Thoughts on Strandhill…
1. Blown away. What a fun and visually stunning course. Playable, varied and scenic.
2. Nearly got tired of saying “what a hole” on every tee. But the par four 13th was the memorable one. Also the stretch from 2 to 7.
3. Great village and seaside feel to the whole place. Horses in the water, surf school by the course, school next door, again it just feels immensely connected to the community.
4. One of the best sets of green shapes you’ll find. Punch bowls, tiers, in among dunes, back boards and slopes feeding balls in. Lots of options on approach and around the greens.
5. One of those rare courses where there’s 3-4 spots on the course where you feel like you can see the entire course and get a sense of holes to come.
6. The sand dune overlooking the course has to be the largest one I’ve ever seen. Basically a sand mountain. The 7th tee built into it gives a cool view of the town.
7. The nod I got from an old man walking along the beach when I hit a chip on the 7th up a hill and rolled it down to a few feet, highlight of my trip. Praise from the locals.
8. Could honestly be one of my favourite places to play golf (and today was the first time I visited). Will definitely be back.