Narin and Portnoo!!!

[Ally Mcintosh]

You would want to hope those new greens look better on the ground than they do from a drone shot.  They look far too "American".

That 8th green is surely either going to get washed away or require a lot more maintenance. 

€120 for a summer green fee - that's getting very steep for that part of the world.

I’m sure it will look far more natural when the grasses blend back, Mark.


That said, I’m struggling a little with understanding that 8th green myself. The motivation is clearly to eradicate the crossover from the 9th tee but looking at all those videos, I hope they haven’t underestimated the west of Ireland wind.


As with C&C and Coul, I’m looking forward to seeing if Hanse’s style can be hidden on a subtle piece of links land or whether it will indeed look more modern and “American”. Either way, I’m positive the result will be spectacular.

[Thomas Dai]

The location of the ‘new’ Hanse 8th green is a bit of a puzzle. As mentioned above, I recall looking across at the now Hanse location and seeing the outline of a semi-existing green on the ground. Which does beg the question that if the green was indeed previously there why was it subsequently relocated? Or maybe it was just a temporary green?
Perhaps someone who’s been there back a few decades has an inkling as to the answer.
Good point about the visitor price by Mark. It does seem quite a bit for such a remote location but then again greenfee prices generally for non-GUI visitors in the Republic seem to have rocketed in the last couple of years.
Atb

[Mark_F]

I’m sure it will look far more natural when the grasses blend back, Mark.

I hope so, Ally.  It looks quite jarring now.  Do you know if they have used a different grass for the greens than what was there previously?

That said, I’m struggling a little with understanding that 8th green myself. The motivation is clearly to eradicate the crossover from the 9th tee but looking at all those videos, I hope they haven’t underestimated the west of Ireland wind.

My memories of the old green were that there was a desirable approach angle, but the incorrect one meant the second shot was more difficult, but could still be done with some creativity.  The new one looks like if you are on the wrong side of the fairway, it is a chip to the front and then putt or chip on. 

Maybe there is more room between dune, green and sea than it looks, but you couldn't possibly hit at that green from the right?

Either way, I’m positive the result will be spectacular.

I must be one of the only people who enjoyed the first few holes.  I loved the greens on all of them, and the 3rd was an undiscovered, clever delight as far as par threes go.

I can see the rationale for attempting to maybe make some of the lesser holes such as 12 and 13, as well as perhaps 14, more interesting, but I thought the course had a great balance as a whole.  The flatter/lesser holes made you appreciate the great ones, and the great land, more. That stretch from 5-10 is, or rather, was,  one of the best in Ireland.

The location of the ‘new’ Hanse 8th green is a bit of a puzzle. As mentioned above, I recall looking across at the now Hanse location and seeing the outline of a semi-existing green on the ground. Which does beg the question that if the green was indeed previously there why was it subsequently relocated?

Seaspsray?  There were 2 or 3 holes that had plastic shelter from various directions presumably to stop that when I was there in 2012, and that 8th hole location is a lot closer to water than the others were.

Good point about the visitor price by Mark. It does seem quite a bit for such a remote location but then again greenfee prices generally for non-GUI visitors in the Republic seem to have rocketed in the last couple of years.

I paid €35 Euro in November 2012, Thomas, which was an outrageous bargain.  Out of season is now €60, which is still okay.  When I was there, the summer fee was still only about €60, so €120 is a significant rise.  That's now $191 Australian, which is perilously close to skip it territory.

[Ally Mcintosh]

Mark,


I’m sure it’s just the inputs in the bought in turf that gives it the artificial green colour. Is exactly the same when we are buying in some sod at Strandhill and it’s only a matter of weeks before it blends back in.


Ally

[Johnny_Browne]

The new green on the 8th used to be a temporary green for that hole - it was almost impossible to land on it and stop when it was used. That hole was originally the 9th and I think may be returning to be the 9th with the changes.  It may be changing because the next hole tee shot did hit over the original green but this rarely was an issue when playing.  I think it is a shame because the hole, the next and the 17th were three of the best par 4s without a bunker that you could play - Tom Doak in his confidential guide highlights these 3 holes.  However I probably should wait until I see the changes to properly judge.
Johnny Browne

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

As Johnny wrote, the 8th was some sort of temporary green. I don't think this green is affected much by sea spray or sand, as the prevailing wind comes from the direction of the 8th tee.


However, it looks like the 9th green is closer to the sea than before and the 10th is a par 3 again (was the par three 11th many many years ago). These two greens are the ones I'd be worried about. During the winter, these two greens would get covered in sand. The new 10th green is more exposed than before. I'm surprised the locals haven't shown them pictures of desert like conditions from years gone by. Those ugly plastic barriers were there for a reason.

