Irish Golf Course advice please

Lahinch is a better course but Doonbeag well worth playing she for thed hospitality alone very good course though

Cant go wrong with either , Stewards . Both excellent courses  , Lahinch probably more accessible . Not sure what they charge in either course  , if its silly money go for the least expensive .

Time the Irish Tourist Board got together with the golf courses to hammer out a series of golfing packages . No one wants to pay 300 plus euros to play the likes of the Old Head , dearest up here in the North is Newcastle , think its about 150 sterling walking in off the street .

My brother who is into skiing was telling me today about packages the ski places organise , apparently you can buy "points" to spend as you wish at your leisure on a pre paid credit card , structured on demand/ cost / availibility / desirability basis .  Similar package could be worked for golf , points being determined by season / time of play / course category / condition etc . People could then work to a budget , and such a  system is easily  organised nowadays with computer programs .

The Shanks, not wanting to cause an arguement, but why do you consider Lahinch to be the better course?

As stated they are both fantastic courses, but for me Lahinch has a few too many blind shots, the first par 5 and par 3 are almost novelty holes, playing over a sand dune to a blind green, hmmmm? Granted the other par 3s are very strong especially the 16ths is it? Also has some really strong par 4s on the back 9.

While DoonBeg, is in better condition, the 1st a par 5 is visually a stunning hole, again the par 3s are great and a real test especially when the wind blows. Some of the par 4s are great holes, with number 10 (I think) being a daunting tee shot, and visually up there with any.

Off the course Lahinch is a beautiful town and alot of fun, while DoonBeg is obviously a resort style complex and lacks any soul. All depends what you are going for.

Thanks for the replies.

if you want to play a proper traditional links go to lahinch.

if you want to play what some modern designers think a links should be go to doonbeg.

a bunker in the middle of a green

what's that all about ffs?

Doonbeg is a Norman course I think .  Reference bunkers in the middle of greens , thinking about the evolution of golf on links land originally  , guess all sorts of situations would have been encountered .  Greens around bunkers / sand might not be all that unusual .  Cant say I have ever played a course with one like Doonbeg though . OK I reckon as long as its a short iron shot .

I am not a fan of a bunker in the middle of the green, but playing over a 40 foot sand dune so you can not see the green, let alone the flag, is as bad?

Links golf is the greatest test of golf you can have, tests every part of your game and if your game is off it will murder you, but no gimmicks please.

If you are on the proper place on the golf course , there should be always line of sight if you are playing to the green . Missing on that one hole at Lahinch , never figured out why unless some clever clogs thought it was a built in advantage for the "home" players in inter club fixtures .

toughest par3s----beautiful scenery---TRALEE

Quess who designed Lahinch ?

Think old Tom Morris had a hand in it .

Kelly,

Tink you'll find that Dr. Alister Mac is widely accepted as the designer of Lahinch...

....hence the blind shots for which he is famous.





Check out the 14th in Pasatiempo (also where Tiger played his early golf).

If you have never had a hole in one , would suggest you play Lahinch and a local caddie will sort it for you !

The 6th "The Dell" (used to be the 5th) - many a wealthy yank have had the pleasure and "stood the bar" after the game.






p.s.
The 16th in Pasatiempo (a blind tee shot) was the good doctors favourite hole in all of golf !

Checked it out , Catchmeifyoucan .  Old Tom Morris designed the first golf course at Lahinch at end of 19th century  , but it was revised by McKenzie ( equals Colt I presume ) in the 1920's .  Long time since I played it , early 70's I think .

Lahinch is brilliant but tough and can be a real grind. Fantastic town with great bars

Doonbeg is also brilliant and visually stunning.

If I could only play one, it would have to be Doonbeg

I played Lahinch twice last year (5 times in all) just as the tail end of a hurrican hit the west coast! Never played golf like it, amazing experience, they did not cut the greens as the balls were blowing off them.

That short 6th par 3 you were on about measured 124 yards that day, straight into the wind I hit my best 4 iron pin high! Normally, hit it 180-190! Patches of hortizontal rain, a test like I have never had before.