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| The dogleg par four 3rd |
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| A view back up the 1st to the Castle |
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| The par three 16th... all carry |
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| View over the 1st green back to Killeen Castle |
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| The 10th hole at Gort. Spectacular drive, spectacular views. |
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| Killeen Castle 1st tee |
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| The sun has clearly gone to their heads |
From
Guest Blogger, Rory, a review of five of Ireland's most modern golfing parklands. |
| The par three 12th |
[Photo: The 'Doc' interviews Eamon]
Golfbidder.co.uk arranges the day and the ‘doc’ (aka Donal, aka the Spindoctor) is the host, along with Tom from Golfbidder. You’re probably asking: what’s Golfbidder.co.uk? Why not follow the link and find out? The company has a simple set up selling golf equipment. They sell second-hand clubs (drivers, sets of irons, putters…) and these are given a rating (1 to 10) to indicate their condition. So, if you fancy some Ping i10 irons and you see that they’ve been given a rating of 8 out of 10, you’ll be buying clubs that are in really good shape and have been used maybe a handful of times. You’ll save a fair whack off the regular shop price and if you’re concerned about what you’re buying, there’s also a 12 month warranty and a 7 day return/full refund policy. So, whether you’re left-handed, right-handed or merely cack-handed, you’ll find it on their site.
There is nothing wrong with these golf clubs, so don’t be thinking that. What do you think happens to your old clubs when you upgrade? Sure, you can give them away, to your son or a friend. Or you can stick them in the back room, from where they will never resurface… no matter how much you promise yourself that they will. Or why not take a shortcut and just throw them in landfill. No, seriously, wouldn’t you prefer your clubs to have a second chance at happiness? If you end up part-exchanging your clubs at your pro shop, then it’s entirely likely that they’ll end up on Golfbidder.
[Photo: Killeen Castle's deceptive par three 8th]
I’ve been very happy with my Taylormade R7, but I took a shine to a couple of Mizunos and the Wilson Staff Shockwave. Will I be getting one of these? Not just yet, but I do know that the Taylormade R11 that everyone is fussing over won’t be on my shopping list. With a driver, you know instantly whether you like it or not, simply from the look and weight. Hit a couple of shots and you’re hungry for more or putting it back in the rack.
[Photo: Eamon goes for the green in two on the par five 7th. 258 yards to the pin. He went long]
Yesterday’s event was held at the mighty Killeen Castle, home to the Solheim Cup in September. We kicked off at 7.30am, under perfect skies, and bashed away at range balls next to the Pelz Academy. Donal would grab some unlucky degenerate and put them in front of a camcorder to record their ‘driver’ thoughts. He then finished up with a message about Golfbidder having thousands of used clubs. Then came breakfast in the surprisingly understated clubhouse, and a deeply impressive breakfast bap.
We were divided up into fourballs, and I headed out with Tom, Michael and Eamon. John, from Killeen Castle, accompanied us to the first tee and suggested we play off the forward white tees. As it turns out, these are the same tees the ladies will be playing from in the Solheim Cup, so it gave us an interesting perspective.
[Photo: Tom drives on the 18th]
I played here two years ago and I liked the course. I won’t say I loved it because it didn’t quite capture my heart. It’s big and flash and corporate. Actually, it’s perfect in so many ways that it almost lacks soul…but in a good way. On almost every fairway if your tee shot is not going straight down the middle, you’re fretting it’s going to find one of a multitude of bunkers. Which is why it was a pleasure to play with Eamon. An effortless swing, with no fuss address, Eamon plays off +1 and you could see why. On a course he’d played only once before, he was putting for birdie on almost every hole and his drive always ended up on the correct side of the fairway to open up the green. I won’t say we were in awe, but take a look at the photo of Eamon in the bunker under the 14th green. The ball is plugged in the sand at about knee-height under the face. He has a look, pulls out a club, walks over and hits it. And leaves it two feet from the pin. Me? I’d have taken a shovel and started digging.
