Royal Portrush
Royal Portrush (Dunluce)
Royal Portrush and Royal County Down are two links mentioned
in the same breath. They are two giants of the game… and yet so
very different. This is a course that tests the very heart of your
links abilities. The subtlety of Harry Colt’s design defines Dunluce,
with an endless series of challenges. Each is different to the last as
holes constantly sweep left or right along natural fairways. He is
also responsible for the smallish greens which melt into the dunes
and will prove hard to hit if you are offline from the tee. Bunkers
are scarce… evidence perhaps of the many other challenges this
course possesses. The infamous 200 yard par three ‘Calamity’ is the
perfect example. Views stretch to the Skerries reef, across to the
Donegal hills and the ruins of Dunluce Castle. For the 2019 Open
Championship, two magnificent new holes were added.
Ballyliffin (Glashedy)
The Pat Ruddy-designed Glashedy links opened to great acclaim
in 1995, bringing a whole new golfing allure to Donegal’s Inishowen
peninsula. These are the most northern golf courses on the island,
a landscape of raw beauty, rock, sand and the clean coarse smell of
ocean. Many believe it is heaven. What is most remarkable is how
different the course is compared to the Old links, which shares
the same piece of land. The difference lies in the terrain, with the
Glashedy hogging the biggest dunes. Fairways slide so smoothly
between them. It creates such an elegant rhythm that you could
almost forget how testing this course can be… but only briefly.
The many subtle doglegs require pinpoint accuracy off the tee.
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Ballyliffin (Old)
The story of Ballyliffin reads almost like a fairytale. Established in
1973, on the remote Donegal peninsula of Inishowen, the course
struggled in the early years. Then Nick Faldo arrives in 1993 and
declares it “the most natural links I have ever played.” He loves it
so much that he even tries to buy the place. He fails, but his visit
reinvigorates the club… and Ballyliffin has never looked back, adding
the exceptional Glashedy course in 1995, and a new clubhouse in
1999. Ironically, Faldo was invited back to do some upgrade work on
the Old course in the early 2000s. The focus of his changes were
to introduce revetted bunkering and new tees, but the heart of
the Old course remains… this is a classic links design, sweeping over
low, bumpy and unpredictable fairways which almost float towards
natural green sites.
Portstewart
When the opening nine holes of a course tumble over a violent
dunescape known locally as ‘God’s Own Country’, you know you’re
playing somewhere special. That’s what Portstewart throws at you
as its opening salvo. Every hole is stunning in its shape and size, but
golfing memories of the course often come down to one hole… the
1st, which is widely regarded as the best opening hole in Irish golf.
Views spill away over the sea to Inishowen, and Mussenden Temple
sits on the cliff tops in the distance. There is no drive quite like it:
soak it up before you take that first swing. The front nine all follow
suit and, despite the gigantic dunes, you will be able to see what lies
ahead. Home to the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in 2017 and 2021.