Portstewart or Valley Course

[Bill Gayne]

I'm going to Ireland for 11 days in early August. I've booked three consecutive mornings at Portrush Dunluce course. On the second day I would like to play 36. Should I look to the Strand course at Portstewart or the Valley course at Portrush?

Also, does anyone know how I can find an Irish Hurling schedule and tickets during this time period? I've only watched hurling on TV and listened to on radio. I'd love to go see a match. The only analogy I can draw to Listening to Irish hurling on the radio while driving the Irish country side can be listening Larry Munson doing a big Bulldog game. Both are equally indeciperable but it is clear as to how the home team is doing.

[David_Tepper]

I played these courses in 1994. My recommendation would be to definitely play Portstewart. That being said, the Valley Course at Portrush is also well worth playing. It is not as tough as the other two, but it has some very nice holes. Another very good course is Castlerock. About 5-10 miles west of Portstewart.

[Mitch Hantman]

I played Portstewart in May, and it was well worth seeing, especially the front nine, which is about 10 years old.  The Valley at Portrush, from what we saw playing the Dunluce, looked quite good.  You can't go wrong either way.  My own preference would be to cancel one of the Dunluce rounds, and play both the Valley and Portstewart.

[Jack_Marr]

The all-Ireland semi finals are on August 10th and August 17th in Croke Park. It will be difficult to get tickets, but well worth it if you can. Otherwise, listen to Michael O'Muircheartaigh - the best commentator I've ever heard. He says things like:

" Pat Fox out to the forty and grabs the sliothar…I bought a dog from his father last week… Fox sprints for goal…the dog ran a great race last Tuesday in Limerick…Fox to the 21, fires a shot, it goes wide and left…and the dog lost as well."

"Colin Corkery on the 45 lets go with the right boot. It's over the bar. This man shouldn't be playing football. He's made an almost Lazarus like recovery from a heart condition. Lazarus was a great man, but he couldn't kick points like Colin Corkery. The ball is kicked out…"

"1-5 to 0-8… well from Lapland to the Antarctic, that's level scores in any mans language…"

"Pat Fox has it on his hurl and is motoring well now…but here comes Joe Rabbit hot on his tail…I've seen it all now, a Rabbit chasing a Fox around Croke Park."

"Canavan races out to meet it, Art McRory stands up, Canavan collects the ball, Art McRory sits down again, Canavan back out to Cormac McAnallan, McRory stands up again, McAnallan kicks the ball high in the air to the right and wide and Art McRory sits down and crosses his legs."

"A mighty poc from the hurl of Sean Og o Halpin…his father was from Fermanagh, his mother from Fiji, neither a hurling stronghold."

"Teddy McCarthy to John McCarthy, no relation, John McCarthy back to Teddy McCarthy, still no relation."

[Tom_Doak]

Both are a 6 in my book.  Both are worth playing.

If you are a low-handicap player, Portstewart is a tougher test of golf and might appeal more.  Otherwise, I'd stay in place and play the Valley course.

[Darren_Kilfara]

My $.02: Portstewart is wilder and more interesting, but not quite as good in purely golfing terms. If you're looking for an experience, go to Portstewart; if you're looking for a fundamentally sound but somewhat less interesting golf course, try the Valley course. It's a bit like comparing Cruden Bay to Muirfield; Portstewart and the Valley course aren't in that class, obviously, but the two types of courses definitely appeal to two different types of golfers.

Cheers,
Darren

[Warren_Henderson]

Making the trip it is worth it to see and or play as much as you can and it is certainly worth arranging your time to play all three of the layouts you mention. Dunluce is head and shoulders above the Valley course and Portstewart but I think your trip will be far more memorable having gotten around all three.  

[Bill Gayne]

Thanks, everyone for the feedback. Jack the hurling calls were great. It's a game that I don't quite fully understand but I can appreciate the passion and intensity. I imagine tthat semifinal tickets are like gold.

[billb]

I was in Ireland for 2 weeks in 2000 and missed the hurling, darn!!! Now I guess I have to go back  

Played Portstewart and Castlerock, enjoyed both immensley. Played Dunluce in huge wind, took the fun out of it. Did not play the Valley course, kinda wished we had.

[TEPaul]

I'd play the Valley course. As said above it probably isn't as tough as PortStewart but to me it looks like the way golf once was more than most others and that holds a lot of interest for me.

When you stand on the tee of #14 Dunluce (Calamity) definitely don't forget to walk to the right of the tee and look down on the Valley course below you and most of which you can see from that vantage. It's an incredible sight of natural golfing ground below you.

If you happen to be playing Dunluce with some of the members they very well may tell you this is where Gary Player was standing when he looked down on the Valley course and remarked that a fleet of D-8s could fix that mess down there (the Valley course). The ones I played with were definitely no longer fans of Player's for that remark and don't seem inclined to be willing to forget that remark any time soon. I thought it was one of the neatest views of really rugged and natural golfing ground I've ever seen.

And also billg, when you play your rounds on Dunluce notice very carefully the enormous natural mounds and ridges between many of the holes. I believe in some way this is the type of thing some modern architects try to emulate (containment mounding) and of course do a very unnatural looking and poor job of emulating.

[Tommy Williamsen]

The Valley Course is pretty good, and since you are in Portrush it makes sense to play it.  Having said that, however, one of the reasons I love Ireland is the abundance and of and the different ways architect deal with large dunes.  Some go over, some go araound and some just play along the top of some.  The first nine at Portstewart is on some sublime linksland.  Go to Portstewart.

[Jim_H]

In my opinion, the front nine of Portstewart is as good as it gets, while the back nine is mediocre.  I figured the back nine was new, and the front nine classic, and that they had been built in different centuries.  But I understand that the reverse may be true.
The front nine has the most spectacular dunes I have ever seen.  I believe it's the 5th hole that is outstanding--long par 4, approach is between two gigantic dunes--incredible hole.
Portstewart is very good--but I have not played the Valley course.

[Johnny_Browne]

BillG,
Play the Valley - I think it is much better than Portstewart - not spectacular but beautifully designed golf course.  Portstewart is friendly, fun and great scenery but in my opinion something of a wasted opportunity for wonderful land.  If they had hired a really good architect they could have had an outstanding course but they didn't and I think missed that opportunity. (Of course this happens all the time - I played the European Club last week and once again felt it was an opportunity missed)
Regards,    Johnny Browne