134 Golf World August 2017
TOP 100 COURSES IN IRELAND
Royal Portrush(Dunluce)( )
Portrush,Antrim.HarryColt,MartinEbert.
TOTAL 90.1
2T
he new holes
on the Dunluce
were created
with catering
for Open infrastructure
in 2019 to the fore, but
it is their impact on the
historic course’s quality
that concern us here.
Do they enhance an
already stellar links? Do
they fit seamlessly into
the existing routing?
Are they in characterwiththerestofoneof
the UK’s great courses?
Golf Worldwas given
privileged access to the
new duo, which fit in as
the 7th and 8th, two
months before they
were officially open –
and were accompanied
by Martin Ebert, the
man who createdthem.
They are, in terms of
character, closer to the
other 16 holes than thepair they replace, 17
and 18, which sit on
flatter terrain.
The 7th snakes down
a dune corridor, with
especially tall sand hills
to the right, into which
‘Big Nellie’ – lost from
the 17th – has been
transplanted. This
slightly ascending par 5
uses the land on which
the 6th on the Valley
sat and ends on agreenwith echoes of the 1st.
“There is lots of
movement in the green
andthatisonmymind
because I don’t want it
to feel out of character
with the rest,” admits
Ebert of his new born.
Turning round, the
dog-leg 7th offers the
reward of a shorter
approach from a better
angle if you dare to
chew off lots of the left-side dunes. The fairway
is wide, but from the
right and with lots of
club in your hand, it will
be a daunting second
to a perched green.
These fledgling holes
were not factored into
this Top 100, but will be
for our 2018 GB&I list. It
is hard to imagine this
impressive pair will not
enhance the links’
already lofty ranking.NEWHOLESADDFURTHERLUSTRETOASTELLARLINKS
Chris Bertram played Portrush, and its two additions before they were open, with architect Martin Ebert.EXCLUSIVE ACCESS