Royal county down golf club - 18 POINTS

I first played Royal County Down in 2005 and went some 15 years without returning. Over that time my memories of Royal Country Down faded in parts but one thing stayed strong. The course was one of the toughest I had ever played. I had been keen to go back and see just where this course ranked for me with some fresh eyes.

It is ranked as the fourth best golf course in the world. In the top 10 courses in the world it is tucked behind Pine Valley and Cypress Point. According to the experts this is better than the Old Course at St Andrews and leaves Royal Melbourne in its wake.

This is a big, brawny, spectacular golf course. It is a golf course that will try to dominate and intimidate you - and it will likely succeed. From an architectural point of view, the course is magnificent. It asks the golfer so many good questions and has quality hole after quality hole.

Some highlights for me -

The second. The drive is blind but when you get over the hill you see a nice wide landing area and then you need to hit it over a bunker protecting the front of the green. It’s one of the shorter approaches on the course as the hole normally plays downwind and if you find the fairway you start to think that it should be possible to get a few good scores on the card. Just wait…..!

The third. A spectacular par 4. You don’t actually see the water too much on the course but this tee shot is a real treat. The dunes on the front nine are a real feature and none more so than framing this hole. The best line in is the left but that brings bunkers into play from the tee. Clever stuff.

The fourth. One of the toughest par 4s you will find anywhere in the world. 200 yards plus of carry over a mass of gorse to a green surrounded by bunkers. The view is incredible, the shot terrifying.

The seventh is a real contrast to the fourth. It’s a short par 3 - only a wedge or nine iron but is an absolute devil. The run off areas are dramatic and positioning is everything. A really clever hole.

The eighth and ninth are both great par 4s heading back towards the town, with the mountains looming behind. The tee shot on the ninth takes you over the marker post before dropping down to the fairway. It’s a long hole - 430 yards into the prevailing wind - so you will need to hit a strong shot to make it over. When you are over the top though you will still have a long way into the green which is protected well with bunkers short. It’s a hell of a golf hole, one that you will never forget!

Conventional wisdom is that the quality drops on the back nine at Royal County Down. This is a fair comment, but I wouldn’t be too worried about that. The holes are, on the whole, less spectacular for sure. There are fewer holes in the dunes and the drama is down a notch or two. But to be honest, that’s not a bad thing. The course opens out a little more and the number of blind shots reduces. It all just feels a little more playable.

The tenth hole is another wonderful par 3 with bunkers short and dunes framing the back of the green. The standout hole on the back nine would be the par 4 13th. It’s one of the best par fours you will find - at 423 yards from the yellow tees you are likely to still have a longish iron in your hand going into the green and you will be rewarded with a good view of the target if you find the left of the fairway. Otherwise it’s hit and hope at the tall marker pole.

The sixteenth is a rarity at Royal County Down - a short par 4 which some may get close to on a still day. The more likely play though is to favour the left hand side of the fairway and then a short wedge into the green.

The finishing hole is a strong 530 yard par 5 which provides an excellent finish. The odds are you will be playing into the wind, the legs will be a bit weary but a finishing par isn’t out of the question if you can stay out of one of the numerous bunkers which pervade throughout the hole.

Royal County down is really an amazing golf course and there are some thing

Spectacular views. Views of the 4th and the 9th are ten-a-penny to find on social media. But there are plenty of others to enjoy too. The front 9 particularly will have you pulling out your camera all the time..

Blind shots. Everywhere. This is a very well known feature of RCD. Many people tense up when faced with a blind shot which is just likely to compound the problem when trying to find your ball. Twice I hit what I thought were great shots and never saw them again. The answer, of course, is to take a caddie. But that’s not to everyone’s taste, or budget.

Penal rough. And Gorse. And Heather. The blind tee shots are definitely made that much harder by the very deep rough and abundant gorse and heather that cover the course. Beautiful to look at, hell to be in.

Fantastic condition. The first time I played it was in the middle of June and the course was in tremendous shape. The greens were superb and the 'bearded' bunkers wonderful. The second time in mid-November the condition was fantastic for the time of the year too. There is an army of greenkeepers keeping the course is such fantastic shape.

A course to play again. This is a course which will reward playing more than once. If you are making the pilgrimage I would thoroughly recommend going for 36 holes. It should be a bit easier the second time round!

This is a wonderful course without doubt. The scale, the test, the setting - they are all magnificent. It’s just I prefer a course that is a little more accessible to golfers of a variety of skills, where you can still get pleasure from a hole even if you aren’t spot on with your drive. For this reason I just can’t put County Down in the very top echelon of courses I’ve reviewed. But it is a course I would encourage everyone to see if you get the chance. There are few courses with such majesty anywhere in the world.

BOOKING THE COURSE

There is no online booking for RCD, instead you are asked to go 'through the secretary's office' but there is plenty of information on the Royal County Down website. Play is available at various times on every day bar Wednesday and Saturdays. However, it is often booked up a long way in advance so you need to plan well ahead. Bookings open in the spring for the following year.

It is an expensive tee time - weekday slots come in at £325between May and October. If you are willing to risk a trip between November and February though, it drops to just £150 a round and there are deals to be had in March and April too. 

TOUR TIPS

The course is just a 5 minute walk from the town of Newcastle. It’s not the most exciting place in the world but there are a couple of pubs and restaurants. There isn’t a huge amount of golf around here either though apart from Ardglass so I suspect you won’t be spending too many days in town. It’s only just over an hour from Belfast and the airport. When it comes to places to stay, there are plenty of options on Airbnb and the Slieve Donard hotel is just next door and looks to be a very handy spot to stay in if you are looking for somewhere to rest your head before or after a 36 hole day.

CONTACT DETAILS

Royal Country Down Golf Club,
36 Golf Links Rd,
Newcastle
Northern Ireland
T33 0AN

Tel: +44 028 4372 3314

E-mail: golf@royalcountydown.org
Web: www.royalcountydown.org

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