Royal Portrush has yet again unexpectedly derailed the ongoing match with the bride. Last time it was due to heavy rains that made the application of No. 2 lead to scorecard quite unfeasible. This time it was due to severe crankiness caused by a fourth consecutive day of golf and the rugby match keeping us out well past bedtime.
I'm sure there will be some tart responses to that news, but let me add that there was an element of chivalry in evidence, as the bride was far more golf-impaired than I. Pace of play was also an issue, as the course was jammed with member play (it being a Saturday), as well as visitors unfamiliar with the course (and in some cases, with the fundamentals of the golf swing as well). But we were on one of the great links, nay golf courses, of the world, which is always quite a treat,
Before rambling on I'll note that the link above provides my thoughts in some depth on the links from two years ago. In recent months we've seen the R&A follow through and make arrangements to host The Open Championship at Portrush as early as 2019. and the membership overwhelmingly approved that agreement. The date remains uncertain, as there is much work to be accomplished, including the building of two entirely new golf holes.
With little golf on which to dwell, you'll be treated to some of those random musings to which you've become psychologically dependent. First a shout out for the truly superior short game practice area, where i was fortunate enough to spend twenty minutes (but could have tarried far longer) before our tee time. It has many of the same little bumps, mounds and hillocks that torment the player on the course, allowing for every imaginable type of shot. It helped me quite a bit to work a bit on some of the ground game shots with different clubs:
As we've discussed a few times, there is a statutory requirement that the great links have a caravan park visible from the field of play. I'm pleased to report that Royal Portrush is in full compliance with this statute, as evidenced by this view from the 2nd tee:
The ground to the right of the outbound holes also included this golf-themed scarecrow:
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| I could be another Lincoln, with the thoughts that I'd be thinkin'... |
Before my game went walkabout I enjoyed a good stretch on Nos. 4 and 5, two of my favorite holes on the course. A drive into a fairway bunker necessitated a sideways exit strategy, but I managed to thread a knocked-down hybrid through the two sentry dunes controlling access to the green. One of the best shots of the trip, though being never quite satisfied I'll note that had it been struck with .00625% less force, the ball might just have fed down to the pin.
On No. 5 I took a needlessly aggressive line (the hole makes a 90 degree dogleg right down to the cliffs) with my drive, but found the pellet in the semi having cleared the nasty maram by inches. A wedge to the back tier of the green and holed 20-foot birdie putt had me dancing over to Harry Colt's (the sixth hole).
But let's not leave the 5th green in haste, as she's quite the stunner. The hole is called White Rocks, and would anyone care to venture a guess as to why?
Lowell believes that the two new holes, to be built running out and back into their Valley course, will be spectacular. Here's a view of the corridor from the tee of No. 6.
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| No doubt that it's interesting terrain, and might add some complications in judging the wind. |
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| A view of the same corridor on the Valley Course from the 13th green. |
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| Big Nellie. |
current Par-5 17th. The thing about Nellie, though, is that despite it's visual intimidation factor, it's only marginally in play. About the only professional golfer known to have paid it a visit is Gary Player in a Senior Open Championship, and there's talk that he might have, you know, taken certain measures to ensure his escape. But we digress....
In addition to the renown golf course, Portrush offers perhaps the most famous halfway house in golfdom, with quite the assortment of whiskeys and other libations available. In days of yore the flapping Union jack signaled that it was open, but the proprietor told me it's now open every day:
And just when you think you'll not see a green more stunning than the fifth, comes the 13th
No. 13, called Skerries after a small chain of offshore islands, is a short hole that seems straightforward enough. As we waited in the fairway Lowell remarked that the green is impossible to hold. My response was a nod of agreement, but to also note the false front on the right side of the green that sends balls down into a little hollow created by the devil himself. Whereupon, because I had been foolish enough to say it aloud, I hit my wedge with insufficient conviction and it of course ended in that very hollow (visible in the photo above).
Next up is the perfectly-named Calamity Corner, one of the most famous three-pars on the planet. Besides it's distance and prevailing wind against the player, it's most obvious hazard is shear cliff all along the right side of the hole, which will have you hitting your second from 60-70 feet below the surface of the green. Here's a fellow that managed to make a four from there back in 2008:
The sensible play is slightly left into what's known as Bobby Locke's hollow, which the gent playing behind us prudently found in the photo below:
Locke played into his eponymous hollow all four rounds of the '51 Open Championship and made four threes... of course he had the benefit of having Bobby Locke stroking his putts, so your mileage may vary. But one is never upset with a four on this little scorecard wrecker.
Exit question: Referencing the tee marker above, is there a more difficult S.I. 16 to be found on planet Earth?
As our golf descended into profound silliness, Lowell and I spend some time working with the bride on her wee chip shots around the green. And she pulled off a cracker on the 15th (called Purgatory) the scooted up the bunker surrounds and nestled to kick-in range. She called it a day there, whereas Lowell and both made good pars on No. 16, which will be the home hole in the Open Championship.
Lowell and I walked up to the back tee, some 50 yards behind the mortal mankind tees, and I actually hit my drive from there, my best of the day. Lowell decided not to follow suit, as he didn't want to be banished from Royal Portrush in the future as the powers-that-be occasionally fail to exhibit the necessary playful sense of humor. That being the case, one can only hope that they didn't see me drop trou in the parking lot to rearrange the costume...
Royal Portrush remains one of my absolute favorites, challenging all aspects of one''s games in a dramatic and beautiful setting. It will make a far more interesting Open Championship test than most of the courses on the rota, and I'd be shocked if we didn't see a worthy champion emerge.
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