links where genteel 19th century society prohibited the building of a railway station for fear of bringing ‘vulgar people’ to the town.
It was a qualifying course when The Open visited Royal Portrush in 1951 and five times British Open champion Bobby Locke, played a qualifying round here. Being in the shadow of its illustrious neighbour is changing though as with the acquisition of some prime links land known as Thirstly Hollow in 1981 the Strand Course was born. Since 1992 the Strand Course has been the main attraction, a true test of golf set in towering dunes with seven new holes in the huge sandhills being added to a golf course where golf has been played for over a hundred years makes this course a formidable links.
The new holes are a credit to the clubs own staff who built them for a modest $ 200,000 and transformed the course into one that is now, arguably vying with Royal County Down and Royal Portrush as the finest links in Ireland. It took a lot of courage for the members to adapt and implement the course changes but having seen it through to fruition they have inhanced what Old Tom Morris started in 1893, what Braid and Vardon continued in 1906 and the latest designer is none other than Des Giffin, the local school teacher.
They have arguably ‘the finest opening hole in the game of golf’ with natural championship links land, elevated tees, rolling valleys, contoured fairways and greens amid plentiful panoramic views of Donegal, the Strand beach backing on to the volatile Atlantic ocean and the River Bann and estuary.
It was fitting that the national amateur championship returned to Portstewart Links in 1992, showing it to be a true championship links of the highest quality. |
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