Review of the Month July 2019 – Dinard
L'expérience du sublime. Dinard is correlative with Pebble Beach and Old Head where the experience is so much more than the golf course in terms of the traditional ratings criteria such as design, challenge, variety of holes, condition/presentation etc. Yes, there are ordinary holes in the above terms but that is the trade off when the topography limits design options.
Dinard is the 2nd oldest course in France and has experienced a number of iterations since the original routing was established in 1887. The Club is set amongst a sensitive natural environment and embraces ecology particularly with respect to the utilisation re-cycled water on the course which synthesises with an ethos of “just keeping the grass alive”.
Understandably, the most pedestrian holes are located at the start of the course. Although decent enough holes with some challenge (first 3 holes are par 4s ranging from 370 to 460 yards) the 4th hole is probably the first hole of note. It is a severe dog leg par 5 which gives the long hitters an opportunity to cut off the dogleg on the drive and leave a medium / short iron ton to the green. The first moment to cherish is the tee shot to an infinity fairway on the par 4, 5th hole. After cresting the hill, the golfer is confronted with the maelstrom of sea, cliffs, coves, beaches and peninsulas which is truly mesmeric.
Dinard photo courtesy of Dinard Golf Club
The 6th hole is a par 4 which plays downhill into a valley before rising to the green. There are undulations on the fairway and swathes of rough comprising a high percentage of the landing area for the tee shot. This hole is celebrated in “ The 500 World’s Greatest Golf Holes ” book authored by George Peper, which is testament enough.
In my view that 12th can be included in any greatest hole conversation. It is a medium length par 3 whose green is semi blind from the tee and has a pronounced slope from left to right. Running down the right side of the hole, the cliffs are at its closest point to the course.
Although relatively far from the coastline, the 16th is the best hole from a pure playing standpoint. It is 460 yards from the tips and moves to the right towards an uphill green with out of bounds on the right. It is both challenging and beautiful with some natural dune sculpting surrounding the back of the green and the strategic use of a small number of wind blasted pine trees.
Dinard photo courtesy of Dinard Golf Club
As described, there are a number of ordinary holes and possibly too many “blind shot” holes. It is a short course at under 6,000 yards with a par of 68 and only one par 5. I was lucky to play the course with a one club wind, which the members tell me is extremely rare. In conclusion, it was an absolute pleasure to play.
In some ways the course at Dinard is the antithesis of Frenchness and could be described as “blue collar”. The location however is overwhelmingly “no collar”.
Review of the Month July 2019 selected by Editor-in-Chief, Keith Baxter, and sponsored by TaylorMade – click to read David's full review and more about Dinard.
Top100GolfCourses has always aimed to salute and encourage those who are putting admirable effort into reviewing the world’s great golf courses. February 2022’s Review of The Month comes from Maarten, who was charmed by the legendary links of Royal Dornoch. Here’s his words from February 19th: Having heard stories of golfers arriving at Dornoch in helicopters, I was surprised of the lowkeyness of the atmosphere upon arrival. The whole town of Dornoch is genuinely about golf. Being a Dutchman who never wore clogs and lives in an apartment instead than a windmill, I asked myself where other than in Scotland is it that world famous tourist attractions still ooze the character and authenticity they represent for their rich histories? The first tee experience is hard to beat and a fond memory in itself. After the obligatory picture of our foursome with the flags of Dornoch, my teeshot was interrupted 4 times by scattered golfers or cars crossing the public road to Dornoch beach in front of the tee box while I was ready to fire away. The gentle opener gives ample room to pick up some confidence early in the round, but the green is as challenging as the other 17. After a silly bogey with 4 shots within 100 yards of the pin, yet still sufficient reserves of confidence, the brutal par 3 2nd is there to kill all aspirations one might have, the back to front sloping target narrow and steeply falling down on all but the front raised with deadly bunkers in front. A good, but not good enough shot and a double bogey on the card later, you will tell yourself to get it together after this suckerpunch, and the walk to the 3rd tee will provide you with a breathtaking view over the Dornoch Firth, looking down over the piece of land where a large part of the Championship Links is exposed. A strong set of 3 consecutive par 4s follows, with brilliant strategic options and fantastic green complexes where you need to hit the right shot to the right spot as the greens (or at least certain pin positions) will repel the unsuspecting approach shots. The second par 3 ends the difficult opening stretch and is perhaps even narrower than the 2nd, and the fall-off on the right even steeper. As if that wasn’t enough defence, a few bunkers guard the front and side of the