68 The tees for the par-five eleventh have been relocated into a valley, and the hole has been reshaped to enhance playability TRALEE GC Webster attributes the project’s success to the combined efforts of everyone involved. “Atlantic Golf Construction has delivered outstanding work throughout all eight phases of the masterplan, while Colm and Ger [O’Gorman] have led the greenkeeping team and represented the club during construction works and helped to ensure a seamless transition to grow-in,” he says. “I am very grateful for the support and encouragement I have received from everyone at the club. I was also fortunate that the course committee I met on day one has, almost to a person, remained in place for the entire time.” Those who know the architect will be aware of his great admiration and respect for traditional links golf, as well as a meticulous and detailoriented approach to his work. There is little doubt he will have thoughtfully considered the relative merits of every suggestion he received – and there will have been many! In the time Tralee has been working on the renovation, the economics of demand-pull inflation have led to a consistent increase in green fee revenue. As a result, the club’s members are able to enjoy an everimproving product for an incredibly reasonable annual membership cost. Some balancing acts remain – members will not want too much of the tee sheet to be given up to visitors, and there may be a point at which the club has significantly less need to invest in its facilities. Does it then reduce the amount of guest play, thereby limiting the opportunity for visitors to experience the course? This is the golf equivalent of a first-world problem – an issue many clubs would long for. One thing is for sure: the custodians of Tralee have invested wisely in their most precious asset. Rubbing shoulders with Lahinch, Ballybunion and Waterville, Tralee was already a fixture for those seeking out the best golf in the region. Thanks to the work of the club’s project team, long will that remain. It is apt that shortly after completion of its masterplan, Tralee hosted the Arnold Palmer Cup, the annual match between US and International teams of college golfers. The result of the contest might not be what Palmer would have wanted, but surely he would approve of how his design has evolved. “ The custodians of Tralee have invested wisely in their most precious asset”
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