A morning sleep in to try and catch up on some well deserved sleep was thwarted with an incorrect 1am wake up call to Gary’s room. Not something you need…

Our first morning of catchup since starting the trip was peppered with domestic duties including hand washing laundry (something Gary struggled with but Dave was an expert in) now scattered to dry in our respective bathrooms.

Clearing of emails and a mid morning meeting with Tom Cotter from Slieve Donard (our wonderful host) made us feel like we were normal again.

Slieve Donard is a beautiful hotel which forms the backdrop to almost all the photos you see when you think of Royal County Down. The tall spire fits perfectly into the backdrop of the Mountains of Mourne and it is a short 200 metre walk to the first tee.

David had a massage to which the masseuse stated “you have a few knots between your shoulder blades but it is somewhat better”.

Our 3:36pm tee time allowed us to have a long chat with the secretary David Wilson and this reaffirmed that many issues faced by golf clubs are similar across the globe.

David indicated that the GFC did have some impact on external visitors but this is slowly coming back with a strong season forecast.

Visitor income is an important component of the revenue model, which we have seen on almost every course we have visited in England, Scotland and Ireland.

And then to the course itself. Boy this is one great old course. Liam, our forecaddie, saved us several shots telling us where to hit (and where not to), reading our putts and pointing out other features of the course. The course features at least 6 blind shots demanding local knowledge or caddy assistance to know where to go.

On the 15th hole after errant drives left we were informed by Liam that a 90 yard shot would be the best option. Instead Gary and Dave asked Liam “how far over the jungle before us” to which we were informed “140 yards”. Easy! Not! Dead right! 8 recovery shots and Gary eventually holed out for a 15 (surprisingly for no points). David ground out one point with a double bogey and we moved on… In fact one should ALWAYS listen to their caddy (mental note Gary and David).

The course is interesting in that the holes wind up and back twice with no cross holes. The course heads back to the clubhouse (unusual for the courses we have played to date) with the most amazing view at the top of the 9th fairway. The hole sweeps down before you, the clubhouse, Slieve Donard and Mountains of Mourne forming the perfect backdrop.

There are many challenging holes including the 207 metre par 3 4th hole which beautiful as it is requires a solid tee shot to find the putting surface.

The look and style of the bunkering was not what we had seen in other links courses. Bunkers were not revetted but rather long wispy grass protruded around the upper edges. This added challenge (and aesthetic appeal) to each hole.

Our favorite friend heather (not a girl but a plant!) was prevalent throughout the rough and something we has not seen since the heathland courses of London (Sunningdale, Walton Heath etc).

We absolutely loved this course and would play it again and again. It is a course that demands accurate driving and precise irons but if you are playing well you will have birdie chances. Two of the three par 5’s are reachable with the right wind conditions and can result in birdies. A number of testing par 4’s (over 400 metres in length) add teeth to the course and the conditions (thankfully only a moderate wind with no rain) can easily add 5 or 6 shots rogue par of the course.

Shot of the day

The shot of the day came early. Gary hit a good drive on the par 5 1st hole. This was then followed by a 3 wood to a blind green which finished 20 feet from the hole. An eagle putt that finished 2 inches short was the ingredient for a tap in birdie.

Overall birdie count

David (0 birdies, cumulative 10)
Gary (2 birdies, cumulative 26)

Big day tomorrow with a 4:30am start to Belfast airport for a flight to Inverness and an afternoon game at Royal Dormoch – exciting times on one of the famous Highlands courses of Scotland.

Stay tuned…

Flybe is an interesting name for an airline. But they got us safely from Glasgow to Belfast. As we came into land we saw the shipyards that were famous for building the Titanic on one side and green, green, green fields on the other. Our first foray into Northern Ireland was a splash of the color green.

We were on a mission. After picking up our hire car we drove speedily north (but safely) to County Antrim and the home of Bushmills Whisky and some very special golf courses. A quick 5 minute stop to check in at the Bushmills Inn (thanks to Zoe and staff for their warm hospitality) and then off to see our friends John and Gillian Bamber (and their lovely daugher Jessica). Gary had the pleasure of meeting and playing with John and Gillian in Australia a year ago so it was great to catch up again.

The mission we were on was two fold – Gary was keen to capture photos of Royal Portrush (where John was former captain) and David was keen to play a few holes in advance of the next mornings round.

The sun was out as we headed to Royal Portrush and Gary spent an hour and a half with John running up and down sand dunes capturing some great images of this very special golf course. With sunsetat 10am Dave and Gary missed dinner (again…) however, with great persuasive skills managed to convince the Bushmills staff to put something together. A quick post run/game drink with John and we retired to our rooms for the standard 5 hours sleep (not enough) before we teed it up at 7:30am.

They say “a day starts with a good breakfast”. We must have missed this point because on this trip we have missed this important meal more than we have had it!

We have become accustomed to grandstands greeting us where we play (no crowds though if you remember…). Royal Portrush was no different. The Irish Open is being hosted in little over 2 weeks at here and preparations were in full swing. John is the tournament director so gave us an overview of the details as we played the course.

Speed of play is right in Northern Ireland. In 2 hours 55 minutes we “casually” played 18 holes aware of John’s pressing television interview at 11:30am.

Royal Portrush (Dunluce Course) deserves its top 14 world ranking and is another example of the fine work of Harry Colt. His influence spreads far and wide. It is described by many as the “fairest links golf experience” with good shots rewarded and bad shots punished.