green. Hit the green or end up with an endless variety of recovery shots, or a lost ball if you bail out too much to the left. So much for the safe option! Hole after hole Dornoch challenges you but teases you with genuine chances to pick up shots. The back nine plays longer, usually into the prevailing wind. On a calm day, I reckon it will play a bit easier than the front 9 but into the wind it is a tough cookie with some long par 4s. Whereas the front nine, mainly due to the devilish set of par 3s, has a slightly penal spiciness to it, the back nine is all strategy with a bit more width. Dornoch’s best holes are brilliant because they are so simple and pure. The 14th, Foxy, will require no further introduction but 15 might even be better. It’s a reachable par 4 with a mound as an obstacle for the view from the tee. I hit a great drive towards the green and found myself in the greenside bunker with a front pin position. I hit a decent bunker shot, only to find my ball topple over the wrong side of the ridge and leave myself a difficult chip/putt to this raised green and walk off with a sour bogey. I also felt oddly satisfied and honored to be tricked by this elite golf course architecture. 17 is one of my favourite par 4s anywhere. It resembles the also brilliant 8th hole, but with a more difficult teeshot and a unique green complex. You have so many options to play this hole, I doubt one would experience them all being a member for a decade. The player must choose between keeping the ball on the high plateau, which will be rewarded with a visible target on the approach shot with a long iron, or a shorter approach from the lower fairway with a blind shot, but also risk hitting it through the fairway into the gorse. Also possible - to hit the tee shot through the middle and let faith decide whether the ball chooses the high or the low road. A running approach or one through the air must then be decided upon, with the green and its surrounds sloping left to right and back to front. It doesn’t get any better. Strategic golf of the highest order, with breathtaking views. On 18, you can start to soak in the entire experience, no wows on this hole, but nevertheless a worthy end to a glorious day of golf. Dornoch has its flaws and IMO is not a 10 on the Doak Scale. The 16th might be a steep slog uphill for the shorter hitter. And to be honest, the new Mackenzie and Ebert 7th didn’t quite impress me. Besides the astonishing panoramic views and the legendary green to tee walk from 6 to 7, it’s a long and wide par 4 with little visual or strategic interest and has a relatively flat green that is somewhat out of tune with the rest of the course. I appreciate that Dornoch is a course to play over and over again in order to reveal its secrets. Nonetheless, playing it for the first time at 28 years old was a privilege and I look forward to many more returns over the next 5 decades! MO
Review of the Month April 2021 – Lawsonia (Links) Lawsonia is my favorite public course in America. And by public I mean accessible; $500 to play Whistling, Kiawah or Pebble is as high a barrier to entry you can have without closing the courses to guests. Andy Johnson put it best when he said you could rent a limo with your friends, drive up from Chicago, play 36, come back, have a steak dinner, and you'd still spend less money than you would just for the tee time at the Straits. And in my opinion, Lawsonia is a better golf course. It's a great test of golf with so many nuances mixed into the routing that creates an unforgettable golf experience. The first is a starter that perfectly encapsulates what Lawsonia is all about. A blind tee shot that curves to the right makes it tough to judge just where to aim, but to that effect it's almost fun. The green is extremely bold, but unless you miss left you don't really notice just how bold it is until you see it from five fairway, when you see the 12 foot high bank and think "We seriously already played that?!" The second is another blind tee shot with a second shot downhill over traps to a beautiful green site. The third is a short par 4 with old barns lining the property to the left. Nothing feels more Wisconsin than waving to the owner as she gets back to the farmhouse after walking her dog. Four is an uphill Redan type par 3. Because of its length and the depth of the green, it’s an easy GIR, but you'll have some extremely lengthy looks. Five is a short par 5 with one of the most severe greens sloping back to front except for a pocket in back right. Lawsonia Links 6th hole I was about to type that the stretch of 6-8 was the best on the property but then I changed it to 6-10, 6-12, 5-13, and then realized that I can't even name the best stretch of holes, the entire course is a stretch of 18 perfect ones. Six is a beautiful downhill driving hole that plays up to a green sitting on a knob guarded by a tough false front. Lawsonia Links 7th hole I've played hundreds of courses in my life, and therefore close to a thousand par threes, but seven is my favorite one shotter of them all. It’s a short distance to a green that seems to be just jutting out of the hillside. The urban legend is true – the green is in fact built atop an old boxcar, forcing a right miss to be nearly 20 feet below the surface. The green itself features cool rumples that make a good chance at birdie or a three putt depending