Bomore, County Sligo, Eire

www.countysligogolfclub.ie

White tees par 70 SSS 69
Red tees par 70 SSS 70






Bomore is the 'little brother' of the Championship course at County Sligo.  It is a nine hole course deigned by Jonathan Tucker which was opened in 1999.  Its character is quite different from the Championship course and reminded us of Strathtyrum in St Andrews.  It is flatter than its bigger brother with more gorse and a number of holes with strategically placed water hazards but no sea views.  The round started well with a sighting of a peregrine falcon being mobbed by a crow at the first tee.  The greens were excellent and the fairways similar to those on the Championship course, a bit softer than usual for a links course.  The par 5 5th, said by some to be the best par 5 in the 27 holes at County Sligo is the most memorable on the Bomore, a gentle dogleg from right to left with water on the left and also across the fairway short of the green.

Worth a visit?  Yes.  A relaxing round after the tough challenge of the morning!

Bomore with Ben Ghulbain, Ireland's 'Table Mountain' in the background

Championship Course, The County Sligo Golf Club at Rosses Point, Eire

www.countysligogolfclub.ie

White tees par 71 SSS 71
Red tees par 74 SSS 74







Looking down the 12th hole

This is a beautiful scenic area of Eire and when a championship golf course is added to the equation it becomes close to paradise.  County Sligo is situated on the west coast of Eire on a promontory called Rosses Point which guards the entrance to Sligo Harbour on its northerly side.  Overlooking Drumcliff Bay on the west and overlooked from the north-east by Ben Ghulbain (Benbulben), the 'table mountain' of Ireland, its situation is stunning.  We played on a calm sunny September day with our son William who joined us from London.  The welcome we had at this club was exceptional and easily the friendliest we have experienced.



The view from the 13th tee

County Sligo started in 1894 as a nine hole course designed by George Combe and was extended by Willie Campbell at the turn of the century to an 18 hole course.  Remodelled by Harry Colt in 1927 to its current layout it is a great test of golf with its undulations, height changes, plateau greens, swales, burns, punishing rough and challenging bunkers. The greens were fast and true but the fairways were a little lusher than normal for a links course because of a rather wet summer.  The third is a lovely downhill par 5 with fantastic views from the tee.  The par three 4th is reminiscent of the Redan at North Berwick with its plateau green sloping from right to left and front to back.  The second nine is particularly good with a string of good holes with superb views of the bay and beaches such as the lovely undulating downhill par 5 12th and the tricky par 3 13th with a green sloping from front to back and water lying in wait for the unwary.  The 17th is a tough par 4 for men and 5 for ladies with a dogleg from right to left to an elevated green.  According to one of the members who we met in the bar after our round the Championship course is three sixes rather than two nines - the first six are easy, the second six change direction, causing trouble with the wind and the third six are a b*****d!




The 17th with its elevated green

Worth a visit?  This course is a joy and with the scenery and warm welcome is not to be missed.



Monifieth Golf Links (Medal), Scotland

www.monifiethgolf.co.uk

White tees  par SSS 72
Red tees    par 73 SSS 7

Monifieth golf links has been in existence officially since 1845 when it was laid out as a nine hole course and played by Panmure Golf Club which later moved to their own course which is also a true links course.  However a summons was issued in Monifieth to Robert Morome in 1639 for playing golf on a Sunday although it is not known where he played.  Between 1845 and 1871 the 9 holes were reduced to 6 increased to 10 and reduced again to 9.  Finally in 1880 the course was extended to 18 holes then lengthened and remodelled in 1898.  Despite changes over the next century the first nine are substantially the same as in 1898.

A sliced shot may encounter a train on the first few holes

We played Monifieth medal course on a sunny but breezy September day in their open mixed greensomes with Marie Vanderpeear and Ian Kerr who coincidentally are members at my home course, Murrayfield.  The course reminded us of Buddon Links(10th August 2014)) and Burnside (23rd May 2015) at Carnoustie - an unpretentious course but a good test of golf.

The first six holes run with the prevailing wind parallel to the Firth of Tay although there are no views of the water from the course as the main Aberdeen to Edinburgh railway line lies between the two.  The first four holes are par 4s for men with two of them being par 5s for ladies and have undulating fairways through shallow dunes.  The fourth is particularly memorable as its long narrow green is guarded by tall dunes on either side and requires an accurate shot into the tight entrance to the green.  The par threes (5th, 11th and 14th) are testing with well bunkered green complexes.  The 8th is a short par 4, driveable by long hitters and a definite birdie chance.  The second nine meanders to and fro until the 16th when you turn for home with three challenging holes.  The outstanding feature of the Medal course is the quality of the greens - hard, fast and perfectly true.

A view from the fairway to the 13th green

Worth playing?  Yes.  It is a fair and challenging test for the club golfer.

Royal Troon Old Course, Scotland

www.royaltroon.co.uk

White tees par 71 SSS 73
Red tees par 75 SSS 76

Located on the south west coast of Scotland, Royal Troon golf club was established in 1878 although golf had been played there for several years before that. The following year a six hole course,designed by Charles Walker, the professional at the time whose title was 'Custodian of the Links' was opened.  The course was extended to 18 holes in 1888 and in its time has had input from Willie Fernie (the 1883 Open champion), Alistair MacKenzie, James Braid and Frank Pennink.  The motto of the club is 'Tam Arte Quam Marte' which translates as 'As much by skill as strength' which is a perfect description of this challenging true links course.



The 8th green - the Postage Stamp - from the tee

Royal Troon has hosted the Open Championship on eight occasions and is due to do so again in 2016 so it was a must for us to play before then.  We were invited to play by our friends Frank and Helen Dunn on a benign day by links standards - mild with light winds.  The prevailing wind blows across most of the holes which are in a traditional nine out-nine back layout.  The first six holes run southwards along the Firth of Clyde with views of Arran, Kintyre and Ailsa Craig.  It is a relatively gentle start provided you avoid the deep bunkers.  The 6th is a lovely par 5 running along a valley between the dunes with an elevated green.  The sea can be heard at all these holes and seen at some.

Troon's most famous hole is the par 3 8th, named 'The Postage Stamp' for the size of its green!  It is guarded by five bunkers, one of which is aptly named the coffin.  The green is narrow from left to right making it difficult to hold a shot from any bunker.  Gene Sarazen, who was the 1923 Open champion at Troon, had a hole in one here on his first round in the 1973 Open, fifty years later, and holed out from a bunker for a two in the second round. 

The punishing Coffin bunker at the 8th

The 11th is a difficult hole lined by gorse with the railway line on the right which comes nearer and nearer as the green approaches.  The last five holes run in a northerly direction back to the clubhouse.  The 17th is a difficult par 3 (210 yards from the white and 166 yards from the red tees) guarded by five bunkers.  The 18th is a good par 4 where the championship tee is 90 yards behind the white tees.  The second shot to the green requires careful calculation of the length as a slightly too exuberant shot will finish out of bounds on the gravel path in front of the clubhouse.

The 18th green lies in front of the clubhouse

Worth playing?  Not to be missed.  A true links course which will test any golfer.



Winterfield, Dunbar, Scotland

www.winterfieldgolfclub.info

White tees SSS 65
Red tees SSS 68

This course is not quite a links course but not quite a parkland course either.  The greens are hard and fast running like a links course but many of the fairways are quite lush.  The course does not appear to be built on sandy soil and parts of it are along a cliff top.  However the setting is superb with views of the Forth, the Bass Rock and North Berwick Law from most of the course.  Designed by James Braid it was opened in 1935 but after being requisitioned during World War 2 it was reopened with a number of changes to the first layout.



The peninsula green at the 14th. 

The 17th green with North Berwick Law in the background

We played the course on a sunny but windy Scottish summer's day.  It is short with very little trouble apart from the bunkers.  The first hole is bizarre - a  238 yard par three for men and a 220 yard par 4 for ladies which plays across a deep valley rising via a steep rough covered face to the green.  Most amateurs of both genders will have a blind second shot from the depths of the valley.  The first nine is rather boring although the 7th is a long par 4/5 with a challenging sloping green.  The second nine is more interesting with the par three 14th being the most memorable.  Named 'The Point' it has a peninsula green with water along the left side.  The green slopes towards the water and is guarded by a large bunker to the front right. The 18th is a pretty short par 4 with views beyond the green to the Bass Rock.

Worth playing?  I wouldn't recommend it over any of the other courses in the area




The 18th green.  The Bass Rock can be seen on the horizon.



Waterville, County Kerry, Eire

www.watervillegolflinks.ie

                          

White tees par 72
Red tees    par 73

This is a wonderful golf course and takes a place in our top three.  It is rare to encounter a course in such a beautiful setting which is of the highest calibre without any weak holes. Lying on a promontory between the estuary of the Inny river and the North Atlantic on the west coast of Eire it has views to the intriguingly named Macgillicuddy's Reeks mountain range which has the highest peaks in Ireland.  We had a very friendly welcome in the club which is popular with Americans.  Payne Stewart accepted honorary captaincy before his premature death and is commemorated by a brass statue in front of the clubhouse.



Waterville is a haven for hares. 
This is reflected in the use of a hare on the club badge
and the tee markers

Golf was brought to Waterville by the workers on the first transatlantic cable which was laid between nearby Valentia island and Newfoundland in the middle of the 19th century.  In 1889 the first formal golf course was laid out with nine holes.  The club failed in the 1950s but was resuscitated by Jack Mulcahy, an Irish American who bought the course in the 1960s and commissioned Claude Harmon and Eddie Hackett (see Connemara) to build an eighteen hole course which opened in 1973.  The original nine holes make up the current first nine which run beside the estuary.  The second nine run closer to the Atlantic with the last few running along the beach. 


Christy's choice - the second hole

The Mass Hole

The first hole is probably the easiest on the course and appropriately named Last Easy!  The second is pleasing to the golfer's eye and is a left to right tilting par 4 with a green framed by the estuary.  It was chosen by Christy O'Connor senior as one of the 18 best golf holes in Ireland.  The par 3s at this course are remarkable for their quality and crowned by the 17th which is played from a tee 250 feet above sea level.  If you can drag your eyes away from the magnificent views you will see the green across a sea of dunes described 'as an emerald oasis amidst a jungle of nature's own terrain'.  The par 3 12th is 'The Mass Hole' named for the use of its deep valley to celebrate Mass in times of persecution in the 18th century.  The finishing hole maintains the standard of the rest of the course as a classic tough par 5 with a narrow fairway and a green angled to the left.

Worth a visit? Unquestionably

The magnificent views from the 17th hole

Connemara , Eire

http://connemaragolflinks.com/

White tees par 72 SSS 73
Red tees    par 72 SSS 72

Connemara is on the west coast of Eire in an isolated but beautiful spot between the Twelve Pins (or Twelve Bens) mountain range and the Atlantic Ocean.  Although founded as recently as 1973 it feels as if it has always been there.  It was designed by Eddie Hackett who is renowned for designing golf courses with minimum disruption to the natural landscape and who designed almost a third of the links courses in Ireland. 

The first hole is a dogleg from right to left.
 The green is framed by the Twelve Pins mountain range

We played Connemara on a day of light breezes and hazy sunshine in late June when the wildflowers were carpeting the rough.  The first nine holes follow the natural contours of the machair and lull the unwary into a false sense of security.  The second nine are much tougher, with the real sting in the tail starting at the par 3 13th with a chasm between the tee and green.  Four of the last five holes have steep plateau greens and three of them are par fives. Water comes into play at the front of the 16th green and across the 18th fairway.   As you leave the eighteenth green you know that your golf has been tested. 

Worth a visit?  It is a testing course in a beautiful part of the world but it is remote.

Leven Links, Scotland

http://www.leven-links.com

White tees par 71 SSS 72
Red tees    par 73 SSS 74

The view towards Lundin Links from the 3rd green

Leven Links is stuffed with history.  It is believed that golf has been played over this ground since the early 19th century and a 9 hole course was in place from the middle of that century.  In 1868 it was extended to 18 holes when 'young' Tom Morris won the inaugural 36 hole competition.  The course was extended north of the railway line to St Andrews in 1909 although the railway disappeared in the railway closures of 1966.  Its course can still be seen on the links today.  The Standard Life Amateur Champion Gold medal, the oldest amateur championship in the world, is played here.  An honours board in the Leven Golfing Society clubhouse records the winners since the first tournament in 1870 and contains illustrious names such as Harry Colt, Lee Westwood and Andrew Coltart.

