The trip to Northern Ireland brought with it a few logistical challenges which needed to be factored in during the planning of The Open Venues Tour.
One of the most challenging things to resolve is the tee time sequencing when many of the venues do not allow a number of visitor slots. The ideal scenario is to play the courses in a regional order as we did in Scotland. But when the club only allows certain visitor slots on certain days you need
to change it up or rethink how you fit in the Open rota selection.
A little 4am start was therefore required for a flight and later a road trip from Belfast down to the South East of England to play Royal St George’s in Sandwich (yes – it is an actual place) – where Darren Clarke was the most recent winner.
My playing partner for this round goes by the nickname “Underahundo” and he is another brilliant man from the “Hack Daddies Golf Tour”. The Beef made his way back across the pond, while Underahundo collected The Good Doctor from Gatwick. The drive out from Gatwick is around 1 ½ hours so a good catch up and early laugh was had en-route.
Underahundo is the best 18 handicap in the global handicapping system. Fact.
The Royal St George’s club is a very quirky setup with a magnificent, traditional club house and facilities that are already undergoing a refresh for the 149th Open in 2020. The positioning of the course relatively close to London is obviously an advantage from a spectator numbers perspective. The positioning of the course is very special as it really does appear to be an authentic course with a great character and club with atmosphere. We also inhaled a number of bacon sandwiches in tribute the (in)famous Earl.
Golf at Royal St George’s is typically played as a two-ball. The idea is that you get to have a proper catch up with your spouse, fellow member or visiting mate. It is actually a really great concept and means that you finish up in quick time. We were also very interested in the quirkiness of the course allowing members to take their dogs with them on a walk for 9 holes. A Labrador and a Border Collie passed us by and didn’t touch any of the golf balls in play. What a treat for these lucky hounds!
The course is really special and was in excellent condition for our round. The starters house is as quirky as the customs and it is unlikely that this layout will be manipulated too much before an Open. The putting surfaces were true, consistent and running at 9.5 on the day.
Underahundo and The Good Doctor set off just after midday and enjoyed a challenging round of golf on the layout. The similarities to Muirfield are interesting with a lot of space off most tee boxes and only a few blind tee shots to contend with at key points.
The views were sublime with vistas over towards the white cliffs of the English coastline. The holes are well thought out and shaped with the back tees looking like a proper test.
Our lines were a touch easier in spite of a breeze that got up considerably at certain points in our round. The amount of roll out was a real eye opener as the rain has stayed away for the time being and we both got run in excess of 50m on a number of occasions. You have to marvel at the ability of the pros to judge the distance and pick the lines that they do on these links courses across the UK.
We both struck the ball very well off the tee box and put ourselves in great positions. Underahundo had a brilliant round and finished with a nett of 67 on the day – a brilliant achievement on this layout. His control was superb around this testing track.
Royal St George’s was fun to play, challenging and interesting as a test of golf. The setup for an Open Championship will test the full array of shots of the pro – while the course remains playable for the amateur. The setup keeps you interested and aware of the beautiful surroundings. Muirfield has a simplicity that makes you want to play it over and over again.
Royal St George’s is not far behind in that regard. Kent has a number of famous golf courses and presents a very accessible option for championship golf – provided you can get a slot and don’t have an issue playing a two ball. You are regretfully not allowed to bring your own dog.
Hitting the final putt on 18 brought to a close a memorable journey through Northern Ireland and coastal England. All in the space of 72 hours. It is remarkable how much you can cram into a long weekend – especially in golfing terms. The final leg is now a reality with a trip up to the Southport region to play the final three courses (Birkdale, Liverpool and Lytham and St Anne’s).
The tour has been an on-going highlights reel that is truly made by the travels, catch up time with mates, meeting with fellow golfers or caddies and a shared passion for the game. The universal view has been that it is special to play any Open layout despite the challenge and score. It is something you have to find a way to experience at some point.
In the words of Bossco – golf is one of the few sports where you can walk the talk of a pro. It is often possible to hit the same fairway and hit out of the same bunker that trapped Ernie or Dustin.
It’s why we play the game and love to challenge ourselves.
