From the Old Head website: Fittingly the course was designed and constructed by a unique team, Ron Kirby - former designer at Jack Nicklaus's Golf Design Services, the late Eddie Hackett - former Irish golf professional and golf course designer, the late Dr. Joe Carr - Ireland's most successful international amateur golfer, Paddy Merrigan - Australian course architect and agronomist, Liam Higgins - one of Ireland's best known golf professionals currently on the Seniors Tour and finally, Haulie O'Shea - building contractor.
Given how many folks were apparently involved I wonder how matters were organised? Head man, overall routing, ‘names’ only-no actual input, ego/vanity, fingers in pies, “this is my hole, that’s your hole”, “I want to use this irrigation contractor not that one?”........and of course......design and supervision fees!
Just curious.
As Ally surmised, this was not a collaborative effort like Sebonack ... the developer went to several designers in turn, and pried some things out of each of them [which he may or may not have paid for].
I don't know how Eddie Hackett was involved, he probably just came and looked at the site and offered a potential routing. If he advised them to "go international," they didn't take his advice for a long time.
When I was introduced to them by some friends at Waterville [where John O'Connor was a member] - winter and spring of 1991-92 - I was told the preliminary routing they showed me was by Paddy Merrigan, whose name I'd never heard. [I'm still not aware of another course he designed.] And a few of the holes are still from that routing, including numbers 3-4-5, though I think it's fair to say most golf course architects would have found and considered those. [Liam Higgins' name comes about because of his friendship with John O'Connor at Waterville, I'm not aware that he had anything to do with the design.]
I was there at the same time as Mr. Carr, who had already been brought on board, mostly to help them with credibility in selling memberships since they were only considering less expensive, lesser-known designers.
After they decided not to work with me, I think they started construction with Paddy Merrigan and Joe Carr, but the project was under-funded and stalled after a year with no holes grassed. A year or two later, when they got more money together, Ron Kirby came along and finished the job. I think the routing of #12 through 14, among others, was his idea.
I'm not sure why they have chosen to parcel out the credit as they have; perhaps in part it's to compensate all of them for contributions for which they were not paid, but in some cases the advantage is to the developer. My take is that if Ron Kirby hadn't come along, the Old Head would still just be a rock in the ocean; but there are plenty of people around Kinsale who wish it was.