Royal County Down Golf Club

Golf club in Northern Ireland

Royal County Down Golf Club

Royal County Down in 2004

Club information

Location in Northern Ireland

Show map of County Down

Location in the United Kingdom

Show map of Northern Ireland

Royal County Down Golf Club (island of Ireland)

Show map of island of Ireland

Royal County Down Golf Club (the United Kingdom)

Show map of the United Kingdom

Coordinates| 54°13′05″N 5°53′02″W﻿ / ﻿54.218°N 5.884°W﻿ / 54.218; -5.884
Location| Newcastle, County Down, Northern Ireland
Established| 1889, 136 years ago
Total holes| 36
Events hosted| Senior British Open
The Amateur Championship
British Ladies Amateur
Curtis Cup
Walker Cup
Irish Open
Website| royalcountydown.org
Championship Links
Designed by| Old Tom Morris;
George Combe;
Harry Vardon; Harry Colt
Par| 71
Length| 7,186 yards (6,571 m)
Course rating| 75.0
Slope rating| 142
Annesley Links
Par| 66
Length| 4,617 yards (4,222 m)

Royal County Down Golf Club is a golf club in Northern Ireland, located in Newcastle, Newry, Mourne and Down. It opened on 23 March 1889 and is one of the oldest golf clubs in Ireland. It has two 18-hole links courses, the Championship Course and the Annesley Links.[1]

## Significant tournaments

[edit]

Royal County Down has made outstanding contributions to Irish golf from the Club's beginnings, hosting many important tournaments, starting soon after it opened, and continuing to the present day. Notably, the Club in 2007 became just the second Irish venue, after Portmarnock, to host the Walker Cup. The Irish Open on the European Tour took place in late May in 2015, returning to Royal County Down after 76 years.[2] It previously hosted the event three times, all prior to World War II. The British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship were held on the course in June 2019.[3]

* Senior British Open Championship: 2000 (winner: Christy O'Connor Jnr), 2001 (winner: Ian Stanley) and 2002 (winner: Noboru Sugai).
* The Amateur Championship: 1970 (winner: Michael Bonallack) and 1999 (winner: Graeme Storm).
* British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship: 1899 (winner: May Hezlet), 1907 (winner: May Hezlet), 1920 (winner: Cecil Leitch), 1927 (winner: Simone de la Chaume), 1935 (winner: Wanda Morgan), 1950 (winner: Vicomtesse de St Sauveur), 1963 (winner: Brigitte Varangot) and 2006 (winner: Belén Mozo).
* Curtis Cup: 1968 United States defeated Great Britain & Ireland, 10.5 to 7.5.
* Walker Cup: 2007 United States defeated Great Britain & Ireland, 12.5 to 11.5.
* Palmer Cup: 2012 Europe defeated United States, 13½ to 10½.
* Irish Open: 1928, 1935, 2015, 2024
* European Ladies' Team Championship: 2021

## History

[edit]

Royal County Down Golf Club secured 2nd place in golfscape's World's Top 100 Golf Course ranking 2020.[4]

Golf Digest ranked it #1 on its World's 100 Greatest Courses list for 2024 .[5]

## Scorecard

[edit]

The Championship Links[6] Tee | Rating/Slope | 1  | 2  | 3  | 4  | 5  | 6  | 7  | 8  | 9  | Out  | 10  | 11  | 12  | 13  | 14  | 15  | 16  | 17  | 18  | In  | Total

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Blue  | 75.0 / 142  | 539 | 444 | 475 | 229 | 440 | 396 | 144 | 429 | 483 | 3579  | 196 | 442 | 525 | 446 | 212 | 468 | 337 | 433 | 548 | 3607 | 7186
White  | 74.0 / 131  | 523 | 424 | 475 | 215 | 429 | 369 | 135 | 424 | 427 | 3421  | 188 | 430 | 478 | 423 | 202 | 454 | 318 | 416 | 548 | 3457 | 6878
Yellow  | 73.0 / 126  | 503 | 387 | 455 | 202 | 419 | 355 | 125 | 414 | 427 | 3287  | 180 | 430 | 469 | 423 | 202 | 454 | 300 | 402 | 528 | 3388 | 6675
Par  | Men's  | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 35  | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 71
SI | Men's  | 13 | 9 | 3 | 15 | 7 | 11 | 17 | 1 | 5 |  | 18 | 8 | 16 | 2 | 12 | 4 | 14 | 10 | 6 |  |
Red  | 77.0 / 148  | 483 | 344 | 423 | 159 | 395 | 338 | 113 | 405 | 429 | 3089  | 172 | 389 | 455 | 409 | 195 | 410 | 276 | 374 | 480 | 3160 | 6249
Par  | Ladies  | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 38  | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 38 | 76
SI | Ladies  | 13 | 3 | 9 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 17 | 5 | 11 |  | 16 | 2 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 4 | 18 | 6 | 10 |  |

## See also

[edit]

* List of golf clubs granted Royal status
* Royal Portrush Golf Club
* Portstewart Golf Club

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Royal County Down Golf Course". Discover Northern Ireland. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 25 August 2007.
2. ^ "Irish Open attracts bumper crowds". PGA European Tour. 22 June 2014. Archived from the original on 26 June 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
3. ^ "Harm makes history to win Ladies Amateur". R&A. 30 June 2018. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
4. ^ "Top 100 Golf Courses in the World 🏅 2020 • golfscape™". Futuri Visio. 14 January 2020. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
5. ^ "World's 100 Greatest Golf Courses 2024". 7 August 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
6. ^ "Championship Links". Archived from the original on 28 September 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Media related to Royal County Down Golf Club at Wikimedia Commons
* Golf Club Atlas

Authority control databases |

* VIAF

|