Ireland - Southwest

[Ally Mcintosh]

There is an old quote that goes something like this - "The quality of the product will be long remembered after the price you paid."
I have been to Ireland only once (so far) - and we paid big prices for Old Head, Doonbeg, Trailee, Lahinch, etc.  But, I wouldn't trade it for anything - if you are going, plan to spend the money necessary to play the top courses.  It does seem out of line at times (have you priced the Kohler courses lately?) - but you are going for a once in a lifetime Irish golf experience - do not sweat a couple hundred $$$ and miss the courses you wish you had played.
Doug

doug,

if you are going for a once in a lifetime "irish golf experience", i'd be more inclined to follow what sean arble is saying... i will not pay to play old head because it is too expensive... but more than that, i also don't feel it is an irish golf experience... there are hundreds of courses in this country that provide a genuine welcome, great golf and a bunch of locals to have a blather with... old head provides corporate entertainment with helicopter pad, no atmosphere and an altogether 'new ireland commercial' approach to golf... in the south-west, lahinch and ballybunion are the only must-plays...

for those that haven't, i really would try and make the trip to the magnificent seven (and the rest!) in the west / north-west before the whole of the world realises what is going on and the place goes the same way as the other tourist traps... it's already started after all...

[Dub_ONeill]

If you are going to play Old Head and you are looking for another course to play in that vicinity I would suggest Cork Golf Club.  It is an affordable, uncrowded course on the edge of Cork that plays along an estuary and through an old quarry.  It is an easy roundtrip from Kinsale and provides a relaxed enjoyable round of golf in an interesting setting.  It is not links golf, but it is also quite different than most American courses.  You will see very few tourists there. It was designed by Mackenzie.

[jeffwarne]

There is an old quote that goes something like this - "The quality of the product will be long remembered after the price you paid."
I have been to Ireland only once (so far) - and we paid big prices for Old Head, Doonbeg, Trailee, Lahinch, etc.  But, I wouldn't trade it for anything - if you are going, plan to spend the money necessary to play the top courses.  It does seem out of line at times (have you priced the Kohler courses lately?) - but you are going for a once in a lifetime Irish golf experience - do not sweat a couple hundred $$$ and miss the courses you wish you had played.
Doug

doug,

if you are going for a once in a lifetime "irish golf experience", i'd be more inclined to follow what sean arble is saying... i will not pay to play old head because it is too expensive... but more than that, i also don't feel it is an irish golf experience... there are hundreds of courses in this country that provide a genuine welcome, great golf and a bunch of locals to have a blather with... old head provides corporate entertainment with helicopter pad, no atmosphere and an altogether 'new ireland commercial' approach to golf... in the south-west, lahinch and ballybunion are the only must-plays...

for those that haven't, i really would try and make the trip to the magnificent seven (and the rest!) in the west / north-west before the whole of the world realises what is going on and the place goes the same way as the other tourist traps... it's already started after all...

Ally,
I'm with you. It's not the cost that sours me (although as a professional it's not an issue anyway)
I'm there for the experience.
The last thing I want to do in Scotland or Ireland is have the
modern commercial big money experience I'm escaping from.

The Northwest is the last refuge, but currently that region is spending big to promote itself so it's only a matter of time.
Cork Golf Club is a worthwhile play by the way and will provide quite the contrast to Old Head (and is on the way)
Jeff

[Andrew Mitchell]

I played Tralee nearly 20 years ago and had a recollection that the back nine was pretty wild.  I'd forgotten how wild it was until I saw those pictures that Ed posted

The wind blew that day as well although the locals assured us it was just the usual steady breeze!  To me that's one of the put offs with SW Ireland.  Whilst one should expect wind on a links course, and indeed you need some wind to make it a challenge (say 15 - 20 mph), too often in that part of Ireland the strong winds off the Atlantic make it too difficult to be really enjoyable.

