The Brief

Take one of Ireland's oldest and most historic layouts and bring it into the 21st century.

The Result

Golfers don’t like change too much, specially on a cherished old gem like this, but the result was worth waiting for. Membership has grown, and the course is really a fitting and enjoyable test at any level.

DAVID SAYS...

The original Balmoral is supposed to be an Alister MacKenzie layout. Taking such a historic course and making it relevant to ‘The Game’ today without losing its character is tricky. It’s a short course by modern standards so giving it some defences in the shape of strategic bunkering and subtle, hard-to-read greens was my plan. There was a lot of controversy along the way, as I expected; but like a lot of redesigns, once the members appreciated that they hadn’t lost the course they loved, they really embraced the improvements.

Location