[Photo: Eamon works his magic on the par three 14th]
We all had our moments of brilliance; Michael had a wicked slice (bend your knees more, Mike) that never seemed to work when he actually allowed for it, but around the greens he was deadly; Tom, a lefty, hit some sublime irons although he’d left his putting boots at home; and Eamon was effortless. Me? I’ll remember one particular 6 iron that rolled to three feet to save par. But it was a fun and friendly day and it was a pleasure to play golf with the three of them.
Two things struck me about Killeen Castle: the greens were absolute heaven. There are some big swings and ridges, but they are as true as you could hope for… and yet deceivingly slow. They look like they should be lightening-fast (and aerial bombardment from the fairways left barely a pitch mark) but you have to be strong if you want the ball to drop. Secondly, we were all fooled time and again by the distances to greens. They are further away than they look and time and again we found ourselves landing short. When I say ‘we’ I exclude Eamon of course, who was always the last to play his approach and could see what kind of fools we were making of ourselves.
[Photo: Michael's slice lands him in trouble on the par five 7th]
On the 11th green, Eamon got talking to Mark Collins, the head greenkeeper, who told us that the green speed was going to be maintained for the Solheim Cup. Apparently the Americans don’t like fast greens… which begs the question: why are we playing into the Americans’ hands? Surely we should have the greens as fast as possible so that they struggle. Mind you, that’s a similar question to: why is the Ryder Cup played over a course that could be American-made (and was in the case of Arnold Palmer’s K Club) when it’s hosted in Europe?
The answer, my friends, is money!
And speaking of money… Killeen Castle green fees: Monday to Thursday it’s €100, Friday to Sunday it’s €125… if you have a fourball (or more), they are open to negotiation.
Find out more at www.golfbidder.co.uk (you’ll find loads of videos on Youtube as well), or visit Donal’s site: www.golfcentraldaily.com - sign up for his newsletter or keep a regular eye on his site and you could be in with a chance to receive a Doc’ Dawn Raid invitation yourself, here or in the UK.
And finally, while I am usually reluctant to take my camera into a public shower room, on this occasion I decided it was worth the risk! Fantastic showers always make for a great finish, and at Killeen Castle you can even choose where you want the water to come from. Perfect.
[Photo: Approach to Bunclody's par four 2nd. Plans to build houses here have evaporated somewhat, but the course is superb]
The writing on the wall started in early 2008, when some of the hotly anticipated golf course developments began to falter. Padraig Harrington’s Marlbrook, Retief Goosen’s Carrig Glas, Ernie Els’ Kilmore Quay were just a few.
In the Celtic Tiger years the new style and raison d’etre of many golf courses was no longer golf… it was to add sex appeal to a property development. Houses, not golf, were centre stage and names like Harrington and Goosen were being spread about like honey for the bees. And we were the bees being sucked in. In the boom times, people found this irresistible.
So, when the property market went belly-up, thanks to our bankers and our government (with an honourable mention to the world economy), these courses were the first to die a painful and public death.
The Numbers Game
Then it came down to clock-watching because surely some of Ireland’s new courses would flounder as well. Of the little economics that I recall from my college days, I remember that supply vs. demand is at the heart of survival. At the start of 2010 there were 352 eighteen hole golf courses in Ireland. That is an increase of 139 courses (or 65%) since 1990. The number of people playing the game also increased over the period, by close to 100%.
To put that in numbers (from the GUI), there were 111,000 GUI members in Ireland in 1990. At its peak, in 2007, there were over 209,000 members. It appeared, statistically at least, that demand and supply were matching each other.
[Photo: Approach to Limerick County's par four 12th]
But at the end of 2007, there was a parting of the ways. While the number of courses continued to rise, the numbers playing golf began to fall. 8,000 golfers dropped off the membership in 2008, and 2009 saw a further decline. The number for 2010 has not yet been compiled. With this shift in demand, somewhere a club had to break.
