Carne New 9 holes Pictures July 2012

[Ally Mcintosh]

When I look at these photos, and compare them to Trump, I see TWO spectacular dune systems,views, and surroundings, and ONE course I really want to play/return to.

That Alps hole says it all for what can be accomplished on a raw, exciting piece of land with an imaginative architect looking to lay the course amidst and around the landforms, rather than compete with them.

Well done Ally

Thank you Jeff. I can only take partial responsibility for that hole though.

Jim Engh's initial routing had a 280 yard par-4 with a green tucked in to the dell at the far left of the tee shot photo above. He was then climbing up the dune to play a par-3 across the chasm to a green placed approximately where the middle dune is for today's second shot choice. This would have had the sea as backdrop but would have been a very mountainous option.... At some point after that, the idea to move the green to its current site was hatched and this was the plan on the table when I was engaged.... When I first looked at the routing, I thought about a longer par-4 to the far corner followed by a long, lower level par-3 to a green that would also hang over the ocean.... But in the final routing, we stuck with the par-5 option... I spent a lot of time hitting golf balls over the saddle (in that great old fashioned way) with my partner James Coughlan acting as fore caddy before we decided to remove a secondary peak to open up that direct option which I think now makes the hole... I saw it as an Alps style and the approach bunkers have all been placed to hinder the direct line but have little impact (apart from aesthetically) on the longer route.

Tim - The third nine opened for play in July 2013. In John Garrity's words, it was designed tag-team style by Jim Engh and myself.

[Thomas Dai]

Ally,

Very interesting about the routing revisions. Nice to see how the new holes are maturing. Photos of Carne are always welcome.

atb

[Alex Miller]

Ally,

Looks fantastic! And I think this is one of the higher compliments I could give about it: it doesn't look like a "new" golf hole in the slightest. Some very cool quirk!

[Tim Johnson]

Ally
I have checked the website and couldn't see a new scorecard for the Kilmore course. Any idea as to when the might be updating the website?

Thanks

[Ally Mcintosh]

Ally
I have checked the website and couldn't see a new scorecard for the Kilmore course. Any idea as to when the might be updating the website?

Thanks

Tim,

The club are in the process of making more permanent scorecards at the moment so I'm sure they will be updating the website soon...

Yardages from the back are:

Hole 1 - Par 5 - 564 Yards
Hole 2 - Par 3 - 182 Yards
Hole 3 - Par 4 - 344 Yards
Hole 4 - Par 3 - 161 Yards
Hole 5 - Par 5 - 557 Yards
Hole 6 - Par 4 - 375 Yards
Hole 7 - Par 3 - 230 Yards
Hole 8 - Par 4 - 385 Yards
Hole 9 - Par 4 - 450 Yards

Overall - par 35 - 3,247 Yards

...which is about the same as the Hackett front nine.

The yardage is deliberately short from the front set of tees (about 2,430 yards) which cuts out almost all forced carries. I believe it has proven a hit with the lady members, primarily for this reason I suspect.

[Frank Pont]

Thanks Ian, Frank, Tim...

Carne has the most unusual dune system I've ever seen on a piece of links land. Utterly unique. Here's an aerial of the land (mainly back nine and new nine - much of front nine out of view bottom right)... Taken by Eamon Mangan on his iphone a few months ago...

Ally,

Do you have a topo map of the dunes?

One day I might have a project where I could replicate them and try to build a different 18 holes in them :-)

[Tim Johnson]

Thanks Ally for the yardages.
I should have looked through the post as you had already posted the yardages but I had forgotten. I was reminded when I found the yellow note pad in my desk, with the yardages written on them from a while back when we were discussing the new nine. I had spent some time trying to figure out a new routing for the Kilmore with existing back nine. 

[Jack_Marr]

There are some lovely photos of carne in this sequence...

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152141655407050&set=pcb.10152141656247050&type=1&theater

[Ally Mcintosh]

There are some lovely photos of carne in this sequence...

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152141655407050&set=pcb.10152141656247050&type=1&theater

Thanks Jack - There are some wonderful aerial shots in those photos...

They have their own grass air strip next to the course. Whoever said Carne was remote?

[Jack_Marr]

Here's a nice little review of a few Irish courses, including Carne.

[Jack_Marr]

Oops.. forgot the link

http://www.independent.ie/life/travel/ireland/fairways-to-heaven-irelands-best-golf-courses-30437550.html

[Ally Mcintosh]

The folks at Carne have a new drone to play with.... Starts to give a much more three dimensional idea of the enormous dunes the course is laid upon.
 
Here's the seventh on the Kilmore nine:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffcLpPxIKPc

[Thomas Dai]

Well posted Ally. Fabulous hole. The flyover highlights the internal fairway ridge and the cunning/nasty/nice wee hump just short of the green really nicely. Can't wait for Sept '16.


atb