THE FOURTEENTH AT BALLYNEAL

The back nine at Ballyneal is every bit as good as the front, if not better. While it may not have any holes as good as the seventh, I believe that top to bottom it is one of the best nines in golf. To me the tenth is a great par four that rewards the bold drive over the bunker on the right. A safer drive to the left will most likely leave a blind approach. This is a feature often seen at Ballyneal, where the fairways are extremely wide. This strategy puts a higher premium on driving than first appears. (Video after the jump)

Ballyneal is a course that reveals itself over multiple plays. One can not help be blown away by the scale and beauty of the place on the first time around, but playing it in a variety of wind conditions and pin positions shows off the subtlety and detail of the design. The closer is a clever dog leg left that unlike many holes on the course only has a dune on one side of the hole rather than both. The safe play is out to the right which is the correct play if the pin is on the right. If the pin is left the player is faced with an approach over a pair of cavernous bunkers. He can try to fly them and hold the green or he can use the contour to swing a running approach around them. Some of have criticized the hole as being a let down as a closer. To me this criticism falls flat. The people who say this have not been playing close enough attention to the course itself, but instead have been paying too much to the surroundings.

What’s your favorite hole on the back?

THE SUBLIME SECOND AT BALLYNEAL

Kye Goalby and I snuck out to Ballyneal for two rounds of golf recently. It was the first time out there in over a year and we were anxious to see the how things were evolving out in the Colorado Sand Hills.

Every time I visit Ballyneal,  I am reminded about what a great place it was to work and now to visit. Rupert O’Neal has shown a deft touch when it comes to adding buildings, creating a very cozy and intimate feel with the lodges. The new bar with its panoramic view of the chop hills and the golf course is awesome. And all of that is just a lead in to the Tom Doak designed golf course. (Video of the front nine after the jump)

This video focuses on the front nine. You know you are in for a different experience when you open the scorecard and see that there are not individual tee yardages, but rather a range of yardage. This seemingly small difference really sets the tone. It signifies that you are not going out on the course with the idea of posting a score for your handicap, but rather you are heading out to have FUN and hit creative golf shots. And that’s exactly what the course was designed for.

The second is a great example. After climbing up to one of the highest points on the course, the player is invited to let rip with a driver. Downwind a well struck drive can be propelled way down the hill. Into the wind, one would be lucky if they were hitting less than a long iron into this green. Either way, the green is open on the right so that players can run the ball in. The green itself is one of the tamer on the course, which means that it is still rather wild. There are a ton of cool shots around the green- most but not all ask the player to play along the ground and use the contours to get the ball close to the hole.

The seventh is another great example. This short, drivable par-four plays around the corner of a chop hill to a green that is nestled between two large slopes. What makes this hole so distinctive and fun is that the area to the left of the green is all mowed tightly. This leads to a myriad of options on both the approach and on putts. The massive contour allows players to swing the ball into pin positions that are tucked between the bunkers that eat into the right side of the  green. The seventh is just a fabulous hole.

These are two of my favorites, but the rest of the nine is equally enjoyable. For those who have been there, what’s your favorite hole on the front?

Looking down the eighth

The video in this film (after the jump) was shot early one morning in late April. It shows the holes that go away from and come back to the clubhouse. Ballyneal is a truly special place and this is just a quick little video to give you a taste.

Rupert O’Neal (founder/owner) and Dave Hensley (superintendent) have done a great job of getting this place really humming. The clustering of buildings form a small village and add to the experience. The course played firm and fast when I returned there in June. The fescue has matured and the greens are now up to speed.

The music is for Rupert