A CLASS OF ITS OWN

Matt Stott produces the trailers that promote upcoming programmes and series on Travel Channel. When he's away from the edit suite, he has an almost unhealthy interest in all things golf related and a particular love of Irish golf courses. He plays off an extremely average 18 handicap, but insists he talks a good game. When left alone in a room, it's not long before he starts practicing his golf swing.

This place is trippy. Driving up the spectacular coast of County Clare, Ireland, Doonbeg comes into view like a weird lunar landscape. Up until then the coast is relatively flat and uniform, but in the distance a freak of nature looms large; a beast designed for the playing of golf. When the designer Greg Norman enthused, “Sand dunes like you’ll never see again… I tell everybody about this course. I tell them that I have got the best site in the world and it’s Doonbeg in Ireland”, it wasn’t idle posturing. Doonbeg has savage beauty.

If you can remain calm and levelheaded, not bolt out of your vehicle, driver in hand, you’ll find the service lives up to the quality of the setting. The clubhouse however is modest and thankfully not showy in any way. When playing in April 2004, there was evidence of further expansion but the actual clubhouse was finished and the facilities ample. The staff certainly calm you down. Having said that, at seven in the morning I’m fairly catatonic anyway.

We were on a tight schedule but soon all thought of time went out the window. Standing on the first tee you’d have to be poker face cool to hide your excitement. We were the first to tee off and the par 5 fairway was being criss-crossed by two guys driving lawnmowers in the distance. The morning dew added to the atmosphere and we seemed to be on course for a memorable day. The first is protected from any coastal wind by dunes to the left. We were blessed; there was nothing but a light breeze to gently wake us up.

We got off decent drives and I started to feel fairly positive. This was our fourth round in as many days, and we all felt that our games were improving. My second shot was a healthy three wood that followed some of the mysterious contours of the fairway unerringly into a pot bunker. Dug my way out of that, and then over-clubbed into long rough on a steep slope at the back of the green. This stuff was nasty. Four attempts later I’d only advanced ten feet and begrudgingly opted to pick up.

The course was in fantastic condition. Admittedly it had been open for less than a year at the time of playing and it was immaculate. The topography however fools you into thinking the course is far older. Famously, Greg Norman claims that the majority of the course required minimum work; the fairways needed to be mown and the greens cut to length.

The second and third were relatively kind and gave us some of our confidence back. The greens at Doonbeg are challenging in the extreme. They may seem natural, as if they’ve always been there, but then you see the subtle hand of Greg Norman, and as we’d discover on a later hole, he has a wicked sense of humour. You really have to think about the putts here. There’s no such thing as a straightforward putt from within 5 feet at Doonbeg. For all those who love links courses for their simplicity and responsiveness to the elements, greens like this are owed the respect accorded a Mafia Godfather. Forget the lack of trees and water you find on a traditional links. Putting on such greens can ruin a card.

Hole number 5, a par four, is a cracker. After a decent drive uphill through a narrow gorge, the second shot requires the right choice of club. Depending on the wind, you can opt to play a lofted shot for the pin, or pitch and run it onto the green. That’s of course if you can take your mind off the nearby ocean breakers. They’re an awesome distraction. The design of this course, a horseshoe bay (Doughmore) with the holes sweeping around it, means you’re never far from the raw Atlantic.

We were all beginning to hit the ball sweetly and approached the twelfth confidently. At first sight it’s a fairly innocuous par 4. We hit some decent drives into the breeze and weighed up our approach shots. Terry, my partner, hit his out of the middle and started marching off to see how close to the pin it was. His face was quality as we approached the green and spied the bunker smack bang in the middle with his ball close up against the ridge. Terry usually takes his punishment in good spirits but on this occasion the laugh definitely belonged to Greg Norman.

The par 5 13th, is a remarkable hole. It’s a great golf hole and enough to tempt you to grab your camera; the green nestles high in the distance, on top of a natural rolling fairway.

And then there’s the 14th. Unbelievable. My screen saver for three months was a shot of this hole. It helped me get through the winter. Any course designer could retire on the back of it. The 14th is a signature hole, a short par 3, but every inch is spectacular, as if it was made by set-designers for a West End play. The backdrop is the Atlantic and there’s an inviting green perched high on top of its vertical sides. But you have to hit the green. Anything remotely off-course and it’s time to reload. Too long or right and you’re on the beach, too short it’s lost. If you’re left you’ve got to negotiate a really nasty second off a steep bank. You tee off right into the wind and that could mean, well, into the teeth of a storm. We were very lucky that day and I was delighted to card a par.

Our 4-ball competition was shaping up nicely and my partner and I were moving in for the kill. The 15th promised to be a crucial hole. It’s a stunning par 4, playing into a dune amphitheatre. It hugs the bay and plays all along the ocean ridge. I hit a sketchy second and missed the green but was thankfully ahead of my partner and in a position to appreciate the shot of the day. Our opponents had played their seconds and then Terry hit a peach. The ball exploded off the face of his five-iron and took the shape every average golfer wants to hit. It eventually landed within 2 feet of the pin and a Marshal on a hilltop even acknowledged the shot. Unfortunately Terry putts like Mr. Magoo, but we won the hole regardless.

The four-ball competition finally ended on the 17th, which had a wickedly tricky pin position. I was putting at a 90-degree angle, and it felt more like Augusta than the coast of South West Ireland. Hard enough on a Playstation but I was made-up to see the putt miraculously drop.

To summarise our time at Doonbeg, we turn to the man himself, Greg Norman. “This is a course I want to be identified with, one I will be able to say with pride - I did that one. I am the luckiest designer in the world… because of the uniqueness of the site.” It’s a true test of your golfing character and ability to improvise. In terms of looks, it’s just sheer bloody spectacle. If you ever get the chance, try and play Doonbeg even it does stretch your finances at €185 a round. The round might only last five hours, but you’ll never forget it.

To find out more about Doonbeg Golg club visit www.doonbeggolfclub.com

And if you have any comments on Doonbeg or any recommendations for other golf fanatics, DROP ME A LINE

January 2006