Old Head on Trackman: Ireland's Most Daring Course

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Old Head on Trackman is the most visually spectacular round of golf available in Trackman Performance Studio. This is not an exaggeration. The course sits on a narrow diamond-shaped peninsula that juts two miles into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of County Cork, and every single hole plays along the cliff edge. The Trackman VG3 capture of Old Head is the best way to experience this course without booking a flight to Ireland and paying the 350-euro green fee.

If you are tired of parkland courses that look the same on every simulator, Old Head is the course that reminds you why simulation golf exists. It is dramatic, intimidating, and completely unforgettable.

The Old Head Experience on Trackman

Old Head Golf Links opened in 1997 and was immediately controversial. The green fee was the highest in Ireland, the course was built on a site that had never hosted golf before, and the routing was designed specifically to maximize ocean views on every hole. Critics called it a novelty. Players called it the most breathtaking round of golf they had ever played. Twenty-five years later, the course ranks 62nd on the Golf Digest World Top 100, and the novelty argument has been settled.

The course plays 7,200 yards from the tips with a par of 72, but yardage is irrelevant at Old Head. What matters is proximity to the cliffs. The 5th hole, a 385-yard par 4, plays along the eastern edge of the peninsula with the Atlantic on your right for the entire hole. The 12th hole, a 210-yard par 3, requires a carry over a chasm to a green perched on the edge of a 300-foot drop. The 16th hole, a 570-yard par 5, plays toward the lighthouse at the tip of the peninsula with the ocean on both sides of the fairway.

Trackman’s VG3 capture handles the cliff-edge topography correctly. The elevation changes are extreme in places, and the wind modeling is critical because Old Head sits completely exposed in every direction. Set wind to Medium-High for the authentic experience.

Quality Assessment

Trackman’s VG3 version of Old Head is licensed and professionally captured. The cliff edges, chasms, and ocean backdrops are accurately rendered, and the signature holes – the 5th, 12th, and 16th – translate well to simulation because the danger from hitting offline is visible on screen.

The green complexes at Old Head are modern and generous by links standards. They are larger than traditional Irish links greens and accept approach shots more readily. This is intentional – the course is designed for resort play, and the greens are fair. The challenge comes from the wind and the mental pressure of playing along the cliffs, not from diabolical green contours.

The wind physics on Trackman are the deciding factor at Old Head. The course’s routing runs in every direction across the peninsula, so you will face headwinds, crosswinds, and downwind holes in the same round. Without wind, Old Head plays significantly easier than its 74.7 rating. With wind at High, it plays like a major championship venue.

The one limitation of Trackman’s capture is that the ocean animation is not as dramatic as the real thing. The real Old Head has waves crashing against the cliffs 300 feet below the tee boxes. Trackman’s version has the ocean rendered accurately, but the vertigo effect of the real course is naturally reduced on a 2D screen. This is not a criticism of the simulation – it is a limitation that every simulator faces when dealing with cliff-side courses.

How to Access Old Head on Trackman

Old Head Golf Links is available in the Trackman Performance Studio library as a VG3 course. It is included with your Trackman subscription – no additional purchase is required beyond standard TPS access. Search for “Old Head Golf Links” or “Old Head” in the course browser.

The course is compatible with Trackman 4, Trackman IO, and Trackman Mevo+ launch monitors. It runs on the Trackman Performance Studio software on a Windows PC.

How Old Head Compares Across Platforms

Old Head is available on GSPro (free community build with LiDAR capture) and Trackman (licensed VG3, included with subscription). Both versions capture the cliff-edge routing and the signature holes. The GSPro community build has excellent LiDAR data and is free if you already own GSPro. The Trackman version has professional capture and does not require a separate download.

Old Head is not available on E6 Connect, FSX Play, or WGT.

For players who already own Trackman, this is one of the best courses in the TPS library for pure entertainment value. It is more dramatic than Royal Portrush and more intimidating than Pebble Beach. It is also the course that non-golfers will recognize when they see it on your simulator screen.

For a complete guide to every course worth playing on this platform, read Best Courses on Trackman. For the full platform breakdown, see the Trackman review.

FAQ

Is Old Head available on Trackman?

Yes. Old Head Golf Links is available in the Trackman Performance Studio library as a VG3 course. It is included with your TPS subscription.

How realistic is Old Head on Trackman?

Trackman’s VG3 capture accurately renders the cliff-edge topography, signature ocean holes, and dramatic elevation changes. The cliff-edge chasms and ocean backdrops are faithfully reproduced within the limits of simulation.

What wind setting should I use for Old Head on Trackman?

Set wind to Medium-High for the authentic experience. Old Head sits completely exposed on a two-mile peninsula, and the wind is the course’s primary defense on most holes.

Is Old Head worth the high green fee in real life compared to playing it on Trackman?

The real Old Head costs around 350 euros and is a once-in-a-lifetime bucket-list round. The Trackman version costs nothing extra beyond your subscription and captures the essential experience.

Which version of Old Head looks the most realistic?

Both the GSPro community build and the Trackman VG3 version capture the course accurately. The Trackman version has licensed professional capture. The GSPro version is a free LiDAR build.

How do I find Old Head on Trackman?

Open the Trackman Performance Studio course browser and search for “Old Head Golf Links.” It appears in the Ireland section of the VG3 course library.