Along Came the Chainsaw and Digger (Cork GC Winter Work)

[Padraig Dooley]

We started work in Cork last october, bunkers, some tees, landscaping and the 12th green was remodeled. Work is progressing well with the bunkers just to be sanded in a few weeks and tees to grow in. More lanscaping work and some more tees will be done next winter.

The architect is Marc Westenborg of Hawtree Ltd. and The construction company is DAR Golf.

Here are some highlights with before and after pictures.





1st







3rd, A very good example of tree removal. Even from just short of the green, it looks like there is nothing over the green now.









The work on the 12th green, as you can see there was a bit of rock underneath it!





Some bunkers have changed position as well. The new one short of the 14th should cause a bit of fun.





16th Another good example of tree removal.

[Rory Connaughton]

Padraig

  Thanks for posting. I have always been curious about Cork.  Is this a reno/restoration project or is the scope of the work based on a new vision for the course?

[Padraig Dooley]

Rory

It's not really a renovation. Restoration of old views with the landscaping project. The bunkering was changed in the 80's so we are going back to a style more in keeping with the originals but slightly more elaborate.

[David_Elvins]

Padraig,

That is a really interesting style of bunkering.  I like it and I like that it seems quite unique in an era where everyting seems to be quite derivative.

I personally haven't seen bunkers exactly like it before.  What was your inspiration? What were your reference points to other bunker styles? 

[Padraig Dooley]

David

Marc Westenborg designed the bunkers. We wanted a style inspired by MacKenzie. This is what he came up with. The bunkers were always small enough and he kept with the small size. He also wanted all the bunkers to be more visible.

[Peter Zarlengo]

Padraig,

Hope you've been well since the summer. Those pictures look fascinating.

Remembering the old 12th green, and looking at your picture from behind the hole, has the unpinnable slope has been mitigated through putting all the slope is one spot, creating a two tiered green?

Interestingly enough, the bunker style reminds me a little of the bunkers we did this fall and winter at St. David's in Philadelphia, on some similar terrain. Not quite as bold, though. I especially like the one on the right hand side of #16, gouged in like that. Hopefully, the club has enough time (patience) and funds to get the rest of the course looking like that.

All the best and congrats.

[Mike McGuire]

The work on the 3rd is gorgeous, bravo.

The views that vegetation takes away are fun to document.

I was within a few miles of this course once and regrettably could not visit. Next time will be different.

[Sean_A]

Padraig

That bunkering looks like a take on what Hawtree is trying to do at Broadway.  I think Dr Mac is cited as an inspiration on that work as well.  I like it so long as the details are taken care of. 


Ciao

[Padraig Dooley]

Padraig,

Hope you've been well since the summer. Those pictures look fascinating.

Remembering the old 12th green, and looking at your picture from behind the hole, has the unpinnable slope has been mitigated through putting all the slope is one spot, creating a two tiered green?

Interestingly enough, the bunker style reminds me a little of the bunkers we did this fall and winter at St. David's in Philadelphia, on some similar terrain. Not quite as bold, though. I especially like the one on the right hand side of #16, gouged in like that. Hopefully, the club has enough time (patience) and funds to get the rest of the course looking like that.

All the best and congrats.

Peter

A better view of the green was one of the ideas behind the 2 tiers on the 12th green. The main reason for redesigning was the amount of unpinnable area on the green and as you suggest with a two tiered green all the slope is now in one spot.

[Padraig Dooley]

Padraig

That bunkering looks like a take on what Hawtree is trying to do at Broadway.  I think Dr Mac is cited as an inspiration on that work as well.  I like it so long as the details are taken care of. 

Ciao

Sean

When the bunkers are finished at Cork the sand should be higher up the faces than the ones you pictured at Broadway, but the slopes around the bunkers are similar.

[Ulrich Mayring]

I can wholeheartedly recommend this course. The bunker work is fantastic, it looks true MacKenzie. In my mind this course gives some of the better known Irish links courses a run for their money in terms of variability, bunkering and green complexes. It comes close in turf quality, too.

Ulrich

[Joshua Pettit]

The bunker work is fantastic, it looks true MacKenzie.

Ulrich,

I agree that Cork is a really enjoyable course, and when I was there in 2008 I was excited at the prospect of a MacKenzie restoration.  But can you tell me where Dr. MacKenzie built bunkers that resemble that look? 

Of course you are entitled to think the bunker work looks "fantastic" but they certainly are not "true MacKenzie."  It sounds to me like the architect never sold the style as "true MacKenzie" either but instead as "inspired by MacKenzie."

[Ulrich Mayring]

Note that I said they "look true MacKenzie", not they "are true MacKenzie".

The green bunkers are similar to Alwoodley, which I would describe as his early style:


3rd Cork

7th Alwoodley

The fairway bunkers are sometimes a bit more elaborate, resembling some of his later designs:

15th Cork

5th Royal Melbourne

Ulrich

[Cliff Hamm]

My son resides in Cork and had the absolute pleasure of playing Cork recently.  The club atmosphere was great and met Denis O'Sullivan while there.  Didn't know who he was and unless the gentleman introducing me hadn't told me, he certainly was not about to brag.  Seemed like a great guy.


The course played firm and was superb.  Thought the front was stronger than the back (not to say the back was not very good) and if one could combine the front from Cork with the back from Pasatiempo, I would only say Wow.


Also, played Lahinch and while few would likely agree, if I had to choose one to play day in and day out it would be Cork.  Also, the price is 'only' 80 Euros.


Club website: http://www.corkgolfclub.ie/


Some pix:























Short blind par 4.  Didn't know it at the time but the green lies below the house!

[Ulrich Mayring]

I think Cork is an armchair architect's dream. If you could somehow make something out of the final four holes, which play around the driving range, then perhaps you wouldn't need to transport Pasatiempo's back 9 to Ireland

Suppose we get to move the driving range to the area of the current 17th green and 18th tee. That land is parkland with lots of trees (and some unsightly industrial buildings behind 17th green), which is uncharacteristic for the rest of the course. Let's put the practice area there and use the current driving range for the course.

We would like to have an additional par 3 and an additional par 5 (Cork has only three of each and the final four holes are all par 4s). My idea is to definitely keep the great 16th green complex, which right now is a drive and pitch hole and could easily become a cool par 3. And I would like the 18th to be a risk-reward par 5.

Ulrich

[Cliff Hamm]

Approach to the 16th: