Closest airport - George Best Belfast City Airport (45.0km), Experience the Magic of Sicilian Golf Resorts, Experiencing Hilton Head Island A Golfers Playground, WINSTONgolf Golfer's Paradise in Northern Germany, The 10 Best Spanish Golf Resorts With 36+ Holes, Best 18 holes golf courses in The Netherlands, Golfers' Choice Rankings 2023: Best Value for Money. Interestingly enough, golfers frequently display worse judgment on harder courses than on the easier ones. When the gorse is in bloom, theres no lovelier place to play. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Write Review. The thrill of a well struck tee ball is immense but infrequent. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyse and understand how you use this website. $330,000. With a par of just 66 (six par 3s and no par 5s) and conditioning equal to its big sibling there has never been a better warm-up act. This view looking 250 yards back up the ninth hole highlights the epic nature of the hole that Colt created. Not so at County Down with this shelf green shrugging balls to either side. Hole 3 (SI 3) 475 yards Par 4 is a second and more difficult with handicap golfers likely to be short and in need of an accurate chip and run, and a single putt, to get a par. Seventeenth hole, 435/405 yards; An underappreciated hole, all because there is a natural pond blind from the tee that is 100 yards from the green. 2 bds. The Mountains of Mourne provide a glorious backdrop throughout with the sea to your right as you head out over a stirring opening stretch. In fact, it has sharp fall-offs on either side ala the 1st at Pine Valley Golf Club, making for many a testing recovery shot at the Home hole. Yet, there is too much of a good thing and todays architects are less willing to utilize fronting hazards with which the golfer must contend. A modern architect would either modify the dunescape or end up with a largely different routing, claiming that some of the features at County Down are anachronistic. Standard Caddies 40 per round All 228 yards of it, often into the wind. The Championship Links at Royal County Down is located in one of the worlds most naturally beautiful links settings in the Murlough Nature Reserve. Have your camera ready, both the one in your bag and in your mind, as this is one scene youll never want to forget. The view from the elevated back markers at the fourth: a 200 plus yeard one shotter over a sea of gorse to a green. Though the blind tee balls on the 2nd and 11th are more confrontational than here, the diagonal playing angle for this blind tee shot creates more confusion. Yes, there is a driving range at Royal County Down Golf Club. The new hole, infinitely more attractive than the old one, has good playing characteristics, as we see below. Just ask Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, who . The Championship course is a monster off the back tees but there are four other alternatives, the shortest of which knock almost 1000 yards off the 7183 yards. Casi todas las partidas con forecaddy, muy recomendable para disfrutar el campo. If you are looking to become a member of Mourne Golf Club, we welcome applications and notes of interest and would ask you to contact us and we will get back in touch with you. Some of the most recent changes have included the filling in of the triangular pond a little way short of the 17th green, which some found a little incongruous, and the lowering of a dune ridge on the 2nd to facilitate a better view up to the green. The fourth comes with breath-taking views, endless gorse and multiple bunkers. Prior to Colt, the 4th ran parallel the 3rd and played toward todays 5th green as a 515 yard three shot hole, which meant the first one shotter didnt occur until the 7th hole. He lowered the dune that obscured the green and built todays 9th green complex. He observed that A hole should always give one the impression that it owes its existence to its own intrinsic merits, to its individuality and character, and not, as too often happens, to the fact that it had to be there because, foresooth, there was no other place to put it. He may well have been thinking of County Down when he wrote this as so many of its holes are absolutely unique unto themselves with the 13th being a particular highlight. Certainly a more handsome hole than its predecessor, Donald Steel created this hole in 2005. But a round as special as Royal County Down deserves to be celebrated. However, Harry Colts visit did yield perhaps the courses two most famous holes are the 4th with its raised green and the 9th that plunges over the summit of a dune. Or is he best to lay-up near the base of the dune on the right. Complete Guide to Golf in England, Royal Portrush Golf Club The Complete Guide, 12 Important Decisions for Planning a Golf Trip to Ireland, How Much Does a Golf Trip to Ireland Cost, When is the Best Time of Year to Take an Ireland Golf Trip, Where to Play Golf in Ireland The Best Regions for an Ireland Golf Trip, 2023 Haversham & Baker Golf Expeditions, Podcast: The Complete Guide to Caddies Across the Pond, Northern Ireland Golf Trips Beyond the Royals, The Highlands of Scotland Off the Beaten Path, The Complete Guide to Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Podcast: 10 Tips for Stress-Free Golf Trips to Scotland & Beyond, How H&B Selects Hotels, Restaurants, and Touring Options, Podcast: Royal County Down and Royal Portrush. Among my other playing companions at Royal County Down that week was Johnny Browne, a member and three-time club champion, most recently in 2009. In fact, this green may well have been in use over one hundred and fifteen years as it may be the 2nd green from Old Tom Morriss original layout. Perhaps, but the reality is that some balls that land on the green are also feed left and down into a deep pit. We look forward to welcoming you at Mourne Golf Club. RCD is a very fair test of golf. Photos: See additional photos of Royal County Down (Championship Links) The front nine is either the best or among the best in the game. I would recommend RCD to every lover of links golf. The bunkers pictured above are 35 yards shy of the putting surface and make laying up problematic from a missed tee ball. In the extremely well researched centenary book Royal County Down Golf Club: The First Century by Harry McCaw and Brum Henderson (highly recommended and available at the office of The Royal County Down Golf Club), a map in the inside front jacket shows what must be Old Tom Morris's routing. At the 11th, the golfer simply must get away one of his best drives of the day, up and over the forty foot dune directly in front of him. Consistently ranked