Big is beautiful
BEARING in mind the extravagant claims to championship status that one hears from just about every new facility that opens its doors, one hesitates to speak in those terms when yet another comes on stream.
After all, what IS a championship course? Is it one on which championships have actually been played, or is it one that aspires to doing so some time in the future? Or, perish the thought, could it be an owner attributing a standard of excellence to his property that is more than slightly overstated.
The debate will rage at 19th holes for many a day to come, although I suspect there won't be any such dilemma when the conversation switches to the Severiano Ballesteros-Jeff Howes co-designed Heritage course at Killarden, Co Laois, which opens for play by members next month.
A recent visit indicated that Seve's only course in this country has attained maturity in a remarkably short time and is ready to take its place alongside other modern Irish gems such as Mount Juliet, The K-Club, Fota Island, Carton House and Druids Glen.
The Heritage is located three kms off the N7 some six kms beyond Portlaoise travelling towards Dublin. Turn left at Ballybrittas and you'll be there in no time. Access by road is first class; by rail it's probably even better with the busy Portarlington station only three kms away, serving train traffic from the south, west and east making it possible for golfers from every part of the country to get there without undue difficulty.
As I drove up to pay my first visit, I was struck by the same emotions as when I initially saw Slieve Russell, Sean Quinn's remarkable creation in Co Cavan. The clubhouse captures your attention. It's not just big, it's massive, 38,000 square feet, three storeys high and a clock and observation tower above that again.
Big, of course, isn't always beautiful but not so at The Heritage. Any doubts you may have will be assuaged as you walk up the ninth and 18th superb golf holes separated by a large lake, appealing to the eye but more than a little intimidating to the player trying to keep a good score together. The clubhouse dominates the scene but not to the detriment of the golf or the other facilities planned for a development located in the village of Killenard.
These include a golf academy supervised by professional Eddie Doyle; floodlit driving range, video analysis, spa and leisure centre; gymnasium, swimming pool, jacuzzis, steam rooms, saunas, two bowling greens (grass and synthetic), theme pub and restaurant, bars and conference rooms while a deluxe hotel will be up and running by the end of 2004. The complex also offers a selection of luxury homes overlooking the 260 acre golf course, a number of which have already been sold.
The project, believed to cost in excess of €100 million when completed, is the brainchild of Portlaoise property developer and hotelier Tommy Keane and his family. Keane, a single-figure golfer, was a member at The Heath when he decided the area was ready for an undertaking of this magnitude.
He left nothing to chance, highlighting his intent by hiring Seve Ballesteros as his golf course architect. Seve has been to Killenard seven or eight occasions.
He has been a hands-on architect while also working effectively and comfortably with co-designer Jeff Howes.
Howes, of course, is a distinguished golf course designer in his own right having played a key role in the development of Mount Juliet with Jack Nicklaus and the total revamp of Fota Island along with countless other jobs.
I was shown around the course by Eddie Dunne, the director of golf, former Irish international player and captain, and a man with considerable experience of such projects after his spell at Druids Glen in its formative years.
One thing becomes readily apparent the back tees are only for serious golfers. From there, the par 72 lay-out measures no less than 7,345 yards while there are, of course, several other markers that still offer an exciting challenge for all standards.
Water is a predominant feature coming into play on 11 holes, and adds considerably to the scenic qualities of a course providing an interesting mix of par threes, fours and fives and quite a few doglegs.
Along with the lakes, a stream runs through the course. Some intricate and impressive workmanship went into the construction of stone weirs and bridges.
The Sol company, which has a proud record in this area, has again come up trumps. Although this is undulating, free draining limestone country, storm drainage has been installed, a programme of tree planting (more than 5,000) is well underway and buggy paths have been installed.
"It's all about quality," says Eddie Dunne. "Bent grass has been used on the tees and greens alike and they are so good in appearance that visitors are sometimes confused by which is which. There are many feature holes. I'm sure many will like the fourth, a par three of 214 yards with a lake guarding the right side of a big green, while the ninth and 18th, with the lake in between and right under the clubhouse, are already the subject of much animated debate."
Personally, I very much liked the fact that the greens, while big and undulating to a certain extent, are far from outrageously sloped. Ballesteros and Howes have not fallen into the trap of too many modern architects.
Golfers of all standards, including professionals, will thank them for that. You name it, The Heritage and its countless ancillary facilities has it.
As for a championship course, I will leave that to Eddie Dunne, a man who knows about these things. "That expression is often overused but I think most will agree that The Heritage qualifies and it's a true stadium course as well," he said.
As for its designer, Seve is even more vocal. "The ideal venue for the Seve Trophy in 2005," he suggested with that familiar, roguish smile.
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