Family affair: Irish golf’s sibling rivalries
If you have brothers or sisters you’ll appreciate the usually combative yet often joyful world of sibling rivalry. The same is true for golf courses.
There can be a dominant sibling — for example, Lahinch (Old) vs. Lahinch (Castle) — or there can be a more equal balance — for example Killarney’s Killeen and Mahony’s Point.
weighs up how Ireland’s golfing family members match up against one another.
LINKS
Lahinch (Old) hosts the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in 2019, and the course is a revered, world-class links that is forever included in world top 100 lists. With its cavorting dunes, its Old Tom Morris and Alister MacKenzie pedigree (with a strong splash of Martin Hawtree), as well as its almost mystical holes (Klondyke and The Dell, among others) it is no surprise that it receives such global acclaim.
The Castle course is farther inland on the other side of the road where the dunes are less prominent. It opened in 1963 and is a much shorter affair. It is surprisingly under-rated and the condition is impressive for what might easily be described as a sidekick course. And while it doesn’t have the same big thrills there are strong links holes throughout and the condition is what you’d expect of a course bearing the name ‘Lahinch’.
There are three 18-hole courses at Portstewart but, for the purposes here, the original Old (1894) will be ignored… despite a lovely stretch of holes over rocky and bumpy ground right beside the sea. Today, it’s more of a holiday course and separate to the Strand (1908) and Riverside (1908) courses.
The Strand hosted the 2017 Irish Open and it hogs the biggest dunes over terrain known as Thistly Hollow. Many regard the course’s front nine as the best in Ireland… and the UK, and while the closing stretch lacks that same drama the Strand is still streets ahead of the gentler Riverside, which offers a very different experience and is a more accessible, shorter course.
I’ve always felt sorry for the Annesley (aka Mourne) course. At a mere par 66, with six par threes, it’s not a links that gets mentioned in the same breath as its sibling. Considering that the Championship course is often rated as the best in the world (let alone Ireland), the Annesley doesn’t stand a chance.
And the shame is that this small links is a gem with conditioning of the exact same standards and three new holes right up against the sea.
No, it will never match up to a links revered around the world but it is the best warm-up course you could ever ask for if you’re looking to discover what will be required of you during the main event. And its short length means a quick round.
The Valley and Dunluce courses opened in 1933. They owe their design to Harry Colt and, more recently, to MacKenzie & Ebert who have upgraded both links significantly.
Here more than anywhere else an exceptional second course is overwhelmed by the fame of its fabulous sibling… there’s little doubt that the shorter Valley would be rated more highly if the Dunluce did not exist… as demonstrated by the 6:4 weighting.
The strength of each course comes from its different terrain: The Dunluce uses the higher ground to stunning effect while the valley floor holds many natural charms (and green sites) for the Valley.
Roll on July, and the return of the Open Championship when the world will see just how good these courses are.
The Cashen course opened in 1984, some 91 years after the Old. They share the same enormous stretch of dunes, the same views, the same clubhouse but their design makes them very different. Robert Trent Jones Snr positioned Cashen’s greens in locations where they could only be reached through the air… rarely offering the opportunity for a ground assault.
Target golf is the essential differentiation between the two links but they are both big courses, and while the Old is the ‘bucket list’ destination with a closing nine holes to match the best, the Cashen is a too-often-ignored thriller.
Sandy Hills was designed by Pat Ruddy in 2004. It is the main event at Rosapenna, but the Old Tom Morris course has history and classic design on its side… at least for its original holes. Old Tom celebrated 125 years in 2018, and while that only relates to the current back nine, routed along Sheephaven Bay and designed by Old Tom (and Harry Colt), those holes alone are worth the visit.
The new (front) nine were designed by Pat Ruddy, with a sprinkling of Tom Doak, in the late 2000s, so the course is now a fascinating combination of the old and the new. That said, the size and scale of Sandy Hills mean this modern links is the big draw. The ferocity of the rough has been reduced in recent years but it remains one of Ireland’s most intimidating links routed through the biggest dunes with dramatic views.
