Ireland
Old Head Golf Links Review
Kinsale, Ireland
Back tees: 73.0 rating; no official slope
Last played: 2008
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 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 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 pictures below.
Old Head Hole 15: This short par four runs along the Ocean between the cliffs and heavy grasses on the left. It is drivable as the last 50 yards run downhill to the green. However, the fairway is only 20 yards wide at that point with no room for error. The safe player can hit 5 iron, pitching wedge, but those both must also be accurate. (not pictured)