[Aidan Bradley]

Forget the Old Head. It was created merely to suck $$$$ out of people who have more money than sense. It is built on an incredible piece of property but in MHO if situated elsewhere wouldnt get a fraction of the play it gets. It is the beneficiary of its location.

Go play 4 great courses in the North West for the same amount of money, where you will find people who are more interested in the size of your heart than that of your wallet. As a caveat for those who may not be thrilled with my opinion, it's just that.......my opinion.

[Geoffrey Childs]

Chris

My Ireland experience started at Lahinch and then both Ballybunion courses.  I too recommend the Cashen course at Ballybunion as it has too many thrilling shots to dismiss.  Just leave your pencil in the bag and have fun.

Instead of staying in the south, we headed up north.  You will get the full fix of GREAT Irish hospitality and great golf at Ballyliffin, Enniscrone, Donegal, Carne, Connamura, Rosapana and Portsalon among others.  The country is beautiful up there.  The people are even nicer.

Enjoy

[David Stamm]

Where would everyone here rate Portmarnock? Is this in the same category as Bally and Lah in terms of must play?

[Ally Mcintosh]

Where would everyone here rate Portmarnock? Is this in the same category as Bally and Lah in terms of must play?

portmarnock is cracking... it does not have the same 'wow' factor as lahinch or ballybunion because it is on relatively flat ground... it has some lovely views (with water on three sides and howth head and ireland's eye) but it does not have high tees and long sandy beach views... it is a very fair course... there are only two blind tee-shots and no fully blind approach shots... it has some great green complexes and some very strategic bunkering... it is long and tough and is 'championship' standard in every sense of the word... the 14th is a celebrated par-4 and the 15th is regarded as one of the best known par-3's in golf...it has a wonderful clubhouse and it feels like a genuine members club... it is historic and in no way affected by the new commercial ireland that i talked of...

[Doug Siebert]

I played Tralee nearly 20 years ago and had a recollection that the back nine was pretty wild.  I'd forgotten how wild it was until I saw those pictures that Ed posted

The wind blew that day as well although the locals assured us it was just the usual steady breeze!  To me that's one of the put offs with SW Ireland.  Whilst one should expect wind on a links course, and indeed you need some wind to make it a challenge (say 15 - 20 mph), too often in that part of Ireland the strong winds off the Atlantic make it too difficult to be really enjoyable.

I really disagree.  I find the extreme winds are what makes it the most enjoyable.  I've played in some gale force winds and the courses are still playable, even if staying on one's feet is sometimes a challenge!  The greenskeepers probably quickly learn through experience not to put the pins in places that will be a problem on days when the highest winds are likely.  Yeah, it'll blow around a bit on some parts of the green so you have to be quick on your feet if you find a chip or first putt ending up in a favorable place, and will definitely vibrate on every putt and sometimes in the fairway, and you learn to lean your tee into the breeze a bit on exposed tees to keep it from falling off during your downswing.

I think trying to radically change the way you play is a good part of the fun there, and you get to enjoy the architecture a lot more when you are trying to think your way around and through the dunes rather than hitting your normal shot and either cutting/drawing it to hold the line or aiming off to the side to allow for the wind.

Plus if you are paying so much in greens fees and travel costs thanks to our weak dollar, you can look at the difficulty as getting more for your money since you'll take more shots and find yourself challenged quite a bit more than you would on a day with only 15-20 mph.  That's practically calm for SW Ireland and you are essentially playing the same game of golf you play at home over a different course.  That's not really experiencing Irish golf, its just playing American golf and allowing for more bounce and run after the ball lands.

[Jack_Marr]

Where would everyone here rate Portmarnock? Is this in the same category as Bally and Lah in terms of must play?

It is fameous as one of the best routed courses in Ireland. I think it's wonderful.

I think the new Portmarnock links is not highly rated on this website, but I played it the other day and really enjoyed it. Some great holes and a pretty good standard all the way around.