Royal County Down
There is no experience in the world – let alone Ireland – to compare
with Royal County Down. Revered and feared in equal measure the
course sits under the gaze of the Mourne Mountains and alongside
Dundrum Bay. It boasts several terrifying blind shots, heather and
gorse strewn dunes, bearded bunkers, greens like velvet, and a terrain
of ever shifting surprises. It is magical and it is monstrous. The hands
of many of the greatest names in golf have left thei r imprint here.
Old Tom Morris, Harry Vardon and Harry Colt have influenced how
this course has come to be known as the world’s greatest links and,
while the course has evolved slowly, it still feels as if nothing has
changed at all. It is timeless. There are two loops of nine, with the
front nine closer to the bay. Indeed, the opening three holes hug the
shoreline before the signature par three 4th turns back and presents
the Mourne Mountains backdrop in all its glory. Keep your tee shot
on the green, 215 yards away (Medal tee), and you will be ecstatic.
Everything about Royal County Down is remarkable… every hole,
every swing, every step, every second.
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