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

I had a look at the web site and saw the green fee prices. I find it hard to believe that they will get that many people forking up €120 in peak season in Donegal. Anyone that has visited Donegal will know that may of the courses in the county are only busy at weekends; the rest of the time, the courses are empty. Why pay €120 when you can pay roughly half that somewhere else like Rosapenna, Portsalon or Murvagh, or for for even less at Dunfanaghy? This might work in Kerry, Clare or Galway, but this is Donegal; the remotest (soon to be a EU border county again  ), poorest, deprived, jobless, forgotten county in Ireland, but probably the most enchanting and beautiful . Most of the hotels in the area closed down during the financial crisis and many remain shut. There are no bus loads of tourists coming from the (tiny) airport, although I did hear recently that large cruisers are now stopping at Killybegs.

I hope they suceed; it's just that I'm a bit skeptical.

[jeffwarne]

I'm really puzzled.


After looking at the videos detailing the moving of 8 green, 9 green, and reestablishing 10 as a par 3.


Did anyone EVER play N&P and walk off 8 or 9 and say what a great course it could be if they altered those holes?


Obviously if you're doing it piecemeal and wish to stay open you have to start somewhere but.....


I surely would've started somewhere else(12-15) and I really don't understand moving 8 green to a very awkward spot at best.


If the arguement is that you don't want to play over 8 green, that's as senseless argument as there is NO ONE on a green (yet) that you have just finished and you tee off on the next hole.
I'm assuming you can use the contour to bumble a drive or second shot (for most of the world)down to the green but any high hdcper is going to put endless balls over that green into the ocean going over that dune.
Put another way-8 was such a cool green and spot, it's hard to see why it would ever be moved...
but then there's no  money in doing less.


and surely the marram grass on 10 is going to be cut WAAAAAy back as short right is a common miss(I understand the green needs to built first then take care of the rest)
Is 11(old 10) now a par 4? (what an awesome green site that was but surely doesn't work well on a par 4 without modification.


Hard to believe anyone will pay 120 happily before it's complete

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

You can see both 8th greens in this article
https://www.narinandportnoolinks.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/GOLF-DIGEST-IRELAND-Narin-Portnoo-Links-Article-RYDER-CUP-EDITION.pdf

[jeffwarne]

Donal


Is old 8 green staying?


from the article
"and the club controls its destiny.” With Carr Architects on board, work continues to transform the clubhouse into something more user-friendly that will make Narin and Portnoo Links a welcoming oasis. “We’re ripping out all the lockers and putting a steam room in. We've put in a flat-screen TV and couches, and when the bar was busy during the Donegal-Tyrone game, there must have been 20 guys in the men’s locker room watching the game. "


let's not forget it was the clubhouse  that bankrupted course in the first place
and the first renovation made the course less desireable less fun to play


If you need an architect to to make a clubhouse...in Coastal Ireland on a great site... more appealing....well you might just be missing the point.  a steam room?
"20 guys in the locker room" WTF
There were double that enjoying the craic the first time I visited 25 years ago on a weekday afternoon in the all-in-one 8 seat pro shop/bar


hopefully a wall is going in just north of of N&P.......yikes

[Thomas Dai]

The remarks about the clubhouse, halfway house and the new catering franchise etc in the article Donal has linked above make me chuckle all the more so as commented on by Jeff above. Tail wagging the dog?
By the way, the photo on the left on page 4 of the article doesn’t seem to be of the existing course. I believe it’s taken from a position looking E-NE across the stream that’s located to the right of the 6th fairway. Curiously though, in this same photo some fairway like mowing patterns are present in an area not part of the existing course.
Atb

[jeffwarne]

The remarks about the clubhouse, halfway house and the new catering franchise etc in the article Donal has linked above make me chuckle all the more so as commented on by Jeff above. Tail wagging the dog?
By the way, the photo on the left on page 4 of the article doesn’t seem to be of the existing course. I believe it’s taken from a position looking E-NE across the stream that’s located to the right of the 6th fairway. Curiously though, in this same photo some fairway like mowing patterns are present in an area not part of the existing course.
Atb

Thomas-that's been used as a practice area for many years-not sure if it's part of a new plan

[Thomas Dai]

Thanks Jeff.
When N&P comes up in discussion holes 8-9-10 are usually mentioned pretty early, and positively. And yet these are the holes they’ve chosen to change first.
Atb


Later edit - an old photo of The Strand plus an extracts of a short write-up and photo of the course from a 1987 book entitled "Golf in Scotland and Ireland'.