Chaplin]

James you are right about the 1st at Hoylake, it's an ordinary hole as number 3 as the 1st (or 17th or 18th) it becomes a far better hole.

[Sean_A]

Boony - I am with you; Brora over Hoylake at the moment.  That may change if I feel I need a bruiser hole to get a better balance.

1  par 4 Brora
2  par 5 Perranporth
3  par 4 St Enodoc
4  par 4 Rye
5  par 3 Lahinch
6  par 3 Portrush
7  par 4 Saunton West
8  par 5 Brancaster  par 3 Burnham Channel Course
9  par 4 Seascale
10  par 5 Valley Links
11  par 4 Ballybunion Old
12  par 4 B&B
13  par 5 Silloth
14 par 4 Royal Dornoch (poor ole Calamity Corner!)
15  par 4 Formby
16  par 3 Cruden Bay
17  par 3 Enniscrone
18  par 4 TOC

I partly solved the par 3/5 issue.  I still don't like the spread, but I think I am stuck.  

I am not entirely happy with the holes below, but I don't really want naymore par 5s and I would like at least one of the par 3s, if replaced, with another par 3.  

6  par 3 Portrush
12  par 4 B&B
15  par 4 Formby
16  par 3 Cruden Bay
18  par 4 TOC

Any better suggestions?  

Ciao

[AJ_Foote]

Sean,

Re The Machrie; you're right - the majority of holes are bunkerless, with a sum total of just eight or ten bunkers on the whole course.

For me a great strength is the par fours, and half a dozen of those without bunkers stand out.

6,7,8 and 9 as well as 15 and 17 all feature either blind drives or approaches, and sometimes both, and are played over and around big rolling dunes and terrain.

With nary a bunker in sight.

Andy Levett has some nice shots in his course tour here:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,54620.0.html

I haven't played all of the courses in your line-up to have an opinion as to whether any Machrie holes should bump any others off the list.

Maybe The Machrie isn't a "Top 100 course", whatever that is.

But for sheer thrills and enjoyment it'd be in my top three - and I can't think off-hand what the other two are.

Andrew