Top-100 courses in Ireland - 2021 version

[Thomas Dai]

Folks might like to have a look at this listing recently published by The Irish Golfer - https://irishgolfer.ie/top-100/2021/03/09/the-irish-golfer-top-100-courses-in-ireland-2021/
atb

[Tom_Doak]

Such rankings illustrate why you can't do a world ranking based on combining regional efforts.  For the Irish, the smattering of modern parkland courses in their top 25 makes sense for variety's sake, but for overseas observers it makes no sense at all. 

[Mike Sweeney]

Such rankings illustrate why you can't do a world ranking based on combining regional efforts.  For the Irish, the smattering of modern parkland courses in their top 25 makes sense for variety's sake, but for overseas observers it makes no sense at all.

Has anyone played the Fazio re-do of Adare Manor? I had no idea I was so close on the last trip (Shannon Airport to Ballybunion), and honestly never considered it. It does not appear like I need a plane over an ocean to play it, as it seems USA-ish:

[David Jones]

Such rankings illustrate why you can't do a world ranking based on combining regional efforts.  For the Irish, the smattering of modern parkland courses in their top 25 makes sense for variety's sake, but for overseas observers it makes no sense at all.

Has anyone played the Fazio re-do of Adare Manor? I had no idea I was so close on the last trip (Shannon Airport to Ballybunion), and honestly never considered it. It does not appear like I need a plane over an ocean to play it, as it seems USA-ish:

You are probably right in that it may be familiar to you, but it is unlike pretty much anything I’ve seen on the east side of the Atlantic!


The conditioning is incredible - no hint of rough and it’s accessible from the tee but devilish around the greens.


The back 9 is the stronger, playing through the trees to begin with, before ending with the water in front of the hotel coming into play on 3 of the last 4 holes. Plenty of risk and reward, it will be a great finish for the Ryder Cup when it finally arrives.


Probably the best venue in Europe for 40+ years.

The hotel is phenomenal too for those who like that kind if thing!

[Tommy Williamsen]

I've played 80 courses in Ireland but I have to admit that there are many I had never heard of. Some of the rainkings come as a big surprise.

[Joel_Stewart]

The criteria is questionable.


35% Course design & layout
25% Playability
20% Conditioning & presentation
10% Club facility and visitor experience
10% Visual appeal


It's playing right into Fazio and other large money clubs that can offer American type conditions.

[jeffwarne]

Guilty pleasure.
I like Irish Parklands...


Mahoney's Point, Carlow, Parknasilla, Cork, Kilkenny, Mt. Juliet-I enjoyed them all.

Who knew there so many however?


Would  have liked to have seen Dunfanaghy make the Top 100-plenty of highs on that course

[Jonathan Cummings]

Agree Jeff.  Add Fota, the trio at Killarney, Carton House, Dromoland and Rosapenna (inland if not parkland) to the list.

[Scott Senior]

One course I try and make a point of playing when flying into Shannon is Dooks. I thought the description was perfect. They make you feel like a local the minute you get there! #24...good for Dooks!

[Thomas Dai]

Would  have liked to have seen Dunfanaghy make the Top 100-plenty of highs on that course

+1
Dunfanaghy isn’t as well known as it should be.
Hopefully the opening of St Patrick’s only a few miles away at Rosapenna will also give a boost to other nearby courses like Dunfanaphylaxis.
Atb

[Dan_Callahan]

I wouldn't turn down a round at Dunfanaghy, but when you are in a region where you can choose from three courses at Rosapenna, two courses at Ballyliffin, Portsalon, Murvagh, Cruit Island, Narin & Portnoo, and North West ... Dunfanaghy probably comes last on that list for me. I would view it as a good first round type course. Get to Donegal, play Dunfanaghy because it's not overly taxing, really pretty flat, probably won't lose any balls, and a few holes with nice views over Sheephaven Bay. But if I was only in the area for a week, it's doubtful I'd play it. I think it's a fantastic locals course, however. And super nice people.

[Mark Smolens]

Played one Irish parkland course at a fraternity brother's wedding in '83. Mullingar is in the center of the country, County Westmeath I believe. The bride's father was a long-time member. We had two groups show up, but couldn't find anyone willing to take our money (the pro shop said to go into the bar, and the barman told us to go into the pro shop -- little did we know that Colonel Kane had told them to put us on his tab!). Fun course with a bunch of different types of trees placed on some fairly interesting terrain.


But it was a course we could find 100s of times over here in the States. Couldn't hold a candle to a place like County Sligo or Lahinch or Royal Dublin (tho those places paled in the light shown by Portmarnock and Ballybunion) -- and yes, a pretty good trip for a couple of goofs who didn't have a lot of cash in those days. . . the price of golf has gone up just a tad since that trip!

