The Island
14. Adare 16th, 120-180 yards.
The new Adare has some remarkable holes and the
16th remains one of its signatures. You will face three
very different holes depending on the pin position. The
green runs at a slight diagonal, beyond and above the
lake: if the pin is front left then you’re playing a hole of
120 yards; if it’s back right then the hole becomes 180
yards. Now factor in the water across the front and the
silken, swift and steep run-offs around the back and it
is little wonder this hole plays as tough as it does. And
yet it looks enchanting from the tee with the cordon of
Copper Beech behind.
15. Portstewart 6th, 143/145/110 yards.
This is the sort of easy, short hole that wrecks a score
card. The putting surface is perched over a hollow and
you stare straight at it from the tee. So far so good.
Then you look at the punishing fall-offs on three sides
and the one tall dune that anchors it in place. Toss
in two pot bunkers tucked under the green and you
quickly realise why this hole can play so tough. It’s a
beauty called Five Penny Piece.
16. Mount Juliet 3rd, 182/174/166 yards.
This charming par three has two very different sets of
tees which create a different hole depending on which
side of the pond you play from. Either way, it is a carry
over water to reach the green where, invariably, the
pin appears on the left hand side, nearest the water.
Here, chasing the pin is a foolhardy exercise as the
water protects both the front and the left. The broad
putting surface to the right should always be your
target… but don’t go long as the bunker behind will
leave a dastardly shot down a green that only stops
when it drops into the water. The left hand tees make
the hole easier.
17. Carton House (O’Meara) 16th, 180/157/142 yards.
The end of the acclaimed River Rye holes comes with
the course’s most famous hole. A wooden bridge
across the river sets the scene. A pretty house next
to the tee adds some colourful history (Marianne
Faithful). And your tee shot must carry the entire
breadth of the river into a dell of towering trees, rising
up the slopes behind the green. Utterly charming.
18. Old Head 16th, 186/163/120 yards.
The par threes at Old Head all seem to sit on the cliff-
tops above an angry ocean. The 16th has become
rather notorious as the green has been washed away
by the winter storms on more than one occasion. The
tee box and green both rest on the cliff-tops and you
will have the ocean all along your right hand side, a
couple of hundred feet below. The green is kidney-
shaped with fall-offs all around.
Mount Juliet
19. Cairndhu 2nd, 146/134/124 yards.
Yes, here is a hole that you’ve never played and
possibly not even heard of. On the Antrim coastline
sits a lone headland that offers views into the Glens
and across to Scotland. There is room here for one
par three (and the 1st green) which stretches from
one side of this rocky outcrop to the other. One such
outcrop partially hides the green.
20. Carlow 17th, 144/132/123 metres.
Everything about the short 17th is perfectly shaped.
The challenges of the daunting 16th are behind and
below you, and the par three 17th plays to the highest
point on the back nine. Tall trees form an idyllic
backdrop as you play from one crest to another. The
green, however is the highlight. It is small and narrow
and slightly angled. It is a short shot but missing will
cause all sorts of problems… and not just from the
well-positioned bunkers.
21. Carne (Kilmore), 7th, 209/196/156/108 metres.
Stand on the tee and you may feel you’re playing the
most daunting par three in Ireland. You may well be
because this has a steep dune shouldering down from
the right and a severe chasm to the left, dropping all
the way to the 5th fairway. Add in its length and you
know a big, confident shot awaits but if you know the
hole then you also know it has a get-out-of-jail-free
card. There is fairway, almost unseen, to the right
and with its slopes proving advantageous you can
land your shot short and hope the ball runs to the
bunkerless green, embraced by dunes.
22. Connemara 13th, 200/176/121 yards.
Isolated, rocky and enchanting are three words which
describe this beauty. ‘Difficult’ would be the fourth.
The green sits almost balanced on a ledge beneath
the 14th tee with the rocky Connemara tumbling into
the distance. The putting surface stretches from left to
right with two bunkers on the left hand side. You hit
over a rocky hollow and you can’t afford to be short
as the ball may not stop rolling back towards you for
some time. There is no safe miss.
23. Ardglass 12th, 198/187/128 yards.
Ardglass has some lovely par threes but the 12th is
the one people will remember most as you hit from
a height to a green sitting on the edge of the sea.
Depending on the wind you might even have to play
across the sea’s edge (much like the famous 1st).
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