76 - 100 Golf Courses

What is remarkable about the Olympic Club is how busy the place is. They have the 2 ½ golf courses, a gym, a swimming pool, a huge clubhouse that appears to host a lot of events and a large membership base who may have access to some facilities but perhaps not the golf courses. It is an excellent use of the great facilities they have. The more people that have access to places like this, the better.

I did not expect this course to be so tough and even after the first hole, I still had no idea and it is reasonably kind par 5 to start with. The 2nd was a strong par 4 while the 3rd is a super par 3 of some 211 yards from the amateur tees. The rough was thick and difficult to get out of so missing the short grass off the tee was a significant penalty. It is quite rare for amateurs to play a course nowadays where the rough is so dense. More of it, I say.

The 8th hole along with the 18th are probably the most photographed holes here as the beautiful clubhouse is in the background. The 8th played 177 yards for us but it is slightly uphill and played into the wind so it required a 200 yards shot on the day to a green that has many bunkers to protect it. It is a super short hole.

There are so many strong par 4’s on this course but on the back nine the 10th, 12th, 14th and 18th deserve a special mention. The 10th is a dogleg right of some 434 yards from an elevated tee. The 12th tee shot is played through a short but tricky corridor of trees to a smallish green that has receptive bunkers both left and right. The 14th is a great par 4 of 429 yards that sweeps to the left over a ridge. The second shot is a belter, provided you have hit the fairway off the tee.

The 18th is a famous par 4 of only 349 yards so you have a choice of hitting driver, 3 wood or a low iron off the tee. I hit driver and was lucky to avoid one of the bunkers that await. The green is so small and probably does not look that way on TV. You simply must hit the putting surface with your second shot with hopefully a wedge in your hand.

I really enjoyed this course and have huge respect for it due to how tough it played. I want to say a special thank you to Andrew for organising this game. I met Andrew in Donegal while playing St. Patrick’s Links. He is a super guy. Played here with Andrew’s friend Cian and his pal Barry. They were super company. I would really look forward to having a game with these lads when they come to Ireland.

It was quite the day as I played San Francisco GC that morning at 9.30am and then played here at 4pm. Thankfully it is only a 10 minute drive between them. They are two brilliant golf courses with so much history. I slept well that night.