amongst the top 10 courses in the British Isles and should rank highly on any golfers list of "must play" courses! Tom Paul likens playing County Down to playing Oakmont because of their shared high demand; architecture. The address of Royal County Down Golf Club is: Golf Links Road, Newcastle, Co Down. Theres always a real sense of anticipation both here and on the 11th as you stride over the crests to see if your drive is as perfect as your eye saw it. The course made use of the natural terrain which involves fairways separated by coastal grasses, heather and gorse which make excellent natural hazards. Holes Map. He then positioned the 9th tee whereby a cracking drive would clear the towering dune and fall down to the flat ground below. Read, When I think of Dublin, I think of charming streets, lively pubs, and of course, Guinness. Seventh hole, 145/125 yards; A maddeningly hole to play, the golfer at this point in his round is thinking surely he is better than his score indicates. Das Mekka fr Golf Puristen. But the greatest evolution of Royal County Down came at the hands of George Combe, the clubs Convenor of the Green.. Many of the holes were on the grounds that the present day No. Walk out the back door of the Slieve Donard Resort, across the parking lot, and under the sign for Royal County Down Golf Club, and you feel like you're entering a golf storybook. A combination of a towering mountain range in the backdrop on many holes and the Irish sea flanking the opening three makes for visual appeal that is hard to surpass. There are numerous standout holes, but the first par 3 at the 4th sums up everything on offer with a 200-yard carry over gorse and heather and rippling green undulations and run-off areas, all finished off with a multitude of bunkers. Hole 10 (SI 18) 196 yards Par 3 has 4 bunkers in front and either side of the green in the front half with bushes guarding the back. Royal County Down Golf Club is located practically at the base of the range's highest peak, Slieve Donard. Though the eight green may appear free of trouble, the first timer soon learns otherwise. As such, some golfers opt to play down the center line, yeilding the partial view of the flag as seen above. The 14th hole rests easy upon the land, a great compliment. The rates are subject to an annual update. For more insight on planning your golf trip to Ireland, visit the pages below, read our Ireland golf trip reviews, or have a look through our Yardage Book, where youll find answers to many of our most frequently asked questions. Since then, Harry Vardon, Harry Colt, Donald Steel, and most recently, Martin Ebert, have all stamped their mark on this truly magical place. The Royal County Down Golf Club professionals shop is fully stocked and includes items with the Club logo. The first of those holes had a tee near todays 1st green and the golfer with hickory clubs, mind you had to scale the dune and play a long shot to a blind green. These cookies do not store any personal information. Yet, no ones seems to hold the back nine at Portrush to the same impossibly high standards that they do to the back at County Down. Royal County Down Golf Club is set within the Murlough Nature Reserve, sandwiched between the magnificent Mourne Mountains and shores of Dundrum Bay. So set aside a few extra minutes, find a table in the clubhouse lounge, and reminisce on your day at one of the best golf courses in the world over a pint of the finest tasting Guinness youre likely to ever find. Combe was made a honorary life member in 1909 and continued to make improvements to the course for several more years, many times at a cost out of his own pocket. A sea of gorse, 10 bunkers, and a breathtaking view all greet the golfer on the tee as they prepare to take on one of the truly great par-3s in Ireland. The clubhouse has a fascinating history and is ideally situated a stones throw away from Murlough beach and just metres from the first tee at Royal County Down. PRO Shop. It's unbelievable land for a golf course, the dunes are unreal. Harry Colt created the 9th hole at Royal County Down by combining two holes into one. Harry Colts reduction of blind approach shots coupled with the creation of several of the finest green complexes at County Down garnered high praise from all quarters. Now over a century and a quarter old, this fabled links in Newcastle on the County Down coast is not only one of the best links courses in the UK but also one of the best on the planet, ranking 1st in Golf Monthly's list of the top 100 golf courses in the UK&I.. RCD, as it's sometimes known, boasts a truly impressive roll call of architectural influences through the ages, starting with Old Tom . Played from an elevated tee, the green is still in reach for the tiger golfer, which was the lasting attribute of the old 16th. So much, in fact, that this question required a guide of its own: Northern Ireland Golf Trips Beyond the Royals. Golf England Welcome to Royal County DownLadies Golf Club. That briefly means no denim, no collarless shirts, and only tailored shorted. Otherwise, the round becomes one of attrition, which is not golf at its exhilarating best. Golf Monthly is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. The design firm of Mackenzie & Ebert recently completed a few updates around the course, including the removal of a much maligned pond on the 17th hole. A decade after Royal County Down opened, Garden G. Smith penned his wonderful (but hard to find) book, The World of Golf. All Rights Reserved. Colts green makes the hole and the course a test to the very end. Voted Number 1 in the World's 100 Greatest Golf Courses, Golf Digest (2017, 2018, 2019). 2023 Mourne Golf Club.36 Golf Links Road, Newcastle, Co Down,BT33 0ANE: info@mournegolfclub.co.uk | T: +44 (0) 28 437 23889Terms of use | Privacy. The costs are as follows: Senior Caddies 60 per round The one shotters at ~200 yards require sturdy hitting. Haversham & Baker Reviews, Complete Guide to Golf in Scotland If youre counting down to a tee time at this illustrious course, here is your complete guide to Royal County Down. PO Box 2566, Southern Pines, NC 28388. Tucked at the base of the dunes, evidence suggests that this may have been one of Old Tom Morriss greens. is an extension of the fairway but that falls away on both sides. Hole # 1. Visit our corporate site. The beautiful sweep of the fairway just over the crest of the dune is a fine example of how Combe integrated a natural landform into the design. And that makes Colts routing over this dramatic landscape all of the more impressive as the hole works wonderfully well.
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