Concra Wood is the name of the new course in Castleblaney, County Monaghan (Ireland). Over the Christmas I had the opportunity to view some of the holes along with my brother (Full disclosure: he's the club secretary). This past December in Ireland was the coldest on record with the mercury dipping to -18C at one stage. Due to the unprecedented weather, the course was closed, so I only got a cart ride around and only got the chance to view about half of the holes. As you will gather by the pictures, the weather was gloomy and dull, but hopefully you'll get some idea of what the course is like. The 240 acres of land at Concra Wood was formerly owned by the state forestry company Coillte. The club brought in Christy O'Connor Jnr. and his legendary uncle Christy Snr. (or "Himself" as he's better known as) to design the course, and it opened for play in 2008. I was told that Christy Jnr. was very involved in the project and made as many as 50 site visits.
The course borders Lake Muckno and is routed around a hill (the land in Monaghan is dominated by "Drumlins". See Wikipedia for an explanation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drumlin). Alhough the site is hilly, there didn't appear to be any holes that were excessively steep. The golfer gets the first introduction to the lake on the 4th hole which is a S shaped par 5 measuring 543-m from the black tees. Although the lake is visible on the 5th and 6th holes, it will only come into play if the shot is pulled. The lake makes a more lasting presence on the back nine, where it's close enough to cause the golfer some concern (e.g. 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th).
The club pro Conor McKenna, told me that the feedback from visitors has been very positive and that the club is doing well with green fees. Concra Wood has been mentioned a few times on this DG and I recall Padraig Dooley being pleasantly surprised by its quality. On the other hand, Thomas McQuillan felt that there was something lacking with the course. As I said above, I only got to see the course during a one hour cart tour, so I don't feel well enough informed to voice an opinion, but from what I did see, it looked interesting enough to justify a position (39th) in the latest Golf Digest Ireland Top 100. Is it better than Belvoir Park (43rd) and Malone (41st); two courses I am familiar with? I don't really know. I'm not really into ranking courses anyway.
Course details:
Gents: Black 6635-m, Gold 6299-m, Green 6048-m, par 72.
Ladies: Red 5354-m, par 74.
We discuss choosing the appropriate tees a lot on this DG, and I think there should be a set at 5400-5600-m for less skilled gents and elderly players.
View of the downhill 3rd hole (Black 352-m / Gold 339-m) from the tee.
Close up view of the 3rd hole. My brother suggested that bringing the tee forward 45-50-m might make this a more thrilling hole. At present, there doesn't seem to be much to ponder when standing on the tee. It's 294-m to the left fairway bunker (281-m from the gold), so it requires a big hit to catch that bunker. Pushing the tee forward would then bring the left bunkers (there's another bunker just out of picture on the left) and pond into play. In my opinion, the pond looks a little unnatural as it's only yards from Lake Muckno itself. There is also another pond on the 13th fairway that appears out of place.
View from behind the green at the S shaped par 5 fourth hole (543-m/524-m)
The 4th tee is behind the trees in the centre of the picture.
4th Hole: The ideal position to play your third shot from?
Close up view of 4th green.
The 8th hole (370-m) view from the black tee. This looks like one of the more interesting holes on the course. From an elevated tee, the player's line should be the lone tree on the left side of the fairway. The second will be a tough uphill shot to an elevated green.
View of the 8th hole from the gold tee (349-m).
A view of the uphill par 3 9th hole. It's 178-m from the black tees, 174-m fom the gold.
The 44-m long three tiered 9th green.
View across the 8th fairway, with the lakeside 4th green in the background.
A gloomy view of the green at the par 3 12th. The fog was thick enough to prevent a view of the green from the tee.
Lack Muckno lies just to the left of the 12th green.
The approach to the par 3 14th (161-m/158-m).
Another view of the 14th green with the 15th fairway in the distance across the water.
Yet another view of the 14th green. There is a bunker between the green and the trees, so shots that are pushed but short should catch this bunker.
A tee shot pushed long will not be so fortunate; a watery grave awaits.
The par 5 15th is a nice example of a diagonal tee shot. I'm no fan of water, especially when close to greens, but I really like the look of this hole. This is what awaits those brave enough to choose the 470-m black tee. The centre-line carry across is 194-m from the black tee, although those that take a safer line can find the short grass with a 180-m drive.
The center-line carry from the forward tee is 160-m, however a punt of 110-m will get you across to the semi-rough on the left.
A look back to the set of tees in the centre of the picture. The 14th hole is on the left side of the picture and the 10th green is directly above the 14th green.
Once you're across the water, this is the view you have of the 15th green.
A view back down the 15th fairway. The safest place to miss this green is on the left side. Anything too long will end up in a deep bunker at the back of the green.
Another view of the 15th green.
The 16th measures 427-m from the black tees. At its shortest, the carry is about 150-m from the black tee.
The two-tiered 16th green is bordered on the lake side by three greenside bunkers.
The view of the 373-m 18th hole from behind.
View of the 18th green in the foreground; the par 4 7th runs along the ridge in the background.
In a previous thread, some expressed the opinion that the cart paths were excessive. I was assured that these are not paths, but actual gravel roads that the forestry company created so that they could transport felled trees from the site. I can also confirm first hand that they look nothing like cart paths and that they are visible on old aerial photographs from the 1990s. The club does have a fleet of carts, and because of two recent incidents - one in which a cart was overturned - they may need to put a few paths in some of the more hilly places.