Our final course the trip is Lahinch, another links on the southeast side of Ireland. I’d say the front 9 is the stronger 9, which had more oceanside holes and severe wind. The stretch of 4-7 on the front are particularly good. On the par 5 4th I hit a perfect long drive that split the tight fairway leaving only a 6 iron. I hit it thin directly into the massive sand dune that completely blocks your view of the green, and the shot after that just got it to the top of the dune. Disappointing double there. Also a couple of good pars on 6 and 7.
This course seems to play longer than I am comfortably able to navigate. I hit a number of good drives on the back, and I still have 3wood into them…I hit 3 wood on the back at least 4 times.
Another wonderful links course that I would love another crack at. Especially if I get my swing a little more under control.
| Hole | Par | Score | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 5 | Good drive, terrible 6I short and left of green, bad chip, 2 putts. Goats. |
| 2 | 5 | 6 | Downhill par 5, good drive but into left bunker, 52deg wedge escape, 220yds out hit 3W short of green into bunker, 30yd sand explosion to 8 feet, 2 putts |
| 3 | 4 | 5 | Uphill par 4, big slicing drive into the rough, bad 3W advancing only 80yds or so, 8I from 145 onto green, 2 putts |
| 4 | 5 | 7 | Signature hole the klondike, perfect drive to the center of a narrow fairway, 180yds left but directly over a huge dune, skull a 6I into the dune and then hack a PW onto the top of the dune, blast another short of the green, ok chip but 2 putt double |
| 5 | 3 | 3 | Another blind shot over another huge dune, another 6I this time weak and missing the dune short right, 2 putts from just off the green |
| 6 | 4 | 4 | Dogleg left, ok drive but still 220 into the wind, 3W hit well but pulled left, good chip to 4 feet, 1 putt |
| 7 | 4 | 4 | Good drive, fantastic 8I from 145 to 12 feet, 2 putts |
| 8 | 3 | 4 | Short par 3, complete whiff of an 8I from 140 to short right of green, left the first chip short and struggled to 2 putt |
| 9 | 4 | 5 | Good drive aimed at the right bunker, severe sloping fairway kicked it all the way to center left, chunky PW left a long birdie putt, 3 putts |
| 10 | 4 | 5 | Great drive, 190 to green, 3Hy pulled left down a severe greenside slope, tried putting up but not enough and it rolled back to my feet, chipped the next past the pin, made a 40 footer for bogey |
| 11 | 3 | 4 | Par 3 into a 4-club wind, 4Hy sliced into the greenside tall grass, chopped it onto the green, 2 putts |
| 12 | 5 | 6 | Piped a drive towards the castle ruins, only a 6I in downwind, pushed it right of the green then duffed a chip into the bunker, bad bunker shot and 2 putts for bogey |
| 13 | 4 | 4 | Short par 4, good drive down the left leaving 40 yds or so, wedge to 25ft, 2 putts |
| 14 | 4 | 5 | Just your average 451 yard par 4, drive missed the narrow fairway into the left rough, 3W into a greenside bunker, decent out and 2 putts |
| 15 | 4 | 4 | #1 index hole, good drive up the right side and 220 left, another 3W pulled left of green, good chip to gimme range, 1 putt |
| 16 | 3 | 4 | Downhill par 3, thinned an 8I into the bunker in front of the green, out to 30 feet, 2 putts |
| 17 | 4 | 5 | Another good drive, 210 left, pulled a 3Hy left of the green, poor chip to 30 feet, 2 putts |
| 18 | 5 | 5 | Pulled drive just into the left rough, good 3W but it rolls up onto the lip of a greenside bunker, thinned it into the bunker, blasted to 6 feet, 1 putt par |
| White | 72 | 85 | Balls Lost: 0 |
The Lahinch goat
Goats in the fairway at 1
The iconic par 5 4th; a great drive and hit my approach straight into that dune
another completely blind approach at the par 3 5th
#7 approach
#7 green
Downhill par 3 16th
approach to 18 green