Lahinch Golf Club - The Old Course Part 5

Hole 13

Par 4

279 | 267 | 250 | 230 yards

A short par 4 with plenty of trouble near the green.  This is a drivable hole but missing left or right will found trouble.  The hole falls into a valley off the tee before rising back up to the green. A mound just short of the green will repel shots that come up short of the green.

Looking behind the tee, you have a great view of the ruins of Dough castle, for which Lahinch's other course gets its name, The Castle Course.

Me preparing to tee off on the 13th.

A view of the 13th hole from the 16th tee boxes.  You can see how the hole rises towards the green, with hills to the right and deep bunkers to the left.

Another closer shot of the green from atop the 16th tee.  The green here has 3 distinct tiers from front to back.

The hole can be played more conservatively off the tee.  With its short length an iron is really not a bad play.  it is around 180 yards to the fairway.  From that position you will be above the valley with around 100 yards in.  Anything longer will find an uphill approach to the green.

I hit a tee ball that faded left onto the hills that border the fairway there.  A poor second shot caught the breeze and rolled into one of the deep bunkers left of the green.  It was my first sand of the day and not an easy proposition without a wedge.  I opened the pitching wedge wide and managed to get out but the ball rolled across the green far from the pin.  Two putts later I was in for a bogey.  Something I was happy with given I had found the sand.

Hole 14

Par 4

461 | 451 | 429 | 429 yards

The 14th is a straight ahead downhill par 4.  The focus of the hole has to be the narrow gap to the green.  A single well placed bunker down the right side sits around the common landing zone.  A right to left shot placed just left of that bunker will provide the most run on this long hole.

A closer shot of the aim down the 14th hole.

The fairway has a large shelf running across the hole around 221 yards from the tees.  The hole continues to tumble down towards the hole as you reach the mounds fronting the green.

Lisa takes her second shot into the green.

I hit a good 5 iron from around 200 yards that looked to be on the green.  A large trench runs across the hole as the fairway passes between the mounds.  My ball actually was  short of the putting surface.

As you approach the green you can see how narrow the gap is and how shots not hit long enough will be repelled by the ledge in front of the green.

To add danger, 2 hidden bunkers sit on either side of the green over each of the mounds.  These would only come into play if the pin is tucked into one side.  With a central pin they should not be in play on this large rectangular green which is 35 yards wide and about the same deep.

Walking to the the next tee, when you turn and look back at the 14th green you can also find the one lateral water hazard on the course.  You can also see how large the green is.

Hole 15

Par 4

466 | 439 | 428 | 374 yards

Another long par 4, this one offers a much more intimidating look than the last hole.  A winding walking path crests the hill that hides most of the fairway on this hole which turns left from the tee.

The fairway is actually fairly wide until around 270 yards from the tee.  The bunker you see in the distance down the left is at 270 yards and after that the fairway narrows as you approach the hole.  The best line is a right to left shot aimed at the left edge of the round-roofed green shed in the distance.

As you start to walk up the hole it still looks like a very narrow  hole until you crest the last hill before the fairway.

Once you come over the hill you can see the room you have to land your ball.

I managed to find the fairway though I had a good 200+ yards into the green.  The hole rises slightly the entire length for your second shot.   The green here is turned sideways with a much wider surface to aim at than it is deep.  2 bunkers guard short right, and another sits short left.

I imagine a lot of balls find one of those 3 bunkers with the length of this hole.  I came up short of them with a less than stellar second shot.  I did manage a bogey though on this, the number one handicap.

A look back down the hole from across the green.  Only about half the green is visible here, with the hill obstructing the other half.  Missing long here is a lot safer than missing short.

The Old Course Part 1
The Old Course Part 2
The Old Course Part 3
The Old Course Part 4
The Old Course Part 6