The Missing Links: Bundoran, Eire

Saturday 19 September 2015

Bundoran, Eire

www.bundorangolfclub.com

Blue tees par 70, SSS 70, 5729 yards
Red tees par 73, SSS 73, 5116 yards

Bundoran is a seaside town in Co Donegal in Eire which became popular when railways were built in the late 19th century to bring people from the towns to the seaside. A large hotel, the Great Northern Hotel, which remains today was built in 1894 and a 9 hole golf course constructed in the land around it. It was initially designed by a Scot, GL Baillie, and then extended to 18 holes in 1904. Harry Vardon, the legendary golfer who won the Open six times, redesigned the course in 1927. Another famous name linked with the course is that of Christy O'Connor who was the professional from 1951 to 1957.

The 5th green

Despite this illustrious history and despite the warm welcome we have come to expect in Ireland this course was a disappointment for our last of this Irish trip. Bundoran is not quite a true links as it lies partly on a clifftop and the fairways do not run fast and hard. The first nine especially had a number of weak holes such as the par 4 4th and 5th and the ninth which runs steeply downhill to the rather unattractive rear of the hotel. The second nine was a little more 'linksy' especially on the 11th which runs along Donegal Bay and from which we could see the perfect place to build a links course amongst lovely unspoilt dunes! The course was worn and appears to have been overplayed perhaps because it is so reasonably priced.

The view from the 11th green over Donegal Bay

Worth playing? Not if you are expecting a links course of the quality to be found around this area.

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The Links Project

There are 246 true links golf courses in the world and this blog is a record of our attempt to play all of them. My husband Ron and I are keen golfers and I came up with the idea of this project after he gave me the book by George Peper and Malcolm Campbell 'True Links' which lists them all.

The commonest question we are asked about our project is 'How do you define a true links course?' This will be debated by aficionados for long after we have (hopefully) completed our quest and there will never be a correct answer. The strict definition is from the British Golf Museum:

1. The course must be beside a river estuary

2. It must offer partial or occasional views of the sea

3. It must have few trees

4. It must have numerous bunkers

5. It must have nines that run out and back, the front heading to a far point and the back returning to the clubhouse

Peper and Campbell defined their list as follows:

Terrain - how close is the course to the sea? Do the fairways run fast and hard? Do the greens favour a run-on approach? How open is the site? How natural? Is there a freedom from trees? Is the invasion of gorse and brush controlled? How light is the environmental footprint on the land?

Turf - is there a sand base? What grasses are dominant on the fairways and greens? Is the rough managed ( creating biodiversity for flora and fauna)? How well does the course drain?

Weather - how exposed is the site to the elements? What are the typical wind conditions? Does the course play hard and fast all year round? Must temporary greens and tees be used in winter? Is the course susceptible to winter closure?

Peper and Campbell included courses which supplied the correct answers to most of these questions. But however defined, to me the poem by Sir John Betjeman encapsulates the feeling of links golf.