Oh my! Royal County Down. What a treat! Where do I even begin?
Royal County Down is not short on accolades. All major golf publications recognize it as one of the premier destinations in the world with some even stating recently that it is the number one course in the world. Set against the Mountains of Mourne and alongside the shores of Dundrum Bay I don’t think I could possibly imagine a more picturesque setting for a golf course. But the natural beauty isn’t even close to all that this gem has to offer. The course itself is a top-notch championship venue that is extremely well designed and maintained. It’s as if you get a combination of the Old Course at St. Andrew’s with the beauty of Pebble Beach. It’s that good!
Tips to Play Well
If you’re visiting Royal County Down and have intentions of playing well, heed the following two pieces of advice:
- Get a caddie! Royal County Down is chalked full of blind shots that, without deep course knowledge, make the course damn near impossible. Additionally, on the off chance the you miss the fairway (trust me, you’re going to miss a few!) your caddie will help you by knowing where to look to find your ball.
- Hit the fairway! Royal County Down is flanked with massive dunes that are covered in a mixture of native grasses and gorse bushes. Missing the fairway can be extremely penal as hacking out of the rough is no easy task even for the most skilled golfers.
The Visual Splendor
Royal County Down is visually stunning. It’s almost too much to take in. The course is routed through the largest natural dunes I’ve ever seen. The dunes, which are covered in native wispy grass and thick gorse bushes, sometimes seem to go up to 30-40 feet high creating canyons around the holes. The sheer scale of them shell-shocked me for the first three to four holes until I get used to them.
A Few of my Favorite Holes
Hole 3
This is quite the superb golf hole. The tee shot gives you a beautiful view of Dundrum bay on the right and a fun look at the early onset of the fairway. In an era where most golf courses have been rendered irrelevant by modern drivers producing longer tee shots, hole 3 grabs power back from even the longest of hitters and forces you to play golf the way it wants you to play. The end of the fairway runs out at around 270 yards into a devilish set of sand traps and disastrous rough. Now
this might lead you to think that if you can carry your tee shot 300+ yards that you can just bomb it over the trouble. Not so fast my friend! Until you get to approximately 350-375 yards of carry there is lurking trouble that all but force a layup.
Hit a fairway wood off the tee and give yourself a chance at making your par. If you successfully navigated the tee shot, you’re likely now looking at a long iron into a daunting green. The fairway narrows up and there’s four bunkers preceding the green as you approach forcing you to hit an extremely accurate long iron into the green. Lucky for you, once you get on the green it’s a piece of cake to get the ball in the hole. Oh wait, that’s a lie. The green on the third is fast and plagued with nuanced breaks. Best of luck with your score here but do what you can to enjoy the beating as the third hole is one to remember.
Hole 7
I love a good, short par three. There’s nothing wrong with a long par three but there’s something special about a short one that's designed well. In my opinion, the genius in a good short par three lies within the juxtaposition of having a club in hand that you’re confident in hitting and being presented with a shot that terrifies you.
Hole 7 does exactly this. I hit a PW the day I played it but it definitely had to be one of the five most nerve-wracking PWs I’ve ever hit. An extremely small green is protected by a bunker short and three bunkers on the left. With a dramatic slope from right to left golfers are forced to hit a small sliver of the right side of the green. A miss to the left will send your ball tumbling down a hill into a collection area or bunker giving you a shot that can easily roll back to your feet if not flown the right distance. So, if the left is trouble the right must be okay, right? Wrong! Missing right will repel your ball and leave you with a short-sided up and in. Hit the green and more specifically the right side if you have any dreams of birdies and pars.
Hole 9
The most famous hole on the course, the ninth offers a fun adventure. The hole begins with a small strip of fairway that for most golfers is completely irrelevant as the actual line on your tee ball is a good bit right of the fairway you can see. A well struck tee ball will send you sailing into the air and over a 60 foot drop from the first portion of the fairway to the second portion.
After your tee shot, be sure to take the time and hike to the top of the dune where you can overlook the remainder of the hole before heading down to hit your second shot. The view of the hole, Dundrum Bay, the clubhouse, and the Mountains of Mourne in the background is world-class.
Once you’re in the fairway you’re presented with a narrow approach shot into a relatively well guarded green. I was lucky enough to hit one of my best shots of the day in the ninth green. The sight of my ball ascending into the backdrop of the Mountains of Mourne and slightly turning from right to left to land in the center of the green was a thing of beauty.
Hole 16
Just like I like short par threes, I also think short par fours can be a ton of fun and present even the most skilled golfers with a sizeable challenge. The 16th at Royal County Down is a short, drivable par four that is all about risk versus reward.
Teeing off from an elevated tee box, you have the ability to see the entire hole laid out before you. There’s very little surprise here. Size up the hole and choose your route.
I made the decision to go for it and hit driver. A bold move from a bold man! Unfortunately, I missed the green and came up 40-50 yards short. This is exactly where you don’t want to be! Nestled into the thick rough with a bunker in front of me I was lucky to gouge the ball out and onto the green for a much welcomed two-putt par.
Hole 18
The 18th is a challenging but fair closing hole. An average length par 5 offers a real chance at closing with a birdie if you’re careful. From what I understand, the hole typically plays into a predictable headwind but I was lucky to catch it on a day when the wind was blowing from right to left.
The real trouble on this hole is the 24 bunkers that line the hole. If you can manage to navigate your ball away from the bunkers you should be poised to hit a short iron into a receptive green. Enjoys the views as you close your round as Royal County Down is a very special place.
Grades (where 1 is significantly below average and 5 is significantly above)
Scenery: 5 stars
Design: 5 stars
Condition: 5 stars
Practice Facilities: 4 Stars
Experience: 5 stars
Click here for a more detailed breakdown of how I think about course ratings.
Closing thoughts: If at any point in time you even think about going to Royal County Down… DO IT! Do it! Do it! DO IT! Royal County Down offers a world-class experience from start to finish and is one of the most beautiful courses I’ve ever played.
