Royal County Down

But for all that I found there I might as well be

Where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea.

- "The Mountains of Mourne"

by Percy French (1896)

It's Royal County Down week here at Unplayable Lies, so we'll be spending Thursday-Sunday where, as the man felicitously put it,  the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea.

We're here for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, benefiting Rory McIlroy's Foundation, entirely fitting given that Rory grew up just up the two-lane road in Holywood.  Because of this involvement Rory put the squeeze on his friends, in the best sense of course, so we're treated to a far stronger than usual field, including Rickie Fowler.  That'ssignificant in that it allows us to run what Shackelford calls "Charmingly unflattering" photos of Rickie and Rory from the 2007 Walker Cup.

 We really can't get enough of this one, can we?

Rory was kind of jowly and Rickie had the sourpuss thing going, but they've moved on so perhaps we should as well...

I don't know that County Down is the greatest golf course in the world or the most beautiful, but I don't know that it isn't.  It looks like no other golf course in the world, at least none that I've seen, and no less an authority than Ran Morrissett calls it "The finest combination of beauty and challenge in golf."  Golf course ratings are what they are, but if Golf Digest rates it as the best golf course outside the U.S. we can assume that it doesn't suck... And while television cameras have been there (three Senior Open Championships at the turn of the century and that 2007 Walker Cup), this will be the first time we get to see it in full 1080p high definition.

RCD is located withing walking distance of the Northern Ireland vacation village of Newcastle, some two hours north of Dublin.  From the club's website:

Royal County Down is located in one of the world’s most naturally beautiful links settings in the Murlough Nature Reserve. Against the magnificent backdrop of the Mountains of Mourne, the links stretches along the shores of Dundrum Bay, zigzagging back and forth to provide a different vista from virtually every hole.

It is all that and they perhaps undersell it, as the properties natural elevation changes and the spectacular backdrop are quite unmatched.  Here's a long excerpt from the Morrissett review linked above:

Yet, sadly, like The Old Course at St. Andrews, Royal County Down would never be re-created today. Even fans of Coore & Crenshaw and Tom Doak’s Renaissance Golf Design will admit their near steadfast aversion to blind tee balls. Holes like the 2nd, 5th, 6th, 9th, and 11th at County Down would likely not come into existence. More is the pity, especially as many of these are among the best holes on the course. 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.

However, what for instance would be gained if the blind tee balls on the aforementioned holes were altered? What exactly is gained by ‘better’ visuals as defined by modern golf – anything of genuine substance? The author doubts it but certainly some of the uncertainty presented by County Down’s diversity of challenge would be undermined.

Also, some of its uniqueness would no doubt vanish. As with Oakmont Country Club and Pine Valley Golf Club, County Down stands apart as reminding one of no other course in the world in part because it was designed not by a professional architect but rather by strong willed people with a genuine love and feel for the game.

So, who is responsible for this masterpiece?  You'll hear credit assigned to Old Tom Morris and the great Harry S. Colt most frequently, but we'll let Shack sum up the complicated lineage from a post at The Loop:

A Scottish schoolteacher named George Baillie was the first to design nine holes here in 1889 or so. Then Old Tom Morris was paid “a sum not to exceed £4” to turn the Newcastle course into 18 holes. A series of major changes were made by a club captain, George Combe that resulted in the core of today’s world-renowned layout. This was followed by suggestions from legends James Braid, J.H. Taylor, Harry Vardon and Ben Sayers before the great H.S. Colt created the famed fourth and ninth holes in 1925. More recently, Donald Steel strengthened the finishing holes, including the entirely new 16th that gives the finishing stretch a risk-reward short par-4.

How's that list for a Who's Who of U.K. golf?   The other feature of the course that will readily capture your attention are the bunkers, or more accurately their surrounds.  Back to the club's website:

The ‘bearded’ bunkers are world famous and feature overhanging lips of marram, red fescue and heather.

Here's a good example of the intimidating bunker guarding the front of the second green:

The most famous hole on the course is the ninth, a dreadfully difficult Par-4 that affords spectacular vistas back towards town and the Slieve Donard Hotel (named for the highest peak in the Mourne range, it's the red brick building you'll see lots of on the TV coverage) from an significantly-elevated tee box, with a nasty, evil, no-good pot bunker guarding access to the green between two lines of dunes.

A couple of other personal observations about the event and the golf course:

• As most of you are likely aware, links greens are typically on the slow side, as a precaution against the wind moving golf balls.  Not only were County Down's greens the fastest I've ever experienced in the U.K. or Ireland by a significant degree, but they are also severely crowned.  Here's an example:

• Unusual for a links, the ninth hole at RCD returns to the clubhouse, but it's the front nine that has the more interesting terrain along Dundrum Bay.  That means that the more interesting viewing, assuming your interest is in seeing the course, may well be on Thursday and Friday.
• There's lots of the aforesaid coverage, as Shack explains:

-- Golf Channel is offering no shortage of chances to see Rickie and Rory re-uniting at Royal County Down. Thursday the network is live from 3-8 am ET, with a second live window from 11-1 p.m ET. Friday is one window from 7 a.m. ET to 1 p.m. The weekend is live too, with Saturday coverage starting at 8:30 a.m. and Sunday commencing at 8 a.m.

Kudos to Golf Channel for recognizing the unique opportunity.  If I haven't induced you to watch, perhaps this short video from the club's site will: