Good and bad in Ireland

[Pro_V_wan_kenobi]

Well, That’s it for another year, our annual “Irish golf fest”, has been and gone. As usual the almighty starter in the sky blessed us with dry calm weather, which was greatly appreciated.
This year Dublin was our port of call, The K Club, Killeen Castle, Portmarnock Golf Club and finally Portmarnock Hotel Links. The K Club is stunning and both courses, The Palmer and TheSmurfit, were a joy to play. Kileen castle is my pick of the week, probably the best greens that I have ever 3 putted on. They were, quite simply, perfect. If you ever go make sure your spikes are up to scratch because it is possible to slide of a green they are so fast. They told us they were 9 on the stint but we are all seasoned golfers and we reckon that they were much higher. I will go back to Killeen Castle, it is pencilled in as a venue on my best of the best tour which will take place when I win the lottery.
One course which will not be in that itinerary is Portmarnock Golf Club. I have never been to a golf club that had such a high opinion of itself. Portmarnocks Professional, Members and Course steward, their, conceit is second only to their lack of manners. Not only did a group of members cut in while our group were putting out on the previous green. They then tried to pass it off as a members right, which is beyond contempt as they were standing in front of a sign telling all and sundry not to cut in while there are players on the previous tee. We complained to the steward but he was an apologist to afraid to do anything because they were members.
If you ever go to Portmarnock, save some money, play the hotel Links, it is far better value for money.
Portmarnock Golf Club, to me, will always be the club with no class. It will be the club where our patronage and our Euros were welcomed but all we got in return were bad mouthed members, greens that were tined and top dressed, a conceited bad mannered Pro and the feeling that I have played far better courses for a lot less money.
Anybody else been fleeced this year? Name and Shame them.

 

[DCB]

Where have you been hiding ? Thought you'd fallen off the edge of the world. Nice post for your comeback though

 

[garyinderry]

I would never tar a course on the back of a handful of members! it could happen at any course at any time!



sounds like a good trip all in all!

 

[palindromicbob]

Letterkenny.

Played it last week. Meant to be an open comp but on arrival we were told it was a members only open (go figure). Green fee for the day was 25 euro and since we had all travelled the guts of a hour to play we decided to go out.

First drives were greeted with splashes and the first fairway was soaking. Decided to give the course a chance and played on. Walked off at 11 after nothing but sodden water drenched fairways. Yes you can take relief from casual water but more often than not full relief required you to go quite a bit back or into the rough! Was going to complain in the shop but the guy there was only a kid and I wasn't really in the mood for reasoned discussion. Never thrown my toys out of the pram like this before despite temptation!

Emailed the course yet to get a response.

 

[smange]

Letterkenny.

Played it last week. Meant to be an open comp but on arrival we were told it was a members only open (go figure). Green fee for the day was 25 euro and since we had all travelled the guts of a hour to play we decided to go out.

First drives were greeted with splashes and the first fairway was soaking. Decided to give the course a chance and played on. Walked off at 11 after nothing but sodden water drenched fairways. Yes you can take relief from casual water but more often than not full relief required you to go quite a bit back or into the rough! Was going to complain in the shop but the guy there was only a kid and I wasn't really in the mood for reasoned discussion. Never thrown my toys out of the pram like this before despite temptation!

Emailed the course yet to get a response.

This!!

Shocking treatment of visitors and still not a word back from them from an email sent last monday morning.

Will be my last visit to Letterkenny G.C

 

[Hendy]

Letterkenny.

Played it last week. Meant to be an open comp but on arrival we were told it was a members only open (go figure). Green fee for the day was 25 euro and since we had all travelled the guts of a hour to play we decided to go out.

First drives were greeted with splashes and the first fairway was soaking. Decided to give the course a chance and played on. Walked off at 11 after nothing but sodden water drenched fairways. Yes you can take relief from casual water but more often than not full relief required you to go quite a bit back or into the rough! Was going to complain in the shop but the guy there was only a kid and I wasn't really in the mood for reasoned discussion. Never thrown my toys out of the pram like this before despite temptation!

Emailed the course yet to get a response.

The course is below sea level I heard and IMO its pulling in water from lough swilly never played it dry in the summer and never been near it in the winter

 

[bladeplayer]

Well, That’s it for another year, our annual “Irish golf fest”, has been and gone. As usual the almighty starter in the sky blessed us with dry calm weather, which was greatly appreciated.
This year Dublin was our port of call, The K Club, Killeen Castle, Portmarnock Golf Club and finally Portmarnock Hotel Links. The K Club is stunning and both courses, The Palmer and TheSmurfit, were a joy to play. Kileen castle is my pick of the week, probably the best greens that I have ever 3 putted on. They were, quite simply, perfect. If you ever go make sure your spikes are up to scratch because it is possible to slide of a green they are so fast. They told us they were 9 on the stint but we are all seasoned golfers and we reckon that they were much higher. I will go back to Killeen Castle, it is pencilled in as a venue on my best of the best tour which will take place when I win the lottery.
One course which will not be in that itinerary is Portmarnock Golf Club. I have never been to a golf club that had such a high opinion of itself. Portmarnocks Professional, Members and Course steward, their, conceit is second only to their lack of manners. Not only did a group of members cut in while our group were putting out on the previous green. They then tried to pass it off as a members right, which is beyond contempt as they were standing in front of a sign telling all and sundry not to cut in while there are players on the previous tee. We complained to the steward but he was an apologist to afraid to do anything because they were members.
If you ever go to Portmarnock, save some money, play the hotel Links, it is far better value for money.
Portmarnock Golf Club, to me, will always be the club with no class. It will be the club where our patronage and our Euros were welcomed but all we got in return were bad mouthed members, greens that were tined and top dressed, a conceited bad mannered Pro and the feeling that I have played far better courses for a lot less money.
Anybody else been fleeced this year? Name and Shame them.

