Bad Golf Holes

I think holes where you're forced to do one thing and can't play it multiple ways are poor. For example the 13th in Ballykisteen (parallel to the road). I think it's an unacceptable hole personally. Unless you can manouvre a massive slice with your Driver, you simply can't use it if you're a long hitter.

i can understand your view on the 12th but the 13th is a real golf hole one you habve to think about and it looks stunning

Agreed. Unless it’s severely below you.

Any distance beyond probably 190 is cruel and goes beyond being a ‘challenge’ and starts to bring luck into things, especially since shorter hitters are forced to hit long woods etc

Probably more in line with @thewobbler s thinking of bad holes on good courses but I've always thought that the opening few holes in Ballybunion are very poor (relative to the rest of the course).

The first hole is grand, when the rough isn't up, you can just bomb it down without much strategy. The views of the graveyard and holiday homes isn't a nice backdrop. The second involves a crazy approach. The third is an OK long par 3 but you're then teeing off over that green on the 4th. The 4th and 5th are just holes to get through, both quite similar.

That start is long forgotten by the time you've finished though.

I struggle to remember bad holes on lesser courses as they tend to be forgotten about quickly.

Our course was redesigned lately and they added a tee to the par 3 10th. The tee is about 30 yards to the right of the original tee. A huge tree to the right of the green makes it a really daft hole. Most of the small tricky green is blocked out. The new tee was built and used twice I think.

There’s a blind par 3 at Royal Belfast (maybe hole 11 or 12) which is just an absurd hole. Even moreso because it is framed nicely at tee and green, and a skilled digger driver could make it a very decent hole for an afternoon’s work.

As a rule of thumb I have no time for uphill par 3s.

Unnecessary water hazards would be a bug bear too. Lisburn’s index 1 would be a wonderful hole had it stuck to a natural run off in front of the green, instead there’s a ball magnet pond. Similar story on Kilkeel’s index 2, when an ugly pond changes what otherwise could a strategic hole. Seapoint’s index 1 (5th) tries its best to undo its claims to be a links course. And I really like those 3 courses.

someone above mentioned 12 at Druid’s Heath. I believe it’s been remodelled since I played it, but it would definitively have made my worst holes list as it just struck me as a hole where a good score was 50%+ dependent on luck. Actually, most of Druids Heath would qualify.

You wouldn't be a fan of The Old Course I take it?

Ballykisteen is a very different problem to the one in East Clare.

In Ballykisteen the hole is along the road, theres huge nets down the right but also a net coming right across the front of the tee box forcing you to aim way left.

It's so bad it used be the first hole but they changed it so people have settled down a bit by the time they get there.

I agree on the 10th in East Clare. You can clip a nice shot across the first lake and then be stuck behind a big tree, having to negotiate another lake to get to an elevated green. They could really cut down the tree.

Any hole with pointless internal out of bounds gets my downvote immediately.

It's a dogsh*t tee shot on what is otherwise a nice course. The approach shot on that hole is good too. I play there a couple of times a year in opens and really like the course there but that tee shot is silly. Apparently that tee box is about 5 years old and had to be built as such due to golfers slicing the ball onto the road on the right and into properties at the other side of the road. The old tee box can still be seen nearer the previous green. Honestly it should be made into a par 3, just put a tee box at the corner of the dogleg about 175yd out and drive on with a par 71 course. It's such a mad tee shot that if you hit the protective net you get to re-tee without penalty as many times as you want. Can wreck a good round as it requires about a 220yd drive with a 50 yd slice to get in position for the approach shot. Most tee shots end up running straight through the dogleg into the trees. It's silly.

A driver definitely isn't needed.

Long iron to the fairway leaves a short iron in.

If you can hit a long 3 wood or Driver with a slightly ce it gives an advantage but not worth it.

Again, if the tee box was flat and well maintained, it would be a fine hole.

Bellewstown is a bloody commando course. I played it only once and was completely drained. Golf should be enjoyed and not an energy sapping trawl up and down steep hills. There's mountain walks for that.

Uhm - that doesn’t show the net that’s there right in front of the tee box though, which makes what you’re suggesting impossible

I play it a hell of a lot too, probably once a month but don’t particularly care how much either of us play it - that line you’ve given is just not feasible unless you’re a very short hitter (not you personally) with the way it hangs.

As the other poster said, the tee box just isn’t wide enough for it.

Clearly you’re a decent level player to be able to go 4 iron, 7 iron into that hole but for the unfortunate players who aren’t long hitters, that positioning of the net kills the hole. I know my father needs driver there and you are forced to start well on the left side of the fairway. On a dry day the ball is gone into the left rough.

I’ve never seen a first-timer play the hole who didn’t completely laugh at it. Couldn’t chat arsed ruining the thread talking about it any more now because clearly it’s struck a cord with you as a member there.