Irish Dilemma

[ddavid426]

Just learned that my group will be unable to play Ballybunion Old on our Sept trip due to competitions.  Bummer!  

We will play Cashen in the AM and then could travel say 90 minutes for the next round.  Tralee is being recommended.  Is there another course we should consider???

Help  

[CHrisB]

Lahinch!  See http://www.golfclubatlas.com/lahinch000125.html

No more dilemma!

[David_Tepper]

Doonbeg is certainly closer to Ballybunnion than Lahinch. I have not played Doonbeg and I have played & liked Lahinch very much. There has been much posted about Doonbeg (including pictures) on this site, so check it out for yourself.
My guess is the green fee at Doonbeg is about 2x what you would pay at Lahinch. If you have already scheduled a game at Lahinch, you might want to sustitute Doonbeg for Ballybunnion Old. If you were not planning to play Lahinch, here is a chance to do so.  

[ddavid426]

I should have added that we are already set up for Lahinch and Doonbeg.  Would you double up one of those rather than do Tralee?

[Tim Weiman]

ddavid426:

Doonbeg and Lahinch are not that far apart, perhaps 25 minutes. If you are coming from Ballybunion, the key is catching the Tarbert ferry which runs about every 30 minutes in the summer months.

Of course, it depends where you are headed next. If you are headed to Waterville after Ballybunion, by all means stop in at Dooks. Doonbeg and/or Lahinch work if you are headed north or possibly back towards Shannon Airport.

[Jack Marr]

Spanish Point is very near Doonbeg. It's a fun 9-hole links in Milltownmalbay. Dooks is another option - fun and very interesting 18 hole links...

You could also play the Castle course in Lahince, which is a good warm up for the Old Course.

Then there's Tralee, of course. All these would be well worth it.

[Jonathan Cummings]

Another possibility is to play Adare Manor or Monk's Walk (just next door to Adare).  There is a hole at Monk's Walk where you pull your trolly from a green to the next tee through the ruins of a 12th century Friary.  I think you have to stay at Adare to play this RTJJr layout, but they may have times open to outsiders.  Adare is 45 minutes from Ballybunion.  Both these courses are no substitutes for Ballybunion but are near enough for an easy drive over.

BUT, the first thing I would do is rearrange your trip around playing Ballybunion Old.  Golf just doesn't get much better than the inward half at the Old.  It is 10 times better than Tralee and 100 times better than Doonbeg.  Don't waste your time at Cashen either.

They just started an intriguing way of getting tee times at the Old.  The club has begun selling tee times to the local hotels.  There is a website that advertises the hotel and tee time slots available for stays in that hotel.  Call the club or search google for the website as I don't have it off hand.

JC  

[BDF]

I believe the site referred to by Jonathon is Ballybunion Easy Golf or something like that.
Rather than play and run away, I suggest you walk the Old Course and the beaches of Ballybunion.  You can't find a more solid education in architecture and a more splended place to restore your soul after it has been been ripped apart by the Cashen course.   Return to the clubhouse or hit a local spot for a couple pints and smoked salmon or a pot of mussels.  If you need more out of your day than that you are overseeking.  But if you are a golf gorilla, have at the Cashen again.  It's a beautiful walk as well.

[John Butler]

I was in southwestern Ireland last October.  I would skip Tralee; it's hard to find and not worth it.  They were changing the sequence of holes at Dooks, so it was disorienting, but otherwise it's worthwhile.  I was driven around in a cart to see Doonbeg; looked fun but is expensive.  I would at least walk Ballybunion Old and play Lahinch twice.  Waterville and Killarney are great too.

[Rob_Babcock]

I don't know where you're staying that evening, but in addition to the courses mentioned you could consider Dingle GC (a bit over a 90 minute drive from Ballybunion) or Killarney-Killeen (60-minute drive from Ballybunion). Dingle (Ceann Sibéal) is a very natural, low-key course that doesn't get as much American-tourist traffic as Tralee, Lahinch, and Doonbeg. The ninth hole plays as one of the longest par fours I've ever experienced (uphill and into the prevailing wind). Killarney-Killeen is a fine test of golf in a beautiful setting (though I don't really care for Killarney town -- too crowded). Both of these courses have been worked on by Eddie Hackett.

Also, you should really seriously consider playing Lahinch Old or Doonbeg twice. We Americans (and I'm guilty of this too) seem to descend on Ireland and knock off the courses like some sort of conquest. When each day brings a new course, it's hard to truly appreciate its design when your only view of each hole is your singular path that day. Only by playing a course in multiple conditions and from the variety of distances and angles that come with each new round can you truly come to know it.

I'm a member at Doonbeg and this past September I played 10 rounds there over a period of two weeks (the other time was spent up in the northwest). My golf game, the weather conditions, and my experience of the course was different each time. Still, I only feel like I'm just getting to know and appreciate all of its subtle (and not so subtle!) aspects.

[ddavid426]

Outstanding feedback and advice from everyone.  I'm feeling a consensus that doubling up on Lahinch or Doonbeg is perferrable to Tralee.  I agree that "knocking off" courses is a bad strategy.  I guess we always feel like we might not get back so we want to see everything as fast as possible. (a very American trait)  I definately will be going back one way or another since we won't be playing Ballybunion this time.  

Thanks everyone for the help!