I just got back from an extended tour of northwest Ireland. Co Donegal might be my favorite place on Earth (I probably don't even need that qualifier in there ...), and the combination of incredible beaches, water, golf and mountains made it tough to leave. While there, I played Rosapenna (Sandy Hills), Donegal, Dunfanaghy, Portsalon, Narin & Portnoo, Cruit Island, Strandhill, Enniscrone, Carne, and Connemara (and was lucky enough to meet Tom Doak for a tour of the in-construction St Patrick's, which runs through some of the most incredible dunes I've ever seen).
The surprise of the trip (leaving out Cruit, which defies categorization), was Narin & Portnoo. The day before I went there, I played with a member at Dunfanaghy who gave me a bit of the history of NP. I'm sure people on here know more about the course than I do, but in a nutshell it sounds like it was a great, quirky, fun locals course for a long time. And then several years ago it went into bankruptcy. A few years later it was bought by an Irish guy and an American, who have pumped considerable money into both the clubhouse and the course. Gil Hanse has overseen a redesign/renovation, and much of the work is complete. It's a bit confusing to play right now because the scorecard hasn't been updated, the 11th hole isn't open yet, and I was told eventually the 17th and 18th will be joined to create a long par 5 finish. I heard some displeasure about the increased greens fees, but compared to what I'm used to in America, I didn't think the cost was outrageous.
On the day I played, the weather was overcast at the start and then partially cleared later in the day. There was a steady 25 mph wind (maybe more) ... one of the windiest days of my trip. I thought the course had plenty of width to allow for the ball moving all over the place in the breeze. A couple of items of note:
1. There was a marked difference in length between the front and back 9, and I don't think it has anything to do with the prevailing breeze, which mostly moves across the course. I didn't think the difference was bad, just very noticeable.
2. I loved the par 3s, but it was interesting that they were all very short. Pretty sure there wasn't a single par 3 over 160 yards.
3. Although the 2nd and 3rd holes were sort of cow-pasture bland, overall the property was spectacular, with lots of elevation change and incredible views.
4. The vividness of the golden beach and turquoise water running down the length of the course is distractingly beautiful.
Now to the course:
The opening hole is only 314 yards. I loved it. It played into a strong (very strong) breeze, and after striping a low 2-iron, I had 120 yards in and tried hitting a punch 8-iron that ballooned, hit the front of the green and rolled all the way down the slope. Between the bumps in the fairway, the elevated green with wild contours, and the little creek short of the green I didn't even notice until I got up to it ... all of it was spectacular.
The 2nd hole is a par 5 on the scorecard but was marked as a par 4 when I played it. It's a long, dogleg right with lots of room left to miss, but the left is also protected by bunkers. Try to cut the corner and miss too far right and you're definitely looking at a lost ball.
The first par 5 of the round was at the 3rd, which I found to to be bland and uninteresting. At almost 600 yards, it required two long, straight shots to get the opportunity to have a short iron third. It wasn't really a bad hole, just not all that memorable. And it runs along probably the flattest part of the property.
Things get interesting again at the 4th, a 330-yard par 4 with a big mound heaving up in the middle-right of the fairway. For a view of the green on your approach, you need to hit your tee shot down the left and flirt with the fescue on the hill. I chose the safer route and played out to the right, resulting in a mostly blind second.
I didn't get a picture of the 5th because the foursome ahead of me let me play through. But standing on the tee, it was very difficult to figure out where the hole goes. I didn't want to hold up the group, so I grabbed a 2-iron and hit it in what I assumed was the right direction. As it turned out, the hole makes a hard turn to the left and goes up a steep hill. I hit too much club and went through the fairway into the fescue, leaving about 130 yards up the hill. It would be a fun hole to play a second time.
The 5th hole is where my jaw fell off my face. A stunningly beautiful par three that looks much longer than 140 yards. And there is an awful lot going on in those 140 yards between the tee and the green. At this point, the wind was coming somewhat from behind me. I hit a pitching wedge as high as I could, and it hit the middle of the green, took a huge hop forward, and ran off the back. When I got up to the green, I couldn't believe how huge it was. From the tee it looks tiny. And the view from the green wasn't bad either:
This was easily one of my favorite holes on the trip, and it was followed by a par 4 that had me laughing.
