Paul McGinley Review:

Portsalon Golf Links is proud to be associated with Paul McGinley. He has on his many visits proclaimed his admiration for the beauty of the course. He also appreciates the challenges posed by the existing design. As Pat Ruddy contends golf courses are like an ongoing love affair and need ongoing nurturing. Paul made suggestions at various times on certain aspects. He was made an honorary member of Portsalon in 2008.

Our Club decided to formalize an agreement with Paul and some of the work being undertaken is outlined here but first a little about his life.

Paul McGinley is one of our most accomplished Irish golfers who plays on the European Tour. He is famous for holing the winning putt for the European team in the 2002 Ryder Cup.
Paul was born in Dublin of Donegal parents. His father Mick is an accomplished golfer and golf administrator and like Paul was very good at Gaelic games.
He turned professional in 1991. He has won four events on the European Tour and won the World Cup of Golf for Ireland with Padraig Harrington in 1997. His best finish on the European Tour Order of Merit is third in 2005 and he has featured in the top twenty of the Official World Golf Rankings.

Paul famously offered a handshake to J.J. Henry as Henry lined up a long putt to half their 2006 Ryder Cup match at the K Club, an action prompted by the untimely incursion of a streaker on the final green.

Team Appearances:
Walker Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1991
Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 2002 (winners), 2004 (winners), 2006 (winners), 2010 (non-playing vice-captain, winners)
Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing Ireland): 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
World Cup (representing Ireland): 1993, 1994, 1997 (winners), 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008
Seve Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2002 (winners), 2005 (winners), 2009 (winners, non-playing captain)
Royal Trophy (representing Europe): 2006 (winners), 2007 (winners), 2009


 

Paul McGinley’s Design Philosophy.

Paul McGinley’s passion for the game of golf extends way beyond his high profile achievements as a professional sportsman and is steeped in the traditions of the sport.

The keystone of Paul’s golf course design philosophy is based in the classic strategic mode of H. S. Colt and Donald Ross.
“Risk and reward” shot making, offering alternative routes from tee to green will reward the accomplished player without over penalizing the handicap golfer.
Paul’s international experience, competing professionally at the highest level, his understanding of what produces dramatic golf as an integral part of a beautiful landscape and his renowned reputation for producing imaginative golf shots has enabled Paul to develop his design criteria.
• Classic “risk and reward” golf course design.
• Holes shaped and hazards positioned to encourage the playing strategy of individual holes.
• Alternative routes from tees to greens for individual holes.
• Players will not be intimidated by ultra-penal tee shots.
• Generous landing areas on fairways for men and women
• Golf shots not always required to be “through the air”
• Greens without major gradient changes
• Greenside swales to gather slightly miss-directed 2nd shots on Par 4’s and run off areas on Par 3’s
• Green approaches designed to allow the less able player to run the ball onto the green surface
• Hazards to be in view from teeing areas at all times
• Style and position of hazards will not unfairly punish the “almost” good shot.


Paul McGinley design plans for Portsalon for 2010/ 2011

 Paul McGinley visited Portsalon Golf Club on Sunday 11th May 2010. The initial one day visit consisted of an overview meeting, a comprehensive hole by hole walk through of the golf course and a dinner meeting prior to departure. Since May Paul has paid further visits to Portsalon to discuss the works for 2010/ 2011 with Johnny Shields (Golf Course Superintendent) and Joe Bedford Project Coordinator.
Paul McGinley agreed to set out short, medium and long term objectives for improving the design of the course at Portsalon GC. The estimated time scale to complete the design objectives is five years. The objectives will be set out in the form of reports with mapping provided where required. A working relationship and regular communication between Johnny Shields (Links Superintendent) and Joe Bedford (Project Coordinator) for Paul McGinley Golf Design® will be developed to facilitate the completion of works. It was agreed that all the bunkers will be riveted as designed by Paul McGinley.
All tees will be reviewed for alignment to the landing areas
The Sod nursery will be extended to provide top quality green and tee sod for future development

On January 3rd 2011 Paul has updated our Captain with progress as follows:

From: Paul McGinley
Sent: 03 January 2011 13:45
To: McGinley, Hugh
Subject: Portsalon Golf Course

Dear Hugh,

As you and your members will have seen, the short term work, under the supervision of Johnny Shields, began in 2010. Since I was approached by your committee to review and comment on the golf course layout I have spent a number of visits and many hours in consultation with my McGinley Golf Design Project Manager, Joe Bedford, along with various members of your greens committee. 

My aim is to achieve a number of things at Portsalon:

1. Enhance but not change the golf course.
2. ‘Open up’ the landing areas on fairways and greens whereby good shots are rewarded and off line shots are penalised.
3. Construct and improve the bunkering through the classic style of links bunkering ie. riveted bunkers.
4. Increase/decrease (not change) some green sizes where appropriate.
5. Make the golf course more ‘visible’ with each shot properly ‘framed’.
6. Make the golf course even more player friendly for both members and visitors, I don’t intend to make the golf course ‘easy’. 

In order to achieve these goals I will be working closely with Johnny Shields and the greens committee.

Due to budget constraints, it is not possible to do all the work in a very short space of time or hole by hole. I ask for your patience along with that of the members whilst we incorporate these changes into the course. Short term, you may see more bunkers filled in for example, than created, this will be because I consider that their closure will enhance the hole. Re-mounding may be necessary before I construct new bunkers.

I look forward to us all working together in improving the golf course and I ask for constructive feedback from all the members as I feel that we should all do this as a project we will all be proud of when finished.

With kind regards, 

Paul McGinley