Because many would prefer to play Ballybunion or Lahinch every time over Tralee? Just guessing as I skipped the course following a bit of research in the Confidential Guide. If I recall correctly he gave the course a poor rating (2?) and said something to the effect of "hard to help feeling that an opportunity was missed here".
Having played Tralee on Saturday, I would say not wanting to play a course because there are other great courses nearby that are preferred is silly.
That's like saying you don't want to play Bandon Dunes once when you're in Bandon because you hear others prefer Pacific Dunes.
Why wouldn't you check it out yourself when you're only 40 minutes away, unless you're in Ireland to play 2 courses or have limited time.
Doak described Tralee as an opportunity missed, and he has earned the right to a respected opinion, but even if he believes a better course could have been made, does that not mean that what's there can't still be great?
Evidently many changes and tweaks have been made==I'm not sure specifically what changes were made(perhaps Brian Sheehy can chime in), but I certainly loved the golf course and was not dying to play it going in.
In defense of those criticizing Tralee, I played it in 1991 and was not overwhelmed, leading me to let 21 years go by.
The words(besides breathtaking and awesome) that came out describing it most from my three amateur high handicap partners was "playable".
It is incredibly scenic, but I found the architecture outstanding as well.
There was only one hole that I found really difficult on the back (#12--I putted my second shot 70 yards down the fairway to avoid laying up 20 yards farther to a 15 yard wide neck of fairway in a 25 mph wind (I had 220 into the green after playing 3 wood off the tee)
But that's no different than #11 at ballybunion that is commonly praised (I like that hole a lot as well)
I would say that on GCA Tralee may be one of the most underrated courses out there, and frankly Ballybunion Old is quite overrated(I think BB Old is great,just not greater than Tralee to the extent many have here gushed over it).
Both courses are great, but one is quietly panned here, the other adored.
If Arnold O'Hackett had designed it in 1893 it would be a GCA darling.