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The Links Thread
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I never lay up on this hole - but to answer question put on another post - this is how you could do it, I've seen this done well by a few of the Corballis regulars. I do think if you are laying up - lay up on it and don't 1/2 lay up. In other words a 3 wood may get in trouble on both mounds - an iron left should run out right.
So 2 - 180 yards shots , will get you to a wedge - a wedge should give you a chance of a par - but a sure bogey - and this is 2 points for most.
The two red lines show the area you should get to and in this area you will be very unlucky not to get a good run down the 2 hills.
If wind is in face you may have to hit 2 5 irons or a dreaded 1/2 lay up hybrid.
You would be a bit daft to hit bunker left on 2nd shot
BTW -for the crazy ones out there - who want to try make a birdie 1 in 10. If you get driver aimed at where first red line crosses the black line - you can get the biggest drive of your live with lucky bounce and leave yourself an 8 iron to even wedge in,. But you normally have a 6/7 or 9 of a score.
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Was in Arklow today for non golf reasons - but had a few hours to spare after and played 15 holes in Arklow.
Was thinking as I set out. Do links courses get too easy a ride from me, when I'm sort of rating them in my head. I think they do. We had a rating of Links courses here at one stage - we put them in divisions , it was agreed that Arklow is in the 2nd level of Links courses. But, I do like playing it. I like most of the courses that are links at all. That does seem a bit too easy of a rating.
It is a mix of a links , a quarry and a parkland course. Unusual setting and unusual course.
From reading about Arklow over the last few years, it is a club that suffered hard during and after the economic downturn. When you think of Wicklow, it must be a very competitive environment for golf courses. Without knowing area geat, within less than 30 minutes of Arklow - I don't know, there must be well over 20 - maybe more courses. Many of these courses are of exceptional quality like - Woodenbridge, Druids, Wicklow, Courtown, Macreddin
Of course you have the European club, but that is another planet on golf level. But, from south of the Liffey to Rosslare, links are very very thin on the sand.
Arklow is a very deceptive course, it looks flat and easy , but after nine holes I was 8 over
:D - you are thinking , why am I scoring so poorly . Well, besides playing very poor , a slightly errant shot can be - lost, out of bounds (unusually for a links, a good bit of OB) - you can be in a 5/6 feet deep greenside, links faced bunker - or even a well place fairway bunker leaving you in real trouble. Then the greens are real links greens with big fall offs , large slopes. It deserves way more respect than it looks. Did finish the last 6 level , when I realised it was not a place to be banging away without thinking. I'd also imagine in stronger wind it is torturous.
I don't think Arklow is in the best condition it has ever been , some bunkers and greens are perfect , then other bunkers have much less sand and some greens are not rolling as well.
It is fair to say, the course condition is inconsistent , but perfectly playable.
The greens are beautiful shapes, up and down , high and low parts, fast fall offs. Imagination needed.
I love the 3 par 3s (3 , 9 and 11), with bunkers protecting irregular shaped greens, in fact they look very similar as holes , you are hitting- maybe a PW on the shorter one 11, mid irons to 3 and 9 as very similar length.
The other 2 par 3s are a little different , with water and OB coming into play. You'd enjoy playing the pars 3s alone.
It is a very tight piece of land for a golf course, and you are always close to another hole - but it is still a clever layout - with perhaps only real problem around 2 and cross over back to clubhouse at 6. Layouts like this are often criticised, but one thing is for sure, Arklow is one of the fastest courses to play out there. There is a time and place for leisurely golf, but sometimes you don't have the time.
Anyway - have had an interesting run of courses , all cheap golf , Arklow was only 15 euro - most course I've played have been in the 15 to 25 euro mark. Yes, not the top courses out there, but very enjoyable, fast and unbelievably cheap.
By the way, 18 - a monster into the wind , and class green elevated with danger every side.
I'll be back , but will pay the first 6 holes there way more respect.0 -
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Kevinmarkham wrote: »Need I say more...
Enjoy.
I have to make it over there this time...I've seen too many photos to miss it again!0 -
Kevinmarkham wrote: »Need I say more...
Enjoy.
Great photo Kevin but I don't think any photo can capture the sheer scale of that hole.
I played the new 9 in Jan. I was the only sinner on the course and had to pinch myself on that one (and a few others).
It's just surreal, I could have stood there hitting balls into that green for a lifetime.0 -
Some run out there now lads, on the links courses.
The time of year you think you are Mcilroy fooling yourself with long drives.
Hit 2 over 350 yards today - Wind + hard hard fariways.
Fun , but then you have a poxy 40 to 60 yard shot , very hard for me.
So I hit a 350 yard drive once. :P:D
Anyway - fairways going brown too, very British Open like.
