5 Toughest Holes at Royal Portrush | The 2025 Open Championship Preview

5 Toughest Holes at Royal Portrush | The 2025 Open Championship Preview

welcome to the five toughest holes at Royalport Rush ahead of the 153rd Open Championship i’m thrilled to say that the head professional Gary McNeel has come to join us today to guide us around these pivotal holes that will help to determine who gets their hands on the clar jug come Sunday gary thank you so much for taking the time when I know this will be a very busy time of year for you in the buildup to the open so we really really appreciate it um tell us first of all let’s just get into it where are we standing
fourth T uh a 455 yd par4 very very strong hole it’s our stroke index one here at Royal Port Rush for the members very strong hole um it’s right along the boundary of the course here and uh the second shot into the uh the green which is nestled in amongst the sand hills is is a is an iconic second shot
it looks simply spectacular as you can see we’ve hit the jackpot when it comes to weather today there’s a little bit of breeze it’s about 20° C and this is going to be an absolute treat gary thanks again for having us please show us how it’s done yeah nice one beautiful and Gary you were saying that the there’s a new tea being put in here
yeah new T’s just extended the hole by about 40 yards uh and that’s those couple of bunkers that we’re trying to uh avoid on the left hand side of the fairway it’ll really bring them into play for the players this time around
right
so uh unlucky chaps of course Gary and I don’t smash at 310 through the air so we’re up a little bit but we’re still in the same teeing area so we can still have a good look at the hole and how it will visually intimidate the players when they get here to number four [Music] super shot
thank you that will play perfect
excellent
lovely shot a nice tea shot
thank you just get over that little rise there you can get an extra 30 yards on it instantly
yeah if I had just had an extra bit
a little bit more yeah
i would have been right down there in that lovely gully and instead I’ I’m stuck on the ups slope and I’ve got 200 yards to go here and it’s going to come off high which is going to make it play even longer
play into the the back section of the green I you know there’s a there’s a buffer at the back there’s a
it sweeps in and around from the back right corner so and uh
you all all the trouble’s at the front so the shot is really up into the back section if you can do that oh super shot fantastic Tell you what I’ll take that
i will take that every day of the week
yeah very nice
come on
well done well this is this is where Shane after a a shaky start in in 2019 um he made his first birdie here so he drove up the right side a bit of a hanging lie i think he hit an eight iron into a back left pin uh about six six seven feet and rolled it in made made birdie i think that sort of settled the nerves and he birdied the the fifth hole as well um and that was him off and running so never looked back nobody could catch him in the end and it’s going to take a lot to top the drama of the championship shane Lowry the homeboy getting his hands on the clar jug that was some celebration afterwards I remember partying on the streets of Port Rush till the we hours splitting a pizza with some man I just met
at 3:00 in the morning but that’s what happens
yeah that’s what happens in Port Rush
that is
Yeah you got a little bit of wispy stuff there bit of a hanging line as well [Music] a lovely has it got the legs yes right might just make it up to the front edge there
yeah really nice really nice that lie well done but I have to say Gary I’m pretty happy with that
yeah that was a smashing second shot you deserve it
thank you how you going to play this with the old Texas
i think the putter here is uh good an option as any get it rolling up the hill because you’ve got all these beautifully prepared sort of surrounds and the ball can get swept down into these little gathering areas and the putter a lot of the time the members will all putt from here and you’ll see a lot of the players in July putting here as well during the championship like this yeah stay there yeah very good and up the hill so that’s going to slow it down a bit great
oh good effort nice pad
thank you and she’s in with the four take that very good four tough hole especially if the wind’s blowing good effort take it away and that is the first of our five toughest holes at Royal Port Rush so Gary where have you brought us next
okay so we’re out to the fifth here Iona uh so 375 yards from the elevated tea driving downhill here out towards the sea little slight dog leg to the right uh and this was a a risk and reward hole back in 2019 so the players really enjoyed this one and they enjoyed taking it on uh having a crack at the green uh they’ll be teeing off just from the back of the tea here uh and this was a popular spot for the spectators as well they put a big grand stand behind the tea and a lot of people like coming out here to to uh to watch this one but uh it’s one of the most recognizable holes uh on the golf course and um when we get down to the green we get lovely views out along the along the coastline here as well
