Royal County Down voted best in the world for a second year

Royal County Down voted best in the world for a second year

17 January 2018

NEWCASTLE’S stunning Royal County Down championship links course has retained its crown as the world’s greatest golf course, according to Golf Digest.

The accolade is confirmed in the third edition of the publication’s World 100 Greatest Golf Courses, which ranked Royal Portrush’s Dunluce links in seventh place.

A total of eight Irish courses made the list which, despite being described as ‘truly global’, does not include courses in the United States of America. Golf Digest explains this is because the rankings are “determined differently.”

It’s been two years since the last rankings were released, but the top course has remained the same, with Royal County Down’s links course leading the way, beating the likes of St Andrew’s, Sunningdale and Carnoustie.

The judging panel said the Newcastle course is the ‘nicest location golf has to offer’.

“On a clear spring day, with Dundrum Bay to the east, the Mountains of Mourne to the south and gorse-covered dunes in golden bloom, there is no lovelier place in golf,” said Golf Digest.

“The design is attributed to old Tom Morris but was refined by half a dozen architects in the past 120 years, most recently by Donald Steel. Though the greens are surprisingly flat, as if to compensate for the rugged terrain and numerous blind shots, bunkers are a definite highlight, most with arched eyebrows of dense marram grasses and impenetrable clumps of heather.”

The remaining six Irish courses to make the the top 100 are Ballybunion (16), Lahinch (34), Waterville (55), Portmarnock (58), Old Head of Kinsale (83) and the European Club in Brittas Bay (92). 

Scotland has the most courses on the list with 16, topped by second placed Royal Dornoch, while Australia’s Royal Melbourne completes the top three.