Ballyneal Golf Club sounds Irish so it’s fitting that this is a links course albeit an inland links. The dream of Rupert and Jim O’Neal has become a reality and we think that this course, which is located in the middle of a huge Colorado dunescape, will eventually rival Sand Hills in Nebraska. Even the address – Holyoke – sounds like a current Open Championship links venue.
Ballyneal is the course that make purists drool all over themselves in anticipation of playing this sand dune infused course that promotes the ground game with hard and fast conditions.. The O’Neal brothers (Jim and Rupert) recogonized something special in these sand dunes located in the northeastern corner of Colorado wanted to build a course that reflected the timeless design of the links courses found in the United Kingdom. They knew there was one man that would be the perfect fit for the job: Tom Doak. Tom Doak, a self-proclaimed minimalist, was oozing with excitement about the possibility of routing this walking-only course that would feature caddies, no tee box signs, no yardages on sprinkler heads, and no water hazards. At Ballyneal Golf Club it is simply man versus the elements with natural looking bunkers, sand dunes, and green contours teaming up with the unobstructed winds to battle the golfer from the 1st tee to the 18th green. The course features mega wide fairways and several “1/2 pars” that is a Tom Doak “pet” design feature. The absolute remoteness of the location brings a peacefulness to the property and delivers an experience not readily available at most golf courses.
Tom Doak said :“There are more than a hundred links courses scattered around the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland, yet no two of them are very much alike. Indeed, on many great links, the holes at one end are of a much different character than the holes at the other end of the course. Such is the variety of Nature, the infinite combinations of wind and weather which give birth to sand dunes”.
For our team the best holes at Ballyneal Golf Club are :
The 3rd Hole – 145 Yard Par 3 – This is the postcard hole at Ballyneal and shows how attractive a short one-shotter can be at an inland links course. Being less than 150 yards, most pin locations can be attacked by taking dead aim, but there is an argument for feeding the ball into the green off the left side contours or by attacking the right side which features tamer contours and easier two-putts. The undulated green is a lot of fun to play, especially since the grass length is such that you can confidently play the undulations without great fear of blowing your putt by.
The 10th Hole – 509 Yard Par 4 – The 10th is one of the those 1/2 pars and stretches out to a 509 yard par four. Danger lurks up either side of the fairway with a bunker in the driving zone up the right size and a blind approach being handed to the golfer that drives up the left side. Since your approach shot will likely be pretty lengthy, utilizing the left-to-right fairway slope in front of the green can help aid your shot reach the green that doesn’t feature any bunkers right next to the putting surface. Between the sheer length and challenges up both sides of the driving zones, the 10th at Ballyneal certainly is a contender to place a box, or two, around the number in your scorecard.
Note that Ballyneal Golf Club is a private club reserved for members and their guests only.