[Garland Bayley]

Who wrote "Holes 5, 6, 13 and 15 are outstanding." about Strandhill? Whomever, obviously didn't consult with Mark Pearce.

[Garland Bayley]

Ireland and Northern Ireland must be golf's Mecca! There are six courses there better than Doak 10 rated Ballybunion Old including County Louth. 

I can see the respect that Royal Portrush, and Royal County Down get, but County Louth? 

[Tom_Doak]

Ireland and Northern Ireland must be golf's Mecca! There are six courses there better than Doak 10 rated Ballybunion Old including County Louth. 

I can see the respect that Royal Portrush, and Royal County Down get, but County Louth? 

County Louth is a lovely course.  It's more of a disrespect towards Ballybunion, for whatever reason.

[Garland Bayley]

Ireland and Northern Ireland must be golf's Mecca! There are six courses there better than Doak 10 rated Ballybunion Old including County Louth. 

I can see the respect that Royal Portrush, and Royal County Down get, but County Louth? 

County Louth is a lovely course.  It's more of a disrespect towards Ballybunion, for whatever reason.

It's a lovely course with resident Ryder Cup competitor Des Smythe. I may be not as tall as Jeff Warne, because I couldn't see the sea from every hole at Pennard like he can. But, I maybe could barely see the sea once or twice at County Louth. And, if I stood next to Jeff most people couldn't see a difference in height between us.

I might even say Pennard is better than County Louth if you throw out course conditioning as one of the criteria. And, that is not because Jeff can see the sea better at Pennard.

[Ally Mcintosh]

Panel ranking is a faintly ridiculous notion. This particular one has 8 people with very, very different views of what makes a great golf course: So they end up cancelling each other out.


That said, is it any less valid than a Golf Magazine panel which is made up of 80 people with faintly similar views? There’s a definite bias in that panel whilst The Irish Golfer one is a random mix of opinions.


For what it’s worth:


- Aside from Adare, I find it hard to argue with the Top-7.... I used to say Ireland had a “Big 5” which I could argue for in any order on any given day. I now call that a “Big 6” because I’ve come to realise that County Louth is as good as any of them. Each hole has fantastic nuances that affect play; often just a tiny mound just in the right place. Seriously underrated.


- Adare is indeed very special because there is nothing like it conditioning wise in Europe. Magnificent to play but very poor role model for golf in general. I always liked the routing and still do


- The criteria is made up. We just sit around a table and debate where each course should be placed.

[Sean_A]

Ally

In general, I think criteria for most raters is a waste of time. I believe people make their decisions then work the criteria numbers to reflect this. It's silly. Why not just get trusted panelists and let them decide what it is about each course which impresses or not? I have never thought criteria should be equally applied to all courses anyway. Sometimes there are certain elements which are more important. To me this is very clear for places like TOC and Deal.

Ciao

[Mike Hendren]

I’d rather pay to play Dooks again than be comped at Adare Manor.

[Tom_Doak]

I’d rather pay to play Dooks again than be comped at Adare Manor.

Would you still take the deal if Dooks cost as much as Adare Manor does? 

[Tom_Doak]

- The criteria is made up. We just sit around a table and debate where each course should be placed.

Thank you for clarifying this.  I agree with Sean that there is no point in having critieria -- a rater who thinks course X is a 9 is going to somehow rate it accordingly, no matter what you tell him to do. 


But, then, it's just rubbish on the part of the magazine to write it up like they have some secret formula that you all are using.


One of my favorite parts of doing the GOLF Magazine list ages ago was writing the obligatory paragraph that said I wasn't going to tell Arnold Palmer et al. what criteria they should use.  The makeup of your panel is in fact what determines your criteria.

[Peter Pallotta]

The makeup of your panel is in fact what determines your criteria.

Thanks for putting this so clearly and succinctly. If one uses the word 'panel' in a broad sense (ie to described a group of influential golfers & experts & writers, no matter how loosely affiliated), it's a useful tool in understanding which courses were considered great in the 1920s and 50s and 90s and 2015 etc, and why.

[Adam Lawrence]

I’d rather pay to play Dooks again than be comped at Adare Manor.

With great respect, Bogey, that's easy for an American, who may well have extensive exposure to the high-end parkland Fazio model to say. Adare is pretty much the only example of it in Europe, and thus it has obvious rarity value.

[Mike Hendren]

Adam, thanks for that excellent point. 


Kindest regards,


Mike

[Tommy Williamsen]

In terms of criteria for rankings, I like the fact that every magazine does it differently. It is amazing how close the top 50 in the USA are, regardless of how they are rated. The next 150 is where there is the most variation. I enjoy seeing how the ranakings play out in the various magazines.


Every system, however, has its own few darlings that don't get a sniff in other mags.