Did I mention I hit a 350 yard drive :P0 -
How is the Spanish guitar playing coming along then?FixdePitchmark wrote: »Some run out there now lads, on the links courses.
The time of year you think you are Mcilroy fooling yourself with long drives.
Hit 2 over 350 yards today - Wind + hard hard fariways.
Fun , but then you have a poxy 40 to 60 yard shot , very hard for me.
So I hit a 350 yard drive once. :P:D
Anyway - fairways going brown too, very British Open like.
Did I mention I hit a 350 yard drive :P0 -
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FixdePitchmark wrote: »Some run out there now lads, on the links courses.
The time of year you think you are Mcilroy fooling yourself with long drives.
Hit 2 over 350 yards today - Wind + hard hard fariways.
Fun , but then you have a poxy 40 to 60 yard shot , very hard for me.
So I hit a 350 yard drive once. :P:D
Anyway - fairways going brown too, very British Open like.
Did I mention I hit a 350 yard drive :P
Drove a green on a par-4 (index 17) at our place at the weekend, such was the running! Long putt for the eagle, tapped in the birdie.
The main highlight of a round characterised by horrendous over-clubbing.0 -
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Kevinmarkham wrote: »Need I say more...
Enjoy.
Amazing.
Kevin knows, the guys that went there last year at ACC, felt a bit robbed.
Because, we felt Carne was not at it's best at the time. From walking it - I knew it was a course , I should love and I did enjoy the day , but a bit - a bit, hard to say.
I think it is an amazing journey - it is sadly, almost too far. It being so far makes it a golfing Links' odyssey. But, when the journey is so far - there can be an anticlimactic aspect to any journey like that.
I've done most of the great drives in Ireland, not sure there are many drives as good as the drive out there. (Sally gap - Moll's gap - Conor pass - Galway to Clare - West Cork - Howth Head
:D)
The (if we want to be practical for one second) problem with Carne , is you pass Rosses , Strandhill , Enniscrone on the way.
I think to go out there , you need to spend a few days. Perhaps lads, I'm getting old
- but 2 nights a few drinks, play it a few times, understand the flow. You are not doing links , if you turn up and hit lines, links is about where the ball ends up. Not about where you aimed (even I like that sudden realisation as I write that).
No - I know I'm fooling myself and Carne is tipping away at my head, again and again.
It seems I can't get away from it - I want to know and play every links on this land - I know I will, but do you get 2nd chances at them ? - that is being a bit too impractical to expect that
- There is only one or two people in Ireland that think like that - Kevin is one. (lol)
Anyway - was out the other day , was playing alone. I was invited to play with these two older gents - (late 60s) ahead. I was a bit too close, we sort of had, no other option.
Before I joined them, the older grumpy angry one said, "a single player has no rights" - ( here we go).
Anyway - the nice lad brought me in.
I had to up the charm , as the grumpy one was very pissed off with this lad joining them.
I seen an angle to break the ice (aka iceberg) with grumpy one, "member 1997 - Belmullet golf club".
I said - " How on earth did you join Carne"
Grump " I was on a pub outing - playing the 4 great links up there"
Me " Amazing place up there "
Grump (slight smile) " Amazing"
Me " So - what happened"
Grump " We finished the 4 day outing in Carne - they gave me a girl as a caddy - I just fell in love"
Me - in my mind, was it the girl or the course - I laughed to myself, after 4 days drinking you never know.
Me " Some place- but the drive out there ?"
Happy Grump " If your car is good enough - there is never a problem with any drive" (wise life observation to myself)
Me " So why did you join"
Happy old lad formerly known as grump " Just knew it was heaven on earth"
Nice Grump - " You can see Ellis Island from 11"
I laughed to myself and said that is something as daft as I would say at his age - I'm the old grump of the future.
From speaking to the two lads , I got the feeling they had lived an adventurous over drink filled life . Both near 70 , the hard life had caught up with them.
It is amazing how people can open up on a golf course, (but only when they want to and the mood is right)
They had lived hard, had had hard lives. I will not judge the correlation.
But - when you speak to one of them about a certain Links course , it is like it brings them back to life, or maybe back to another life. A life they had. A life they would love to jump back to.
Are the days you have on a great links a once in a lifetime ?
You say and feel it at the time - but, hope you will return to the same moment.
I hope these senses of once in a lifetime are wrong. I fear they are not.
Anyway - I'm sure Carne and I are unfinished.
Jaysus , Links lads are so anal 0 -
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Great photo Kevin but I don't think any photo can capture the sheer scale of that hole.
Oh... I don't know about that
Tee shot
Approach
Up in the dunes on the left
View back over the green
I'm guessing you'll be back in off the course by the time you check into Boards again... hope you had a good a day as I had for these photos.0 -
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