The post 10 mistakes to avoid while planning an epic U.K. buddies trip appeared first on Golf.

The post 10 mistakes to avoid while planning an epic U.K. buddies trip appeared first on Golf.

Several weeks back, my colleague Sean Zak (who’d taken up residence in Scotland for the summer) accompanied me on a legendary trek through the linksland, playing the next three Open Championship host courses (!) in three days — across three countries. I flew into Dublin and then bounced to Northern Ireland where we played 2025 host site Royal Portrush), and then to England (where we played 2023 host site Royal Liverpool), and then to Scotland (where we played 2024 host site Royal Troon). And then I flew home.

This wasn’t just a trip available because we were a couple schmoozy, moochy golf writers. The beauty of Open Championship courses — and top U.K. courses in general — is how accommodating they are to out-of-towners. As long as you’re willing to pay an elevated rate, they’re willing to take your money. They’re reliant upon it, in fact, to keep the course in prime condition and charge the locals an extremely reasonable rate. (Most annual memberships are about $1,000 to $1,500.)

In other words, it’s time for you to be planning your trip to the linksland, too! And while it’s tough to narrow down where you should go (a topic for another day), here are 10 lessons we learned so you wouldn’t have to.

Oh, and if you want to see what came of our trek, here’s Day 1 at Royal Portrush, Day 2 at Royal Liverpool and Day 3 at Royal Troon.

1. Don’t forget a driver.

I’m not talking about the one you can’t stop slicing. I’m talking about someone who can operate a motor vehicle on the left side of the road; a big right miss is far more costly on the roads than on the course.

There are plenty of ways to tackle this, depending on your comfort on the other side of the road, the size of your group and the length of your drives. I flew into Dublin and then took a bus and a train to get to Portrush, Northern Ireland. The rest of the way I entrusted my safety to Zak, who misses plenty of fairways but keeps it in play on the roads.

If you have more than a foursome, it could be worth investing in a driver with one of those cool vans or mini-buses that would make you the envy of the countryside. Otherwise just make sure you have some sort of plan beyond playing rock-paper-scissors at the rental car center when you arrive.

2. Don’t sleep on Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland is relatively remote. Before 2019 it had been long-absent from the Open rota. In other words, it’s not often people’s first instinct when it comes to big-time links trips. But man, what you’ll see if you do go.

We started our trip at Royal Portrush, quite literally one of the best golf courses in the world, its 18 holes draped over dramatic seaside terrain, beach on one end and cliffs on the other. The downtown is just a short walk from the course, where a string of pubs, shops and restaurants stretches out on a spit that sticks into the chilly Atlantic Ocean.

Portstewart, another dramatic seaside dunescape course ranked on our “Top UK and Ireland” list is just a short drive from Portrush. You’ll find gems on your trek down its east coast, including personal favorite Ardglass. And you can try for a time at Royal County Down, which like Portrush, sits near the top of everyone’s list. Northern Ireland — it’s where it’s at!

3. Don’t forget to make dinner reservations.

The issue of “too much daylight” is generally a good one to have, particularly on a golf trip. But many small-town U.K. restaurants may not particularly care that you decided to sneak in a bonus nine holes well after 9 p.m. local time. Many top links courses are in these small, out-of-the way enclaves that have terrific vibes but also cooks that go home at 8:30. Make a plan going in to avoid mutiny from the hungriest members of your crew.

4. Don’t recreate one of the worst moments of Rory McIlroy’s career.

This came at Royal Portrush, too, when Zak paid incredible tribute to the Northern Irishman’s opening tee shot at the 2019 Open by taking hybrid and yanking a pull-hook that settled in almost the exact same spot that McIlroy’s did, definitively out of bounds. Then he did so again, this time barely in bounds, just like McIlroy. There are plenty of iconic shots to emulate at these courses — try those instead. (Or just do what Sean did. Memory of a lifetime!)

5. Don’t stay somewhere different every night.

This one occurred to me just before 4 a.m. when the alarm in our Portrush AirBnB jolted me to a very startled place. Please, please don’t take this as a complaint; we’d plotted our dream trip this way! But if you’re going with a bunch of buddies, remember: you are on vacation. You should do some sleeping. And you should settle in as much as you can.

There are so many epic stops across the U.K. and Ireland that it’s easy to try to pick ’em all off at once. I’d advise you to resist that urge. Instead, rent a house somewhere. Make yourself a home base. And then tour from there, playing the coolest courses within a day’s drive. Feel free to have a couple different home bases, especially if you’re there for an extended period. But there’s something nice about settling into your room for a few nights — and something exhausting about unpacking your suitcase only to re-pack early the next morning. Speaking of which…

6. Don’t squeeze in too much golf.

It’s all relative, of course. You should pack in a lot of golf. But I wouldn’t put pressure on yourself to play, say, two bucket-list courses in one day. That’s a lot of pressure and it’s sensory overload. If you’re there for a few days I’d recommend a recipe of a dreamy course in the morning and then taking on something smaller and more approachable in the afternoon/evening, for those inclined. This is a land dotted with fun nine-holers, short 18s, town courses with character and quirk even if they don’t end up on any list. Seek those out for your supplemental golf. That way you’ll stay fresh for your next big task the next day.

6b. Don’t shank the ball.

Just a sidenote, but this one speaks for itself.

7. Don’t forget your layers.

It’s often chilly in the morning. Warm during the day. Chilly in the evening. And unpredictable in between. There’s a reason professional golfers (including Tiger Woods!) have leaned on the sweater-vest, an otherwise objectionable piece of clothing: It serves an important golfing function. Bring some layers, folks. That’s your No. 1 packing priority.

FootJoy ThermoSeries Hybrid Jacket, Charcoal/Grey

ThermoSeries is designed for layering, allowing you to be adaptable and versatile on the golf course in all conditions.

