31 Old Head
Architect: Carr, Hackett, Higgins, Kirby, Merrigan Stats: 6,866 yds, par 72, SSS 72 GF: €200 Visitor information: Visitors can play seven days a week W: oldhead.com 2008 Ranking: 21 (Down 10) Improvements since 2008 Rankings: Course: New tee box complexes built in November 2008 on holes 6 and 10. In 2009/10 a new cliff edge tee complex was bulit on 16. New bunkers on 14 and removal of mounds on 12 Clubhouse: Fifteen members suites added, additional dining room and spa facility
Old Head is like the peninsula holes at Nefyn in Wales on a grander scale. It opened in 1997 and plays over a 220-acre headland near where the RMS Lusitania sank in 1915. Many holes defy belief, perhaps none more so than the par-5 12th set high above towering cliffs on a narrow strip leading out to the headland.
Panellists' comments: "The cliff-top setting and exposure to the elements are challenge enough"; "A real fantasy golf course"
Next in the Top 100 Golf Course Rankings Top 100 Golf Course Rankings UK & Ireland Win a Top 100 Golf Courses prize Top 100 Golf Courses pictures gallery
Why The 16th Pin Has Been Moved From Its Traditional Spot For The Masters Final Round
Seve Ballesteros And Brooks Koepka Among The Big Names That Rory McIlroy Would Join As A Five-Time Major Winner With A Masters Victory