Of all the links siblings this is the only pairing that has an equal balance, which means golfers have a decision to make. There’s no question that the Glashedy (1995) attracts the headlines — hosting the 2018 Irish Open confirmed that — but my preference is for the Old (1973), where much of the closing stretch runs beside the sea and fairways have that perfectly crumpled appearance. It feels older than it is.
The Glashedy has a more modern and bigger feel with green complexes that require greater strategy if you’re to avoid disaster – some of those bunkers are deep and sneaky. The two courses intertwine, with the Glashedy favouring the higher ground and the bigger dunes.
PARKLANDS
Little known south of the border, Clandeboye’s Dufferin (1929) is a big, wholesome and colourful parkland and the scene of many tournaments over the years.
The younger and smaller Ava (1933) is routed in a different direction and while it is a much smaller and shorter course it is one of those blissfully fun and quirky rounds (seven of the par fours are under 330 yards) over some sharply undulating terrain.
If you play smart golf you’ll get huge enjoyment from playing here.
There’s no question the Dufferin is the main draw but I would strongly recommend playing the Ava, too.
If you’ve played both courses you’ll know how very different they are. The Glen (1995) is the all colourful, tree-drenched and water-laced parkland that hosted four Irish Opens; the Heath (2003) was created to display heathland characteristics over heavily-shaped terrain awash with gorse.
I’ve always found the Heath to be just a touch too tough whereas a round on Druids Glen has so much variety and so many excellent holes that it never fails to thrill.
The New course (2000) is all powerful. It is big and muscular, uses lakes and islands and bridges, and throws drama and intrigue at you one hole after another. The Old (1930) is a parkland classic where trees embrace you for the day and constantly influence your strategy.
It’s modern versus old-school and as exceptional as the New course is, it only just sneaks ahead of the Old in terms of the weighting. Choosing which course to play very much depends on what kind of experience you’re after.
The differences between these two courses is similar to that between Druids Glen and Druids Heath.
You have the main Palmer course (1991) which hosted the biggest events (Ryder Cup and European Open) and you have the Smurfit course (2003) which was designed to present a very different golf experience. It even possesses some links-like traits while the bunkering is actually stronger than its Palmer sibling.
A lot of money has also been spent on the Smurfit in the past couple of years to resolve its drainage issues (a previous complaint).
The balance between Druids Glen/Heath is clear-cut, but at the K Club the weighting is more difficult to gauge as the Smurfit proves particularly popular with overseas guests and it is improving year on year.
This is another interesting face-off as many golfers prefer the gentler and more playable Mahony’s Point to the Irish Open-hosting and tougher Killeen course. On the other hand, the enchanting views are the same, the deer don’t differentiate and the courses boast similar terrain, brushing up against Lough Leane. Killeen’s Irish Open kudos, its more modern design and the requirement for stronger strategy puts it ahead.
The final two clubs on this list are the most difficult to balance. First up is Powerscourt where the East course (1996) and West course (2003) sit side by side. The obvious difference is the terrain each course uses: The East has few climbs but can be described as rolling, while the West has significant shifts in elevation and uses more of the higher ground.
Greens on both are as good as you’ll find in Ireland. Each course has its advocates and you’ll have to play both to decide which gets your vote.
Carton House has the same weighting result as Powerscourt, but two more different inland courses you could not find. There’s the big estate parkland that is O’Meara (2002) vs. the wide open, rolling and heavily-bunkered Montgomerie (2003).
In terms of appearance, challenge and difficulty they are polar opposites. Carton House gives the two courses equal billing but the O’Meara is almost always preferred and it is the difficulty of the Monty that pushes golfers towards the O’Meara… little surprise as the Monty rates as one of the most difficult courses in the country.
Find a few bunkers and you’ll discover why. And yet it is an intriguing test which is why the weighting is so even.
