Well, we made it to Saturday and the weather that was expected to arrive hadn't found us yet. Albeit much cooler, it looked to be a good day for some golf. Kristen had her sights set on finding another gym as well as doing some much needed laundry. We came to find out that there isn't a single "Do It Yourself" laundry in all of Northern Ireland. Who knew? Nevertheless, she dropped me off at the front door to The Royal Portrush Golf Club and was on her way. As for me, I had really been looking forward to teeing it up here today. This club is steeped in so much golfing history. I captured a few images of that history as I walked in. Being the only club in the entirety of Ireland (Northern or the Republic of) to host the Open Championship, this place loves its champions. Fred Daly won the Open when it came to Portrush back in 1951. Darren Clarke hoisted the Claret Jug as the Champion Golfer of the Year back in 2011 when it was held at Royal St Georges. As he lives and plays here, Darren's stuff lines the trophy cases as well. Speaking of Darren, he was outside getting ready to go practice as I was headed out to do the same.
Another incredible thing about this club's heritage is the man they called "Stevie". PG Stevenson was the Head Professional here at Royal Portrush Golf Club from 1922 to 1977. What a career and can you just imagine the stories he could have told. Just off the staircase to the 2nd floor is his portrait as well as a nice write up about him. Would love to have met this man! Lifetime Club Professionals hold a special place in the hearts of their members. Clearly, "Stevie" was no different.
My tee time was set for 3:00 pm and I was paired with two brother in laws from Wisconsin and South Carolina. They were a treat to play with and we had a big time. As I said, the weather couldn't have been better. The views from nearly every tee were fantastic as the ocean can be seen from most of the holes. The first couple shots below are taken from the 2nd tee as I panned out across the course. Beautiful place.
As I said, the course sits along the water's edge as you can see from the next couple of shots. With such a pretty day, there were plenty of beach goers enjoying their day. As you can see, so was I!!
The next shot is of the par 3 14th. It is one of the most famous holes on the course and it was clear to see why. It was playing well over 200 yards, back into the wind with little room for error. Right was dead, as it drops off sharply down to the neighboring Valley Course and the Rathmore Golf Club where Graeme Mcdowell learned the game. I hit a good one here and was thankful for it.
The sun was fading by the time we came to the 14th and if we were to finish our round, it would be close to sunset when we did. We hurried along through the next few holes and were indeed able to finish our round. I could see that Kristen was sitting in the car park waiting for me to finish. What I couldn't see or hear was the fact that she was parked in Darren Clarke's parking spot as she sat jamming out to Nelly's hit "Country Grammar"on BBC's Radio 1. Classic!!
No comments:
Post a Comment