$175 from go.skimresources.com

8. Don’t forget your rain gear.

This is related to No. 7 but it’s arguably even more important. If you play in the rain without rain gear you’ll end up soggy, cold, miserable. Your clubs will slip. Your clothes will suffer. Your golf game will be irrelevant; you’ll just want the day to be over. But with good rain gear (plus good layering), all things are possible. Footjoy helped sponsor our trip, so we were fully geared up with the very best waterproofs that golf has to offer, and it made a massive difference. As we trekked Royal Troon, a massive rainstorm came up out of nowhere. During one stretch of sideways downpour, golf felt ridiculous. But as it slowed, we were…actually completely fine. The waterproof stuff works scary well. Rain gloves remain the best invention in all of golf. And you need to own a rain suit and rain gloves before you consider anything else on this list.

9. Don’t hold in all your rage.

This was another experiment we tried at Royal Troon: Zero negative comments. It’s a great idea, in theory. Links golf trips come with unique challenges of weather, of conditions, of brand-new courses, and some grumbling is natural. But a quest for relentless positivity had, in my experience, the unintended side-effect of building frustration instead. I left the round thinking it’s important to give yourself permission to get upset, at least for just a moment. Everybody needs a pressure-release valve so they don’t eventually explode.

Tiger Woods’ oft-cited strategy makes a ton of sense in this context: Give yourself 10 steps. In other words, you can get mad. You can be unhappy with your shot, with the shot’s result, with the conditions, with your mental state, with anything. (Woods often would get mad, you’ll recall.) But once you take 10 steps, it’s over. You’re on to the next shot. Use that time to put the past behind you.

10. Don’t play strictly stroke play.

Want to have fun on your trip? Make sure you have some way to evaluate your rounds other than your 18-hole stroke-play score.

First of all, give yourself a break! You’re playing new courses, playing a different style of golf, potentially playing in wind and rain and all manner of challenges and putting pressure on yourself to perform.

Forget that! Forget at least some of it, at least. Get a fun match going. Links golf was built for match play. Buddies trips were built for team play. Try stableford! Build in a feedback system that ensures a gorse bush isn’t going to ruin your day. You can still keep your score, of course. But by keeping your focus broader you can ensure you’ll keep your head in the game, enjoy your round that much more and provide better company to the rest of your group.

I’ll let you get back to planning.

The post 10 mistakes to avoid while planning an epic U.K. buddies trip appeared first on Golf.

The post How I got humiliated by a very short, very famous par-3 appeared first on Golf.

The post How I got humiliated by a very short, very famous par-3 appeared first on Golf.

Among the corniest, most overused jokes in the golf world has to do with a very specific golf hole: the short, tricky par-3. 

Surely you’ve heard it before; this cliche knows no boundary. Public course, private course, American, Scotland, Australian. “Here it is,” a local will tell you with a wink. “The shortest par-5 in the world!”

Golf is no stranger to cliches, and this one lives everywhere. Courses everywhere promising their tricky little par-3 is way harder than you think. Erin Hills will say it about their 9th. Shinnecock about its 11th. Same for Sebonack’s 12th. Royal St. George’s’ 16th. St. Andrews locals might even say it about the No. 11 on the Old Course. They’re all pretty short and damn tricky, surrounded by bunkers, with landing spots as big as a queen-size bed.

The corniness of the line feels worse every new place you hear it, and rings hollow after you’ve made par, birdie or bogey. What’s the big deal? Only once you actually make a five does it feel like the moniker fits. And then, when you make an eight, well, you no longer mock the cliche at all. Such was my experience at Royal Troon’s devious delight. 

Troon’s 8th stretches just 123 yards for you, 123 yards for me and 123 yards for Rory McIlroy, too, during an Open Championship. It’s officially named “Ailsa” for the island you can see (with good weather) off the coast. The nickname “Postage Stamp” arrived via Golf Illustrated decades ago, describing the size of the green. 

What makes it tricky? For one thing, you’ve been making full swings for seven holes, going at it 100%, battling (in our case) for yardage into a stiff breeze. And now, with just a gap wedge between you and the green, you don’t want to go 100% at this shot at all.

You’ve also been playing the same direction all day. Troon’s first seven holes all run south along the beach. But now, on perhaps the highest point of the property, you’re rotated about 100 degrees to the right and asked to judge a new wind for the first time. The question is suddenly different: Can you flip a cute little wedge at a skinny target with the wind whipping across the hole?

This leads to questions of your own. How long will this ball be in the air? Do I really have to play it out over that bunker? What if I overcook the draw and find the other bunker? Is this a 75% wedge or a 90% wedge? All reasonable! And if you’re curious what it looks like when someone is asking themselves too many questions during a swing, you’ve come to the right place. Troon was the third and final stop on our Open Championship trip through the United Kingdom. We made a video about it below.

With a stiff breeze blowing left to right, I convinced myself I needed to start the ball at the left greenside bunker. A straight shot there would guide the ball back to the front-middle pin location and we’d have a look at birdie. But what makes these par-5s posing as par-3s so tough is not the first shot but rather the second. From the green, it’s a piece of cake. From around it, more questions abound. 

With that left bunker as my target, I forced my hands left, turning the ball even further left of the bunker, into fescue

A half-bladed wedge from a scrubby lie found me 20 yards right of the hole.

A deceleration through my third stroke found me in what I’d like to call Rory’s Grave. Mr. McIlroy left his approach in this bunker six years ago during a practice round at the 2016 Open, and it took him six shots to get out. As you can watch here, Henni Koyack confirmed that Graeme McDowell called that bunker “virtually unplayable” that week. McIlroy understood, and so did I. 

One shot into the face of the bunker, ball back to my feet.

