Ireland has a vast range of amazing short holes… from ocean drama to hilltop happiness to the terrors in the trees. We can all make birdies… we can all make double bogeys but whatever our score, we all love a great par three.
Picking a top ten is unbelievably tough, mainly because of the amazing holes that have to be left out. We started at number 10 on Tuesday – the 8th hole at Druids Glen – and will work our way up to the top over the coming days. Let us know what you think of our list!
At #9
Lahinch 5th, 154/148/143 yards
Who doesn’t know The ‘Dell’ hole? How often do you play a blind par three? It is not something you’ll see today, unless you’re a Doak, a Hanse or a Coore prepared to break the mould. And yet the Dell is regarded as a masterpiece of intrigue, designed by Old Tom Morris. The sunken green sits wedged down in a nest of dunes with only a sliver of putting surface peeking out between the sentry dunes which guard the front. The white stone on the dune indicates the pin position and then it is all about choosing the club to get the ball over those front sentries. You can of course play long and try to bounce the ball off the back bank but unless you have goat-like abilities you won’t find an easy stance if your ball stays up in the rough.
How good is it? Put it this way: the great Dr Alister MacKenzie and, later, Martin Hawtree, who both worked on the course in later years left this hole alone.
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