Giant's Links at Bushmills?

[Tim Pitner]

I read in James Finegan's new coffee table book on golf in Scotland and Ireland that David Kidd was building a course near Portrush called Giant's Links at Bushmills.  Finegan wrote that the course was scheduled to open in 2007, but I assume that didn't happen.

I've heard about Kidd's Castle Course (obviously) and his course at Machrihanish, but I haven't heard anything about a new course in Northern Ireland (other than Trump's flirtation).  Does anyone have news of Kidd's Giant's Links?

[Evan_Smith]

Other than it's location, I don't have a lot of info on it.  It's being built in the dunesland and fields that border the fun 9 holer, Bushfoot.  I have more shots of Bushfoot, but I'll have to upload them to photobucket.  In the meantime, here's a photo from the 1st tee.  Those are the dunes where part of the course is going to be, and the fields behind and to the right of the dunes.  The Bush River separates Bushfoot from that wonderful dunesland.

[Bill_McBride]

Not sure where this would be.  We were in that area right after the Walker Cup (at Royal County Down) when we drove up to Castlerock and spent three nights.  We played Castlerock and the Valley Course at Portrush - Dunluce booked solid with 45-passenger tour buses parked outside  

Then we went on to the Bushmill's distillery    and had lunch in the nice little town there at the old inn.  I didn't see any signs of a new golf course anywhere in the area.

With one world class and one outstanding course at Portrush, and another solid pair at Portstewart and Castlerock near by, an added top notch course would make that immediate area even more of a destination than it is.  Somebody also told me the links at Ballycastle is pretty stout.  It's a great area, and the people are very fine.  

The food is another matter entirely.  The best we found up there was the excellent Chinese restaurant, Watergarden, on the river in Coleraine, which is the regional center equidistant from all three golf towns.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Evan i'd certainly like to see more pictures of Bushfoot and anything you have of Ballycastle.
I possbly have a free saturday there in April - they might get  visit, sound fun.

[Evan_Smith]

Bill
   If you took the A2 along the coast on your way to the distillery from Portrush you would have passed the road to Portballintrae.  That's how you get to Bushfoot.  When you got to Bushmills, you would have taken a right to get to the Distillery.  If you had gone left towards Giant's Causeway and turned onto the Causeway road, you would have driven right past the land where the new course is being built.  When I was last there in 2006 they had placed flagsticks in the fields and dunes to map out the green sites.    
Here are a 2 more shots of Bushfoot showing the dunes.  I was told that 9 holes will be among the dunes and the other nine will be built in the fields.  I'll have to ask my dad what was being done when he was there in June 2007.
ps-Bill, the next time you're there if you want great food, eat at Bushfoot.  We had 3 great meals there in 2006 and the prices were very reasonable too.  Also, you get a great view of the course.  Similar to my photo looking back down the 9th.

The approach to the 8th.  Notice the pin tucked in behind the hill.  Great golf hole.  That headland way in the background looks down onto the Giant's Causeway.


Looking back down the 9th fairway.  

[Bill_McBride]

Evan, we did take the road from Bushmill out to the Giants Causeway, so I guess we must have passed right by.  I guess I can blame my failure to notice any work on the Black Bush consumed at the distillery and at lunch!  That's pretty country.  We also stopped at Dunluce Castle, where you can see the upper holes on the Dunluce course through the windows of the castle!

[Evan_Smith]

Bill-I'm pretty sure you can blame the Black Bush on any of your problems.  I know I do!!!  If you had looked left on your drive out to the Causeway, that's where the course is going to be.  And yes, it is very pretty country.

Tony-I'll do separate write up's of Bushfoot and Ballycastle.  Both courses are what I call hybrid courses.  They have true links holes along with parkland and headland holes.
 

[Evan_Smith]

I just got off the phone with my Dad and he said that absolutely nothing had been done to the area where the golf course was supposed to be.  In fact, the flags that were there in June 2006, were gone in June 2007.  I wonder if they've run into problems trying to build in the dunesland.  Another possible problem would be that the Americans that were said to be building the place, hotel included, weren't happy that they had to build their hotel in the woods, hidden from view.  Giant's Causeway is a World Heritage site and getting anything built I imagine is quite difficult.  Again, this is speculation on my part, but I was told by the Secretary of Bushfoot that any new building couldn't be a blight on the landscape.

[Tom_Doak]

I know they haven't been doing anything there ... and David's web site lists ten other projects in the works but not that one.  

I don't know what the holdup is, but it was optimistic of Jim Finegan to write about it when he did.  Lots of these projects get stalled at the outset.  In fact, you could write a whole book about that.

[Jeff Doerr]

Bill-I'm pretty sure you can blame the Black Bush on any of your problems.  I know I do!!!  If you had looked left on your drive out to the Causeway, that's where the course is going to be.  And yes, it is very pretty country.

Tony-I'll do separate write up's of Bushfoot and Ballycastle.  Both courses are what I call hybrid courses.  They have true links holes along with parkland and headland holes.
 

Evan,

I'm looking forward to your reviews!

[Ally Mcintosh]

So that land for the new Kidd course looks fantastic... But I really hope they aren't touching the current Bushfoot 9 holer which I'd never seen until these photos... Looks like a lot of fun... Will certainly stop there next time I'm in the area...

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

What is it with these beautiful nine holers?? £10 for 9 holes during the week and £12 on the weekend. Can it get better than that? Reminds me of somewhere like Strandhill from these pics. It really does hammer home to me why, by and large, the only opinions worth listening to where golf courses are concerned are from folk on this site. Excellent find.

I had a look at the club web site a couple of months back and it looks really interesting. If I recall correctly, David Jones did some re-design work there.

Brian, I still think this DG is too obsessed with the top courses. I just wish there were more people on this DG like Jeff Warne. He's played (and continues to seek out) the lesser known courses in GB&I. Ask him about places like Otway, Mulrany, North West, etc.

Last night I was looking through a book called "The Pocket Guide to Golf Courses: Ireland" by William Fforde, (can't remember the second author) and Greg Turner (partner with Scott Macpherson).  It's one of the best books (not because I found myself agreeing with much of what they wrote) I've seen on Irish courses and it's just packed with info and great pictures.

The authors were very impressed with inland courses like Birr, The Castle and Gowran Park. They rated the Castle (HS Colt / G Howes) on a par with the Rosses Point, and above courses such as Malone, Grange and Little Island. That makes me want to see the Castle. Their rating might sound daft to some, but who amongst us can disagree, unless you have played it. You can get the book second hand for £0.01 on Amazon UK. Their opinions seemed to match well with those on this DG.

How many on the DG have passed Laytown & Bettystown on the way to Baltray? L&B is a wonderful links course and should not be missed. There are many others, such as Kirkistown, Wicklow, Corballis, and Greencastle.

[Carl Johnson]

Does this article from a Belfast paper today about the "Bushmills Dunes" course have any relevance to the "Giant's Links"?  Seems like it's in the same area, but as a Yank I don't have the local knowledge: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/100m-causeway-coast-golf-resort-would-boost-northern-irelands-bid-for-open-16120958.html