A second shot into the face of the bunker, ball mostly back to my feet. 

Finally a decent splash onto the putting surface and two putts for an eight. 

Eight shots in about five minutes will humble you real quick, par 3, 4 or 5. I had been stamped by the Postage Stamp, a big ugly ‘8’ written on the scorecard. To make matters worse, the heavens soon opened up and poured down on us for about three holes, testing every bit of our waterproof FootJoy gear. 

The only thing healing my pain on this day was the fact that I’ll have a story to tell when the Open revisits Troon in 2024. “Here it is,” I’ll say confidently, “the shortest par-5 in the world.” But I’ll brag about the fact that I made eight, since McIlroy had a 6-footer left for the same score, but he scooped it up and moved on.

Watch and weep below.

The post How I got humiliated by a very short, very famous par-3 appeared first on Golf.

The post Playing Royal Troon | DESTINATION GOLF: LINKSLAND appeared first on Golf.

The post Playing Royal Troon | DESTINATION GOLF: LINKSLAND appeared first on Golf.

GOLF’s Dylan Dethier and Sean Zak head to the UK for an epic adventure: playing the next three Open Championship courses in three days. Their final stop is Royal Troon Golf Club, where they tee it up and explore the surrounding area.

The post Playing Royal Troon | DESTINATION GOLF: LINKSLAND appeared first on Golf.

The post These stylish transitional layers are perfect for chilly mornings and early tee times appeared first on Golf.

The post These stylish transitional layers are perfect for chilly mornings and early tee times appeared first on Golf.

We’re highlighting the outfits GOLF’s Dylan Dethier and Sean Zak wore on their recent journey in Destination Golf. In this episode, Dylan and Sean traveled to the UK for an epic adventure, playing the three upcoming Open Championship courses in just three days (and looked great while doing it). Here’s the gear they used.

Dylan and Sean continued their three-round pilgrimage to the UK by playing and learning more about Royal Liverpool. Sporting some excellent golf attire, the guys were bundled in FootJoy head to toe. Keep scrolling to see each aspect of their outfits assorted by item. These pieces are perfect for preparing for a chillier morning on the course and transitioning through your game by shedding layer by layer, as needed.

If you want to stay warm and look fashionable, you’ll love these cold-weather transition pieces:

Polos

Perfect for layering, you’ll forget you’re wearing these polos until it’s time to take off your jacket. The FootJoy polos are stylish and super comfy.

FootJoy Paint Splatter Print Lisle Self Collar

FJ performance golf apparel has experienced remarkable success and acceptance among the game’s best players. FJ performance golf apparel also features contemporary colors and patterns in a variety of styles and performance fabrics.

$78 from go.skimresources.com

FootJoy Lisle Engineered Pin Stripe Self Collar

FJ performance golf apparel has experienced remarkable success and acceptance among the game’s best players. FJ performance golf apparel also features contemporary colors and patterns in a variety of styles and performance fabrics.

$778 from www.footjoy.com

Hoodies and Sweatshirts

It’s essential to add that extra layer on cold mornings. You can always shed a layer when the day warms up a bit. These extra layers will allow you to stay warm and swing freely.

FootJoy Lightweight Hoodie, Heather Grey

This performance hoodie delivers comfort and warmth in a lightweight pullover design.

$115 from go.skimresources.com

Jackets

These pockets will give you access to your scorecard, glove, and wallet, without exposure to the elements.

FootJoy ThermoSeries Hybrid Jacket, Charcoal/Grey

ThermoSeries is designed for layering, allowing you to be adaptable and versatile on the golf course in all conditions.

$175 from go.skimresources.com

FootJoy Full-Zip Hybrid Jacket

This Full-Zip Hybrid Jacket is constructed with easy care fabric for wind resistance. A DWR finish helps repel water in a light rain or mist.

$165 from go.skimresources.com

Pants

FootJoy may be widely known for their shoes, but the FootJoy pants are as comfortable as their shoes. These pants are professional enough to wear to the office, then straight to the golf course. You need these; everyone needs these.

ThermoSeries Pants, Grey

FJ Performance Golf Pants for men ensure a comfortable fit, superior movement, and breathability. Discover an array of golf clothes for men at FootJoy today!

$98 from go.skimresources.com

ThermoSeries Pants, Navy

FJ Performance Golf Pants for men ensure a comfortable fit, superior movement, and breathability. Discover an array of golf clothes for men at FootJoy today!

$98 from go.skimresources.com

Shoes

Tiger Woods wears FootJoy, and we are right there with him. These are the golf shoes you’ve been looking for because there are styles for everyone. Sean wore the classic-looking FootJoy Traditions in white, and Dylan switched it up with the casual FootJoy Flex in navy (to match his hat, of course).

FootJoy Traditions – Shield Tip, White

FJ Traditions offer complete traction and can be easily maintained round after round. Lightweight comfort and super-cushioned foam deliver an incredibly flexible and comfortable ride. FJ, The #1 Shoe in Golf.

$139.99 from https://go.skimresources.com?id=140293X1604404u0026xs=1u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.footjoy.com%2Fmen%2Fgolf-shoes%2Fspiked%2Ftraditionsu002du002d-shield-tip%2F002FJT.html%3Fdwvar_002FJT_color%3D57910

FootJoy Flex,Navy

Experience incredible traction and performance on course with the off course versatility of a sneaker.

$129.99 from go.skimresources.com

More to read…

The post These stylish transitional layers are perfect for chilly mornings and early tee times appeared first on Golf.

The post Brave the elements: How to stay warm on your next golf trip appeared first on Golf.

The post Brave the elements: How to stay warm on your next golf trip appeared first on Golf.