on what side of the ridge you're on. When I played the 8th for the first time I kind of hated it, the fairway slopes away and you play up to a well-bunkered green. It's 300 yards but you really can't drive it. However, after playing it more and more I've understood just how strategic it is. Challenging the fescue allows a flat lie and good angle, but bailing out left puts the ball above your feet and the green running away from you. The ninth is almost reminiscent of the Great Hazard template of Tillinghast, with two massive bunkers protecting a shoot uphill to the green. The hole itself doglegs around a swath of fescue with the more aggressive player being rewarded with a chance at getting home in two (as I did with a driver off the deck). The tenth is one of those holes that reinforces how irrelevant par is. It’s a wild green and plays 230 even from the white tees. When the course was built, and still even to this day most people hit driver off the tee. But you can't go into a golf hole thinking, "this is stupid", but instead you have to realize "my competitor is playing the same hole". In that case, wouldn't it be more fun to play a type of hole you've never seen before? Lawsonia Links 10th hole Eleven is a welcome to the rolling back half of the property, playing over a massive valley. 12 is another Redan-ish style green that is so much fun to play. While 7 is my favorite par three in the world, 13 comes close to being my favorite par five (16 at Ballyneal takes the cake there). It’s a long hole and the entire strategy is set up for where you're going to leave your second shot. The main feature of the hole is the MASSIVE valley short of the green. Playing aggressively over the bunkers can give you an opportunity to get home in two, but at the same time missing 30 yards short can force you all the way down to the bottom with a blind shot. Bailing out right off the tee allows you to still get up within wedge distance, but you can also decide to lay back to have a view of the green. It’s a truly unique hole that just isn't seen in the modern design. Lawsonia Links 13th hole Fourteen is another all-world short one-shot hole with a million different bowls and ridges that can allow you to make any score from a one to a ten. 15 is a cool tee shot over the ridge that plays to a bowled elevated green. 16 is a lengthy uphill par four where par can be a huge swing in the match. 17 is a blind tee shot through a shoot to a perfectly guarded wedge green. 18 is a great closing par five with a green as severe as any. Lawsonia Links 14th hole I've gotta be honest, the first time I played Lawsonia I really didn't like it. You can really get kicked in the teeth if you're out of position, but after seeing the course over and over and understanding what each hole demands is beautiful. I've played the course at least ten times and each time I learn more and more. It’s such a unique course and a must play for anyone in the Chicago area, it might be the best course in Wisconsin, at a minimum top four. The three-hour drive from Chicago is 100% worth it, especially when you get to wave to the Amish folks driving by in their horse drawn buggies. Brian Moran Review of the Month April 2021 selected by Editor-in-Chief, Keith Baxter, and sponsored by TaylorMade – click to read more about Lawsonia (Links). Photos courtesy of Jeff KIssel
Review of the Month August 2020 – Perranporth "Do you like Marmite?" I was asked the question in the professional’s shop before our debut round on the links at Perranporth which we were warned we would love or hate. Indeed, on our week in Cornwall, almost every golfer we have encountered has warned us of the blind shots and the inevitability of losing several balls. In the pro's shop, I was advised that I would amass no better than mid to late 20 Stableford points even if I was having a good day. Thus, I was rather chipper to have walked off the 18th with 35 and finish with the ball with which I started. This was all the more surprising because the mist which rolled in during our second nine was so thick we could barely see the flag on the par 3 16th and had to take provisional balls off the 17th tee, even though it transpired we had hit straight down the middle. From the opening shot on the 1st hole, down to a green framed by the backdrop of the seaside town which lends the links its name, Perranporth, is a delight. Yes, there are many blind tee shots but straight play is rewarded and the slopes are not as dramatic as many seaside tracks we have played. The hallmark of Perranporth is its scenery – particularly in the front nine when the beach comes into view on most of the holes. I was a particular fan of the 2nd – a par five with two blind shots before a green on the cliff edge. Then there are the many raised greens, including the dramatic ninth and startling 11th. To be honest, I have played on truer greens. These were pretty slow and flatter than most courses we have played on our Top 100 quest. And this isn't a long course – I'm a moderate hitter and regularly found my way to greens in regulation. But it is fun because it encapsulates the ups and downs of links golf. Do I like Marmite? Apparently, I do. Neil White Review of the Month August 2020 selected by Editor-in-Chief, Keith Baxter, and sponsored by TaylorMade – click to read more about Perranporth. Photos courtesy of Neil White.