[Photo: Approach to Killeen Castle's par five 12th. Host to the Solheim Cup in 2011]
Courses in Trouble
Luttrellstown led the pack but survived at the last moment, becoming a pay-and-play course from the start of 2010. As one of Dublin’s best parkland tracks it has been doing very well since this repositioning. Elsewhere, there was a wave of receiverships, banks withdrawing loan facilities or cash simply drying up. Tulfarris, Citywest, Beaufort, Moyvalley, New Forest, Knockanally, Macreddin, Kilkea Castle and Turvey had their troubles. Sadly, but not surprisingly, rumours started about other courses like Rathcore, Farnham Castle, Killeen Castle and Galway Bay, simply because they were new, were closed for upgrading, or because someone heard it from a friend of a friend of a friend. Rathcore is one of my favourites and in the next edition of Hooked I have added four words to my review: ‘best value in Ireland’. It is not, I have been assured by Rathcore’s Austin Lyons, in any trouble.
[Photo: The par four 6th at Rathcore]
Then the courses in receivership started to operate like hotels in similar circumstances: undercutting their rivals with cheap rates to attract the punters. Some posters on boards.ie had a dig at Tulfarris, saying it was terrible that people were visiting the club at the expense of others. I agree and disagree. By keeping a course open it keeps people employed and keeps paid up members happy. Surely that’s a good thing… or is it?
The trouble is that when courses like Tulfarris get ‘propped up’ by the receiver, it is to make as much cash as possible to pay off creditors. This is harsh on nearby courses who are using a traditional business model of a members club, and simply can’t justify dropping their green fees to the same levels – especially when green fees across Ireland have already dropped by over 50% in places. Tulfarris is a beautiful course in a stunning location and it would be a shame to lose it. But now it comes down to the receivers, and the number of green fee-paying golfers who want to pay €30.
The Changing Face of Golf
Of course, clubs running out of, or owing, money is only one factor in the evolving golfing market. There are golfers who simply can’t afford to play any more, while other golfers have realised that the fall in green fees and the highly resistant annual subs make going it alone a viable and attractive proposition. Why pay the annual sub for 30 to 40 rounds of golf at the same course when you could take that money (which doesn’t have to be paid as a lump sum) and spread it around different courses, all of which are offering excellent value for money? You can get out on good courses for €20 to €30 these days, or you can splash out for €60. I know someone will argue that giving up GUI membership means giving up an official handicap (and competition entry rights) and that getting on to a golf course at weekends is difficult… but let’s not forget how eager many courses are for green fees and how many golfers will go out and play when the smallest opportunity presents itself (or when a mate is paying).
[Photo: sun sets over par three 14th at Moyvalley, where the joining fee was once €75,000]
There is a flip side to this too: some courses are now reducing or waiving their joining/entrance fee, in order to attract members. And it is working. Gone are the €75,000s and €40,000s… now if you want to pay the annual sub you’re usually welcomed with open arms at the middle and lower tier clubs.
Doors Finally Close
Despite some of these positive moves by clubs, things have finally come to a head, and January sees the start of the closures. At least two courses have closed (possibly three) and, sadly, one of them is a favourite of mine. Limerick County had a lot going for it… but not enough money. It may re-open under new management and I hope that it does, because it has more adventure than any of its neighbours.
[Photo: Approach to Limerick County's par four 5th]
Turvey, in north Dublin, also closed. If you turn up for a round you’ll encounter security guards. It’s a shame. When I played it in 2008, they were working on one of the holes – an investment that will never be realised. At least members have plenty of alternative clubs to choose from, with Beaverstown, Balcarrick, Donabate, The Island and Corballis all nearby.
Is this the beginning of the end? Of course not. There are too many stalwarts striding the fairways for the game to be damaged irrevocably, and while some more courses will have to go, hundreds will remain. As long as these clubs learn to adapt to the changing times we now face, golf will remain strong in Ireland.
[Photo: Approach to Lough Erne's par four 2nd - the last of the BIG courses to be built on the island]
After all of that, I will add that Rathfarnham – a 14 hole golf course – is currently looking for a General Manager.