We’re highlighting the outfits GOLF’s Dylan Dethier and Sean Zak wore on their recent journey in Destination Golf. In this episode, Dylan and Sean traveled to the UK for an epic adventure, playing the three upcoming Open Championship courses in just three days (and looked great while doing it). Here’s the gear they used.

Dylan and Sean began their three-round pilgrimage to the UK at Royal Portrush, sporting some excellent golf attire — bundled in FootJoy head to toe! Keep scrolling to see each aspect of their outfits assorted by item. These pieces are perfect for transitioning your game into fall weather and preparing for winter. If you want to stay warm and look fashionable, you’ll love these cold-weather outfits.

Hats

Keeping your head warm keeps your mind right, and your mind right keeps your game right. Also, who doesn’t love a good pom pom knit beanie?

FootJoy Pom Pom Solid Knit Hat

When full cover is required for those cold days on the course, a pom pom beanie is a must-have for cool playing conditions.

$30 from go.skimresources.com

FootJoy Pom Pom Solid Knit Hat, Heather Grey

When full cover is required for those cold days on the course, a pom pom beanie is a must-have for cool playing conditions.

$30 from go.skimresources.com

Undershirt

Keeping your body warm while playing golf is a must. This ThermoSeries Base Layer Undershirt is a great way to stay warm between shots.

FootJoy ThermoSeries Base Layer, White

ThermoSeries is designed for layering, allowing you to be adaptable and versatile on the golf course in all conditions.

$68 from go.skimresources.com

Polos

FootJoy offers a nice range of prices. High-quality performance polos AND affordable… we love these.

FootJoy Paint Splatter Print Lisle Self Collar

FJ performance golf apparel has experienced remarkable success and acceptance among the game’s best players. FJ performance golf apparel also features contemporary colors and patterns in a variety of styles and performance fabrics.

$78 from go.skimresources.com

FootJoy Lisle Engineered Pin Stripe Self Collar

FJ performance golf apparel has experienced remarkable success and acceptance among the game’s best players. FJ performance golf apparel also features contemporary colors and patterns in a variety of styles and performance fabrics.

$778 from www.footjoy.com

Hoodies and Sweatshirts

It’s essential to add that extra layer on days as cold as the one Dylan and Sean had. Some morning tee times can be brutal, but these extra layers will allow you to stay warm and swing freely.

FootJoy Lightweight Hoodie, Heather Grey

This performance hoodie delivers comfort and warmth in a lightweight pullover design.

$115 from go.skimresources.com

FootJoy Crewneck Pullover, Bluestone

FJ performance golf apparel has experienced remarkable success and acceptance among the game’s best players. FJ performance golf apparel also features contemporary colors and patterns in a variety of styles and performance fabrics.

$115 from go.skimresources.com

Jackets

These pockets will give you access to your scorecard, glove, and wallet, without exposure to the elements.

FootJoy ThermoSeries Hybrid Jacket, Charcoal/Grey

ThermoSeries is designed for layering, allowing you to be adaptable and versatile on the golf course in all conditions.

$175 from go.skimresources.com

Pants

According to the guys, these pants are super comfy. You could wear these to the office, then straight to the golf course. Anyone would love them.

ThermoSeries Pants, Grey

FJ Performance Golf Pants for men ensure a comfortable fit, superior movement, and breathability. Discover an array of golf clothes for men at FootJoy today!

$98 from go.skimresources.com

Shoes

Tiger Woods wears these shoes, and we are right there with him. These are the golf shoes you’ve been looking for because there are styles for everyone. Sean wore the classic-looking FootJoy Traditions in white, and Dylan opted for the casual FootJoy Flex in grey.

FootJoy Traditions – Shield Tip, White

FJ Traditions offer complete traction and can be easily maintained round after round. Lightweight comfort and super-cushioned foam deliver an incredibly flexible and comfortable ride. FJ, The #1 Shoe in Golf.

$139.99 from https://go.skimresources.com?id=140293X1604404u0026xs=1u0026url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.footjoy.com%2Fmen%2Fgolf-shoes%2Fspiked%2Ftraditionsu002du002d-shield-tip%2F002FJT.html%3Fdwvar_002FJT_color%3D57910

FootJoy Flex,Navy

Experience incredible traction and performance on course with the off course versatility of a sneaker.

$129.99 from go.skimresources.com

More to read…

The post Brave the elements: How to stay warm on your next golf trip appeared first on Golf.

The post I walked in Tiger and Rory’s footsteps — and hit a shot they never could appeared first on Golf.

The post I walked in Tiger and Rory’s footsteps — and hit a shot they never could appeared first on Golf.

In 2006, Tiger Woods took apart Royal Liverpool like an archaeologist. He’d uncover a win eventually, he was sure, as long as he didn’t make any big-time mistakes. Pulling driver to challenge a faraway fairway bunker? May as well bring dynamite to a prehistoric excavation. Woods left the blasting to his desperate competition, making his way around Hoylake with chisel and brush, using smaller, finer tools: 2-irons off tees and long irons to the middles of greens. With every fairway and green he hit, the inevitability of his victory drew closer.

To win a major championship, at some point you have to take some risks — unless you’re Tiger Woods. Particularly 2006 Tiger Woods. To win this major championship, he was determined not to take any risks at all.

“That week was far and away the best ball-striking tournament he ever had,” swing coach Hank Haney told The Scotsman later.

His was a win for discipline and for patience; Royal Liverpool was burnt to a crisp and Woods used that ground to advance his low-flighted irons down the fairway, even if it meant hitting longer approach shots than his competition. It was a strategy that served as tribute to his late father Earl, who had passed that May.

“He was always on my case about thinking my way around the golf course and not letting emotions get the better of you, because it’s so very easy to do in this sport,” Woods said. “He would have been very proud.”