The course meanders through mid sized dunes twisting and turning creating hole diversity and using the prevailing winds to best effect.

The course was in mint condition ahead of the Irish Open. Fortunately our early start meant the prevailing winds were docile however both of us can imagine the challenges that presents when the wind is blowing.

In true links fashion the green surrounds were heavily undulated and firm and fast.

Padraig Harrington’s favorite hole is “Calamity” – a long and testing par 3 played over a deep ravine to a green perched above the tee over 200 yards away. David made a great par here that he will remember for a long time.

Darren Clark who lives 5 minutes away and is a member, frequents the club on an almost daily basis in between tournaments. Combined with Rory McIlroy who shot 61 around here (11 under) when he was 16 and Graham McDowell the course is flush with majors winners who are members and love to play this gem of a course.

Dunluce Castle is located 5 minutes drive from Portrush. This castle is perched up high on the edge of the water with commanding views over to Scotland. It is 600 years old and fits perfectly into the landscape. Well almost perfectly.

History has it that one fine evening part of the kitchen next to the cliff face collapsed into the sea after which the wife of the owner refused to live in the castle any longer. Only a kitchen boy survived as he was sitting in the corner furthest from the cliff edge.

Moral of the story – stay away from the kitchen!

Around the corner lies Portstewart – with 54 holes of golf. The championship course is The Strand and begins dramatically with a downhill sweeping par 4. Breathtaking views await on most holes and the dramatic dunes frame the holes perfectly. And this is just on the first nine! Portstewart is not as well known as its illustrious neighbour yet well worth a visit.

Shot of the Day

As the title of today’s blog would suggest to get up and down from a 100 foot sand dune is impressive. David found himself on the left hand side of the 5th hole with a great view of the world but not much else! He was literally 100 feet higher than Gary on the fairway. With great skill he hit a wedge onto the green and after taking 5 minutes to climb down the dune proceeded to hole his 30 foot regulation par putt. Gary on the other hand played the hole the conventional way and walked off with a bogey! Go figure…

Overall birdie tally

David (0 birdies, cumulative 10)
Gary (1 birdie Royal Portrush, 1 birdie Portstewart, cumulative 24)

After our round at Portstewart we drove 2.5 hours to Royal County Down – an amazingly beautiful golf course (ranked number 4 in the world). The weather was absolutely glorious so Gary was out and about running up and down sand dunes (getting fitter by the day) capturing some amazing photos while David practiced. Overnight at the equally impressive Slieve Donard hotel (which is next door to the course) in preparation for the day ahead on one of the world’s great courses. Stay tuned…

Rossdhu House at Loch Lomond Golf Club – just your average clubhouse…

A 4:30am wake up call was not the perfect introduction to a lazy Sunday morning. However unlike normal days we jumped up and prepared for our drive up the Ayrshire coast from Turnberry to the very private Loch Lomond Golf Club (located 30 minutes from the centre of Glasgow).

Our entrance to the club was not what could be called normal. Turning into the maintenance gates (incorrectly) we proceeded to the clubhouse in an indirect way. We eventually arrived.

The drive up to the clubhouse is one of the best going around. A winding road takes you past a number of the holes we were about to play and we were like the children in the proverbial lolly shop.

Arriving at the clubhouse just about blows you away. Rossdhu House is over 150 years old and was formerly an estate house before being converted in a luxury clubhouse that services the needs of members and guests. It sits imposingly overlooking the 7th and 8th holes and you almost feel the Royal Family is going to walk down the steps to greet you.

Our host Ron met us in the clubhouse and we prepared with a hearty breakfast and a chat with one of his fellow members – an Aussie guy called Chris who had been working in London for a number of years and comes up to Loch Lomond regularly to play golf.

The look of this course is not what you would expect when playing golf in Scotland. Lush fairways, well established trees, beautiful vistas and views over the most picturesque Loch imaginable (Loch is Gaelic for Lake in case you don’t get the idea) are the basis for a memorable round on a beautiful golf course.

Wind is generally not a factor at Loch Lomond (compared to other links courses we have played) and the greens were the slickest and truest we have seen to date. Standing over your putts we really felt the ball would go in the hole if struck on line.

There were a number of memorable holes at Loch Lomond including the drivable 14th which has its green protected by a moat. The tee shot provides two choices – go for the green and be rewarded (or punished) or play left where you then are faced with a short wedge into the side sloping and raised green. The 5th par 3 is also an example of one of the picturesque holes we were challenged with. Hitting the putting surface is essential because anywhere else is in trouble! Bunkers, steep run offs and thick ferns add further challenge to the hole.

The course conditioning rivals the best we have played on around the world. Thick grass in close proximity to the greens was another difficulty factor we encountered throughout the round.

The round started with overcast skies which held until the 12th hole when the rain came. We then played the balance of holes in nice summery Scottish conditions (wet).

Lunch in the clubhouse was pleasant in our socked feet as the locker attendant was eagerly blow drying and cleaning our golf shoes. All part of the service at Loch Lomond.

Shot of the day

Gary’s approach shot from the rough to 3 feet on the 7th hole took out the shot of the day.

Overall birdie tally

David (0 birdies, cumulative 10)
Gary (2 birdies, cumulative 22)

We are writing this report as we board the propellor 40 seater plane for the “puddle jump” across from Scotland to Northern Ireland. Quality golf awaits tomorrow with Royal Portrush on the agenda with our friend John Bamber. Stay tuned….