The green. Lahinch Ireland. Photo by Tom Shaw.
Adventures

Playing the Signature Holes at Lahinch

Blind shots and tall tales with TGJ Editor Tom Coyne and longtime caddie Neil Kennedy Walsh

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At Lahinch Golf Club in County Clare, Ireland, the scorecard plays tricks. The par-five fourth hole, named “Klondyke,” ranks as the easiest on the card. A maximum length of just 475 yards, combined with that 18-handicap designation, ought to have newcomers licking their chops.

Next on the docket: “Dell,” all 154 yards of her, with a 16 in the handicap box and nothing whatsoever to indicate that the steady player should have trouble making it through this two-hole stretch in anything but level par or better.

Thankfully, golf isn’t played on scorecards.

Spend a few minutes with TGJ Editor Tom Coyne and seasoned Lahinch caddie Neil Kennedy Walsh, and you’ll learn how blind shots, decades of seekers and a fair bit of Irish craic have built the myth of these legendary holes.

LAHINCH, IRELAND. MARCH 22, 2018; Views of the 4th hole at Lahinch golf course, on March 22nd, 2017 in Lahinch, Ireland. Photo by Tom Shaw.
It’s been obvious since golf explorers first spied these dunes in the 1890s: This part of Ireland is special linksland. But the genius of Old Tom Morris was leaning into what he was given. Rather than steer around the massive formations, he turned them into main features of many holes. The Klondyke at No. 4 and the Dell at No. 5 have since been hailed as two of his most important creations.
Just finding the green on the approach over Klondyke Hill is an accomplishment, and the surface is a faithful second-in-command. While not so dramatic as to steal attention from the hole’s main attraction, the green still has plenty of teeth. Its subtle bumps and valleys demand a player’s full attention in order to consider this adventure a complete success. Photo by Tom Shaw.
Just finding the green on the approach over Klondyke Hill is an accomplishment, and the surface is a faithful second-in-command. While not so dramatic as to steal attention from the hole’s main attraction, the green still has plenty of teeth. Its subtle bumps and valleys demand a player’s full attention in order to consider this adventure a complete success.
LAHINCH, IRELAND. MARCH 22, 2018; Views of the 4th hole at Lahinch golf course, on March 22nd, 2017 in Lahinch, Ireland. Photo by Tom Shaw
LAHINCH, IRELAND. MARCH 22, 2018; Views of the 4th hole at Lahinch golf course, on March 22nd, 2017 in Lahinch, Ireland. Photo by Tom Shaw.
Lahinch 5th hole Dell
The Dell hole. Photo: Griffith McDaniel
LAHINCH, IRELAND. MARCH 22, 2018; Views of the 4th hole at Lahinch golf course, on March 22nd, 2017 in Lahinch, Ireland. Photo by Tom Shaw.

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