The bridled nature with which he attacked the course was a sharp contrast to his reaction on the 18th green, when he let out weeks and months of pent-up sorrow as he sobbed into the arms of caddie Steve Williams.

“I guess I’m kind of the one who bottles things up a little bit and moves on, tries to deal with things in my own way. But at that moment it just came pouring out and of all the things that my father has meant to me and the game of golf,” he said afterwards. “I just wish he could have seen it one more time.”

In 2014, Rory McIlroy dismantled Royal Liverpool like he was blasting a tunnel through a mountain. The Northern Irishman was already the best driver in the world and proved it, taking a wholly different approach to Hoylake. The course was greener and lusher than the one Woods had picked apart some eight years earlier. McIlroy’s style of play was in vogue, too: Smash it down the fairway and play it from there.

“The way he plays is pretty aggressively,” Woods said that week. “When he gets it going, he gets it going. When it gets going bad, it gets going real bad. It’s one or the other.”

This week, he had it going. McIlroy opened with 66 to grab the first-round lead and built a six-shot advantage going into the final round, throttled back slightly and won by two, cementing his Open Championship dreams as well as the dream — and wager — of his father, who had predicted via Ladbrokes that his son would win the Open by the time he turned 26.

The win hastened comparisons to Woods; surely McIlroy was the next man up to chase his childhood idol? He was open to the possibility.

“Golf is looking to someone to put their hand up and try,” he said. “I want to be the guy that goes on and wins majors and wins majors regularly.”

In 2022, I, Dylan Dethier, arrived at the same hallowed ground. I neither dissected nor dismantled anything about the property, but I’d weathered its blows and, through 14 holes, had played the historic Open venue to something of a stalemate.

Enter No. 15.

The 15th will become iconic in just nine months’ time, when the Open returns to the Wirral Peninsula. It’s a brand-new hole designed by architect Martin Ebert, who the club brought in to ensure its enduring relevance. The course’s newest addition is arguably its flashiest; at just 135 yards, the pint-sized par-3 features a small, elevated green that gazes out over the Irish Sea, flaunting the view and reminding golfers that this is, in fact, a spectacular seaside property. (The course’s other 17 holes are near the sea but never rub your eyes in it; giving too many dramatic views would be too ostentatious. Subtlety and understatement are still prize possessions. This is England, after all.)

I made reference, in the title of this piece, to the fact that I walked in the footsteps of Woods and McIlroy and yet hit a shot they never could. That was enough enticement for you to make it this far, which is a good thing. It’s also a bit of a riddle. There I was, walking in their footsteps. My drives couldn’t keep up with McIlroy’s from 2014 nor, perhaps, even Woods’ 2-irons from 2006. But the fairways were the same, rumpled and delightful, a former racetrack turned golf playground, and small-town U.K. keeps even its mightiest courses available to the public. Here we were.

Neither Woods nor McIlroy has yet had the opportunity to play this tee shot, because the hole hasn’t yet made its Open debut. In that way, I was already covering ground that they had not. But as I stepped up to the ball, determined to hit one close and conquer this devilish beauty, my trailblazing took a sudden turn. A sudden right turn, to be specific. I tweaked something in my swing thought, and when I instinctively looked up at the moment of impact to watch my ball’s flight it was coming out of a different window entirely, veering dangerously over the head of Tamara, our host and playing partner, before careening into an adjacent shed with an emphatic wham.

I’d delivered a pure, cold shank. The kind that sears itself in your muscle memory. Even now, hundreds of wedge swings later, I can still feel that point of impact. I can see that ball shooting right. (Continually re-watching the video probably doesn’t help.) And while I’m not saying neither Woods nor McIlroy has ever hit one — YouTube results remind us that McIlroy delivered hosel to ball as recently as last year’s Masters — but to do so with a little pitching wedge? Off a tee, no less? That’s far more rare.

Sean Zak, my playing partner, fared far better when faced with the same shot. You can see precisely how much better in the video below. But on a surreal day in which we studied Royal Liverpool’s century-plus of history, dined on its patio, made ourselves at home on its fairways and greens, this was the realest reminder of all: I could walk the same holes as golf’s greatest legends, but I wasn’t playing the same game. Not quite.

The author (cautiously) welcomes your comments at dylan_dethier@golf.com.

P.S. — Our trip wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Destination Golf sponsors Footjoy. One reason I hit that shank is that I’d recently removed my gray Lightweight Hoodie for the first time in about 48 hours. Don’t make the same mistake — check ’em out below!

Footjoy Lightweight Hoodie

This performance hoodie delivers comfort and warmth in a lightweight pullover design.

$115 from www.footjoy.com

The post I walked in Tiger and Rory’s footsteps — and hit a shot they never could appeared first on Golf.

The post Next year’s Open Championship host isn’t afraid to make drastic changes appeared first on Golf.

The post Next year’s Open Championship host isn’t afraid to make drastic changes appeared first on Golf.

The first day I laid eyes on Royal Liverpool, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was doing something wrong.

It was a Sunday afternoon and I was there just to see the property, no swings attached. A bit disoriented (and at the behest of a flustered Uber driver) I entered the abnormal way, between the 7th and 8th holes, actually about three-quarters of a mile from the clubhouse. I worked my way in that direction, past a public path that leads to the beach. “STOP,” a sign read. “Beware of golf balls from right & left.”

I was visiting Royal Liverpool to take some pictures, fly a drone for the video you’ll see below and to get a general lay of the land. Maybe a couple dozen players were on the course, the sun beginning to set and give the yellow fairways a little extra glow. It looked too good and felt too easy to be true. Surely something was happening in town or down the coast for this peninsula to seem so perfect. But after getting to know its fairways and the people who walk them, I started to understand this is what you get at Royal Liverpool most days during summer: a breeze off the Irish Sea, the distant sound of beach-bound residents and not a soul in your way.

