Ballyneal

Where do I start…this place is on the moon.  You drive about 4
hours east of Denver and take a left on a dirt road!  And drive, and
drive, and pass a cow, and drive…amazing.

By far the most remote course I have even played.  It makes
Waterville out on the tip end of the Ring of Kerry in Ireland look like
downtown New York City.

In a
few words the golf course is natural, challenging, and majestic. No
pretense at all.  There is something to be said for not having tee
markers (or sprinkler head markers).  I say its like going
commando…..very liberating for you to walk up to a set up tee boxes
and determine which one seems fair but challenging.  As long as your
partner plays for the same set of tees, who cares!  Ballyneal is the
only course I have ever played like this.  To me this illustrates some
of the genius of the design….reminds me of St Andrews where can play
the course backwards and it is just as fun, challenging, and strategic.

Conditions the day Tony and I
played were in all honesty the hardest I have every played anywhere in
the world.  Upper 40s with constant 30mph winds.  Almost every hole the
ball moved on the green or wobbled on the tee from the wind.

Hole 1

Solid opening hole.  A good drive leaves the golfer a mid iron in to
the green, depending on the wind.  In our case it was blowing 45 mph
directly into us from the north which meant several of the holes were
going to play completely different than I suspect Doak designed.  I am
sure Doak routed the layout to take best advantage of the west to east
wind that I think blows 80% of the time.  So long story short we had a
long, hard day.  A solid opening hold with a tiered green that makes
two putting a hard task so early in the round.

Hole 2

Another good par 4 to get the golfer primed for a solid round of
golf. A drive up the right side leaves you a long iron into a very well
designed green that has a bank on the right to accept long iron
approaches.  A deep pot on the left to gather up any extremely errant
approach shots.

Hole 3

One of the best
holes on the course.  Usually this hole plays into the prevailing
wind.  The green is very well bunkered with traps that just look like
they belong.  There is a bail out short, left and long.  That allows
the player to get up and down with out the penal result of the bunkers.

Hole 4

Wow, what a view from the tee box of four.  It is at this point the
golfer realizes how remote and rugged the layout really is going to be.
Here you have to hit a long drive into a generous fairway that turns
uphill and doglegs to the right.  From here you have to hit a very well
struck mid iron to an uphill green with an extreme false front which is
also protected by a large greenside bunker.

Hole 5

Pretty standard par 3.  Lone pot bunker makes missing green short and right troublesome

Hole 6

The golfer has to hit a blind drive to a fairway that is all but
invisible.  Once you walk over the hill you see there is tons of
fairway to the right which really opens the approach shot up.  The
green is elevated and open in the front. There is a bunker in the back
that looks like it is completely not in play until you realize how down
wind you are.

Hole 7

Great strategy hole, however without a
yardage book or caddie its pretty hard to play for he first time.  The
play (as we guessed) is to hit a mid iron up the right and open of a
short iron to the green.

The green might be the most interesting on the course with the
exception that the left mound is border line too severe.  There are
lots of great pins placements on this green for short irons.  The
bunker on the right also molds right in to the green which is very cool.

Hole 8

Best hole of the course.  Medium length par 5 that allows the player
of the tee to make the decision…do I challenge a huge bunker on the
right side of the fairway and easily reach the diabolical green or do I
lay back and try to make par with a crisp wedge.  The bunkers on this
hole are some of the best in the world.

The green is severe by some standards but given you are reaching it
in two or hitting a wedge in to it then it is completely appropriate
and thus the best on the course.  See the pictures.

Hole 9

This hole is all about the tee shot.
You hit a good tee shot and have a short iron into a very open green.
You hit a mediocre drive and you have a very hard approach shot.  This
is one of the flattest greens on the course as long as you stay short
of the pen.

Hole 10

Great opening to the back nine
that requires a long tee shot to dogleg right fairway.  Much like the
fourth hole.  Your second shot is uphill to a well bunkered green.

Hole 11

One of the weaker holes on the
course in my opinion.  Medium length par 3 that requires a long up hill
shot to very exposed green.

Hole 12

One of the more average tee shots on
the course with the only real hazard being a bunker up the left side.
The second shot is somewhat deceiving as it is fairly blind (at least
of the many contours and plateaus) of the best green on the course.
This green is really four greens.  They just don’t design greens like
this anymore.  It is by no means too severe but has so many great pin
placements.  Far right and you bring in a big drop off into play, far
left and you have to make a great two putt.

Hole 13

As good as hole 12 was from a second shot standpoint hole 13 is a
great tee shot.  There are three very strategically paced fairway
bunkers that you have to decide which to miss.  Far right is safer but
leaves a much longer shot in and left is more aggressive (thought there
is a little flat bail out area) tee shot but much easier second shot
into a fairly slat putting surface.

Hole 14

Another awesome driving hole.  The tee
shot is framed by a large fairway bunker on the left side of the
fairway that the golfer should avoid at all cost.  Form here the gofer
has an uphill second shot to a green that falls off on all side
(Pinehurst #2).  There is really good chipping areas on the lower right
side of the green.  The green overall is fairly flat with some really
interesting front pin placements.

Hole 15

One of the best holes on the course.  Requires a very well stuck
long iron to green on a small sand hollow.  Once you arrive at the
green you realize how big the green complex really is and how much of
the shoulders run back toward the green surface.  Again this green has
so many great pin placements.

Hole 16

Medium length par 5 that requires a long tee shot up the right side
to have a valid look a reachable green.  One the second shot the
fairway really pinches in temping to the player to go ahead and give
the green a go.  The green is much like number 14 where the approach
shot has to be well struck to hold the plateau the pin may be cut on,
otherwise it will roll away.

Hole 17

Very
long par 4 that requires a long tee shot up the left.  Any tee shot up
the right, though shorter will more than likely end up in a dune or in
the a very large (and diabolical fairway bunker).  From here the golfer
has a fairway wood or long iron to a very well designed green with a
large mound in the front.  If the golfer can carry the approach shot
onto this the mound then it will trickle down to almost any pin
placement on the green.  This is another very well designed green with
multiple pin placements and makes for a great chipping green given the
length of the hole and propensity to miss the green.

Hole 18

Good finishing hole that is a long sweeping dogleg left.  The golfer
needs to aim out the right and be ready for a long iron or fairway wood
approach to a long well bunkered green.  There is a very deep greenside
bunker that will certainly spell bogie if entered.  The second shot is
best out to the right and hope for a long two putt or up and down to
win your match.