When I see Sean's course tours, I sometimes wish I was as lucky as him, but then again, he has high standards and is clearly not as easily pleased as me.
I can't imagine skipping holes on a course, not unless the pace of play was awfully slow, or it was a dog track.
Maybe I can salvage the photos from this course tour: [size=78%]
Gweedore GC (Magheragallon), Co. Donegal, Ireland - Photo tour (golfclubatlas.com)[/size]
but I have no idea which website I should choose to host them (Photobucket are looking for $5 from me so that I can access my own photos; I might have copies on an external device somewhere). Any suggestions?
The old 9-hole layout is visible in the first image on that old course photo tour I did.
I preferred the old layout; I liked its vast openness and natural feeling. Most of the greens were simply cut where they were found, with the exception of the old 8th (present 17th). However, as the club managed to buy more of the land, it became inevitable that they should try to make use of that land and exclude the sheep (the course was seriously overgrazed, yet the authorities did nothing to prevent the destruction of dunes and the machair itself). It was always felt that the total lack of rough was a major negative, but I think that was what was so unique about the course. The sheep shit was an irritation and the very bare lies demanded precision strikes. To be a proper course, rough was needed.
Here's a map of the new layout:
https://gweedoregolfclub.com/course-map/The old 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th and 9th remain. The old 3rd has been converted into a short par five and now plays to the right of the old hole (unfortunately you play this one twice). The old 3rd hole was excellent but universally hated due to the severity of the green. An uphill par three (present 4th) now plays back to the old 3rd green, and then you continue to play the old 4th, 5th, 6th and part of the old 7th (which are all in the commonage). The present 8th (old 7th which used to play to the present 13th green) follows most of the old 7th hole, but turns into the dunes to the right about 120 yards from the green. You then skip the old 8th (now the 17th) and jump to the present/old 9th.
Play is repeated on the 1st (10th), 2nd (11th) and 3rd (12th) holes. The 13th is a terrible hole; it plays over some old fields and is so awkward. It is obviously just a way to get from A to B and continue with the new holes. Due to some ferns (I had no idea that ferns were protected) growing on the side of the large hill (called the Binn Bhuí = yellow cliff), the 14th green had to be relocated. The green for the 15th was laid in the 1980s and is very artificial looking. Much of the work was done at that time by members that knew very little about building greens and the manual work was done as part of a Youth Employment Scheme.
The new holes out at the Binn Bhuí are a bit of a disappointment. I was told someone from Sligo Golf Club (it might have been John McGonigle, the club pro at Co. Sligo, but I'm not sure) advised the club but I would not lay the blame in his hands. The locations of two of the greens out in the dunes were there in one form or another since the mid-1980s. The 16th is a totally new hole with a new green.
I think with a bit of advice and some tweaks here and there, the course could be improved a lot. Unfortunately, OB is everywhere, but it does add to the excitement when you're playing the last hole and there's some money at stake.