Golf World UK - August 2017

136 Golf World August 2017

TOP 100 COURSES IN IRELAND

RoyalCountyDown(Championship)()

Newcastle, Down. Old Tom Morris, George Combe, Harry Colt.

TOTAL 90. 8

1

MY FAVOURITE

HOLES IN

IRELAND

By Shane

O’Donoghue

Shane is CNN’s golf

presenter. He plays off

single figures at

Portmarnock having

grown up at Clonmel GC.

Ihavetostartat

Portmarnock,

butit’satough

choice because

there are 18 holes I either

love,likeorrespectthere.

I’llsaythe4thtostart

with; it requires everything

and highlights whether

you can play golf or not.

Youneedagreatdriveto

be able attack the green.

Youneedtobeaproper

player,arealballstriker;

you don’t get away with

anything less. Then even

whenyouareonthegreen

thereisnoguaranteeof

par,becauseitisavery

large surface with lots of

undulationsinit.

It’s one of the best golf

holesinIreland.

Then I’d say the 15th.

“It’s the best par 5 in

Ireland,” said Ben

Crenshaw.It’sapar3.He

wontheIrishOpenthere

in 1976 and had two

double bogeys on it.

Ilove14too,it’salovely

but tough two-shot hole.

The prevailing wind is off

the right so you are always

fightingthattofindthe

elevated green. It’s superb.

There are times when you

can almost drive it mind

you. Jimmy Bruen,

probably Ireland’s first

superstar, drove 11 greens

at Portmarnock. That was

back in the day, Penfold

commandos and all.

Elsewhere, you’ve got

threeverydifferentholes

downatOldHead–the

2nd,3rdand4th-which

aregreat,excitingholes.

Ilovethe16that

Lahinch,apar3thatisa

great matchplay hole.

Then there’s the 10th at

RoyalDublin,whichis

usuallyintotheteethofa

wind. That can be a brute.