Glad you enjoyed your trip over , beautiful set up at the K club right enough.. has on occasion (more than one or 2) been very like you described ur experience of Portmarnock GC tho ..

out of curiosity Which Course at the K club did you prefer ?

 

[palindromicbob]

The course is below sea level I heard and IMO its pulling in water from lough swilly never played it dry in the summer and never been near it in the winter

€2 million redevelopment
On Saturday 28 July 2007 a new look course was officially opened. The new course was designed by one of golfs leading architects Declan Brannigan and finally addresses the drainage problem which the course has had for many years.

On closer inspection, it was noticed that iron ore blocked excess water from running off of the course into the nearby Lough Swilly. In 2001 a drainage program was drawn up which included ten mam-made lakes to hold the water. The development was funded by the then Minister for Sport, Jim McDaid who secured £200000 with a further £70000 raised by the club itself. In 2005, an extra €1.5 million was borrowed for the completion of the drainage and redevelopment plan. Golf course developers, Green Shapers, excavated and constructed new greens and fairways. Phase two was completed in 2006. Prior to the redevelopment only five months of golf could be played annually but now golf will be playable all year round.

The bit in bold is probably highly optimistic . €2 million wasted from what I saw, god knows what it was like before and I pity the members. Shame because it is a beautiful setting with some nicely designed holes. To be fair the greens were in good shape. Would sooner join Ballybofey and Stranorlar if I lived in the area and wanted local golf though.

 

[smange]

The course is below sea level I heard and IMO its pulling in water from lough swilly never played it dry in the summer and never been near it in the winter

Yep not the driest course at best of times but there were countless puddles on every fairway we played and the fairways were completely sodden which we had been charged full price to play on, despite being told by their pro-shop there was an open before heading there which the young lad in the shop then proceeded to tell us was an open for members only

Add in the fact they haven't even bothered acknowledging receipt of two separate emails from both me and Bob and you have a customer service disaster and I can safely say I will never be near Letterkenny G.C again and I would advise against anyone bothering and we all know how powerful word of mouth can be.

 

[Hendy]

Not good tho maybe the emails are not looked at? Not saying they are not looking at because they don't care but because they are not educated in all thinks internet wise. I know my club have only started this year with online booking. You should write to them I know a friend of mine came to play my club last year and it cost him 21 quid. And the 3rd green was cclosed due to damage. He kind of questioned it at the time and not a lot was done to be fair guy in shop had a price list and that was that. Anyways on the course I was speaking to one of the council members he was not impressed to say the least and said give me his address and with two weeks he got a four ball in the post.

The way he looked at it was that we knew the course was not great (at its best) but we want to encourage people to come not make them leave with a bad word on the club. And tbh we are not out to rob anyone but at the same time the club needs to make something but in unforeseen circumstances like a damged green or a alot of water laying the people on the desk need to have the powers to reduce fees etc.

 

[palindromicbob]

The way he looked at it was that we knew the course was not great (at its best) but we want to encourage people to come not make them leave with a bad word on the club. And tbh we are not out to rob anyone but at the same time the club needs to make something but in unforeseen circumstances like a damged green or a alot of water laying the people on the desk need to have the powers to reduce fees etc.

This is important. If we'd been told the course had a lot of casual water on it and that if we still wanted to play we could but the fee should be reduced because of it. We'd have at least known what was ahead and if we choose to play we would only have ourselves to blame. 25 euro is a lot of money for a course over here when you consider open deals etc.

I played Concra wood the Wednesday before. Green Fees were 25 euro for there.
Slieve Russell normall play it for between 30 and 35.
Farnham estate 100 euro for a four ball with buggies even at weekends.
Ballyliffin 35 euro in an Open.
Galgorm Estate £25 in an Open

The list goes on but with courses like these in that price bracket it's hard for tracks like Letterkenny to justify 25 euro when the course was in that shape.

 

[gripitripit]

Shocking treatment of visitors and still not a word back from them from an email sent last monday morning.

I was in Letterkenny a few weeks ago. I was born there but never lived there. My uncle is a business owner there but again not from there but has commented on how some business' are run there. I wonder how some survive with the stories I have been told. So it does not stop at the GC.

 

[brendy]

This is important. If we'd been told the course had a lot of casual water on it and that if we still wanted to play we could but the fee should be reduced because of it. We'd have at least known what was ahead and if we choose to play we would only have ourselves to blame. 25 euro is a lot of money for a course over here when you consider open deals etc.

I played Concra wood the Wednesday before. Green Fees were 25 euro for there.
Slieve Russell normall play it for between 30 and 35.
Farnham estate 100 euro for a four ball with buggies even at weekends.
Ballyliffin 35 euro in an Open.
Galgorm Estate £25 in an Open

The list goes on but with courses like these in that price bracket it's hard for tracks like Letterkenny to justify 25 euro when the course was in that shape.

But you are not dwelling on it Bob, that is the important thing.

 

[palindromicbob]

But you are not dwelling on it Bob, that is the important thing.

You did not see me that day, livid is an understatement.

 

[brendy]

You did not see me that day, livid is an understatement.

Bob, livid.