When I was commissioned to write this feature for our UK and Ireland Top 100 golf courses in association with Peter Millar, I asked editor Neil Tappin how many holes to include.
“Seven sounds about right to me,” came the reply. It sounded about right to me too until I sat down to try and whittle it down to just that number!
My colleague, Rob Smith, wrote the equivalent feature two years ago and, after an early brainstorming session, I looked back on his article to find he’d written about four of the five holes I’d jotted down so far – the 1st at Doonbeg, 14th at Trump International Scotland, 13th at Hollinwell and 11th at Turnberry.
Subliminal vague recollection or testament to them, indeed, being four of our most spectacular holes?
I’ll leave you to decide but in the interests of variety I’m revisiting just one of those holes this time round, the par-5 1st at Doonbeg, which remains a kind of epiphany or eureka moment in my golfing journey.
I’d played a number of links courses before first visiting Doonbeg in 2003 but had never experienced anything quite like Greg Norman’s County Clare creation.
The 1st at Trump International Golf Links Doonbeg
(Image credit: Getty Images)
‘Amphitheatre green’ may now be a slightly overused term at some of our modern links, but it’s the only apt one for the 1st green complex at Doonbeg, where you imagine every blade of wispy grass on the steep banks standing to applaud as your carefully crafted approach lands just beyond the hole and zips back a couple of feet… in my dreams at least!
Let’s stay with par 5s and jump on a hole from another Rob included last time (the par-3 5th at Sunningdale New) and go for the magnificent 6th there.
The 6th on the New at Sunningdale
(Image credit: Getty Images)
It plays from an elevated tee and keeps sweeping round and round to the right via a slight kink at about 300 yards as its two-tiered, well-protected green gradually comes into view. It is simply majestic.
Par 3s often hog the limelight in any spectacular hole contest, but I’m sticking with par 5s for one more. If you’re looking for strategy choice, few par 5s do it better than the 7th on the Marquess’ at Woburn, with its split fairways separated by a cluster of trees.
The 7th on the Marquess’ Course at…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Latest from Golf Monthly in Courses…