Eggsplorations

All four Fried Egg Golf staffers return for this episode on their impressions of Royal Portrush after a few days playing, walking, and filming its Dunluce Links, Northern Ireland’s Open Championship host and perhaps its most renowned course. They debate some of the characteristics that make it so great, changes undergone by Martin Ebert to accommodate The Open, and favorite holes. They also relay a few of their own unique experiences trying to navigate the course, what to look for as you go around, and take on the age-old debate of how you’d split 10 rounds between Royal Portrush and Royal County Down.

The Fried Egg Golf four in Northern Ireland discuss their experience playing Portstewart, which possesses perhaps the most extreme dunes land you will find with a golf course attached to it. They offer some of their favorite holes and memories of the land on the front nine, which has a fascinating and charming backstory to it. It is not the work of some golden age great or local from 100 years ago, but rather a front nine, sometimes labeled among the best in golf, bought in the late 80’s and then designed by a local teacher in town. It was an experience that Cameron called “restorative” and one that should be seen on a trip to Northern Ireland.

In this episode of Eggsplorations, Fried Egg Golf brings in two guests they met out and about in Portstewart and Portrush. The first is Dr. Joe McGoldrick, who they met in the Harbor Bar on their first night in town and would run into again at the very same spot late the next night. Dr. Joe is a bit of a legend who has been all around the world golfing and surfing, but always comes back to Portrush to get right. He’s also an incredible storyteller and one-liner wordsmith who charmed us over multiple days in Portrush. The second guest is Dave Lynas, who we ran into our first morning in Portstewart at one of the best coffee shops you’ll encounter anywhere in the world, Lost & Found. Dave just so happens to be the owner and operator of said coffee shop, which was impeccably designed and looks out over the sea right on the cliffs. Dave grew up in Portstewart and could be a so-called “pioneer” in the surfing culture before it got big in the last 15 years or so. His discusses his roots in the Causeway Coast area and what drew him back with his family after a lengthy stint in Dublin. Both guests bring a local flavor from each town, sometimes framed as “rivals” but two gems where you could spend several weeks. They should give you a sense of the people, hospitality, and culture we’ve encountered.

Andy and Brendan take a trip to Belfast to visit Holywood Golf Club, the home of Rory McIlroy. They ponder the current youth golf scene and if a global megastar will still come out of a place like Holywood. They discuss a few initial impressions of the club, set on an extreme sidehill. They chat about a couple of the features they enjoyed about it, the memorabilia, and the investment Rory has put into it. Brendan draws some parallels that hit him during the visit to another home course of one of the game’s legends that he’d seen about a decade ago.

The first day of Fried Egg Golf’s Eggsplorations trip to Northern Ireland did not start with a whimper, but rather with 27 holes at a course sometimes ranked as the best in the world. Regardless of whatever number ranking you might assign it, Royal County Down is a true stunner that will stick in your heart and mind long after you’ve visited. Andy, Brendan, Cameron, and Matt discuss some of their initial impressions, favorite features, and favorite holes (quite hard to choose). There will be much, much more on RCD in written, visual, and audio form from this trip but it demanded an initial review. Unlike many of the possible “best courses in the world,” Royal County Down can be played with a bit of planning and commitment if you’re not a member. Visit Ireland.com/golf for more on initiating that process to get over for some of the best golf you can find anywhere in the world.

Andy Johnson and Brendan Porath of Fried Egg Golf offer a quick overview of what to expect from this Eggsplorations feed, beginning with a Season One trip to Northern Ireland. They outline some quick expectations for this first trip and what exactly will occur on this feed as they record and post podcasts from the road. Subscribe and let this serve as a sort of audio travelogue with some of the sharpest golf course architecture insight as well as travel tips and misadventures from the Fried Egg Golf team.