Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2010 - 20

Holes 7 and 11, both par 4s, run along the
beach. The former (351-432 yards) features
a second green for the winter, when
the seaside green is closed. The latter hole
(346-453 yards) curves toward the beach,
where the green lays below the fairway,
nestled behind a large dune. It is said to be
one of the best par 4s in the world.
The three fi nishing holes each feature
at least one blind shot. With the tee shot
at 16, a par 5 (376-499 yards) that doglegs
sharply away from the beach and upward
between huge dunes, the temptation is to
cut off some of the partially blind dogleg,
risking nothing but trouble. The 17th, a
dogleg par 4 (312-385 yards) that plays
down along the beach, favors a right-toleft
tee shot. Go too far left and a huge
dune blocks your path to the green. The
fairway at 18, an uphill dogleg (300-379
yards), ends about 250 yards from the tee
with a wide bunker at the foot of a steep
hill. The approach shot is short, uphill and
partially blind. The green is long and narrow,
so lean on your caddie for club selection
and the line.
Keep the ball in the fairway, advises Severson,
and you'll fi nd the Old Course more
than fair.
DOONBEG
Offi cers of the Scottish Black Watch regiment
spotted the seaside location near
Doonbeg as ideal for links golf-but it
took more than a century and an Aussie,
Greg Norman, to create a natural routing
through and among the massive dunes
that stretch for a mile and a half along the
crescent beach.
When Doonbeg Golf Club opened in
2002, it was instantly recognized as one of
the best Irish links in the southwest part
of the country, yet less penal than some
more famous courses. Although not long
at 4,729-6,911 yards, the fairways are generous
and the course yields good scores to
thoughtful golfers who control their balls.
Doonbeg has converted open pasture
and a bluff beyond the fi rst tee into a
luxury compound, including an imposing
manor house called The Lodge, luxury cottages
and a friendly pub, Darby's. Like Old
Head, the club caters to wealthy international
members and guests staying in the
million-dollar cottages. And like Old Head,
there is a spa, fi ve-star comfort, fi ne dining
and a full-service golf staff (golf professionals,
caddies, buggies and trolleys). Our
group arrived by coach (the owner and
driver, Roy, lives nearby in Doonbeg), not
helicopter, so we made do with the grub in
town, a stop in Tubridy's for the local craic,
and then back to Doonbeg GC and the casual
atmosphere of Darby's Pub.
Doonbeg's signature hole looks easy on
paper: a nub of a par 3 measuring 83-111
Don't follow this artist's example at the Cliffs of Moher.
The high winds and eroding cliff edges are extremely
dangerous.
yards. However, the green is tucked around
a fescue-matted dune, fully exposed to the
winds blowing off of Doughmore Bay.
At least 11 of Doonbeg's holes offer
sweeping coastal views; the others afford
equally broad views of County Clare.
Norman incorporated the routing over
and between huge dunes, so there is both
the pleasure and challenge inherent in
coping with elevation changes. At the turn,
and the farthest point of the course, the
massive lodge looms on the horizon across
the wide bay's breaking surf.
No description of Doonbeg is complete
without mention of the 12th, an otherwise
easy par 4, 223-388 yards long. Its distinctive
feature is a small pot bunker, similar
to a pothole in the middle of the green.
And like the Minnesota variety of pothole,
this bunker will jar your otherwise smooth
round and elicit a few scornful words for
its eccentricity.
LAHINCH
Just north of Doonbeg, by way of the
Spanish Road, past Spanish Point, and a
row of cottages called-you guessed it-
the Spanish Cottages, is the surfi ng town
of Lahinch. No doubt the blood of Spaniards
pumps in the hearts of the locals, as
the Spanish Armada blew to pieces near
here in 1588.
Like Ballybunion, Lahinch is a links worDoonbeg
thy
of greatness if not quirkiness, thanks to
two completely blind holes: the par-5 4th
(423-475 yards) and the par-3 5th (143-
154 yards). At the 4th, the narrow fairway
snakes its way to the base of the Klondyke,
a large dune. A forecaddie warns of golfers
making the crossing on the blind side
18
MINNESOTAGOLFER Fall 2010
www.mngolf.org
PHOTO COURTESY OF DOONBEG
PHOTO BY W.P. RYAN
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2010

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