That won’t be the case next summer, of course. That was still tough to picture: How would this quiet, tidy, sun-splashed place of solitude look when it hosts the 2023 Open? It’s one of the endearing aspects of this major championship that isn’t quite matched by the others: the Open routinely visits small towns. St. Andrews, Troon, Portrush, Gullane. And while nearby Liverpool isn’t small, Hoylake itself is. Just 5,000 people reside there and just 12,000 more live in nearby West Kirby. The golf course itself actually takes up about a third of the acreage in that corner of the Wirral Peninsula. As Open-goers found out this summer at St. Andrews, in towns like these, there are really only so many beds to go around. 

That high demand for low supply is part of what makes these small-town Open weeks so magical. You could find any number of pros walking down Market Street this year in St. Andrews. The same scene will play out on Market Street in Hoylake in nine months. For seven days the restaurants will stay open later, the cafes will open earlier, and the bars might even pour you a pint at 1 a.m. It’s good for business, it’s good for the townsfolk, and it’s good for members of the club. Royal Liverpool embraces the Open and everything that comes with it — even when that means embracing significant change.

When Rory McIlroy and gang revisit Hoylake next summer, they’ll find a few big adjustments, some more obvious than others, all of them advice from architect Martin Ebert. If hosting the greatest players in the world is what you’re after, modernizing your course is high on the priority list. For proof, see the 15th hole, which gave us a hearty introduction when we played there in August during a sprint around the U.K. Check it out below. 

Three years ago, the 15th ran from west to east, measured around 160 yards and typically played downwind. It was mostly grassy with a quintet of greenside bunkers. Now? Record scratch. The hole has been flipped 180 degrees and shortened to about 135 yards. It points west these days, facing the Irish Sea and the islands off its coast. It’s earned a new name — Little Eye, the name of one of those islands — and has a much more rugged look. Green paths of turf weave between the sandy waste bunkers short, long and off the left. If Royal Liverpool is going to be next to the beach, this hole helps you feel like you’re near the beach, more than any hole on the property. Head Pro John Heggarty called it a “cute” way to break up a stretch of four or five lengthy finishing holes. It’ll serve as the 17th hole during next year’s Open, when the nerves of finishing off a major championship will make it anything but cute. 

As a matter of exercise, can you think of another 100+ year-old club that would do this? That would pick up one of its historic holes like it’s a figurine, flip it around, examine it from another angle, set it in place and tell its members, “surprise!” It just doesn’t happen. But it’s an example of club mentality. “Our view has become progressive traditionalism,” said Tamara Allen, a member of four years who played with us during our trip. “Or you might even call it traditional progressivism. You can’t stand still. You’ll move backwards if you stand still.”

In order to keep from standing still, RLGC has gone so far as to scan TripAdvisor for hints at how it can improve its operations. Shinnecock does not care about TripAdvisor, I can promise you. Royal Liverpool does, at least a little bit. “There’s a saying that [Bernard] Darwin said that Hoylake is fundamentally owned by the members, but it’s also owned by the world of golf,” Heggarty told us. “When you have a golf club that is as prestigious as this, we don’t have a philosophy that’s ‘Let’s keep it closed so that people can’t come and share it with us.’ We as a golf club are enthusiastic to have visitors come to the club, simply to share our heritage and share the links with them.”

If visitors feel a certain way, and members seem to agree with it, why not make these reasonable changes? Royal Liverpool has leaned into that why not mentality while maintaining the legacy they’ve inherited. In doing so, they’re embracing the responsibility of getting the Open to return in, say, 2029. And then again maybe six-to-eight years after that, and maybe seven years after that, and so on. The astute golf nerd will find changes on what the pros will play as the 4th, 7th, 8th and 13th. The most obvious — besides the now-reversed penultimate par-3 — will be the back tees added to the 18th, stretching it to a modern maximum of 607 yards. R&A officials walked the property as we visited, checking the changes beneath their feet.

But the beauty of RLGC isn’t exclusively in its willingness to change but the way it works its way to that change. Some stuff goes, some stuff stays. The good is agreed upon, the less-than-good gets adjusted. That’s the process, and that’s how it’s been since the club’s inception. Inside you’ll find a leather-bound navy blue ‘Suggestion Book’ that incorporates member suggestions from decades ago, continuing through recent years.

When a motion was put forth during the club’s first year of existence to change its name to an absolute mouthful — The West Lancashire and Cheshire Golf Club — the membership thankfully stepped in and made the right decision for future golf writers worldwide. Years later, when the horse races at Liverpool Hunt Club began to shift elsewhere, Royal Liverpool grasped on to that history and held it. Some stuff goes, some stuff stays. Today, where bicycles and horses used to fly, so does your first tee shot. Therein lies the traditionalism half of ‘progressive traditionalism’: a wicked, unique test and an out-of-bounds boundary unlike any you’ll find anywhere else. Only at Royal Liverpool.

Our trip would not be possible without the help of FootJoy, who hooked us up with the kind of gear you need for links golf. In the videos from that trip you’ll see me rocking my favorite piece of apparel, a baby blue hybrid jacket that helps cut the wind — but also doesn’t lead to overheating when the sun is out. Check it out for yourself at the link below.

ThermoSeries Hybrid Jacket

A woven shell material offers 4-way stretch ability for improved range of motion and wind resistance. A full front zipper allows for easy access wear during changing weather conditions. Side pockets allow for hand comfort and warmth. The protected chest pocket gives you access to your scorecard, glove, wallet, without exposure to the elements.

$175 from www.footjoy.com

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GOLF’s Dylan Dethier and Sean Zak head to the UK for an epic adventure: playing the next three Open Championship courses in three days. Their second stop is Royal Liverpool Golf Club, where they tee it up and explore the surrounding town.

