Ballybunion. This course held as much expectation for me as County Down had in the North. It did not disappoint. It is one serious golf course.
Again we were faced with a challenging onshore breeze, which wanted to push the ball right off the first tee. It is literally dead over there. You will finish in the local graveyard.
We were met at the coach by Head Professional Brian O'Callaghan, providing a warm welcome to the club, and an immediate sense that this would be a lot better than Waterville yesterday.
Part of the fun of old course like these are the quirks you get that would never happen in modern architecture. On at least 4 occasions, you need to drive over the green of the preceding hole.
This is Katryna Economou preparing to fire her drive on the par five 4th, over the green of the 3rd hole. Brilliant!
The first layout of golf holes at Ballybunion took place in 1893. The men involved were officers of The Black Watch Regiment - Capt. M. Westropp, Limerick City Artillery and Capt. E. W. Willington, The Prince of Wales Regiment (Royal Canadians) stationed at Maryboro’ (now known as Portlaoise) who were holidaying in Ballybunion at the time and were staying at the Castle Hotel where the first meeting of the first club took place on the 18th August 1893. This original layout was for 12 greens.
In early 1897 an article in the Irish Times, headed The Golf Links of Kerry, dismissed Ballybunion Course with some contempt as “a rabbit warren below the village, where a golfer requires limitless patience and an inexhaustible supply of golf balls.” This provoked a tart rejoinder in the same paper in March 1897 from P McCarthy, General Manager, Listowel and Ballybunion Railway. The course, he claimed, was “quite first class and a sporting course, laid out by the professional who had laid out the links at Lahinch and Dollymount.” The Irish golfers guide of 1897 names this course designer as James McKenna, who did this work “at the instance of the Lartigue Railway Company.”
I agree with the fact that a golfer requires limitless patience, and an inexhaustable supply of balls. But the course is no longer a "rabbit warren".
As time passed, the growing reputation of the links began to attracted players from all parts of the country, and by 1926 plans had been drawn up to extend the course to a full 18 holes. Work was completed within the following 12 months, but it wasn’t until 1932 that the new links were finally recognized at national level when Ballybunion was chosen as the venue for the Irish Ladies Championship.
Rob Dudfield preparing to extract himself from the bunker on the par three 8th.
Five years later it became the stage for the Irish Mens Close Amateur Championship. As part of the preparation for this prestigious event, the Committee appointed Tom Simpson, a leading golf architect of the time, to examine the course and make any necessary recommendations. Simpson was so delighted by what he saw that he suggested only a couple of major changes – altering the sites of the 7th and 13th holes – and some minor ones, which included the installation of a mid-fairway bunker on what is now the 1st hole. This bunker became known as “Mrs Simpson”.
The 1970's saw a huge challenge face the club. Coastal erosion was becoming a huge problem, and bad winters in 1975 & 1977 saw the 7th hole under siege. The club launched a "Save Ballybunion Golf Links Fund", which raised more than enough money to add significant retaining structures.
Elizabeth Knight preparing to drive on the par five 16th.
The view from the tee at the "Devils Elbow", the par four 17th.
The view from behind the green at the 17th.
The par four 18th will generally play down wind, and is a nice, more gentle way to finish. A large sandbelt style Sahara bunker covers the corner of the dogleg.
I truly loved Ballybunion. It is in my opinion what links golf should be.
Our winners today were Christine Cookes and Andy Melin.
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