this is some spot Gary if we spent the rest of the afternoon here I’d be absolutely delighted about that spectacular view an infinity green i’m wondering these bunkers they’re kind of staring at you like a pair of eyeballs one right one left so it’s kind of about threading it through the middle
yeah absolutely right in between those two bunkers is ideal
okay right well lead me off nice really nice brilliant just down the left half perfect i can feel that the there’s a little bit of help today i mean we’ve got it on such a cracking day there’s barely a breath of wind but if anything there’s a tiny bit of help is that the prevailing wind
no the the prevailing wind would be a little bit more left to right here
more left to right okay [Music] super shot
thank you very friendly really hope you’re enjoying this video and that you continue to we have got an epic giveaway and I mean seriously epic coming up later in this video so if you keep watching you can be in with a chance to win something pretty special so that is one of obviously today we have got it on probably you cannot get a greater day
beautiful
obviously when you play links golf you do want a bit of wind because that’s part of the fun and the challenge
i’m not complaining on a day like this cuz this is simply simply marvelous but the crosswinds the way that you change direction at Royal Port Rush is part of the challenge
yeah there’s no two holes that are running consecutively in the same direction Iona so that you know we have this situation where the the wind is constantly challenging you from different uh directions as you play and uh you know the the the rooting of the golf course and Harry Cole laid the course out here in the in the 1930s and uh you know it was Bernard Darwin said that this was a monument more enduring than brass uh for Harry Cole so uh
that’s a great one
it was quite an accolade but uh yeah know it’s it’s super challenge i mean it’s a very fair golf course as well um you you’ve got to drive the ball on the fairway here
and uh you know there’s so many kind of elevated greens
uh where there’s you know subtle kind of uh changes of elevation so and false fronts so you can’t really run the ball onto the greens here you need to be flying the ball onto the green so to hit the green and control it you know the guys have to be hitting from the fairway so big premium on driving the ball here and there’s huge sort of mounds and undulations it’s total opposite to say a much flatter links layout which you can sometimes get which in itself can be a very tough Yeah
i mean comparing even to to Royal Trune where we were last year yeah
you know that’s a much flatter landscape this you’ve got these huge mounds and changes in elevation that come into play
exactly
yeah and that’s part of the challenge and again when you get to the green sites as well the ball can get swept away very easily if you uh if you if you miss in the wrong place
uh but uh there’s lots of options around the green so you know a lot of lot of players enjoyed uh the fact that they could you know putt from off the green chip it or they could you they could play a lob shot if they if they felt confident enough
well this second shot is very interesting and you can see now why it is a risk and reward hole of course if there’s a ferocious crosswind they might be more cautious and maybe give themselves maybe a nice full wedge in but if the if the wind is helping even just a little the guys they’ll easily be able to take this this green on not a problem maybe even don’t even need the driver but there is trouble up there for me i’ve left myself a little wedge and I’ve got a huge mound in my way which is causing a bit of visual intimidation how does the green set up there so uh there’s a there’s a big step just about a a third of the way into the green that takes you up onto an upper level
right
and once you hit that upper level the green’s actually running away from you uh and the the out of bounds is very very close to the back of the green i mean literally just a couple of yards beyond the back edge of the green so you know when attacking a a flag up on the top section you do have to apply a little bit of caution there as well okay what’s interesting is to have less than 90 yards in and I can only just see the tip of this flag that’s all I can see so I’ve got to trust the number i’m going to take it on [Music] looks great
thank [Music] you try one yeah very good that is dancing around the flag so we can see along the causeway coast here
