Royal Portrush (Dunluce Links)

Overall Thoughts 

A lot of the great golf courses in the world have a defining characteristic that makes them great. The Old Course at St. Andrews is chaotic and random due to its extraordinarily natural form that allows for unlimited creativity with shot making, the course's greatest strength. Cypress Point is seamlessly blended within the coastal Pacific landscape and routed in a way that creates one of golf’s most captivating journeys from Nos. 1 to 18. Augusta National sports some of the most splendid green complexes anywhere, which drives the strategy back to the tee. Royal Portrush’s Dunluce Links happens to excel in all three of these main tenets of golf design – land, routing, and green complexes – yet rarely receives the amount of admiration of those previously listed. 

This leads me to believe the Dunluce Links is the most underrated great golf course in the world, if there is such a thing.

Land 

The most obvious truth of Royal Portrush is its rugged, natural beauty. Sitting just shy of the northernmost point of Northern Ireland, Royal Portrush’s dramatic oceanside linksland butts right up against the rocky coastline. The dunes themselves are well-varied in size but grow larger the closer you get to the water. A prominent dune ridge along the northern border acts as an ocean barrier for most of the golf course. Because of this, you rarely get a wide vista of the ocean outside of the fifth hole, but that hardly matters because the dunesland is so delightful and captivating in its own right. Long, broad slopes are found in sections like Nos. 1 through 3, 12, and 13, and very choppy dunes are seen on Nos. 6 and 9 through 11. The naturalness of the dunes and the way you interact with them constantly keep you engaged in an explorative state during the walk. It would be very hard to craft up a better set of towering, dramatic dunes alongside wavy human-sized dunes like those found at Portrush.

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Routing

Outside of the transition from six to seven, the routing at Portrush flows smoothly over the astonishing landscape. One of the unrealized and more admirable aspects of the routing is the beeline it takes toward the water. Holes one through five take a direct route to the ocean without compromising variety. Players climb up the highlands on the southern perimeter – the first four holes – before reaching the front nine climax on the fifth tee. This journey builds immense excitement as you overlook the last two-thirds of the golf course while inching closer to the North Atlantic. From here, you plunge down to a cliff-edge green on the course's most exciting short par 4. You then turn inland for the wonderful par-3 sixth, and it almost feels like Colt is telling us, “Okay, there’s the ocean, now focus on this magnificent linksland.” 

The middle section of the course, Nos. 8-14, occupies flatter terrain overall but boasts elegant, choppy dunes. You then return to the heaving dunescape for the finishing stretch of Nos. 15 through 18, which provide another pinnacle during the round. This entire journey has a great sequence to it where you build up to the climaxes of No. 5 and No. 16 by playing great golf hole after great golf hole.

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Greens

In many cases, links golf courses have flatter, simpler greens. This is due to the fact that you couldn’t move earth in the 1800s and had to locate greens on more level sections of the undulating dunes. At Royal Portrush, the greens exhibit much more complex character and internal contouring thanks to Colt’s 1933 redesign. What Colt did so well was locate unique green sites that sat naturally within the terrain and subtly forced his hand to craft extra intrigue. These natural greensites inherently create tremendous variety between them.

Greens like Nos. 4, 10, 11, 13, and 17 sit down in low points or in between dunes and create funneling contours. On the other hand, there's a healthy dose of greens that are perched up from the natural grade or benched into a dune and produce repelling slopes. This is seen on Nos. 2, 8, 9, 12, 14, and 16. At the same time, what I just described is certainly an overgeneralization as the natural landscape is much more varied and... natural. There’s certainly an argument to be made that the greens at the Dunluce are some of the finest of all the Open rota courses.

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It’s easy to see why the Dunluce Links is such a refined and well-thought-out design. It was built in the 1930s, late in the Golden Age of golf architecture, at the height of Colt’s career. Similar to Alister MacKenzie at Augusta National, Colt was very confident in his abilities at this time and willing to push his green designs a little further compared to most links golf courses. Portrush is simply one of Colt’s finest masterpieces as it excels in nearly every aspect and is conveniently able to host golf’s oldest major championship and still appeal to the everyday golfer.

