North West
Belvoir Park
The design pedigree of Belvoir Park speaks for itself. Harry Colt
created this timeless parkland in the late 1920s. Even back then, Colt
was revered and over the following decades the club embraced his
work and changed little. Tucked away in 21st century Belfast suburbia
it means you can step back in time and experience a classic. Your
starting point should be the clubhouse balcony. It sits high above
the back nine and shows off the colourful setting below and the
distant Belfast Hills. This is a sedate, flowing course and one that
enjoys tremendous rhythm thanks to Colt’s layout… but the pace is
enhanced by the magnificent and dense trees which enshroud the
course. Expect lightning fast, perfect and heavily bunkered greens.
North West
Links subtlety and ingenuity might be the only words you need to
sum up this gem on the Inishowen peninsula. Nearby Ballyliffin may
receive all the plaudits but North West has something different
and special in its make-up… and that dates back to a bygone age of
golf course design, as 2016 saw the club celebrating 125 years. The
terrain here is low and bumpy… idiosyncratic and unpredictable… and
perfect for what links golf is all about. Use your brain and you can
play well here, but given the occasional invisible hollow and semi-
blind approach, not to mention the speed and natural undulations
to greens, you need to play sharp golf from start to finish. Lastly,
North West may look flat from the road but you’ll quickly discover
that every hole is brimming with character.
138
Royal County Down (Annesley)
The Annesley rarely receives the credit it deserves. Perhaps that
is due to its modest par of 66… but this sensational 66 will make a
fool of you if you think it is easy. It uses much of the same terrain
as its championship sibling (they intertwine), just with shorter
holes. Indeed, some green settings are even tighter and, while the
bunkering is less prevalent, the gorse gets far more friendly. The
longest par four is 349 yards so this is about laser-like accuracy…
and the good grace to accept that such tight fairways punish even
the best shots. Here you will learn much about what makes these
hallowed fairways and greens so special… and with three new holes,
Annesley fully deserves its Gold status.
Rossmore
In 2016, Rossmore celebrated 100 years. Located outside Monaghan
town this has always been the club’s home and it is a fine, hilly and
entertaining affair. There are many such excellent country parklands
around Ireland, but Rossmore definitely has the thrill factor: tossing
fairways flow over the drumlins and some charming ponds and
streams make frequent appearances. It may be a short course (par
71, 5,670 metres) but there are many doglegs to test your length
and accuracy. That said, this is one of the sweetest driving courses
around, with tee shots hitting towards perfect Irish countryside time
and again. Check out the map beside the par three 16th tee, then
enjoy a delicious tee shot. The 17th is even better.