The tee shot on the 7th plays way downhill. It's a short hole at only 325 yards, but the green is mostly invisible from the tee. Knowing it must be tucked on the right (there was really no other place it could be), it was clear you wanted to hit a tee shot down the left. Which I did. And had only about 50 yards in and was still mostly blind because of the crazy mounds. On the other side of a ridge, this appears:
It's a nutty hole that I loved. There's really no margin for error on your approach. Anything that runs off the back of the green funnels off and down to the beach ... which is guarded by barbed wire and an electric fence.
The 8th gets even better. A tee box sitting right on the water faces a huge hill, resulting in a completely blind shot. The photo above is the view from the top of that hill. Obviously, you need to play down the left, which I did not. Enough said. This was probably my second favorite hole on the course.
The 9th is the second par 3, and is only 135 yards. As I played, the wind kept shifting all over the place, and on this tee it was blasting into and from the left. I chipped a 6-iron(!) that started maybe 10-yards left of the green and moved in slow motion back to the right. An enormously fun shot.
Moving onto the back 9, things started to get more challenging. The 9th is a 515-yard par 5 that played into the wind. There is ample width for the tee shot, but the layup gets very tight as the fairway chokes up in the obvious spot to land a second. The third is played back uphill and to the right. Although it isn't an incredibly long par 5, it's hard to imagine going for it in two.
The 11th wasn't open for play, but this is what it looks like. Yet another shorty at 136 yards. Looked cool and was tough to walk past.
At the 12th, you are back into the cow pasture part of the property, but a massive dune staring you in the face on the tee adds a ton of interest. There is lots of room left, but at 478 yards its a looooong par 4 that was playing into the wind, so I thought a line right over the dune was the right choice. It wasn't. The fescue continues past that dune where I thought there would be fairway. When I got to my ball, I also realized that the green was tucked back and to the right, so the only way to have any sort of view was by playing the tee shot out to the left. It's a tough hole.
The 13th continues in the same direction, which meant I was still into the wind. And it was another longish par 4 at 430 yards. Sort of a forgettable hole, but a nice green.
The 14th turns back in the opposite direction and runs right back into the dunes. As you go down the fairway, the walls of fescue on either side seem to grow in height. By the time you get to the green, you are looking at:
I loved this green site. Although the hole is 445 yards, it plays much shorter with the wind at your back. And the second shot into that green is awesome.
The next hole is 14a ... a replacement for the 11th that wasn't open yet. I assumed this one would go away once 11 was in play, but was told it would remain to fill the gap when they combine 17 and 18. Which is great because this hole is a blast with blown out dunes all over the place, and a green that is mostly bind from the tee because it plays uphill. Once again, however, you're looking at a tee shot that I think was only about 120 yards. I love short par 3s, but this was getting somewhat repetitive.
The 15th turns back into the breeze with an incredible view over the beach. At 444 yards, it's challenging as hell and requires a long but precise tee shot.
On the green looking back down the length of the hole was one of my favorite views on the course.
Yet another short par 3 greets you at 16. This one is about 150 yards and plays downhill to a green that falls off precipitously at the back.
When I got to 17, I was excited to see a fairway with the mounds that I first saw on the 1st. At 425 yards, it's not a short hole, but there is tons of room, making for a stress-free tee shot. All those bumps mean your ball could end up anywhere, and I found myself directly behind one with about 150 yards to go, leaving a blind second.
The final hole on the course is pretty average. A medium-length par 4 with no real trouble to speak of, running along flat and uninspiring terrain. I can see why they want to join it with 17. Assuming they aren't going to build an 800-yard par 5, I hope the new hole uses all of 17 and only part of 18, rather than the other way around. That means the green won't sit hard against the clubhouse, but it would ensure the cool fairway movement isn't lost.
Of all the courses I played on this trip, this was the one I would most want to play every day (along with Enniscrone, probably). It is challenging without being a lost-ball magnet. The views are stunning. A few holes have the weird quirkiness I love about North Berwick. And the only negative was the uniformity of the par 3s. And I should say that each par 3 individually was very cool. But collectively I would've preferred more variety.
It's a course I'm looking forward to playing again when all the holes are finished.