Course Tour

Hole 1, par 4, 416 yards 

While the OB stakes down either side of the fairway look small and out of the way, they are very much in play. Just ask Rory McIlroy (see his opening tee shot from 2019) or the author of this profile. Outside of a potential lap-one crash, the first is a very solid uphill par 4 to a deep two-tier green. 

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Hole 2, par 5, 572 yards 

This green was moved back 40-plus yards by Mackenzie and Ebert ahead of the 2019 Open and benched into a dune. Recovery shots from the left of the green can be quite difficult.

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Hole 3, par 3, 174 yards 

An exposed and penal par 3. Anything that misses the green will shed away from the raised surface. Long is an especially bad place to be. 

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Hole 4, par 4, 502 yards 

The fourth is arguably the finest long par 4 on the course. A straight-line OB fence down the right protects the ideal angle into the green, which is fronted by two large dune mounds. Two sets of stacked bunkers down the left create a claustrophobic tee shot that is more generous than it looks. Two great shots are needed here for a chance at par.

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Hole 5, par 4, 382 yards 

The finest long par 4 is immediately followed by the finest short par 4 at Royal Portrush. The fifth is an absolute darling. It provides a beautiful panoramic view of the North Atlantic Ocean and The Skerries from the elevated tee. The dogleg right allows players to make a decision on how far they will try to carry the ball over the dunesy scrub. Driving the green is certainly an option on the right day. 

An eight-foot-tall pimple mound juts upward in the middle fairway around 280 yards from the back tee and can propel your ball in any direction. The green itself flows eloquently along the ground from low left to high right. Banking shots off the shotgrass mound left of the green is a viable option for several pins, but hitting it beyond the crest towards the sixth tee is jail. 

Oh, and I forgot to mention, OB sits a mere three yards off the back edge of the putting surface. 

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Hole 6, par 3, 189 yards 

The name of this hole is Harry Colt’s. Why? Because upon completion of his redesign, Colt was asked by the club to choose a hole that they would name after him, and he selected this par 3. 

I wholeheartedly support Harry’s decision. There’s some sort of special aura to this hole that is hard to explain. It sits amongst the dunes in the most pleasing and natural way. The green itself has several rolls intruding from both sides, plus a steep roll off the front edge. A back right tier houses the most difficult to reach pins.

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Hole 7, par 5, 607 yards 

An entirely new golf hole built across the land on the old fifth and sixth holes on the Valley Course. This is some of the most dramatic land across the entire property. 

The uphill brute pays homage to the old 17th hole with a recreated “Big Nellie” bunker that used to guard the right side of the fairway. Three well-struck shots are needed here. The green has been rumored to have been rebuilt at least four times since its inception, and its current form is slightly out of character compared to the rest of the course. In addition, the shaping of the shortgrass hollows that horseshoe behind the green are rhythmic and unnatural looking, making for a slightly underwhelming finish to an otherwise cool golf hole. 

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Hole 8, par 4, 430 yards 

Another new golf hole built by M&E that stands out. A pair of bunkers artificially frame the outside of the dogleg, but the diagonal tee shot promotes some strategy. The green sits on a high point and misses to any side but the right will cause headaches.

Personally, I would have loved to see the tee box placed down on the lower ground to create a semi-blind uphill tee shot versus playing the entire hole atop the ridgeline. This would give the hole some more character than the current version.

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Hole 9, par 4, 431 yards 

The ninth begins the stretch through the shallow, choppy dunes that presents a unique aesthetic on the periphery of the holes. Contrary to the dogleg, playing out to the right provides an angle into the green that accepts balls better. A low plateau short right of the green allows you to run it into the green safely. This is an example of an expertly situated green that seamlessly blends into the hillside. 