yeah so uh you know this this hole is called White Rock so we’ve got these kind of uh chalky limestone cliffs here along the right hand side then Dunloo Castle and the furthest point in the distance is the Giants Causeway so as the crow flies it’s only four or five miles from here
what a view what a view this is
my word
it’s lovely
come and have a look at this these putting surfaces are absolutely immaculate so we’ve got to make sure today we repair every single pitch mark that we see but this is like a fresh carpet that’s just been lame holy moly i’d be quite happy to sleep on these greens let alone putt on them greens are looking very very smooth aren’t they oh just a bit gave it a good go you can take that one away
just a little firm
take it away nicely done nice work so would would you say that what’s the secret to reading the greens around Royal Port Raf
it’s very very subtle um and again with with the so many elevated greens the wind can play a big part here as well
but it it is subtle but there’s no sort of set kind of fall towards the sea or anything like that it’s
okay they’re all there they’re all individual pushed it a little bit no
I’ll give you that one doesn’t give up the birdie but it’s a par at a very stunning golf i don’t want to leave this hole Gary can we just stop here no it’s uh it’s beautiful i mean the beach that that’s down below us here runs right the way around the perimeter of the golf course
wow
and all the way into Port Rush itself so couple of miles long
this lady just having a nice barefoot walk this morning
she is indeed what a what a way to start the day to the 14th par 4
par four uh three just under 400 yards 386 yards from from this tea um driving to called Causeway you’re driving right at the Giants Causeway there you can That’s the ideal line from the tea but the T-shot’s all about avoiding these three bunkers up here fairway slopes uh quite a bit from from right to left um for the T-shot but it’s all about the second shot here this is such an iconic second shot into what is a a tabletop green with a cavernous bunker just to the left of the green as well so there’s not much good news for the second shot
and we have got some wind that’s joined us it’s hurting a little bit on 14 in fact it feels more or less straight into right Gary show me the way
okay [Music] beauty really nice little baby draw right i’m going to absolutely try and do exactly what you’ve just done little draw on that scoreboard that is not what I was trying to do what’s over there Gary
uh a bit of rough um yeah it’s not not ideal but ideal be okay
okay okay well we better go and find it i’ve gone down the right hand side i’d say of the two misses right now it looks like that might be the better of the two but we’ll find out when we get there well um I hit it slightly at the neck there off the tea so it’s sent me down the right hand side which to be honest isn’t too bad it’s going to be a tough second shot for me here but Gary for the guys when they come to play the Open in July you were saying that it’s is it this bunker here that they’ve got that’s going to be quite a tough carry if the wind’s around
if the wind’s around yeah so well it’s certainly for for uh any of the shorter hitters you know about a 250 carry but against the wind as as you know on on a Lynx golf course that can be a
that can be a big ass
yeah it can be yeah
and I’ve got myself another 200 y which isn’t going to be isn’t going to be possible so what’s short of this green for me short’s fine um and just off the green to the right is fine as well so
uh it’s avoiding left here left is where you don’t want
bad news that’s perfect then
great excellent there yeah well done
advancing it taking the medicine which is so often what you have to do in Lynx golf
157 yards same on here
all right okay into that breeze there
off we up slope
little ups slope as well yes it’s a And again slightly hanging lie bit of an ups slope and you don’t want to go left so but uh yeah it’s it’s it’s a great second shot isn’t it
yeah you can see everything’s just falling off there’s absolutely no help on this green whatsoever no banks around it that are going to feed anything back if you miss strike this Gary I’m sorry to say you’re in you’re in big trouble no pressure got the draw keep on coming keep on coming oh
just fell off the right edge
and there is the trouble because that’s a lovely shot you’ve landed that five paces on the green
but it hasn’t bounced left for you and instead it’s down into the gully finally this course is showing us some teeth today yeah it is
right i’m below that’s actually done a lot better than I thought seven irons chased out to not quite the front of the green we’ve got this big bank and it’s all going to break from left to right thankfully we’re not down there that would be big trouble it’s going to break up here from left to right gary’s just tucked on the right hand side oh how am I going to play this you could putt it you could get a wee nine iron on the back of this even a seven iron little bump and run oh go a little go a little landed very softly
