Royal County Down Golf Club

Easy to see why this place is so highly ranked by all bodies. Superb layout, superb conditioning with every blade of grass in prestine conditioning. The layout and backdrop of the sea and Mourne mountains is simply mindblowing. The pick of holes is the 4th hole, par 3 which is simply one of the best holes in the world. The place is an absolute must visit for every golfer.

Royal County Down is high on the international bucket list, so there is a hearty welcome in a pro’s shop that is stocked to the gunwales with merchandise. The garden in front of its mighty clubhouse is a sea of colour, boasting a Chelsea Flower Show-standard arrangement. There are three putting greens, including a former croquet lawn, and a chipping area where I concentrated on some much-needed bunker practice. We were offered a shuttle to the nearby driving range, but were keen to spend more time honing our respective short games. It was windy and had been raining in the early morning, but a rainbow over the Mountains of Mourne signalled that we were to find gold and, boy, we surely did. George L. Baillie laid out the original nine holes, which were later extended to 18 by Old Tom Morris. Harry Vardon, Harry Colt and, more recently, Martin Ebert have made subtle changes, but this remains golf as it was originally meant to be played. After shaking hands with the starter, I stood with a slight tremble on the first tee ahead of a drive between the dunes, with the wind slanting from left to right. I cracked it down the middle and was advised to leave my second shot 100 yards short of the narrow entrance to the long green. I did just that, found the putting surface and began with a par. The relief was almost tangible. "Take your camera," was the instruction as we made our way to the third tee, which runs alongside the shore of Dundrum Bay. It was sound advice – the course sits at the foot of the mountains and right against the sea, with the red-brick Victorian grandeur of the Slieve Donard Hotel looming in the background. The opening three holes were remarkable, but the fourth, considered to be one of the finest par-threes in the world, revs it up even further. A sea of gorse greets the player from an elevated tee, with the mountains framing the green beyond. I could have sat there all day just to breathe in that view. I should say that RCD's conditioning sets a benchmark. The fairway undulations mean that there is very rarely a flat lie, but the turf is so good that this never causes a problem. The greens have subtle borrows, but a great caddie can point the way to success. Meanwhile, the hazards are fair, with plenty of room to extricate the ball if you avoid the thickest of the bearded brows. With the spire of the Slieve Donard Hotel and the mountains in the background, the ninth is another world-class hole, completing what many consider the finest front nine in golf. From the tee, the drive is blind over a huge ridge before the land drops 60 feet to the fairway below. While the landscape here becomes slightly flatter and more traditional, yet more excitement quickly reveals itself on th back nine. The par-five 11th with one of the most nerve-wracking drives imaginable. This is an almost vertical ascent over a ridge where three of our caddies waited to spot our respective balls. I The standout of the homeward nine is the par-four 13th, with a fairway that snakes through a valley of dunes. Even after a good drive, you are faced with a terrifying, completely blind approach shot over a heather-clad ridge. There is trouble aplenty on the right with bunkers, and beyond the undulating green lie gorse bushes. Because it is a site of such historical and environmental importance, any alterations to the course have to be approved by the local council. These include the plans to reshape the green of the 16th (a par-four which I parred!), and the 17th, whose controversial triangular fairway pond has now been filled in to restore the classic links aesthetic. I didn’t want our round to end. It was played in fabulous company with great caddies. Thereafter, we had a superb seafood chowder in the fabulous clubhouse, which is home to wonderful artefacts, records and photographs from Royal County Down's history. This day was one of the privileges of my sporting life.

One of the best golf-experiences of my life. Royal County Down doesn’t disappoint! I am, in that case, mostly talking about the course. The rest of the club is good, but not as extraordinary as the Championship Links is. Reception is friendly and good. The pro shop has everything you need but isn’t large. The restaurant is decent and serves as the halfway house, but is nothing special. The practice facilities are good, but you need a ride to get there. So tip, get there at least an hour in advance so you have the time to visit the range. It is on the first tee that Royal County Down shows why it is considered one of the best courses in the world. High dunes greet you, as far as the eye can see. The fairway sweeps through the dunes and the wind starts upping the challenge. A very friendly stater bid us welcome and together with a couple of real fun caddies we were off. The first couple of hole run next to the Irish Sea. Especially from the tee boxes you get views of the beach, the dunes and the perfectly manicured golfcourse between. These are stunning. The holes aren’t the longest (yet), the green aren’t the biggest, a missed fairway might get you blocked by a dune and the wind keeps blowing. A nice appetizer for the finest links course I’ve played. Holes 4 and 5 turn round, and this is the first time your teeshots face the Mourne mountains, with Slieve Donard standing tall in the distance, yet quite close. From the teebox of 4, the place is epic, worthy of all the praise it gets. Hole 6 turns away from the mountains again, before the 7th, 8th and 9th all play towards mountains and clubhouse. The views don’t grow tiresome quickly so I much enjoyed all these tee shots. I’ve heard more often that Royal County Down’s first 9 are the spectacular ones. But I feel like that does an injustice to the second nine, which also deliver! Hole 10 is a great par 3, and hole 11 has an epic blond tee shot. There are a number of blind tee shots at Royal County Down, so we were very happy with the excellent caddies. They showed us the line, and spotted for us atop the dunes. Afterwards, hole 12 is a reachable but narrow par 5 and hole 13 has one of the best designs. I also liked the tree lined par 3 14th, before turning back for the difficult par 4 15th. Luckily, your awarded with the short par 4 afterwards. It is only hole 17 that isn’t as good as the rest. That leaves you with (only) 17 of the finest links holes anywhere on the Irish island. Royal County Down is one of those courses you’d create a trip around. Don’t expect the best clubhouse, facilities or food. But you can expect an epic golfcourse that will live in the memory for some time to come.

Royal County Down Championship Course is one of the world’s premier links courses, set beneath the Mourne Mountains in a dramatic dune landscape. The course features significant undulation, numerous blind shots, and thick areas of gorse and bracken, creating a demanding but memorable experience. A forecaddie is highly beneficial due to the number of blind drives and approaches. Conditioning is exceptional throughout, with immaculate fairways, greens, and bunkers. The 9th hole is a particular highlight, revealing stunning views of the surrounding mountains after a blind tee shot over the dunes. Facilities are excellent, including extensive putting greens, a large clubhouse, quality dining, and a well-stocked pro shop. The driving range is accessible by staff driven buggy from the clubhouse. Royal County Down delivers a world-class golfing experience and fully justifies its standing among the finest courses in the world but as expected this comes at a cost

Best golf course I have played so far (and maybe never will play a better one). Cannot describe as well as some others have done but the short of it is that it is a beautiful place, great course, very well maintained. We played last year (2024) after a lot of rain. The rough was merciless… You are well advised to take a caddy. The practice area needs a ride to get there, clubhouse not very special. Staff is ok. But the course is a must have experience if you can afford (prices went up again I noticed)….