`I`ve got very strong views on golf course design, probably stronger

Courses & Travel
‘I’ve got very strong
views on golf course
design, probably
stronger than on
any other aspects
of professional golf’
Paul McGinley is on a mission – to change
the way designers think about modern courses.
WORDS BY Jock Howard and Peter Masters
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Macreddin Golf Club
S
o many so-called big-name golf
course ‘designers’ pay lip-service
to the detailed building of a golf
course. They might turn up for
the opening ceremony (more
often than not to pick up a huge cheque)
but they will rarely get their hands dirty
and will not be able to speak in detail and
with wisdom about why a course has
been built the way it has. Worse still, they
won’t have strong opinions about the
philosophy behind golf course design.
Paul McGinley is NOT such a designer.
His first course, Macreddin, is about to
open in County Wicklow, an hour south
of Dublin. And the Irishman recently
talked to Golf World about the design
philosophies behind his first work of art.
“I’m really not a fan of many new, modern
courses, the sort which are 7,500 yards long.
Look at Augusta National now. I don’t think
the changes they’ve made there have made it
a better golf course and it’s certainly not as
enjoyable a tournament to watch as it was in
the past. I also hate to see the massive tiers in
greens you get at so many modern courses,
huge elephants buried under the putting
174 AUGUST 2008 | Golf World
surfaces. I much prefer subtle areas, little
tongues in greens. Putting surfaces should
seldom be round, but instead be tongues, so
that you can hide the flags in behind bunkers
or behind slopes.
“I like as few blind shots as possible. I’ll do
everything I can, even moving massive hills,
to make a shot less blind. I hate hitting over a
hill only to find there’s a water hazard lurking,
which I didn’t know anything about.
“I love run-off areas. I love Pinehurst No2;
in fact it’s my favourite course in America. It
can be incredibly severe, but strategy is always
to the fore. You have to plan your way around
that place, and that’s the way golf was meant
to be played. When you do hit it into the
run-off areas at Pinehurst, you don’t just reach
for your lob-wedge, as you would at most US
Opens; you’ve usually got options to play six
or seven different clubs. You should never, in
golf, be forced to play one shot. You should
always have options.
“The real key to making golf courses work
for professional tournaments is to make the
greens firm. If you don’t do this, you get a
situation like at the US PGA Championship
last year, when Tiger nearly got to 20-under ➨
News | UK courses | Travel | Interview | Feature
Hats off
McGinley’s firm
design theories
have created a
gem in County
Wicklow.
Golf World | AUGUST 2008 175
Courses & Travel
on the longest course in Major history. Why?
Because the greens were soft. You see,
professional golfers can control the ball when
we hit it from A to B and it stops at B. But,
if we hit it from A to B and it runs off to C,
D and E, that’s when we’re out of control.
“Firm greens also reward you for being on
the fairway because it is only then that you
can control your approach with spin. Look
at Wentworth; it plays like two different
courses in the BMW PGA Championship
and the World Match Play Championship.
When it’s dry, firm and fast in May then it’s
tough; but people rip it apart in October
when the greens are soft.
“I like to see golf played the way it was
meant to be played; using imagination and
shaping the ball into the pins. Imagination is
so important in golf and plays a big role at
my three favourite courses – Sunningdale,
Royal Portrush and County Louth (Baltray).
First Play review
Macreddin
Telephone: 00 353 402 36999.
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.macreddingolfclub.com
Membership: Entrance fee 8,000
Euros; Annual subscriptions 1,500
Par-72
Euros; Juniors 250 Euros. Corporate
memberships are also available.
Championship: 7,173 yards
Medal: 6,569 yards Men: 6,014 yards.
Ladies: 5,340 yards.
Slog-free golf
Macreddin is a
fun challenge,
demanding
imagination
and creativity.
Hole 3 par-4, 435 yards
McGinley says he always tries to
give the player a view of things
in front of him and he delivers
here, a straight and very pretty
hole requiring a mid-iron into a
big green. HHH
Tree-lined tee shots are a feature
of the Macreddin course.
The par-3s at Baltray are as good as you’ll
get anywhere and are so reminiscent of
Pinehurst. They are not long, but if you miss
the putting area you can be in big trouble.
“That’s another thing I hate about modern
designs; 250-yard par 3s. Look at the shortest
hole on the Open rota, the Postage Stamp at
Royal Troon. It’s without doubt one of the
greatest par-3s in the game and that’s all
because someone has gone to the trouble of
designing it for a golfer. They have thought
about the design and shape of the green and
the design of the bunkers.
“I’ve tried to put all of these thoughts into
Macreddin, a project in which I got more
involved than I’d intended (to the detriment
of my game). You don’t get a second chance
to make a first impression, so I’m delighted
to get the opportunity to work on such a
spectacular piece of Irish landscape; with its
rolling terrain, meandering brook and
mature woodland.
“I don’t like intimidation for the amateur
and at Macreddin I’ve tried to get as far away
from that as possible. I don’t want big carries
over water or over bunkers. I don’t want
bunkers that are too deep. I always try and
let amateurs have a run-off area so that
whether it’s a little old lady or a professional
playing the course, they have options.” n
176 AUGUST 2008 | Golf World
Hole 1 par-4, 416 yards
A friendly start, with a slightly
uphill opening tee shot to a
generous fairway. Then the hole
turns left to a green with a great
backdrop of Wicklow
countryside. HH
Hole 2 par-5, 547 yards
With the prevailing wind behind
this is the first of four par-5s,
and it requires a straight drive
through the trees before
bending right towards some
stately pines. HHH
Hole 4 par-3, 219 yards
The length of the hole is offset
by the fact that the green is
some 100 ft below the
elevated tee. “I like the idea of
players being able to see their
ball hang in the air,” says Paul.