it did yeah that’s where maybe if I’d gone down to like the eight or the seven you can sometimes get that little bit more release but I’ve got a putt for the par so that’s all I can ask for really okay kind of hug the right hand side you really don’t want to see the left of this golf hole do you Gary
no certainly not
right this is where I’m really grinding here because I I would like to make a par i’m up the hill it’s definitely going to break off the right and I’ve kind of I’ve overread everything and of course in Lynx Golf they tend to keep the grass and the greens a little bit longer because you get these ferocious winds that can come howling in off the sea so they keep them a little bit longer and with that you don’t often get quite as much break you can be a bit more aggressive towards the hole and I need to practice what I’m preaching there can’t I cannot sniff at the putt because I played it where I wanted but it’s going to be a boogie for me on this very tricky one yeah good speed there though
thank you right you’ve left yourself a we knee knocker now
down the slope any break down the slope should run pretty straight in there hopefully and get it started in the right line he’s Oh how has that missed couple of drop shots that’s why this is a one of the tough ones we couldn’t come to Port Rush without visiting the 16th Calamity Corner the par three that plays over 200 yards and today we’ve been so lucky because there’s just a little wind from left to right but I have stood on this tea box before where it’s been blowing an absolute hulie what makes this hole so special Gary
well it’s just the setting it’s it’s the the design of the hole where we’re perched right on the on the precipice here um and of course you know what dominates the hole is the the chasm that lies between the tea and the green there so anything short anything slightly to the right is going to get swallowed up by the chasm uh so no bunkers on it uh but none required um and there’s a little hollow to the left of the green bobby Lock’s hollow it’s known as uh right back to the 1951 Open when Bobby Lock uh you know came here to to play in that one um and he figured that that was how he wanted to play the hole was just safe and to the left and into that little hollow uh from where he as legend has it made par every day so Wow okay okay so it’s almost a layup par three lay up into that little hollow to make this video even more special we’ve teamed up with the RNA’s one club to bring one lucky viewer a very special prize one of you out there will get your hands on a pair of hospitality tickets for the 154th Open Championship at Royal Burkale on top of that 10 lucky viewers will get the chance to win £150 to spend in the RNA shop picked randomly it’s super easy to enter all you have to do is click the link below good luck oh it’s a beauty go on have the legs oh
just didn’t quite make it on that line
just a fraction
a little bit it’s on the little ledge there so
it should be fine it’s going to be a little chip from there i like that you took it on though Gary that wasn’t intentional i can hear you right i’ve got myself a little hybrid here and well that wind certainly feels like it’s picking up so I’m just going to work it in from left to right try and take a wee bit off it oh that’s got the legs I think go on oh my word i’ve joined you
we’re in the same spot
we are in exactly the same spot but I honestly thought that had more than enough on it so it just it just tells you how long that carry is you need every single inch of it
right out the screws if you’re going to make it onto the putting surface right both Gary and I are down on this little shelf you can see just short right of the green it’s If you’re lucky you might get caught and you’ll have a little chip shot if you’re unlucky then you’re not going to have this short prospect and instead it could trundle all the way down to the very bottom of this huge gaping hole in the landscape and that would be a very difficult little pit shot from down there so we’re doing okay here Gary
chances of pars but maybe better i fancy a we chip in from one of us here let’s see is it me first
i think it’s you first okay he’s got a chance go go go
okay never up never in iona come on Gary show us some magic i like this a lot i’ll take that one
yeah very good it’ll be a stressfree par for you not quite the case poor ma i think this is Is this off the right edge or is there just nothing in it can be very deceiving these greens you want to see something and sometimes there are just is nothing there hold your line
get in
well done
a three at calamity well feels like a birdie really does well done Gary you nearly gave gave us the chip in
