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Old Head – Memories From A First Visit To The Stunning Irish Golfing Gem

2 years ago by Bernie McGuire Comments Off

I’ve had to really test the ole ‘grey matter’ in posting this article of my first visit to the famed Old Head course located at the Old Head of Kinsale at the south-east corner of Ireland.

It was the Monday morning after the 2001 Murphy’s Irish Open at the Fota Island course in nearby Cork.

In a then super three Scottish newspaper coverage storyline for your golfing freelance author, Colin Montgomerie captured a third Irish Open title, storming to a five-shot success in defeating the trio of Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington and Swede Niclas Fasth into joint second. It was also the first of just three Irish Open’s (2002 and 2014) hosted by Fota Island.

It was also that year a first of back-to-back European Tour events in Ireland as the Smufit European Open was being held later in the week at the K. Club, so when afforded the invitation to play Old Head on the Monday it was gladly accepted.

We had been residing for the week of the Irish Open in the harbour town of Cobh, a short drive outside of Cork and a town, that some 90-years earlier was known as Queenstown and was made famous as it was last port of call in April 1912 for the ill-fated ocean liner Titanic.

The guided missile USS Ross tied-up in 2001 at Cobh Harbour (Image – GolfByTourMiss)

However for the week of the Irish Open tied-up in Cork Harbour was a US guided missile destroyer – the USS Ross – and I vividly recall a comment, and with so many sailors in town, from the woman who owned the B & B my colleague Brian Ceighton and I were staying for the week of the Irish Open.

Her remark was something along the lines: “There’s plenty of daughters in town who’ve been advised they won’t be allowed out as long as that warship’s in town”. I’m not sure what she was implying but one can only have a guess (smiling).

It was an impressive-looking warship, having only been commissioned a few years earlier, and it looked an even more impressive sight on this warm but overcast Monday admiring the ship from high above on the Old Head golf course as it sailed up Cork harbour and into the mighty Atlantic Ocean.

And in making reference to the Titanic, sadly there is also a second reminder of another shipping tragedy not just a short distance from where the Titanic was tied-up but also in heading to the Old Head course and that is a memorial just before entering the golf course, and here I am referring to the sinking of the RMS Lusitania, a British-registered ocean liner that was torpedoed by an Imperial German Navy U-boat during the First World War on 7 May 1915, about 11 miles off the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland.

Bernie in 2001 in front of a Luisitania memorial in Cobh

The memorial in place at Old Head in memory of those who in 1915 lost their lives on the Luisitania.

The attack took place in the declared maritime war-zone around the UK, shortly after unrestricted submarine warfare against the ships of the UK had been announced by Germany following the Allied powers’ implementation of a naval blockade against it and the other Central Powers. The German Embassy in the States placed newspaper notices in many US papers warning UK ships that in departing New York of the danger of voyaging into the ‘war zone’ area in a British ship.

Tragically, 1,198 of the ship’s 1,959 passengers who were travelling from New York to Liverpool perished aboard the Luisitania, and the sinking quickly turning public opinion in many countries against Germany. It also contributed to the American entry into the War two years later; images of the stricken liner were used heavily in US propaganda and military recruiting campaigns.

Since that 2001 visit and also a second visit some years back memories of the tragedy have been increased with a Lusitania Museum, containing items raised from the ship, along with the fully restored Old Head signal tower and these located just a short distance from the Old Head course main gates.

As well, visitors to the Old Head clubhouse are reminded of the events of May, 1915.

A reminder in the top-left of the this Old Head clubhouse painting of the event that took place on May 7th, 1915.

In 1989 the land at Old Head was acquired by London-based business brothers John and Patrick O’Connor but they soon faced much local opposition when it became known they were intending to turn the grazing and farm land into an 18-hole golf course.

The O’Connor’s approached a number of architects and consultants that included Paddy Merrigan, Eddie Hackett, Dr. Joe Carr, and Liam Higgins to advise on the project but with work eventually finished by American Ron Kirby, a former associate with both Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player,

However if there was an Old Head lynchpin it was Haulie (Kerry) O’Shea, who deserves the credit for actually building the course though the Irishman was lucky to be alive after miracoulsy scrambling from a 50-ton dump truck that he had parked while working on the forward tee at the 15th hole of the course.

It is understood O’Shea was having a coffee break inside the laden truck when it began rolling backwards towards the 300-foot high cliff edge, and the truck continued unchecked on it’s progress despite his efforts in hitting the brakes and tying to restart the engine.

With the vehicle clearly now set to topple over the edge, Shea miracously managed to escape the cabin ahead of the truck sensationally splitting in half when it crashed on the rocky shoreline well below.

Old Head in all its glory – Image thanks Old Head Golf Club

After the initial protests, and many local Kinsale Council meetings, the course was officially opened on 1st June, 1997, and boasting five par threes, five par fives, and eight par fours and with the stunning layout stretching 7,150 yards and playing to a par 72.

Word soon travelled of this edition to Emerld Island golf, so much so, that two years later in July, 1999 the then one-time major winning Tiger Woods (1997 Masters) was joined by triple major winning Payne Stewart, the double-major winning duo of Mark O’Meara and soon-to-be major champs Lee Janzen and David Duval along with Aussie Stuart Appleby in a six-ball watched by some 100 fans in playing the course.

Somewhat disappointing for the six who were on route to the JP McManus Pro-Am and also The Open at Carnoustie, it was not until around the 12th hole when the morning fog lifted to reveal the course in its full glory.

No fog concerns near on a year later – Monday 2nd July, 2001 – when I was joined colleagues and now long-time good friends Norman Dabell, Phil Reid and Brian (Creighton) in teeing-up at Old Head.

Here we go with a selection of photographs from over 22-years ago, using my then 2001 mobile.