Will the new holes give Royal Portrush even greater stature in the world of gca?

[Ally Mcintosh]

Great update Jamie, thanks.


What is your opinion of the new 2nd green? I haven’t seen it but was a fan of the old green shape and location.

[Jamie Pyper]

Ally;


This new green was to duplicate the original but is crowned a bit more and doesn't quite capture the wonderful contours of the original. My issue with the changes to the second hole is that the hole is still not long enough. These changes were made with championship golf in mind, and adding a mere 40 yards to a predominately downwind hole will not make much of a difference for those it was designed to test. Tees can always be easily moved, but this green site could have been pushed back. The three bunkers in front of the original green were retained and do have a classic look but will have little threatening value for the big guns.

[Tim Gallant]

Jamie,

Thank you very much for your responses. Great to get the view of a member.

[Mark_Fine]

Yes thanks Jamie.  We seem to be in agreement about that massive bunker on the new par five.  I actually think it could work well there but needs some tweaking.  Aesthetically it was not the best effort.  It surely was not a natural sand dune to begin with.  If so, it fooled me and was far from Mother Nature’s best work 😉

[Jerry Kluger]

I am hoping that the coverage of the Open Championship really gets into the architecture of the course and how the holes play.  Perhaps using drones plus somehow viewing the holes as the player sees them will better explain what the player is trying to do and how the holes challenges him. And yes, the condition of the turf and the amount of wind will certainly add to the enjoyment of watching.

[Niall C]

Jamie

Thanks for your comments.

Re your comments on the 2nd, what do the locals (ie. average hitters) think about the new tee and retention of the fronting bunkers ?

Niall

[Jamie Pyper]

Niall;


The small back tee on # 2 was added a few years ago for the Irish Open but the main tee block has not changed. There were no new tees added in the most recent renovations. The back tee is just about as far back as it can go before a downhill steep slope (and the road) interfere. The group of three original fronting bunkers look wonderful and have that classic Colt look. Average hitters still must contend with theses on their second shot options, which will not bother the Pros at all for the Open. There are also two new front right bunkers positioned where the old green site was located which do come into play for short right approaches.

[Dan Moore]

I played last year and thought the new holes were quite good, much better than the holes they replaced. The new "Big Nellie" bunker is a a wee bit of a disappointment compared to the original. I have some good photos I can post Monday.  Unquestionably the best set of Colt greens I have seen.