Northern Ireland's Ultimate Round of Golf

As the Northern Irish Open tees off at Galgorm Castle, there's no better time to introduce the 'Ultimate Round of Golf' in Northern Ireland... according to Discover Northern Ireland. These holes have been selected/nominated by a variety of golfers, celebrities, sports stars and those in the golfing industry. The holes are introduced through a series of videos - see below.

Rory & Darren... Lough Erne & Moyvalley... and a touch of irony

[Photo: views across the course at Moyvalley - designed by Darren Clarke]

First there was Rory winning the US Open (a year after G-Mac), now we have Darren Clarke winning The Open. That's some year for Northern Irish golf. Darren's victory was spectacular - I said to a few people at the start of the week that if the scoring was low and the weather poor then Darren had a real shot... if only I'd had the courage of my convictions and put a few quid on him (150/1 at the start).I suspect Gareth Maybin will be relishing his next competition. After Hoey's win a few weeks back, it seems that being Northern Irish is a guaranteed passport to winning.

I know that Rory grew up playing at Holywood GC and Darren at Dungannon GC, but their names are also inextricably linked to Lough Erne and Moyvalley, respectively... both of which are in administration.

[Photo: views across Lough Erne and the 7th hole]

The management at Lough Erne in Co. Fermanagh, believes that Rory's win will give them (and Northern Irish tourism) a major boost and they have seen bookings increase nicely since Congressional. Most of this interest is domestic - for now - but, no doubt, Americans who were havering over coming to Ireland on a golfing holiday will have been convinced to come on the back of Rory's win, with Northern Ireland a prime target. (Rory is the travelling pro for Lough Erne)

Whether they'll come for the Royals, Portstewart, Castlerock and Ardglass or whether they'll traipse further west to Lough Erne remains to be seen - hopefully they'll do both. Jonathan Stapleton (Lough Erne's General Manager) believes that Rory's win sets "Fermanagh and the North apart as a golfing destination..." Hmmm, Fermanagh is a beautiful county for sure, but that's a bit of a stretch when you consider that the county has only three 18 hole golf courses - two of which are average parklands (Castle Hume and Enniskillen). Lough Erne on the other hand is a quality course and has all the pomp and ceremony to be a major attraction in years to come (5 star hotel, spa and all the trimmings). Its popularity will grow massively with Rory's affiliation, so I hope it will continue to thrive and benefit both north and south.

[Photo: approach to the 12th at Enniskillen]

(As a quick aside, it is also not that far away from Darren Clarke's first and impressive design attempt at Castle Dargan).

[Photo: the intimidating drive on the 17th at Castle Dargan]

Moyvalley was home to The Champion's Club, and the course was designed by Darren a few years back. It is a rollercoaster of a course and, in my opinion, hugely under-appreciated. It too is in trouble: when it first opened with its air of exclusivity, the joining fee was €75,000. No one took them up on that and, today, there is no joining fee at all - just an €800 annual sub. Since the course is still struggling it will be interesting to see,

a) how the public (local and international) respond to Darren's victory by heading to Moyvalley (and Castle Dargan too), and

b) how the club itself responds to what can only be described as one of the most glorious marketing opportunities open to it.

Time will tell, but it should undoubtedly see a bounce in bookings and interest and I hope it can take full advantage. I wonder if they can lure Darren back for some sort of event, maybe a head-to-head against Padraig Harrington.

Congratulations again to Darren Clarke and Rory and it looks like the Irish Open is going to be one amazing tournament this year.

Rory McIlroy Classic - August 19th

[Photo: Holywood's tough par four 14th]

Let's be honest, calling it the 'Holywood Classic' wouldn't have quite the same impact, would it!

I read in the Irish Times(GO supplement) on Saturday 25 June, that the timesheet was open for entries to the Rory McIlroy Classic, at Holywood Golf Club, Rory's home club. The cost was a mere £20 per person... with Rory showing up to present the prizes. The date? August 19th.

The wonder kid has just won the US Open, so this is going to be a popular event. I called the club and had a chat with the guy in the pro shop. The first tee time is 6am; the last tee time is 6pm. Are there any tee times left?

[Photo: Holywood's downhill par three 3rd, with Belfast views]

Er, no! The timesheet went live online the day after Rory won at Congressional. It was sold out in 30 seconds...

Even if that was an embellishment and it was actually 30 minutes, the Irish Times was still five days late! Still, probably enough time to put your name on the waiting list... but expect to be waiting a long time.

Photos of Holywood, up near Belfast.