List your top 5 courses in Ireland and Scotland...

[Niall C]

Niall,

The one thing I always say to people is go slow and spend time at clubs, 36 and a good lunch (there goes Chappers again!!) at a good club is IMO far better than a morning 18 at a great course, quick sarnie and a dash to play another great course in the afternoon. Two ticks but little in the way of experience.

I've yet to play 18 at Merion as due to a flight delay we had just enough time to dash 18 before dark (at $220 + caddie). Instead we played 4 holes to get the flavour of the course, had a few beers and dinner on the terrace and followed up with a good tour around the clubhouse with our host. Wonderful experience and there is always time to go back!

Chappers

Sorry Chappers, went off on a bit of a rant there but I've had a couple of days to recover. Quite agree with your way of doing things, a couple of hours in the bar certainly beats 2 hours risking life and limb on the A9.

Niall

[jeffwarne]

Niall,

The one thing I always say to people is go slow and spend time at clubs, 36 and a good lunch (there goes Chappers again!!) at a good club is IMO far better than a morning 18 at a great course, quick sarnie and a dash to play another great course in the afternoon. Two ticks but little in the way of experience.

I've yet to play 18 at Merion as due to a flight delay we had just enough time to dash 18 before dark (at $220 + caddie). Instead we played 4 holes to get the flavour of the course, had a few beers and dinner on the terrace and followed up with a good tour around the clubhouse with our host. Wonderful experience and there is always time to go back!

Chappers

Was 4 holes all you could play without getting dinged for the green fee and caddie?
cause I'm just thinking 9 holes, the tour and the beers would've done nicely.

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

Ireland in no particular order:

Lahinch (Old)
Ballybunion (Old)
Ballyliffin (Old)
Rosapenna (Old)
Portstewart (Strand)

Honourable mention:

Royal Dublin
Malone
Carlow
Donegal (Murvagh)
Belvoir Park

I haven't played in Scotland.

Donal,
No love for Portsalon?
Certainly can't argue your top 5 though.
I did enjoy Carlow -I played there 20 years ago on a saturday.
I sent the pro a letter and he called me back about a week later and said he couldn't possibly do it as a competition was on.....
Unless,.....I could come out" extremely early".
I told him to name the time and we'd be there (expecting a cold early start).
before 9 o'clock? he said with a bit of embarrassment (as if to suggest no one would come that early)

Jeff,

I haven't played Portsalon since Pat Ruddy re-designed it, so I can't comment on it. From the pictures I've seen, it looks much improved. In fact, I played all the courses listed above, many years before they were re-designed. I need to go back and play them again.

I played Carlow a ong time ago and I was really impressed with it. Some good holes, especially the last few.

When I lived in Ireland, we viewed an early start as 10 or 11 AM. Drive by most courses in Ireland at 9 AM, and the car park will be empty.

[Mark Chaplin]

Jeff,

I'm sure we could have snuck a few more but we had a heavy schedule and my travelling companion (The London Golfer) was going back to Merion the day after we played PV. We had great a evening so I'm not complaining and looking forward to catching up with our host.

[Mark Smolens]

Though my experience across the pond is limited (1 trip to Scotland, and three to Ireland), and each trip included a high volume of golf and alcohol consumption, without much time for reflection or contemplation, and listings therefore based upon fun:

Ireland
     Portrush
     County Down
     Lahinch
     Island/Ballycastle (tie)
     Portmarnock
lots of candidates fall just short of inclusion here

Scotland
     Prestwick (played 36 with worst hangover ever due to introduction previous day to single malt with manager at Western Gailes)
     Western Gailes
     Troon (loved the lunch, best meal on the trip)
     Turnberry
     Southerness

next trip to Scotland will be visit to east coast and the northland. . .


     
     

[Jim Hoak]

Probably nothing original, but--

Ireland:
Royal County Down (far and away)
Ballybunion
Portrush
Lahinch
Waterville

Scotland:
Muirfield
Dornoch
Troon
Turnberry
Old Course

What about England?
St George's
Lytham
Birkdale
Sunningdale
Walton Heath

[Doug Wright]

Scotland (I have walked but not played TOC)

Muirfield
Royal Dornoch
North Berwick
Cruden Bay
Prestwick

Ireland

Royal County Down
Royal Portrush Dunluce
Ballybunion Old
Lahinch
The Island

There would be many, many honourable mentions.

[Ian Andrew]

I've been over quite a few more times since the first and second time I've posted.
A trip to South-West Ireland this year will finally complete the tour of both countries - I expect my 5th will come from that trip.

I've played a lot of courses multiple times now and these are the ones I would fly to play a single round:

Royal County Down
The Old Course
Prestwick
North Berwick
(TBD)

[Chris DeNigris]

Ian- will it be Lahinch or Ballybunion? Hmmm...

I'm going for the first time in Oct so I'll list my prospective courses:

Lahinch
Doonbeg
Ballybunion
Old Head
Cork GC

Some of the usual suspects in Scotland:

Dornoch
TOC
N Berwick
Machrihanish
Brora/Cruden Bay (tie)

Special Category- Pure, unadulterated wild ride:

Machrihanish Dunes

Anyone play it lately? I was there Sep 09 and it was still growing in...raw but great fun.

[J Cabarcos]

Got a reprieve from the Summer Heat in Florida to play in Ireland in 2010, and got to play multiple courses.  The bulk of the great courses are in SouthWestern Ireland and in Northern Ireland.  I believe N.I. edges the rest of Ireland just because the concentration of great courses within a hour's drive from Belfast.  SW Ireland is more spread out and will require more time to get to marquee course.

IMO, my top five for the Emerald Isle goes like this:

(1) Royal County Down.  Just a reminder, the UK golf digest had them at the top spot, yes over St Andrew.  The seaside holes combined with the Mourne Mountains backdrop are one two knockout punch.

(2) Royal Portrush (Dunluce).  Only second fiddle because the natural urge to compare to its RCD neighbor to the south.  The Antrim Coast and the course are a thing of beauty.

(3)Lahinch.  A seaside links course with trickery around every dune.  Once you play it more than once, MacKenzie's genius becomes evident.

(4)Ballybunion Old.  Year in Year Out, always deemed the best links course in the Republic of Ireland.

(5) Port Stewart.  Another gem in N.I. which is overshadowed daily by the giants that are RCD and Portrush.

Ahh, I'd like to get on a plane to Belfast for a long weekend and play RCD, Portrush, and Port Stewart again.  I hear the shoulder season rates are accommodating, and airfare is way better than summer fares.