Ireland
Old Head Golf Links ReviewKinsale, Ireland
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Old Head Golf Links Overview: This course is built upon one of
the most ideal areas of land imaginable.
On a peninsula above the Atlantic Ocean,
there are nonstop ocean views and scary shots as any wayward effort on the
multiple holes along the Ocean will careen down the cliffs. The course itself suffers from a few boring
holes, but the overall experience is amazing.
The most beautiful and / or interesting holes are below:
Old Head Hole 2: The first adrenaline pumping hole comes early in the round as both the tee shot and approach, which will most likely be a mid iron or longer, have to avoid the heather covered cliffs to the left.
Old Head Hole 2: The first adrenaline pumping hole comes early in the round as both the tee shot and approach, which will most likely be a mid iron or longer, have to avoid the heather covered cliffs to the left.
Old Head Hole 3: Left is dead on this cliff-side par three where a back-left pin is really tough.
Old Head Hole 4: Similar to number 2, this hole is a dogleg left par four. However, in this instance, the player can attempt to cut the corner of the dogleg to leave a shorter and better angled approach to the green that is precariously perched between a rock formation and cliffs.
Old Head Hole 7: This good par three has a tee box near some old ruins. Of course, if the golfer hits the tee shot to the right, the score will also be in ruins.
Old Head Hole 8: Although not a particularly difficult par five, this is one of the better interior holes on the course, and it offers one of the very few holes that don't make the player nervous on at least one shot.
Old Head Hole 12: This long par five is brilliant from tee to green as the drive is blind to a fairway well above the tee box. The heather covered cliffs are prominent in the view of the golfer, but the more of them that are cutoff by the drive, the easier the rest of the hole. The fairway narrows considerably as the green approaches and the green itself is impossibly skinny and long between a massive dune to the right and the steep cliffs to the left. This hole is so picturesque it deserves two photos below.
Old Head Hole 16: This picture of the par three 16th (taken from a little to the right of the tee boxes) is proof that even the author of GolfTop18 can sometimes prioritize capturing the beauty of the natural view more than the hole. The tee shot must be accurate of course, as peril awaits on both sides, but the cliff and ocean vistas outweigh any score problems one might encounter.
Old Head Hole 17: This hole is listed by many as one of the better par fives in the world, and although it is unique and beautiful, I found it to be a little bit severe and unusual with blind shots and a green that is downhill but to run a shot up, it must avoid debris / rocks in the fairway. The picture is taken from the reverse angle from way behind the green where you can see the unusual green area.
