Portsalon Changes

[Ted Harris]

Changes coming to Portsalon
Plans over the next 5 years along with some upgrades to Clubhouse

Newly built Par 3 after the current 3rd hole, going back in the direction of the clubhouse


Current 12th hole to become a Par 4, with a new tee to the left of the current 11th green on land owned by the golf club.


17th hole to be lengthened approx. 40 yards closer to the right-of-way/tunnel. It now will be the final hole.


18th hole to be removed. Green site will become the putting green. Current fairway to become a short-game practice area.


Being done by McGinley Golf Course Design

[Niall C]

I suppose having a 17 hole course might be a good marketing move !


Seriously, I assume they'll fit in a new 18th somewhere but what will it do for the walk ? Is this member driven or is it new ask from tour operators that their clients have a practice facility ?


Also, who is the gca ?


Niall

[Sean_A]

I suppose having a 17 hole course might be a good marketing move !


Seriously, I assume they'll fit in a new 18th somewhere but what will it do for the walk ? Is this member driven or is it new ask from tour operators that their clients have a practice facility ?


Also, who is the gca ?


Niall

It’s not a good pr idea for an 18 hole course 😎.


Ciao

[Ally Mcintosh]

Ted said that a new par-3 is going in after the 3rd hole.


18 + 1 - 1 = 18

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

I have to say I'm a little concerned about some things I've heard from Paul McGinley regarding updates to Dunfanaghy. I read he will  "open up views of the ocean" by raising the 5th green (which is one of the most natural undulating greens I have ever seen) and also change the 8th hole. I think the par will also be increased from 68 to 71.

I hope these changes to Portsalon are more about architecture/strategy and safety.

[Niall C]

Ted said that a new par-3 is going in after the 3rd hole.


18 + 1 - 1 = 18

Chartered Surveyors can't count which is why we only provide an "Opinion of Value" 


Anyway, I wonder about the walk from 18th to clubhouse. From my one play I don't recall the 18th being particularly overlooked by the clubhouse but from memory the 18th green is fairly adjacent to the locker room/bar which is a feature I quite like.


Niall

[Niall C]

I have to say I'm a little concerned about some things I've heard from Paul McGinley regarding updates to Dunfanaghy. I read he will  "open up views of the ocean" by raising the 5th green (which is one of the most natural undulating greens I have ever seen) and also change the 8th hole. I think the par will also be increased from 68 to 71.

I hope these changes to Portsalon are more about architecture/strategy and safety.

Donal


I've never been to Dunfanaghy but have heard enough from the crowd on here to appreciate that the appeal of the place is it's natural, rugged and unconventional charm. Diluting some of that for sea views seems to miss the point of the place. Is that view shared with the wider golfing public do you think ?


Re Portsalon - from one play I thought it a nice enough course (over priced at a 100 euros mind you) but what was evident was that it had been chopped and changed over the years. Probably much less of a case for preservation but interested to know what's driving the changes.


Niall 

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

Niall,


I'm not sure what people think, but I'd suspect my opinion would be in the minority amongst the general golfing public in the area.


“It’s a members course and it can be one of the most scenic in Donegal,” McGinley said. “But many of the holes are built under the sand dunes, so what I am doing with the Sheephaven Bay Project is taking the greens at the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth and raising them up so we can enjoy those sea views.”


This is the bit I find quite disturbing, especially when you can already see the sea from all but the 7th green (you already get a 360 view from the tee which is the highest point of the course). I would have preferred if he tried to liven up some of the low lying holes in the middle of the course, as these are the holes that drag the course down.

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

Niall,


Portsalon has undergone a lot of changes since the 1980s. They lost half the course in the 1960s (I think) and were forced to squeeze 18 holes into roughly half the area they originally had. They managed to buy back that land in the 1990s. In the 1980s they experimented with a few different routings, but finally settled with the major redesign that was done by Pat Ruddy. I think they have just done some tweaks here and there since then.

[Thomas Dai]

I liked both Portsalon and Dunfanaghy when I first played them a few years ago. I still liked them on subsequent visits. I have my doubts if I’d like them as much should the proposals mentioned go ahead.
Atb

[Niall C]

Donal


Portsalon - yes, Ruddy's hand was quite evident. I much preferred the older holes.


Niall

[Dan_Callahan]

Hard to know what impact the changes will have on those two courses, but from my personal experience ... I've been to Donegal many times. Dunfanaghy and Portsalon are the only two courses in the county I played once and had no desire to play again. Not that they were bad, but compared to the other options, they just didn't warrant a repeat visit (in my opinion).

[Rob Marshall]

I thought the scenery around Portsalon was spectacular. The hills around the bay with the white houses dotting it were incredible. I liked the front nine a lot. The second hole was great. The back nine felt like it could have been anywhere. Nothing special.

[Niall C]

Hard to know what impact the changes will have on those two courses, but from my personal experience ... I've been to Donegal many times. Dunfanaghy and Portsalon are the only two courses in the county I played once and had no desire to play again. Not that they were bad, but compared to the other options, they just didn't warrant a repeat visit (in my opinion).

