Remember yesterday when I said how beautiful it was outside and that the forecasted cold, wind and rain hand't found us. Well, I cannot say the same for today. We awoke this morning to temps in the 40"s with howling winds and rain blowing sideways. I was scheduled to play Portstewart Golf Club at 9:00 or so this morning and things weren't looking good. My initial reaction was to forgo the round but since it was already paid for we decided to drive on over from Bushmills to check everything out. We drove through Portrush over along the coast into Portstewart. What a beautiful little beachside town it was. With the views and and beautiful beaches etc... it was easy to see why this place was such a popular vacation spot during the summer months. Despite today's weather, I was glad to be there too. We wound our way along the coastline until we found the club house perched high on a hill overlooking the beach in one direction and the course in the other. I walked into the pro shop and talked to Alan Hunter, long time head professional there at Portstewart. He could tell I wasn't too excited about playing and was happy to try and get me out tomorrow if the weather were to improve. I decided to go ahead and play, despite the foul weather. I am glad I did as this course offers up some of the prettiest holes I have seen in my travels, particularly the front nine that weaves it's way amongst the dunes. Case in point, the Par 4 5th above, known as Rifle Range. At well over 400 yards and into the wind, I was pleased to walk away with a par here. Check out a few of my other favorites from the course below.
Above is the green on the dogleg right Par 4 1st hole. The tee sat well above the fairway, making it even more challenging to manage the strong right to left winds that I was facing.
Above is the green on the Par 3 3rd hole. Again, wind was an issue here as we were headed right back into it. I hit a hybrid to just the right edge of the green here and was thrilled to walk away with a par. With sustained winds at 30+MPH, pars were at a premium.
These two are from the tee of "Thirsty Hollow", the Par 5 4th hole. This was a fun hole to play, both from the tee and coming into the green. The bunker you see below was to be avoided. Thankfully, I was able to do so.
The next one below is of the Par 3 6th known as "Five Penny Piece." Aptly named after the small UK coin, this green was the smallest of the greens here at Portstewart. Not a long shot, but a devil into the wind. Look close and you can see where my punch 6 iron ended up. Not too shabby.
These next two shots are of the dogleg left, Par 4 8th known as "Portnahppie." I loved this hole as the fairway made it's way down and left around the hill to the elevated green. I made a good par here after dumping my approach shot into the bunker, short right.
This next one is of the Par 4 9th, "Larkhil". This is the view from the new tee that has been put in for competition. Accuracy and length was needed here to find the fairway. I had neither and was forced to play to the strength of my wedge play. I was able to save par. Glad there aren't any pictures on the scorecard.
The weather really set in on the back 9 so I had to put the iPhone away. I must say the back 9 is and plays much differently than the front. You don't see the massive dunes etc as you do on the front. The winds were still there and the holes were certainly challenging. All in all, I am glad I decided to stay and play. Kristen joined me for a wonderful lunch there in the clubhouse afterwards as we got caught up on the day. She'd been at the gym all morning after dropping me off so she'd had a good morning. We didn't have much in the way of plans for the afternoon other than visiting the Bushmill's Distillery. Kristen dropped me off just in time to make the last tour of the day before heading back to the hotel. I was just down the street so I was able to walk back after the tour. I've become rather partial to the Bushmills 16 yr and was looking forward to see just how they made it. It was a fun tour and we got the chance to taste some good whiskey. Great way to end the day!!
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