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I first fell in love with Portrush in the summer of 2019.

The Open had arrived in Northern Ireland, its first time there since 1951. The golf world arrived with it. Thousands cascaded in from the U.K. and Ireland. Thousands more, including me, came from further afield; I took a redeye into Dublin and then made the trek north, watching bleary-eyed as the Emerald Isle whizzed by. I was born and raised in a rural New England town, so while the pastoral landscape was familiar, it felt distinctly different. Older, for one thing. Secluded, for another; the landscape was timeless, outwardly unaffected by time and technology.

I loved the town first. Portrush is a tiny seaside village of 6,000 or so that sits on the northern tip of Northern Ireland. The downtown sticks out in particular, as it’s a one-mile peninsula jutting dramatically into the Atlantic. It’s built for fun: restaurants border beaches, which border pubs, which border arcades, which border ferris wheels, which border more beaches, which border the golf course. And I soon learned to love that, too.

I loved the way the crowds flowed through town. After a day at the course, they’d made their way on foot from the course down into town, dispersing into various pubs along the way, spotting players and caddies and media in their midst, one large group ultimately making it all the way to the Harbour Bar, where bartenders served as many pints as they could draw from the tap.

I loved the town’s vacation feel. Because it sits at 55 degrees north — the latitude of Ketchikan, Alaska or Omsk, Russia — the locals’ standards for a warm summer day are remarkably low. Kids traipsed the beaches of the West and East Strands, braving frigid waters, taking full advantage of a 10 p.m. sunset.

I loved the integration of town and course; the main road that would lead in and out of town brought you directly to the course. This blurred the lines between at Royal Portrush and being in Portrush, as the former was made to feel very much a part of the latter. They take their golf seriously in Northern Ireland, but a golf club’s exclusivity isn’t held up as a badge of honor the way it is in the United States. The people of Portrush were glad we were there and hoped we’d come back.

So we did.

The Masters is a terrific event, but you can’t play Augusta National. Ditto this year’s U.S. Open host site, The Country Club at Brookline, or the PGA Championship venue, Southern Hills. But you can play Royal Portrush. They need you to play Royal Portrush, in fact. The club welcomes visitors, who arrive by hired car or coach bus and pay enough for their tee times that they subsidize prices for local members. This is a modest town with a terrific golf course.

I’d returned with fellow GOLF writer Sean Zak and our videographer Tiffani Lynch to soak up what Portrush felt like when the Open wasn’t in town. When the tournament ended in July 2019, most of the crowds departed, after all. They’ll be back in July 2025, when the Open returns. We arrived in town smack-dab in the middle of August 2022, clubs and suitcases and big dreams all stuffed into our rental.

There are two basic requirements for a memorable golf destination. Number one, your destination requires some effort to get to. Number two, that destination is somewhere worth being. I flew direct from San Francisco to Dublin, took a bus to Belfast and took a train the rest of the way. Green fields and fuzzy sheep whizzed past. A Guinness awaited at the Harbour Bar. It was good to be back.

Portrush is better seen than described, so I’ll let the video below speak better than any thousands of words. But the most common question I’ve gotten since my return is this: What makes Portrush so special, rated not just among the top links in the world but the very best courses, period? In simplest terms, here’s where I landed:

1. The elevation changes. Like other top-tier links courses, Portrush has a breathtaking seaside setting. Panoramic views include downtown to the west, the open Atlantic to the north and a dramatic coastline — including the craggy ruins of Dunluce Castle — to the east. But it’s rare to have a links course that features so many hills. As a result both the views and golf shots are more dramatic. The wild dunescape takes you up and around and over humps and bumps and mounds. It’s a more three-dimensional experience than your typical links. It’s also hard as hell.

2. The hole variety. Portrush keeps your head on a swivel; every single hole is oriented in a slightly different direction. Some links courses are 18-track albums, only appreciated when listened to all together. Portrush has 18 hit singles. Not just the showstoppers, like the photogenic seaside par-4 5th and the beefy par-3 16th. Every hole, from Rory’s tragic 1st to the 18th, site of Shane Lowry’s coronation, demands your attention and can be easily recalled at day’s end — ideally back at the Harbour Bar. Because, again, it’s hard as hell.

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3. The setting. Plenty of links courses boast an epic history. Plenty more boast an epic coastline. Portrush has both; the hundred-year-old trophies will give away the first bit, while the chalky cliffs give away the second. Portrush’s championship layout doesn’t sacrifice in any category. This is, after all, a setting robust enough for an Open Championship and wild enough to serve as a filming location for Game of Thrones. That’s range.

The club was founded in 1888 and its modern routing has been around for nearly a century. In 2019 the course proved itself a fair and timeless challenge. If you pick a rare calm day and hit the ball in the fairway off the tee, you can score. If not? Gorse and fescue and blackberries await. But with a view!

We found the wind. We found what happens if you miss the fairway, and as a result we found the gorse and the blackberry bushes. We found history and legacy and pints in town. One of us even found his way into the Atlantic. As for the rest? Check it out below.

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Bless the heart of Rory McIlroy who stood on the 1st tee at Royal Portrush in 2019, wind breathing in off the right. Bless his heart because Northern Ireland’s greatest golfing talent, then 30 years old, said he wasn’t trying to be the center of attention that week, as the Open Championship returned to his home country. 

Bless the heart of a four-time major champion who admitted to being nervous, playing in his 11th Open but the first to be held there in more than 60 years. Bless the heart of the fan favorite whose name was right there next to the course record: 61. This scene was the kind we dream about, we being the golfers who play it and the thirsty fans who watch it. 

McIlroy stood on the tee in the center of a chute created by the grandstand. He couldn’t have felt the wind quite as much as the spectators out lining the ropes. But as soon as he hit his driving iron, that right-to-left wind upgraded his patented draw into a hook. He started calling for it to sit.

Sit.
Sit.
Sit.
Sit.
Sit.
Sit.

Six different calls for it to “sit”, maybe seven, before McIlroy’s ball eventually sat down in the long stuff … out of bounds. And now, save for the stakes and the home crowd and the back tees and maybe that right-to-left wind, I know exactly how he feels.

Like any good buddies trip, my visit to Portrush last month loomed in the back of my head for weeks prior. I didn’t cover the ’19 Open, so I never got the chance to visit the Harbour Bar, never got to see how close Royal Portrush is to the center of town, never got to feel its golfy heartbeat. All I knew about Portrush was that 1. It sits around the same latitude as the southern bit of Alaska, and 2. That’s where Rory McIlroy was brought to tears. Since I had only watched this take place on television, I desperately wanted to see what that 1st tee looked like. I needed to understand the view McIlroy had, imagine the crowd who met him out there and insert myself into the mental torture chamber that is O.B. left and O.B. right.

(A quick aside: Portrush, I can assure you, is much, much more than that. It’s a mile-long peninsula beach town filled with bed and breakfasts, boutique shops, arcades and cafes. Read more about it as a destination here and check out our entire trip in the video below.)

I don’t normally get psyched out over special courses or specific shots. I’m not saying I’d necessarily hit the green, but the thought of playing 17 at Sawgrass doesn’t make my palms sweaty. Nor does the 18th at Pebble. Whatever happens, happens. Put my best swing on it, then chase after it. But for some reason, the 1st at Portrush freaked me out. It could be that it was the first tee shot in a 54-hole, 54-hour golf sprint from Northern Ireland to England to Scotland. It could be that Portrush caddies and members often loiter around and watch, since the putting green is nearby and you have to cross the tee to visit the practice range. It could be that the dueling out-of-bounds markers (and fairway bunkers) provide an obvious route forward, and executing the obvious route is sometimes one of the hardest things to do. But mostly I couldn’t shake the fact that it represents one of the biggest letdowns in the career of one of the best golfers ever. In my mind, the hole signified trouble. It represented anguish. It was an emotional tee box.

“Don’t ask Rory about that,” Gerry McAleese told me upon my arrival at Portrush. McAleese is a multiple-time club champion at Royal Portrush and precisely the kind of person you want to run into when visiting from the States. He’s a talker, a storyteller, and a damn good golfer himself. He’s shot 66 at Portrush, a number he admitted to only when pressed. He’s far more interested in the stories of everyone else who plays Portrush — including McIlroy.

“I’ll tell you an interesting story about that club, okay?” he said, a smile sneaking onto his face. “I was on the driving range there about six months ago and a friend says to me, ‘Do you want to try that club?’

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“I says, ‘Not really.’ 

“He says, ‘You should try it.’ 

“I said, ‘Why?’ 

“He says, ‘It’s quite a famous club.’ 

“Harry Diamond, who caddies for Rory, right? His father-in-law has Rory’s 2-iron in the bag. The club he didn’t have a successful 1st hole [with]. So we’ve got a member who has Rory’s 2-iron in the bag. [laughs] He asked me did I want to hit it and I said no.” 

Gerry finds this fateful bit of golf history entertaining, but I can’t blame him for not wanting to hit that bewitched thing. Nor can I blame Rory. Apparently McIlroy got rid of the club shortly after competing that week; now it floats around the club like a ghost. People sort of know it exists but aren’t too keen to touch it.

That’s the convenient excuse I’m going to use to explain my fate at Portrush in the middle of August. That the ghost of McIlroy’s driving iron found a friend in my driving iron. I watched my colleague Dylan Dethier stripe his driving iron out into the fairway, as McAleese, the starter and some Portrush caddies watched on. “Rory McIlroy would give you a million dollars for that tee shot,” I told Dylan. “Maybe more than a million.”

(It’s a fun thought exercise: how much money would McIlroy give for a ball in that 1st fairway. We saw what he was capable of when he shot 65 the next afternoon. How much would Tiger Woods pay to have not clanked the 15th flagstick in 2013 at Augusta? Jordan Spieth’s number for a do-over at Amen Corner in 2016? Astronomical. And he’d be able to afford it.)

If it wasn’t clear by now, I was obviously going to play this shot with Rory top of mind, and if I was any better a golfer, you’d think I was trying to do exactly what he did. Because I did exactly what he did: a don’t-go-right swing delivered a shot that started a touch left, drew further left and jumped over the O.B. stakes.

“That was a nice re-creation, wasn’t it?!” Dylan said gleefully, loud enough for everyone who wasn’t watching to know exactly what had happened. McAleese agreed: “That was unbelievable.”

McIlroy yanked his second shot, too, that day and no, I hadn’t yet reached my fill of the impression. I pulled my provisional into the rough and while it stayed just in bounds, my next swing — like his — was a lash through the fescue. Frankly, it would be wrong to stop thinking of McIlroy in this moment. The photos of him crouching down to spread the grass and verify that yes, this was his ball — those images live on in infamy in that part of the world. The helplessness as he looked up to his caddie is an image stuck deep down inside all of us golf sickos. I had the chance to feel an ounce of shame in front of basically no one. What would Rory have felt in front of thousands of people begging him to do the exact opposite of what he did? Someday the truth will be buried in his memoir. Bless his heart — my seven strokes beat his eight.

Below is the first installment in a three-part series called Destination Golf: Linksland, presented by FootJoy. If you’d like to see my tragic recreation of McIlroy’s Portrush tee shot, check out that video below. Or if you’d like to learn more about what makes Portrush a must visit destination, spend some time with us there. Next week, we head to Royal Liverpool, where Rors found the setup much kinder to his game.

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