It is an interesting state of affairs that the name Eddie Hackett is revered among Irish golfers, while anyone else will probably frown, shrug and ask “who?” Hackett, or simply Eddie, was one of Ireland’s greatest golf course architects, but one who didn’t design outside Ireland. He had a hand in the design of over 100 courses… but not outside Ireland. And he worked for 33 years… but not outside Ireland.
It is easy to see why his name might slip beneath the radar, but that is the type of man Eddie was. He was quiet, understated, humble. In a way, that was how he went about his designs, too. He was never fussy, he didn’t overembellish and he let his layouts and the land work hand-in-hand.
Eddie once said: “I find that nature is the best architect... I try to dress up what the Good Lord provides.” It was an approach common to all his designs over those 33 years and his is a gift that keeps on giving. He believed in challenging the player with a testing tee shot, followed by a more gentle approach… or vice versa. He preferred to avoid the more penal elements of modern architecture, such as vast bunkering and forced carries, and he wanted the golfer to see as much of the hole as possible. Above all else, he let nature and not the designer take centre stage.
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Denne historien er fra June 2023-utgaven av Golf Monthly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Is it Time for the Presidents Cup to Be Scrapped? - The next instalment of the USA v Internationals match takes place in Canada at the end of September. But should the one-sided affair continue?
The next instalment of the USA v Internationals match takes place in Canada at the end of September. But should the one-sided affair continue? Why would anyone even suggest such a drastic course of action? It may sound harsh, but since the inaugural event in 1994, the International team has managed just one victory and one tie while the American team has won 12 times, including nine straight from 2005. It is 26 years since the International team's solitary success in 1998 at Royal Melbourne under the captaincy of the late Peter Thomson.
Surprise packages
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