Advice for playing Royal Portrush

yeah_ok

hi folks

ive been very fortunate to be asked to play royal portrush next week. never played there before.

anyone any advice for playing this course?

any help much appreciated!

dnjoyce

stay out of the bunkers, and avoid the rough. should be fine if you do that:-)
Great course - you can't but enjoy it. Don't go right on the 14th - it'll be perfectly obvious why once you step on the tee-box, and likewise on the 17th.

stockdam

It's a great course but it can be a real challenge if the wind is blowing.

First rule........hit the ball and then the ground.......ok that's obvious.

Stay out of the rough....it may look like a few strands of whispy grass but it will wrap around the club and make you look silly.

Keep the ball low if you can.

Treat every shot as target golf.......even your drives. It's important to know how far you hit every shot. You just can't stand up and blast your drives......you have to pick a target.


Look for the best place to miss. So if you miss the green then where is the safe side and where is trouble.

Oh and how are you with reading greens?

Enjoy and accept the odd unfair bounce.

madds

A nice gentle start but then it hits you....HARD! On each tee check the index for that hole. Note the single figure indices. They're not the hardest holes on the course for nothing. Play them accordingly. Note where the trouble is, i.e. if green guarded by bunkers at front, take 1 or 2 extra clubs and play for back of green.

Finally, enjoy it. We played it in gale force winds and very heavy rain but still had a ball.

Matt Santos

One of the toughest tracks you will ever play if there is any wind at all!! As was said earlier if you can hit the ball low do that.. Greens are very fair and consistent throughout.. Distances can be very deceiving. If it says 150 mts and there is a slight wind in to your face that means it will at lest play 165 mts by the time the wind gets it at the top of its flight...
The scenes are simply breath taking and you should take in every view from every tee box. Just enjoy one of the finest courses you will ever get to play...
Also, make a concious decision on the 1st Tee with your playing parters to keep an eye on each others ball. This can only help as there is nothing worse than having to search for balls all day long when it can be halted with a little communication on the 1st Tee!!
You will love it!! Just dont think you are going to have the round of your life!!:D

Kevinmarkham

My contribution is this:
I agree with all of the comments above, but one thing that hasn't been mentioned is 'bump and run'. I don't know what your handicap is and bump and run into greens is never easy when you play a new course, but if the wind blows, keep the ball low by chasing it onto the greens: so scrap the PW and take a 5, 6 or 7 iron instead.

But remember this: as this is your first time, and your next time may not be for years, go out and play your own game and have fun. If you're not sure what to do, play your natural shot and don't worry about a lost ball or two. Bob Rotella would instruct you to play a shot as best you can and to hell with what happens to the ball once it leaves the club.

Love the arrival at the 5th and be terrified at the 14th.
Best of luck

yeah_ok

thanks very much for all the replies.

unfortunately my trip up to portrush isnt going ahead now. pity because i was really looking forward to it!

anyway, thanks again for the replies and ill use the advice whenever i get to play there - hopefully some time not too far away

stockdam

Pity as it is one of the best courses in Ireland.

If and when you do get there and if you have time then also play Castlerock, Portstewart (not the old course on the Portrush Road - although that is ok too), Bushmills and maybe Bushfoot.

Matt Santos

stockdam wrote: »

Pity as it is one of the best courses in Ireland.

If and when you do get there and if you have time then also play Castlerock, Portstewart (not the old course on the Portrush Road - although that is ok too), Bushmills and maybe Bushfoot.

Stockdam,
Have you had an opportunity to play the "Causeway Coast Golf Challenge." It is played on the first week of June every year. Team and Singles competition. You get to play Portstewart, Castlerock, Ballycastle and the Valley course in Portrush. Plenty of chance to play the main course during the week but its the finest week of golf you could ever want.
I posted it up here about 2 years ago after I had come back but got very little response. A smart alec comment from "Slumped" if my memory serves me well was the only post on the thread...

M

yeah_ok

stockdam wrote: »

Pity as it is one of the best courses in Ireland.

If and when you do get there and if you have time then also play Castlerock, Portstewart (not the old course on the Portrush Road - although that is ok too), Bushmills and maybe Bushfoot.

wow thats a lot of courses to be played!

thanks for the recommendations, ill try and play all of them someday

stockdam

Matt Santos wrote: »

Stockdam,
Have you had an opportunity to play the "Causeway Coast Golf Challenge." It is played on the first week of June every year. Team and Singles competition. You get to play Portstewart, Castlerock, Ballycastle and the Valley course in Portrush. Plenty of chance to play the main course during the week but its the finest week of golf you could ever want.
I posted it up here about 2 years ago after I had come back but got very little response. A smart alec comment from "Slumped" if my memory serves me well was the only post on the thread...

M

I'm not sure why I haven't but the answer is no. Is that the mixed one you are talking about (men and women)?

I've played the courses individually (except Portstewart). Castlerock is a nice and not well known course. It's a nice area for a week's holiday.

Everybody should play Portrush and Newcastle at some stage in their life.

PhilipMarlowe

I drove through Ballycastle once and I think on the coast road out I passed a course on the left, practically beside the road? I was heading from Bushmills around towards Carrickfergus that day.
Ballycastle struck me as a very nice town and swore to return on a longer break sometime and of course that was 15 years ago probably and I haven't been back yet.
What's Ballycastle course like to play?
That Causeway challenge seems like a fantastic week too.
I have a sister living near Newry too so it's a shame I haven't played golf in the north yet

stockdam

Licksy wrote: »

I drove through Ballycastle once and I think on the coast road out I passed a course on the left, practically beside the road? I was heading from Bushmills around towards Carrickfergus that day.
Ballycastle struck me as a very nice town and swore to return on a longer break sometime and of course that was 15 years ago probably and I haven't been back yet.
What's Ballycastle course like to play?
That Causeway challenge seems like a fantastic week too.
I have a sister living near Newry too so it's a shame I haven't played golf in the north yet

Ballycastle is a fairly decent course. It can be windy and then your yardages will be all over the place.

I prefer Castlerock.

But the ultimate is the big course at Portrush.

I should write up a few recommendations of courses to play up here.

yeah_ok

stockdam wrote: »

I should write up a few recommendations of courses to play up here.

yeah that would be great.

ive always wanted to play pebble beach and st. andrews but after all this talk i think ill have to add royal portrush on as my third

stockdam

yeah_ok wrote: »

yeah that would be great.

ive always wanted to play pebble beach and st. andrews but after all this talk i think ill have to add royal portrush on as my third

Ok when I have some time I'll write a short list of clubs to play in N.I.

You really must play Royal Portrush and Royal County Down. On a summer day they are as good as any courses in the world.

Oliverdog

Causeway Coast Tournament.

Played last year - a really great event, and highly recommended.