It is my understanding the holes 2-4 were Steel holes and what an advert they are for his brand of links golf if this is correct. The 2nd is a weaving par-5 where you play between the dunes and across two saddles, with the potential of a birdie blindly lurking and swirling on the links breeze. Behind the green you get the first view of the North Atlantic and it is one of the most beautiful, raw and evocative spots on the course. The par-3 3rd is all about the sweeping contour that cuts into the green mid way on the right hand side and the fall away beyond it at the back right corner. Then to the 4th which is the finest hole on the front nine and one where you must guide your ball into an unsighted position from the tee, using the contours to feed the ball to the left side of the fairway. You can blast away with impunity if you are feeling brave but the dunes and hollows are pretty gnarly and if you miss you will know about it. The risk is yours to consider but my view is that playing this strategic par-5 as a thoughtful three shotter is the smarter play.

You come to 4th green and find yourself in the most monumental confluence of golf that makes this routing quite unique in my opinion. No less than seven holes either start or finish in this focal hub of the course, acting as the epicentre of this middle part of the round, even if the tumbling terrain makes this fact less than obvious until you recognise that you have weaved in and out of this area on a number of occasions later in the round.

Now I for one am a huge proponent of the theory that links golf courses don’t have to be severely undulating to be very fine. Hoylake and Royal North Devon in England are two such courses where strategic nuance can be found on restrained ground. At Enniscrone, the riches of the dune ridge are left behind for this middle portion of the round (holes 5-10) and you find yourself on unexpectedly tepid land after what is a barnstorming start. There are still quality features to be found in this stretch (the 5th is a fine hole strategically, the 7th features a wild approach and green site and the 10th boasts a wonderful funnelled fairway) but if there were a weakness to the offering here, it would be that this section of the course doesn’t quite manage to a make a compelling enough case of holding up the standard of golf on offer during the rest of the round in my opinion.

Hold on to your hats from here to the house however as the adrenaline and heart rate are about to step up a gear or two. The loop 11-13 is the most spirited and playful corner of the course; the par-3 11th features a pronounced tiered green and feeder pin at the front, the 12th is a wonderful risk reward par-4 where the hole doglegs left and the contours work against the cautious tee shot and reward the bold. The 13th then offers absolute blissful madness (the right kind) as you blaze a drive downhill with only a solitary white stone for guidance amongst the chaos. I love the way the fairway descends like a waterfall and sweeps to the right, offering an element of unsighted temptation from the tee. If you were rating the holes here on their memorable characteristics, this hole would be on top of many lists I’m sure.

It is my understanding that the next three holes 14-16 were once again Steel holes and if that is the case, it is undeniable that he was afforded the opportunity to craft golf across the very best of the land here. The 14th is where the Carne comparisons come in with the enormity of the dunes down the left side a feast for the eyes. This is an absolutely world class hole and the finest of a particularly impressive set of par-5’s, with the 7th probably the weakest link amongst the five three shotters. The strategy here is all about the conscious decision of where you intend to leave yourself positionally after two shots, with the hole featuring a pronounced rise between 200 to 100 yards from the green and the green site stepping sidewards like a staircase from left to right. Hole 15 is another breathtaking hole and evidence of the notion of fairways residing within fairways; you can hit a fine drive that finds short grass here, but if it isn’t on the right half of the fairway and as far down as possible, the gentle bend in the hole around the left side dune ridge and the angle of the green site itself will make hitting the green in regulation nigh on impossible. The 16th is the opposite example of the theory, a par-5 where the left side offers better visibility as the hole peels to the right in its second half. The 17th is a delicate downhill par-3 and the 18th asks an honest question to conclude your round, with a quartet of fairway bunkers lying in wait to trip up a fine round in its final moments.

Don’t let my comments about the flatter holes in the middle of the round persuade you that there isn’t plenty to love here. There is an abundance of world class links golf on offer at Enniscrone. I have mulled my thoughts over on the golf course for a couple of months after my visit and ultimately, it is the contrast between the two sections of ground that makes this golf course a hard one to rank against its peers. All of the other courses I played on this trip have a clear and definitive identity that is sustained throughout the round. Enniscrone boasts insane and plentiful highs that are some of the very finest I enjoyed on this entire trip (a huge compliment when you have the world ranked Lahinch and you survey the overall sustained quality of courses within this itinerary). It is how much allowance you give for an ebb and flow in the drama and your own tolerance for a variance in the consistency of the ground a course is laid across that will ultimately decide where Enniscrone is placed in your own personal list.  To conclude and to take me back to my opening statement; there is an embarrassment of golfing riches on this coastline and Enniscrone is yet another jewel in that mesmerising collection of Emerald Isle links golf courses that you must play some day.