Breakfast Ball #59: Royal Portrush Returns to the Fray

In This Week’s Newsletter:

Course Profile: Royal Portrush is Another Jewel in Harry Colt’s Crown

Course Profile:

Location: Portrush, Northern Ireland

Par 71, 7,337 yards

Course Rating: 76.0 (the score a scratch golfer is expected to shoot)

Course History:

When Royal Portrush was founded as the County Club in 1888, golf architecture was more of a hobby than a business. The designs of famous old courses such as St. Andrews and North Berwick were usually reserved for the top golfers of the time who architected courses on the side and were not fully compensated for it. Furthermore, many of the designs were extremely limited by the land they were built on without modern construction practices.

Portrush originally opened with a 9-hole layout which was then extended to 18 holes with the help of Old Tom Morris, a former Open champion who was arguably the main person responsible for the advancement of golf course maintenance and architecture in the 1800s. However, in order to make a decent living, Morris was also a greenkeeper, clubmaker, ballmaker, and instructor (more to come on Morris with the course profile of St. Andrews later this year).

When Harry Colt graduated from Cambridge and took up a role as a partner in the law firm of Sayer & Colt, it seemed he was destined for a life in England’s upper class. However, as a talented golfer, he had other ideas. Colt studied golf course design and strategy as the secretary at Sunningdale Golf Club for a number of years, where he made many experimental changes to the course. Then, in 1906, he teamed up with Charles Alison to start golf’s first architecture firm. Before long, they were recognized as the leading architects in Britain with designs including Swinley Forest Golf Club and the Eden course at St. Andrews. Colt later had leading roles in designing famous golf courses such as Pine Valley, Detroit, Wentworth, Muirfield and Royal Liverpool.

In 1929, Colt was commissioned to adapt the existing 18 hole layout at Royal Portrush into 36 holes consisting of the Dunluce Links and the Valley Course. The Dunluce Links, named after the Dunluce Castle overlooking the course, hosted the first Open Championship outside of Scotland and England in 1951 when Englishman Max Faulkner won the £300 on offer for the champion.

Royal Portrush was dropped from the Open Championship rota until 2014, when extensive infrastructure improvements allowed it to reclaim its prestigious status—an evolution that mirrored the event's growing importance over the 60 years since it first graced the Northern Irish coast. In anticipation of the 2019 Open, architect Martin Ebert revamped the course by crafting new seventh and eighth holes from land on the club's Valley Course, effectively replacing the weaker 17th and 18th holes. This revitalization set the stage for a historic showdown, with Shane Lowry clinching the title by a commanding six-shot margin in one of the most iconic moments in Irish sports history.

The Open will return to Royal Portrush for a third time this summer, and has been promised one more Open before 2040.

What Makes Portrush Unique?

Royal Portrush Dunluce is a classic coastal links course, defined by large sand dunes and stunning clifftop holes that provide a jaw-dropping backdrop. The design of Dunluce is a study in balance—it rewards bold, risk-reward strategies on long, sweeping par fives and penalizes imprecision on tight, wind-swept par threes. Each hole offers its own unique character, ensuring that no two rounds are ever the same. The course seamlessly blends its historical roots with modern design principles, preserving the essence of traditional links golf while still testing the skills of today’s elite players.

The main characteristic that makes Royal Portrush unique is the land it is built upon. Harry Colt masterfully routed fairways through deep ravines sculpted by the natural dunes, and used the same undulations to create some of the most challenging greens in links golf. Steep drop offs are also used to mirror water hazards, such as on the 16th hole, appropriately named “Calamity Corner”. The 236-yard par 3 (pictured above) runs along the top of a sand dune, with danger on the right hand side providing one of the most intimidating tee shots in all of golf.

However, the best hole on the course from a viewing perspective is likely the par-4 5th. A sharp dogleg right presents two options: layup to the wide, inviting fairway or attempt to cut the corner to a green nestled against the edge of a cliff. With out of bounds just 4 yards beyond the putting surface, bigger hitters must be careful as the downhill drive could easily run off the green, while a wayward drive to the right will likely find itself in the car park for the beach. A true risk-reward hole with a stunning backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean - links golf at its finest.

Can You Play It?

Yes! While Royal Portrush is a private members club, they do accept visitors. Tee times may be difficult to secure in 2025 as the club prepares to host the Open, but if you are lucky enough to secure one for the Dunluce course it will set you back £365. The Valley course, also a Harry Colt design, can be played for £185.

More Resources: Profile of Harry Colt by The Fried Egg (article), The R&A’s playlist of every hole at Royal Portrush (video), Hole by Hole guide of Royal Portrush (article)

Other news and results from the golfing world:

• 😅 Brian Campbell benefitted from an extreme stroke of luck on the second playoff hole of the Mexican Open to come out with his first PGA Tour victory

  • Campbell’s drive was careening out of bounds when it got a lucky bounce off a tree and bounced back into play - he took advantage of the luck and made a birdie to win

  • 20-year-old Aldrich Potgieter, the longest hitter on tour, came in second place after he tied the course record on Friday

• 🇰🇪 South African Jacques Kruyswijk won the Magical Kenya Open by two shots ahead of Englishman John Parry

  • Parry won three times on the Challenge Tour last year and picked up a win on the DP World Tour in December, but fell just short here

• 🚀 The shot of the week comes from Aldrich Potgieter, who hit a 323 yard driver off the deck to reach a 661 yard par 5 in two shots

  • This is an extremely difficult shot to execute, with power that amateurs can only dream of

• 👬 Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry confirmed that they will be defending their title at the Zurich Classic in April

Coming up on tour this week:

• ➡️ The PGA Tour moves east to Florida at the Cognizant Classic in Palm Beach Gardens

• 🇿🇦 The DP World Tour goes to the second oldest national open in the world at the South African Open

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