Royal County Down Golf Club - Championship Course

Description

Opened in 1889, Royal County Down Golf Club is one of the oldest and well known golf clubs in Ireland. This exclusive club, whose membership is invitation only, boasts one of the most challenging links courses in the world. The Championship Links course is lauded as much for its beautiful scenery as it is for its challenging round. The unique landscape incorporates both the Dundrum Bay coastline and the neighboring Mourne Mountains. Narrow ribbons of fairway that are bordered by vast swathes of purple heather and golden gorse snake through the dune-covered landscape. The greens are fast and many have a tricky domed shape. The course is known for its 'bearded' bunkers, called such because they feature overhanging lips of marram, red fescue, and heather. The par-4 ninth hole is one of the most photographed holes in the golf world. This dramatic hole plays downhill to a fairway that sits 60 feet below.