HHH
Village people
Paul McGinley’s first ever
golf course, an hour
south of Dublin, is built in
Macreddin Village, which
is an extraordinary
concept in itself. This
village in County Wicklow
has been developed by three brothers, Evan,
Eoin and Bernard Doyle, who have gradually
built a charming little town which now contains
a 90-room country house hotel (The
BrookLodge Hotel), a luxurious spa, Ireland’s
only accredited organic restaurant (The
Strawberry Tree), its own baker and
smokehouse and even a pub with a working
micro-brewery. Dublin day-trippers already go
horse-riding, trekking, off-road driving, clay
pigeon shooting or even archery; and the
village is attracting international interest.
The golf course was the final piece of the
jigsaw. It is a spectacular layout in a valley
which winds its way through the beautiful,
rolling Wicklow countryside in a designated
area of outstanding natural beauty. McGinley
has made full use of the Ballycreen Brook,
which comes into play on half a dozen holes
on the back nine, and these holes are the
ones that will stick in the mind.
Roger Jones, a prolific designer in both the
south-west of Ireland and Europe, put in place
McGinley’s design philosophy; and between
them, they moved more than 750,000 tons of
earth on a piece of ground which already
featured many elevation changes.
Macreddin is a private club with
memberships being sold at 8,000 Euros
each; and the club hopes to reach their 450
maximum in the next couple of years.
News | UK courses | Travel | Interview | Feature
HHHHH Classic hole HHHH Memorable HHH Good HH Average H Poor
‘I like to create
run-off areas to
present options
for all skill levels’
Hole 14 par-3, 187 yards
A gentle stream in front of the
green and an awkward tree on
the left of it means that finding
the putting surface is no easy
task. HHH
Hole 15 par-5, 549 yards
Another great long hole,
with a tight fairway with lots of
movement in it, bending right
towards a green with a stream in
front of it. HHHH
Hole 16 par-4, 481 yards
The longest par-4 on the course
dog-legs left, and with trees on
both sides there is not much
room for error either off the tee
or with your second shot.
HHHH
Hole 5 par-4, 421 yards
A straightforward par-4, except
that it is right into the prevailing
wind. The hole dog-legs slightly
left and accuracy off the tee is
paramount. HH
Hole 6 par-4, 311 yards
The driveable par-4 is
unfashionable on modern
courses, but this is one of two at
Macreddin. Hit a long straight
one down here and you give
yourself a great chance of a
birdie. HHH
Hole 7 par-3, 208 yards
The prevailing wind will again
make this a medium rather than
a long-iron, but accuracy is all
important again as you are
playing to a tongue-shaped,
well-guarded green. HHH
Hole 8 par-5, 602 yards
A really aesthetically pleasing
long hole and one you can open
your shoulders on off the tee.
The par-5 bends sharply right
and downhill at the end
requiring a delicate approach.
HHH
Hole 9 par-4, 470 yards
A great finish to the front nine,
this dog-leg left plays uphill off
the tee, before going down
towards the green with a stone
wall beyond. HHHH
Hole 10 par-4, 315 yards
The second of the short par-4s.
McGinley has cleverly thinned
the fairway as it nears the green,
introducing variety and a risk/
reward element. HHH
Hole 11 par-4, 374 yards
If you are crooked on this one
you will be either in a stream on
the left or trees on the right; but
a good straight one will leave
you a short iron into the green.
HH
Hole 12 par-4, 450 yards
One of the feature holes on the
course (and McGinley’s
favourite) you drive from an
elevated tee over the Ballycreen
Brook and then you will need
to hit an accurate long iron
between some pines as the hole
turns sharply right. HHHH
Hole 13 par-5, 555 yards
A long hole which dog-legs first
left and then right. The reward if
you dare cut the first corner is
exaggerated by the fact that the
hole funnels downhill. You then
play to a big but well-bunkered
green. HHHH
Hole 17 par-3, 193 yards
A spectacular downhill short
hole to a wide but shallow green
with the ominous brook and a
steep-faced bunker guarding the
front edge, not to mention some
rather big boulders. HHHH
Hole 18 par-4, 441 yards
You have to find an island landing
area off the tee as the brook
criss-crosses the fairway, and
then approach one of McGinley’s
familiar tongue-shaped greens.
HHHH
First Play verdict
The Ballycreen Brook, trees and
bunkers await on the dog-leg 12th.
Anyone who has met Paul McGinley will know
he is an incredibly hands-on person and it will
be no surprise that he has well and truly
immersed himself in his first design project.
All designers say they are trying to mould a
course out of the surrounding countryside, but
despite moving a lot of ground McGinley has
achieved this; and to do that with your first
design is a significant accomplishment.
All designers will also tell you they have built
a course which suits all golfers, whether they
be professionals or 24-handicappers. In fact
McGinley, who has a house on the course, got
his mother (who plays off 24) to take on many
of the carries over brooks and rough before
finally deciding on their length. So it’s no
surprise that he has achieved this as well.
There is no doubt the back nine (which has
just opened) is stronger and more dramatic
than the front (which opened last September).
But this is no bad thing as the experience
gradually builds during the round.
The final four holes are truly outstanding,
and provide a wonderful final taste for the
visitor. The really memorable par-5 15th is
followed by the 16th which, in our view, is the
best hole on the course, a really strong par-4.
The spectacular, short 17th over the burn
follows, which will decide many a matchplay
contest; and the final hole is an exquisite final
examination requiring precision and bottle.
With a bit of maturing and the odd ‘tweak’
Macreddin could well become one of the
country’s premier courses, in a nation which
sports many of the world’s best already. It’d be
no surprise to see a big tournament held there
in years to come as much of the infrastructure
needed is already in place.
Golf World | AUGUST 2008 177