The par 3 5th

We played Leven on a windy and rainy day but the weather did little to dent our enjoyment of the course.  The first four holes run alongside the beach and Largo Bay with lovely views over the Forth estuary to the East Lothian golfing coast.  The 6th is a long par 5 with out of bounds tight on the right making trouble for an errant second shot.  There is a lot of gorse and many bunkers with one hole (7th) boasting ten.  Most of the second nine is played into the prevailing westerly wind although a few holes are with the wind, most notably the fairly short  par 5 12th where a burn lies in wait for the over exuberant approach shot.  This point of the course abuts the Lundin Links course over a wall. 

The long par three 15th is a tough hole and has a tricky green.  One professional took five putts here in the 2005 Open qualifying round.  However the most memorable hole is the eighteenth, a par 4 (457 yards) for men and 5(445 yards) for ladies, mainly because of the green which is surrounded on two sides by the Scoonie Burn which awaits the shot hit without commitment and must have destroyed many a good card.

The 18th green is guarded by the Scoonie burn

Worth a visit?  Yes - a classic old fashioned links course

The Jubilee, St Andrews, Scotland

http://www.standrews.com/Play/Courses/Jubilee-Course

White tees par 72 SSS 73
Red tees par 74 SSS 75

St Andrews is a golfing paradise and the Jubilee course certainly contributes to that description.  Opened on 22nd June 1897 it is so called as that was a public holiday to celebrate Queen Victoria's jubilee.  It was initially 12 holes for beginners and ladies but was extended to 18 holes at the turn of the century.  In 1946 Willie Auchterlonie, who was honorary professional to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews for more than 25 years, improved the course but it did not reach championship standard until a complete overhaul by Donald Steel in 1988.

The first green with the Old Course hotel in the background

We played the Jubilee on a windy day in May with Lynn and David Lawson.  It lies between the New Course and St Andrews Bay and has a traditional 'out and back' layout through sand dunes with lovely views of the West Sands (as seen in 'Chariots of Fire') and the other St Andrews courses.  Like many of the St Andrews courses it runs north/south so the prevailing wind blows across on both nines.  There are particularly memorable holes at the turn with the 8th running alongside the Eden estuary through sand dunes to a sunken and sheltered green.  The 9th is a tough par 3 played downhill from an elevated tee onto a typical Donald Steel upturned saucer of a green.  The drive at the 10th can be dangerous in windy conditions with out of bounds awaiting on the left.  The 15th hole is often commented on mainly because of its green which is approached between large dunes and has a deep gully at the front which will trap a short approach shot. 

The testing ninth hole

Worth playing - Yes, a good test of golf especially in the wind and an essential part of the St Andrews experience.
               

The fifteenth green is surrounded by dunes with a deep gully at the front 

                                     

Carnoustie Burnside, Scotland

www.carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk

Yellow tees par 68 SSS 70
Red tees par 71 SSS 72

On a glorious sunny but breezy day we played the Burnside course at Carnoustie which neighbours the famous Championship course.  It is such an enjoyable course with true links character - heather, whins, the Barry Burn and tough bunkers.  It was established in 1914 and in its days as an Open qualifying course it hosted Ben Hogan whose 70 allowed him to qualify and win the Claret Jug in 1953.

The par 3 9th

The par 3s are particularly memorable.  The 5th (aptly named 'Burn') has a green surrounded on three sides by the Barry Burn, the 9th has a plateau green which requires an accurate shot to hold and the 14th is of a quality which could be found on some of the best links courses in the world.  Named 'scoup' which in Scots means to scamper, your shot needs to live up to this name as it is uphill and long, especially when into the wind. It requires a long wood or even a driver which makes it very challenging to hold.  Be happy with a par 3! The 17th is a stunning par 5 which needs careful thought to negotiate the burn which crosses the fairway twice.


Worth a visit? Yes This is an excellent course for the club golfer- combine with the other two Carnoustie courses for a great golfing experience.



A view of the 17th green - this is the second time that the burn has to be negotiated on this hole.