Ed,

Was this the hole with the small pond?

TK

Like Brian I remember the hole being shorter at about 260 yards.

Played it in September, though I didn't realize it had been altered. It is still a drive and a chip, with the potential of making the green. One of our group almost made it home.

As for the 17th at RCD, all I can say is ugh.

This was the one classic course during my trip to Scotland and Ireland that I didn't get a chance to play. Oh well, it makes a great excuse to travel back over the pond!

Nice work on the photos, Aidan, they look great!

Aidan,

That's just torture!  No, but I really do need to get back over there. I was 19 and just out of high school when I visited the first time. What an experience! In Ireland I was able to play The European Club, The Island Club, Royal Dublin, Portmarnock (not the original, the hotel I think), Baltray, Royal Portrush & Portstewart (prob. my 2 favorites). Over in Scotland I played Prestwick, Royal Troon & Portland course, St. Andrew's (Old & New), Carnoustie, Western Gailes & Muirfield. I got a pretty good taste, but I want MORE!!!

Pat,

You have been very fortunate to have played the courses you alluded to in your post. Nevertheless, many more gems await you. Consider the North West, Rosses Point, Carne, Enniscrone, Rossapenna, Ballyliffin, and many more in that area. But that's just the beginning.  What about the South and the South West? Too many courses, too little time!!!!!

Aidan.

I have a decent photo of the old #16 (not in Aidan's league!)from two summers ago where you can see the  new 16 crossing from right to left. I could send to someone to post if you're interested. I liked the old 16 -- seems silly they didn't at least leave the green.

Johnny you're a lucky man, though I don't know if I could take being beaten up everyday like that.

Buck

Andrew

Per the website (haven't played there in years) it is now in perfect shank-foozle distance well off to the short right of the tee.  You wouldn't have noticed.  One used to have to drive over it.

Who knows how far back into the back pages the last discussion of this hole is now.

Last time I played RCD was in Sept 2001 for a few days and the last day I played it was 9/11/2001. As I walked off the 18th green was when I first heard what was going on in the US.

At that time the man who I think basically ran the club and who I was playing with told me about the club's plans for the 16th which was to move the green way to the left with Donald Steel as the architect.

It looked like a nice spot way over there and as I look at that photo of the new hole it looks pretty good to me at least in a photo (obviously lining it up with the Mountains of Mourne enhances it visuals).

However, I told that man who seemed to be in charge that I saw nothing at all wrong with doing the new hole way over to the left but I also told him I thought it was a terrible idea to obsolete the original hole too and I asked him why they were thinking of doing that.

He told me the only reason was so they could use the turf on the old green to make the new green consistent with the rest of the course. I said that's no good reason to obsolete the old hole and that turf could easily be matched on the new green or even on the old green if they wanted to move its turf over to the new one. (I told him I'd get in the best turf expert to be gotten to pull that off--no problem. I thought he said that was worth considering and that they'd look into that.

The new hole looks good to me but I think it was a crime to obsolete the old hole too. That could've been one of the great alternate holes anywhere.

Furthermore, the old hole, although some considered it weak because it was so birdeable, was to me one of the most interesting true "half-pars" I've ever seen and for that reason I think it was a crime to obsolete it.

Probably more than any par 4 I've ever seen that old hole had the capacity to really piss off a good player if he didn't birdie it, and so I ask you, who in the world shouldn't just love a little hole that can do that as well as maybe any in the world?

The new hole looks good to me but I think it's a crime the 16th at RCD doesn't have two holes!  And the fact that the hole's two greens would be separated by a hundred yards or more only makes it more interesting. After all, what other course could pull off that kind of separation of alternate greens on a short par 4? I doubt any other course has the space to do that but RCD did and they should've used it.

I don't know what they did with that old hole but in my opinion restoring it is a no-brainer.

I played there in July and spoke at length with the Secreatry of the Club.

The original hole was 248 yards at its' longest. The new hole is in the vicinity of 310 yards. The driving area is tight and there is real trouble far right and far left. The hole is still fairly easy but an improvement over the old hole.

Number 17 is still at best a mediocre golf hole although the club is going to address it next.

RCD has done a wonderful job of improving the 18th which was a weak hole at one time.

If # 10 were not a par three, I feel that they would reverse the nines at RCD. The front side is clearly the better of the two nines and #'s 16 and 17 would not be as noticeable if they were #'s 7 and 8.

RCD is one of the very best course in the British Isles but is on a slightly lower tier than Royal Portrush.

Aiden,
I stood on the front (red marker in the photo) tee of the old tee on Monday and hit towards the new green - unfortunately it was to a temporary green short of the main green but in fact it would be a much more interesting hole playing from that tee to the new green (almost visible left in the photo) rather than the new hole from the new tee.
Your photos are fantastic.
Johnny

if 16 had a 3 in the space for par on the scorecard (on the old hole) everyone would have been calling it a great 16 hole course.
New hole seems fine ,but so was the old hole.