Dan


I suppose the question is; would the proposed changes make you want to go back ?


Niall

[Ally Mcintosh]

I thought the scenery around Portsalon was spectacular. The hills around the bay with the white houses dotting it were incredible. I liked the front nine a lot. The second hole was great. The back nine felt like it could have been anywhere. Nothing special.

I always find Portsalon an interesting test case because people have such differing opinions about the nines.


Whilst the second hole is a stunner, I think the stretch between 13-16 is the best on the course.


Paul McGinley is in no way a golf course designer - neither does he have one working for him - and he is currently renovating three links courses in Donegal.

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Macreddin is his only solo design in Ireland. I haven't played it, but I recall reading some damning reviews of it on an Irish bulletin board some years ago. A lot of the criticism surrounded the disjointedness of the routing.


I recently read that his renovations of the 16th, 17th and 18th at Murvagh (Donegal GC) were open for play. Has anyone seen the finished work?


Nothing would please me more than to see him do a good job; it's not your typical Irish begrudgery (https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/irish-roots-home-of-begrudgery-1.2474870) on my part. I'm just concerned about what he has said himself.

[Niall C]

Paul McGinley is in no way a golf course designer - neither does he have one working for him - and he is currently renovating three links courses in Donegal.

Ally


If that's the case is he leaning heavily on the contractor to do what he wants and to keep him right on the nuts and bolts element ? Or alternatively is it the greenkeeper doing the work ?


Niall

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

Paul McGinley is in no way a golf course designer - neither does he have one working for him - and he is currently renovating three links courses in Donegal.

It looks like they filled in the hollow on the 5th at Donegal GC     


Before:
https://www.donegalgolfclub.ie/course/course_tour/hole_5

After:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCR2d6VIlic/?igsh%2F=MWhpbTdiNXpnZTFuOQ%3D%3D

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

Paul McGinley is in no way a golf course designer - neither does he have one working for him - and he is currently renovating three links courses in Donegal.

Ally


If that's the case is he leaning heavily on the contractor to do what he wants and to keep him right on the nuts and bolts element ? Or alternatively is it the greenkeeper doing the work ?


Niall

Niall,


His works with a person called Joe Bedford.

[Niall C]

Just checked out Paul McGinleys website, apparently he did a renovation of Wentworth West course in 2018 on behalf of European Tour (!?) For Dunfanaghy it simply states "Golf Academy and Golf Links Master Plan". For Portsalon it says "Took the Links from 53rd to 18th best golf course in Ireland" with the given timescale being 2009 to 2019. There are a number of other projects listed with two new build 18 hole courses and a couple of redesigns.


Joe Bedford is listed as a director and has a long list of organisations that he's been a member of and in some instances a senior member. It doesn't say too much about what work he's done. Presumably he's worked with PG since PG set up his design business in 2005 ?


Niall

[Ally Mcintosh]

Joe is from a greenkeeping background and is PMcG’s project manager, as well as a long time friend of his.

[Dan_Callahan]

It looks like they filled in the hollow on the 5th at Donegal GC     

I don't understand this at all. I read a story online that his goal is to make the course "more playable for members." Taking out that depression certainly makes the hole easier, which in turn I guess makes it more playable? I wouldn't say the previous version of the 5th was the best hole on the course, but it certainly was the most memorable for me. Flattening the right side turns it into just another nondescript uphill par 3.

[Dan_Callahan]

I suppose the question is; would the proposed changes make you want to go back ?

Hard to know without seeing the end results, but I think there is opportunity for improvement. It's a cool piece of land. Even if they were to just open up some of the corridors so it doesn't have such a bowling alley feel, it would help. Or at least that was my impression when I played there six years ago.

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

It looks like they filled in the hollow on the 5th at Donegal GC     

I don't understand this at all. I read a story online that his goal is to make the course (more playable for members." Taking out that depression certainly makes the hole easier, which in turn I guess makes it more playable? I wouldn't say the previous version of the 5th was the best hole on the course, but it certainly was the most memorable for me. Flattening the right side turns it into just another nondescript uphill par 3.

I agree with you Dan. I could understand the argument for the removal of the bunker in the hollow, and some small improvements to the green surrounds. If it (it's difficult to see clearly in that Instagram reel) is confirmed that the hollow has been filled in, it's just vandalism in my eyes.

[Ally Mcintosh]

It looks like they filled in the hollow on the 5th at Donegal GC     

I don't understand this at all. I read a story online that his goal is to make the course (more playable for members." Taking out that depression certainly makes the hole easier, which in turn I guess makes it more playable? I wouldn't say the previous version of the 5th was the best hole on the course, but it certainly was the most memorable for me. Flattening the right side turns it into just another nondescript uphill par 3.

I agree with you Dan. I could understand the argument for the removal of the bunker in the hollow, and some small improvements to the green surrounds. If it (it's difficult to see clearly in that Instagram reel) is confirmed that the hollow has been filled in, it's just vandalism in my eyes.

The hole is called “The Valley of Tears”. They will need to rename it. The “Ramp of Reasonable Bounces” might work.