Waterville
Lahinch
Take Old Tom Morris, add plenty of Alister Mackenzie and stir
with some Martin Hawtree… spread liberally over a boisterous
Co. Clare dunescape and leave for generations to come. Lahinch
is one of the most revered links on the west coast. Mackenzie
is the chief architect, with Hawtree working hard to restore
Mackenzie traits which had been lost – around greens most
notably. Today, even with Old Tom Morris’s Klondyke and Dell
holes left untouched, there is a perfect rhythm that drives you
into and through what feels like a ridge of dunes clinging to the
coastline. And yet the variety is spellbinding with blind shots,
long and short par fours and utterly deceptive approaches.
Please be brilliant around greens.
Ballybunion Old
Ballybunion sits majestically on the Co.Kerry coastline. It offers 36
holes of intrigue and brilliance. The Old course is revered around the
world and for decades golf scribes have been doing their best to give
it the praise it deserves. It was Tom Watson, however, who brought
the course to a whole new golfing audience when he returned from
playing here in the 1980s. His rapturous endorsement firmly stamped
Ballybunion Old as a bucket list destination. For many, Ballybunion
Old is golfing nirvana. Every shot on these hallowed fairways and
sublime greens is links golf in its purest form. There are so many
things here to enjoy but two things stand out. The first is that this is
as natural a course as you could hope to find. The second is that the
course builds from a (relatively) calm start and then just gets better
and better as the dunes – and holes – grow in character and stature.
Waterville
Golfers from around the world flock to Waterville, and the drive
along the Ring of Kerry, above the sea, builds the expectation
no end. This is something special, something idyllic, and the
setting only makes the course all the more alluring. It is far too
easy to fall in love with it. Few courses can boast such pictureperfect holes and such a sensuous rhythm. You can thank Eddie
Hackett and, later, Tom Fazio for this links work-of-art. The dunes
start low but build quickly into more dramatic and wonderfully
pristine shapes. Raised tee boxes ensure you can see much of the
hole and, with wide fairways, it will make you want to swing hard.
It’s a long course so go right ahead. The front nine are excellent;
the back nine are spectacular. Holes 11 and 12 and the seaside run
for home are breathtaking.
82
The ‘Dell’ is one of the
world’s most enigmatic
par threes.