Ballybunion Cashen - some vignettes

[Neil Regan]

Most of these were taken with a 1-meg early digital, thus the grainier quality.

And always remember that the pictures can’t capture the wind and the sound off the sea.

But the scale of the place - I think that does show. And notice the golfers. Splendid isolation, indeed.

[Mike_Cirba]

Neil,

Those are really inspirational pictures.   Thanks for sharing with us. 

I haven't been there, but Ireland is on my shortest list.

You've just made it shorter.

[Adam Clayman]

The grainyness makes them look like paintings. Echo salutations on posting..

[Ed Tilley]

The Cashen is complete madness - ridiculously unfair but hugely enjoyable. Some more pics:

[Garland Bayley]

Looks like a great plac e for an executive par 3 course.

[tlavin]

Methinks I'd shirk the quirk.

[Ash Towe]

A question for those who have played bothe the Old and the Cashen.

Would you play a second round on the Old in preferance to playing your first on the Cashen.

[mike_malone]

 Absolutely, positively yes, Ash.


    The Old is among the truly great courses in the world that increases in joy each time it is played.The Cashen is awkward, at best.

    If , however, you like to be punished for mistakes as opposed to challenged by them then play Cashen.

[Mark_F]

Nice pictures Neil. The scale of the place looks incredible, especially the area of holes 4 and 5.

Is there a main reason why the course is 'complete meadness?'

For mine, it appears many of the greensites are somewhat ill-fitting, and even unfinished.

How many are located on precipes?

Is the routing all that could have been gotten from the site, and it is just the execution that lets it down? 

[Paul Jones]

I played the Cashen Course last year and found it really fun and hard.  We played a 3 person skins and once someone hit double they just picked up.  The caddies told us most people use the stableford scoring while playing that course.

[Philip Gawith]

 I really did not enjoy the Cashen course - found it very difficult, extreme, over the top. A very easy call indeed to play the Old Course twice rather than one on the Cashen.

[tomgoutman]

Play two rounds at the Old Course, one of the best in the world. Cashen is, imho, a mess, almost an evil burlesque of the Old Course.

[J_ Crisham]

The Cashen is a much more penal course which is probably one of the reasons it is sometimes poorly received. It is also quirky-but it can be a fun place to play. The fact that it is next to the old course doesn't help as it is one of the best in the world. The Cashen does have great par 3's.

[Paul Jones]

If you plan on playing both, I would recommend playing the Cashen course first.

[Tim_Weiman]

Neil,

Thanks for the pictures. Long live the Cashen!

FYI, I'll probably go over in April. Let me know if you have any travel plans.

Hope all is well.

Tim Weiman

[MargaretC]

Neil:

Thank you so much for the great photos!  My husband and I love this course so much that we named our 2nd child and first daughter "Bally"!     She's almost 12 and loves the origin of her name.  She has a print, similar to your 17th hanging in her bedroom.  She's asleep now, but be assured I will show her your photos tomorrow after school.

[Ally Mcintosh]

I played the Cashen Course last year and found it really fun and hard.  We played a 3 person skins and once someone hit double they just picked up.  The caddies told us most people use the stableford scoring while playing that course.

As an aside, Club golfers in Ireland tend to always use Stableford.

Although frequently used in the UK and the US as well I guess (?), it seems much more prevalent in Ireland... You rarely find a strokeplay or matchplay competition at Club and Open level...

[Scott Whitley]

As a practical matter (for sure in the "season" at least) you will find it extremely difficult to obtain two tee times on the Old in the same day.  Thus many play the Cashen more or less by default.  It is of course not of the calibre of the Old, but it's worth playing if you keep an open mind.

[Matt_Ward]

I've played both at Ballybunion and Cashen is nothing more than an over-the-top layout likely near impossible for anyone beyond a certain handicap when the wind is blowing beyond a mere 10 mph. Yes, it looks impressive - but playing it can be a rather sobering check on reality.

What's so funny is that people will literally gush and cream in their pants with certain pictures from "across the pond" but when you have comparable, if not better, examples of this type of layout here in the States you'll get the predictable and lame "classic school" types barking about how such and such courses are out of place and nothing more than inane creations from man's hands. See Wolf Creek in Mesquite, NV as a good counterpoint example.

Clearly, the location of the course(s) sets in motion the explanation / rationalizations that predictably follow.

For too many people it's an easy siren song with the following lyrics ...

"Say Ireland and the heart grows fonder"

How sweet indeed.

[David Federman]

Would play Old twice, but enjoyed Cashen when I played it after the Old. It was a beautiful, sunny day in a wonderful setting. Some of the folks really hated it, and, it does not stand up to the Old, but it was still Irish golf, among the dunes, on the oceancliffs. What could be bad?

[Matt_Ward]

David:

That's my point.

Say Ireland -- say dunes -- ipso facto that means grand golf !

That's rubbish.

Cashen is nothing more than forced holes in so many spots. There's little breathing room for the generic player and likely if you didn'tplay match play or Stableford you'd have people out there for eons.

Like I said before -- just the tag "Irish golf" has certain people waxing poetic no matter what type of holes / architecture comes forward.

[Bill_McBride]

Never been to that part of Ireland. 

Is the Cashen the Robert Trent Jones course?

Did a Google search, and yes it is.  Here's a link:

http://www.worldgolf.com/course-reviews/ireland/ballybunion-cashen-course-ireland-1262.htm

It does look like a ridiculously difficult layout.  Wonder who pissed off old RTJ.....

[Jason Topp]

What's so funny is that people will literally gush and cream in their pants with certain pictures from "across the pond" but when you have comparable, if not better, examples of this type of layout here in the States you'll get the predictable and lame "classic school" types barking about how such and such courses are out of place and nothing more than inane creations from man's hands. See Wolf Creek in Mesquite, NV as a good counterpoint example.

Clearly, the location of the course(s) sets in motion the explanation / rationalizations that predictably follow.

There aren't any speed bumps on the Cashen.  The ground is firm rather than soaked to keep the ball in play.  You can walk.  You can find your ball.  You can determine what you should try and do on a hole.  The place is absolutely gorgeous.  

I played the Cashen on a calm day and found it very enjoyable.  From discussions it is clear calm days are rare so I probably cannot properly evaluate the course.

Nonetheless, I would play the Old twice.  Playing the Cashen is an interesting experience - in part to determine what could have been differently.

[mike_malone]

 I'm sure if Mr. Federman had been able to get on the Old another time he would have greatly preferred that.

    I think it was said by RTJones that The Cashen was an awesome place for a golf course. Please correct me if I am wrong. But that is where I disagree. The dunes are too steep and close together to allow space for golf. The result is greens up in the air in a windy place and terribly unpleasant hikes up the dunes to the tees. The differences between the side by side courses are incredible to me.

[Matt_Ward]

Mike:

Place the same type of course -- or one close to it -- here in the States and like I said the "classic school" types would be barking like hounds for all to hear.

Location influences what people think.

Wolf Creek in Mesquite, NV has a range of quirk holes but is panned by these same folks. Move the course to Ireland and you get all this love.

Cashen is way too narrow -- the greens are hoisted in the air and the likelihood of recovery is truly problematic. You play Cashen not out of a desire to play it but simply because the Old is not available.