67 TRALEE GC At the next par-three, the seventh, Webster has moved the green closer to the water, with three pot bunkers cut into the rumpled surrounds. A new pathway runs along the cliff edge; players rejoin it after putting out, as it curves around new dunes behind the green to reveal the majestic eighth. Where there was previously one large teeing area on the eighth that somewhat imposed itself on the land, there are now – as is the case on most holes – four separate smaller teeing areas among the dunes. This par four, where golfers take on as much of the angled fairway as they dare, was already one of the most memorable on the course and with a new green and surrounds – again pushed closer to the water – it is even more impressive than before. The par-five ninth has been almost entirely rebuilt and the fairway now double doglegs its way to a new green that is reachable with two good hits but will repel as many balls into the surrounds as it retains. New dunes behind the green complex provide something of an amphitheatre while also obscuring the view of the car park. Golfers pass the clubhouse on their way to the tenth, which runs parallel to the first and eighteenth, those three holes now separated by more pronounced dune formations that provide an appropriately scaled taste of what’s to come as the golfer makes their way to the holes Palmer credited to God. The eleventh tees have been relocated into a valley and will offer a moment of respite when the wind is up. The fairway has been completely reshaped and now offers a steadier climb and more options for players of all abilities to find a location from which to attack the skyline green. Each of the remaining holes has been tweaked too, with new teeing areas, bunkering and reshaping work all contributing to an overall greater sense of consistency and playability throughout the course, while allowing what nature provided to do most of the talking. What was already an enormously enjoyable golf course is now even more striking and strategic, while also presenting a more seamless journey, punctuated by a series of amazing reveals, across the varied landscape. Two fairway pot bunkers provide a line for drives on the par-four eighth Photo: Ian Cronin “ What was already an enormously enjoyable golf course is now even more striking and strategic”
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