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Hole 10, par 4, 456 yards

A top-notch par 4 that plays through the most tumultuous dunes, hence its name, Himalayas. It’s paramount to get the ball out to the left of the fairway to have an approach along the long axis of the 44-yard deep and skinny green. The putting surface sits down in a narrow valley amongst the undulating dunes and funnels balls towards the middle. Shane Lowry pulled off a miraculous shot here from the left rough to make birdie en route to a historic Saturday 63 in 2019.

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‍Hole 11, par 4, 475 yards 

A simple hole that plays up to a terrific greensite. The severe false front ejects balls back towards the player. 

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‍Hole 12, par 5, 532 yards 

The second half of the 12th plays over some fantastic rolling contours that blend right into the green, which happens to be one of the most fascinating on the course. This slightly perched up green rejects mishit approaches and a small hidden ditch on the right can surely wreck your spirits. 

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Hole 13, par 3, 199 yards 

One of my favorite areas on the course. The large bowl that the 13th and 17th greens sit in provides a beautiful natural setting for both holes. A simplistic green at the 13th means distance control from the elevated tee is most important. 

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Hole 14, par 4, 470 yards 

A tricky par 4 that begins the eclectic finishing stretch. This green sits way up in the air and looks quite menacing from the fairway. Misses long or to the left will leave you well below the putting surface and provide one of the most challenging recovery shots on the course.

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Hole 15, par 4, 429 yards 

This hole has it all: a semi blind tee shot, a dramatic reveal, wild fairway undulations, an exciting downhill approach, beautiful long views, and a small undulating green complex. There’s not much more you could ask for from this fantastic par 4. 

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Favorite hole 

Hole 16, par 3, 236 yards 

What’s more fun than a do-or-die 235-yard shot over a heinous chasm? Ok, this doesn’t sound that great on paper, but this is one of the greatest par 3s in the world. Calamity Corner, as it’s known, forces you to step on the tee and hit a tremendously long iron or wood to find the putting surface. Anything less than that gets gobbled up by the ominous gully short and right of the green. Bailing left will leave you in a rumpled swale, chipping to a green that pitches away from you.

This hole gets in your head similarly to the 17th at TPC Sawgrass. You know it's there waiting for you towards the end of the round, and it asks the most demanding question of the day. Outcomes on this tee will range from massive sighs of relief to dreadful downhill hikes. There’s something enticing about being faced with a very difficult golf shot, knowing that you have to execute in order to succeed, and that’s why this brutal par 3 is such an alluring experience to play. 

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P.S. One of the most lighthearted, knee-slapping moments I’ve ever experienced on the golf course was watching Brendan Porath play his second shot from 130-plus yards away, some 35 feet below the putting surface from the fourth fairway of the Valley course. Check it out below (sorry BP). I’ve included my own misery on the hole, as well.

Hole 17, par 4, 405 yards 

A blind tee shot to a rollicking hogback fairway makes this hole exhilarating to play. Hitting a driver in an attempt to get down the large fairway slope means your ball could shed left or right into trouble. Laying back on top of the hill provides a safer approach where you could knock a wedge or short iron close.

This hole will be especially interesting to see how the pros tackle it at the Open in various wind conditions. We could maybe see some players drive the green.

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Hole 18, par 4, 475 yards 

A true championship finishing hole that makes you earn your last pencil marks on the card. The awkward angle of the fairway in relation to the tee brings the OB down the left into play very quickly. Hug the right to shorten the approach and hopefully walk away with par and maybe a Claret Jug.

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3 Eggs

(How we rate courses)

Royal Portrush’s Dunluce Links is one of the most complete golf courses from Nos. 1 to 18 in the entire world. From the spectacular linksland to the clever routing and dynamic greens, there are hardly any flaws with this design. While I have some gripes with the new seventh and eighth holes, they have replaced the old 17th and 18th, which were previously considered the weakest holes on the course. I constantly think about the finishing stretch of Nos. 14-18 and believe it to be one of the best around. The club has seemingly cemented itself in the Open Rota, giving us all the opportunity to see it every few years on golf’s grandest stage.

Additional Content

Eggsplorations: Blown Away by Royal Portrush (Article)

Praying for Wind at Royal Portrush (Article)