The Golf Digest Ireland Top 100 annual rankings are out... let the arguments, debates and fisticuffs begin. You can look at rankings in one of two ways: ignore them as playful nonsense; or take them with a pinch of salt and go play the courses that catch your eye. They're there as a guide. As always, I have my quibbles - some big, some small - but when you have so many people involved in the ranking process it's impossible to get a consensus that everybody is happy with.
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| Needs no introduction - the view of the 9th hole (post blind drive) at Royal County Down |
For example, if you took 100 people and asked them to rank 100 courses, 50 of them could come back and say Royal County Down (RCD) is number 1; the other 50 might put RCD at number 100. The median puts RCD at number 50... and not one person out of that 100 is happy.
I shall not make any comments this year... other than to say Esker Hills is the highest New Entry at 82, and, as always, a few of my favourites are not on the list (Coollattin, The Curragh, Macreddin, Rathcore - all listed under 'Worthy Mentions' at the end of Golf Digest's list - and Portarlington and Scrabo).
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| Rathcore's impressive par three 16th |
The rankings are based on seven criteria:
Memorability 10 points
Wow factor 10 points
Condition 10 points
Playability 10 points
Degree of difficulty/fairness 10 points
So here it is and please feel free to leave your comments below:
1. Royal County Down (=)
2. Portmarnock (=)
3. Royal Portrush (=)
4. Waterville (=)
5. Lahinch
(Up 1)
6. Ballybunion (Old) (down 1)
7. The European Club (up 1)
8. Tralee (Down 1)
9. County Louth (Baltray) (=)
10. Adare (=)
11. County Sligo (Rosses Point) (=)
12. Ballyliffin, Glashedy (Up 1)
13. Enniscrone (Up 1)
14. The Island (Down 2)
15. Portstewart, Strand (Up 2)
16. Mount Juliet (Down 1)
17. Killeen Castle (up 1)
18. Donegal (down 2)
19. The K-Club, Palmer (up 1)
20. Belmullet, Carne (Up 1)
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| Mount Juliet's superb 4th hole - a lethal par four (Down 1) |
21. Ballyliffin, Old Links (Up 1)
22. The Old Head of Kinsale (Up 2)
23. Portmarnock Links (Up 8)
24. Royal Dublin (Down 5)
25. Portsalon (Up 2)
26. Doonbeg (Down 3)
27. Carlow (Up 2)
28. Rosapenna, Sandy Hills (Down 3)
(Dropped 7 places in last 2 years)
29. Lough Erne (Up 3)
30. Carton House, Montgomerie (Down 2)
31. Cork (Down 1)
32. Dooks (Up 1)
33. Killarney, Killeen (Down 7) (Dropped
10 places in last 2 years)
34. Rosapenna, Old Tom Morris (=)
35. Castlerock (=)
36. Headfort, New (=)
37. Fota Island, Deerpark (Up 3)
38. Narin And Portnoo (Up 5) (Up 13
places in last 2 years)
39. Druids Glen (Down 2)
40. Concra Wood (Down 2)
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| The 3rd hole at Portsalon (Up 2) |
41. Slieve Russell (Up 4)
42. The K-Club, Smurfit Course (Down 1)
43. Seapoint (Down 1)
44. Connemara (Up 4) (Up 12 places in
last 2 years)
45. Luttrellstown Castle (Down 6)
46. Carton House, O’Meara (Up 3)
47. Tramore (=)
48. Heritage (Down 4)
49. Dun Laoghaire (Up 6)
50. Palmerstown House Estate (Down 4)
51. Belvoir Park (=)
52. Malone (=)
53. Powerscourt, West Course (Down 3) (Dropped
15 places in last 2 years)
54. Portumna (Down 1)
55. Portrush, Valley (Up 3)
56. Glasson (Up 6)
57. Bunclody (Up 2)
58. Hermitage (Down 1)
59. Castletroy (Up 4) (Up 26 places in
last 2 years)
60. Farnham Estate (Down 6) (Dropped 12
places in last 2 years)
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| The 9th Hole at Dun Laoghaire (Up 6) |
61. Arklow (Up 4)
62. Mount Wolseley (Up 2) (Up 14 places
in last 2 years)
63. Royal Belfast (Up 8)
64. Westport (Down 8) (Dropped 19 places
in last 2 years)
65. Dromoland Castle (Up 4)
66. Clandeboye Dufferin (=)
67. Druids Heath (Up 3)
68. Powerscourt, East Course (Up 7)
69. Rathsallagh (Down 2)
70. Tullamore (Down 9) (Dropped 17
places in last 2 years)
71. Dundalk (Down 11) (Dropped 21 places
in last 2 years)
72. Castlemartyr (Up 4)
73. Shannon (=)
74. Strandhill (Up 4) (Up 9 places in
last 2 years)
75. Ardglass (Down 4)
76. Rosslare (Up 5) (Up 22 places in
last 2 years)
77. Laytown and Bettystown (=)
78. Grange (Down 4)
79. Ballybunion, Cashen (Up 2) (Up 14
places in last 2 years)
80. Ballinrobe (Up 10)
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| Ballybunion Cashen's drop-dead gorgeous par three 16th (up 2) |
81. Dingle, Ceann Sibeal (Up 17)
82. Esker Hills (New Entry)
83. Castle (Down 4)
84. St. Annes (Down 2)
85. Mullingar (Down 5)
86. Galgorm Castle (Up 2)
87. Galway Bay (Up 9)
88. Galway (Down 1)
89. Balbriggan (Up 3)
90. Courtown (Down 1)
91. Tulfarris (Up 3)
92. Knightsbrook (Down 7) (Dropped 13
places in last 2 years)
93. Bantry Bay (Down 7) (Dropped 23
places in last 2 years)
94. Kirkistown Castle (Down 1)
95. Killarney, (Mahony’s Point) (New
Entry)
96. St. Margaret’s (New Entry)
97. Kilkenny (Down 14) (Dropped 31
places in last 2 years)
98. Skellig Bay (Down 14)
99. Athlone (New Entry)
100.
Woodenbridge (=)
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| The sweet par three 8th at Woodenbridge |
Out of the Top 100 this year are: New Forest, Moyvalley, Castleknock and Killarney Lackabane
(due to closure).
As I said above, any thought you have on the Golf Digest Ireland Top 100 2013, let's be having them.
I have played a few of the top 100...
ReplyDeleteMT Juliet
Fota
Rosslare
Carne
Enniscrone
Balinrobe
Carlow
I hope to play RCD next year and wouldn't doubt its position, but its great to see Rosslare continuing to climb. Played there in September for €25, including lunch, one of the most scenic links around and if green fees were a criteria surely this track would be in the top 30.
Aside from that, Carne was one of the best days of golf I have ever had and not because I played well, the courses above it must be special. Although having played Enniscrone and MJ, I am not so sure, as good as they were, do they better Carne?
I do have a slight bias for links it has to be said.
Sean
No one in their right mind takes that list seriously. How many of the judging panel actually play? The commitee is notorious for being of a grayer persuassuon...plus this magazine aint what it used to be and only carries credance with the hacks who get a few cents to write for it. The top 100 out of 400 ish. A grand way to get ads...while excercizing in the ridiculous. Was there any feature on the courses who have asked not to be included? Now theres a list I would play
ReplyDelete