Hey everyone.  These are from the www.lahinchgolf.com
website.  Aren't these just the coolest images!!!  What a golf course!

1 & 2


3 & 4


5 (dell) & 6


7 & 8


9 & 10


11 & 12


13 & 14


15 & 16


17 & 18

For me, this is the best course in the country. I will be joining if I get an opportunity in the future.

Thanks for posting web photos.

As mentioned above, there is quite a bit of vertical movement throughout the course which really adds to the interest of the play.

The ninth is one of the best par 4s on the course, but looks pretty mundane above.  The tee shot needs to be postioned as far and as left as possible for best approach to an elevated green.  Green site has a severe drop on the left and a large false front that sweeps the ball to the left as well.

The fairway helps move the ball left unless you are too far right, or carry too far down the right side with your titanium and pro V.  An approach from the right side of fairway is very difficult.  

We were fortunate to play to a front pin placement which may be the most difficult and fun to approach.

The photo does show the ridge that feeds the tee shot to the left.  Also, you can almost see the great false front at the green as well.

What a great set of pics!  

I think they need to work on getting that 1st tee a little closer to the clubhouse, the walk must be a bear!

Sorry!!!! Couldn't resist. I'm weak. Pass the Bushmill's............

#12


#8


The Dell #5


#14


#12 Pano


#6

I'm very fond of Lahinch as it was my first Irish links experience (actually my first links experience, period).

Here are some ground-level perspectives from the front 9:

The cool teeshot on #3:


I found the teeshot on Klondyke to be incredibly narrow.  I stood on the tee feeling there was almost no chance to find the fairway (and I didn't):


If you do manage to find the fairway, here is your view:


And if you pull off your second shot successfully, here is your reward:

Yes, that's my ball short and left of the green.  And yes, I chipped it close and made my birdie!

Tee shot on #5 Dell, you can see the white aiming rock.  Over to the right you can also see the tees for 18 which cross over this hole.  Unfortunately I didn't get to play this hole, but had to play to a winter green over to the left:


Cavernous bunker in the middle of the 6th fairway, with the green outlined against the ocean:


You don't want to be in there! (Note the aiming rock!)


Cool drive on #7, similar to #3:


With the approach to the wonderful 7th green.  I think this is one of the places they had to do some significant shoreline stabilizing:


The new 8th, discussed on here as not really "fitting in" with the rest of the course.  I found it difficult in a strong left-to-right wind:


Another view from the tee on #9 showing a little more clearly the oblique ridge in the fairway:

What do people think of the square teeing grounds?

MM

What do people think of the square teeing grounds?

MM

MM

Such grounds are popular in the UK - and suit IMO.

Round tee boxes are more commonplace on many modern courses esp: resort one's and wouldn't suit Lahinch.

KP

Tom:

I played as a single and got hooked up with a member and his 2 guests.  I bought a par saver, plus the member was very gracious giviing information and advice about the course.  It was my only experience playing the course, so I have no comparison r.e. the renovation.

Of my 3 rounds in Ireland (Lahinch, Waterville, and The European Club), I scored the best at Lahinch and found it to be the most playable of these as a first-timer.  The conditions were good - windy to me but not really howling.  I was playing well, but not incredibly so - I scored pretty well for me with a lot of chip & putt saves (i.e. not always hitting the greens in regulation).  I always seem to shoot 5-10 strokes above normal when playing a course for the first time, but shot closer to my usual mid 80's at Lahinch.

I was driving the ball pretty well, but still found several holes to be very difficult from the tee - particularly #4 and #12.  I thought the Klondyke was incredibly narrow and hit my tee shot up on one of the dunes to the left.  Managed to find it and recover with a 5-wood over the crossing dune, leading to a birdie with a good chip and putt.  The drive on 12 was very intimidating with the ocean, beach and OB stakes down the left - leading me to take a way too conservative line with my tee shot which wound up way right and long.  Again, there were recovery options that kept me from completely blowing up on the hole.  I found Lahinch to be far less penal than Waterville if you were off the fairway.

I unfortunately didn't get the play the Dell - they were giving it a rest.  Instead, I had to play a small alternate green dug out of the hillside off to the left - a very difficult hole.  I also didn't get to play the new/restored(?) 11th, but played the alternate green (which can be seen to the lower right in the aerial).

Andy

Ally

I wrote an essay on Lahinch earlier this year, and as best I could determine, here are the changes that Hawtree made:

1.  Lengthened 2nd, by building a new green geen closer to the town.
2.  Eliminated the old 3rd which was a 157 yard hole uphill towards the middle of the course
3.  Lengthened the 4th
4.  Moved 7th green closer to the ocean to reproduce Mackenzie hole previously lost to erosion.
5.  Built new 8th hole
6.  Built new 11th hole out towards estuary (old Mackenzie green to the left still in use in winter)
7.  Lenghtened 12th by 125 yards by adding new tee
8.  New green on the 15th

The overwhelming consensus is that Hawtree has greatly improved the course, which had been mongrelized by various Committees after Mackenzie left.  Hawtree has restored the Mackenzie feel (that was his brief for the work), "modernized" the course by adding length, whilst keeping the Old Tom Morris' "Klondyke" and "Dell" holes, as well as Mackenzie's esquisite shaort par-4 13th.

That being said, the old course was also a thrill and joy to play.  It was the first course I ever walked 54 holes on (my first visit in 1979), and if I hadn't got so stuck into pints of Guiness and craic in the bar afterwards,  I might have walked 18 more that day.....

Rich

The Dell was certainly an OTM hole, Tom... I just read that a minute ago (Lahinch website maybe... short term memory isn't great).

Thanks for doing that, Rich... In the detail, what did Hawtree do?... It was obvious he reshaped a good number of greens and put in a good few new tees... What about the bunkers?... I'm a big fan of the current bunker styles (mainly sand faced fake blowouts with the odd revetted pot bunker)...

Anyway, great stuff! I will be going back soon hopefully...

I don't believe OTM designed any of the holes at Lahinch, although he did make some minor suggestions.

Rich
No I wasn't confusing Lahinch with Portrush. A golf course at Lahinch had existed for two years when OTM visited in 1894. The Dell was part of the original golf course. At the time of his visit it was reported he was very impressed with the golf course and only made minor suggestions.