yeah yeah couple of nice bars there what’s all the fuss about it’s a cracking hole and this is going to be very much part of the narrative at the open in July who will navigate their way through this corner successfully it might just be the person who gets their paws on the clar jug the 18th tea at Royal Port Rush and it’s a fitting finale for the open championship and it will be come Sunday of course we’ll never forget when Shane Lowry made it to this hole and he had a sixshot lead on the rest of the field it was a wonderful scene and who knows who might be standing here with what sort of a lead or who might be trailing with magic yet to come down this hole but Gary we’re on a tea that’s well quite close to where the the pros will be hitting during the open and you mentioned that they actually played off this tea box on the Sunday because it was playing into a bit of a wind
there was a southern southerntherly wind coming in on the Sunday so um and uh yeah no weather conditions weren’t great on the on the Sunday particularly in the afternoon but uh the players were moved up to this tea here but um no it’s it sort of captures we got this elevated tea position sort of captures the the drama of the 18th hole and um you know everything that’s down below there in terms of the the uh the build that’s happening in the grand stands and everything else so it’s a a real uh uh arena that we’re playing into there isn’t it
yeah there’s an amphitheater waiting for us to hit our approaches it’s a par4 that sweeps from left to right where do we want to hit our T-shot here
uh we just want to be left of the big grand stance so just into that uh that little bottleneck there would be ideal keep it left of that bunker that you see perfect too far right
oh that’s okay just got over the bunker you’ve flown the trouble
very nice ball flight on that perfect
thank you
lovely shot yeah you’re A1 there
thank you excellent let’s go 180 yards it’s quite a tricky yardage for me actually
you got as much as much as that yeah
yeah or have I got the thing behind
150 we have the pins at the back it’s what yeah kind of just under 150 to the front so it is a big long green
a long green okay that that’s good well listen i’ve got a bit of help so I am going to hit my five iron it’s a nice full shot in for me here you can just imagine the scene here in a few months from now this grand stand will be packed to the rafters full of patrons that have come down to support the champion golfer who’s it going to be we’d love to know who you would like to win the open championship drop a comment below is it going to be Mroy is it going to be Shane Lowry maybe it’s Justin Rose’s turn or perhaps it’s Tommy Fleetwood that’s out for revenge who knows they’re all going to be here [Music] [Music] oh we got a couple of big hops there that’s gone miles
i’m on the back of the green and it’s maybe just trundled through so I’m going to have a little check my work here is not done this looks good that was committed should get some good bounces in there
oh yeah go on great shot
you’ve been here before that is a real beauty well done perfect chances for birdie there out of interest Gary who do you think is going to win the open do you know I I think I think Rory is going to is going to come here full of beans and this is going to be his homecoming i think as well after you know what he did at Augusta this year and completing that Grand Slam
and uh I think he’s just going to come here totally inspired by by what’s happened and uh he’s got form here he he held the course record on the old layout he loves the place and uh I think this is I think this is his timing
yeah all right well we’ll soon find out so I’m through the back of the 18th green as Gary rightly pointed out it’s an incredibly long green it’s a back flag today so there wasn’t a lot of room behind it playing down the breeze unlikely to be playing like this the wind during the week of the open so we’ve had it slightly unusually today however it’s been a real treat i’d love to finish with just a wee birdie though with the putter it’s coming off the left [Music] go on
go on
oh what a great effort oh it’s been the story of the day really in the jaws
well done that was cracking pup right Gary come on nobody saw it coming the head pro at Royalport Rush a late entry into the 153rd Open Championship and he’s got this to win go on get there oh what a good putt i think we’ll see that one you let you tap that one in this is for the playoff
just to get into the playoff
we’ll go back down 18 brilliant couple of pars birdies are hard to come by out here but Gary it’s been an absolute treat thank you so much thank you
really enjoyed it have a great week at the open
thank you very much good luck with the rest of the preparations and we hope that you have enjoyed this episode of the five toughest holes huge thank you to Royal Port Rush for having us here and of course to the RNA and we’ll see you at the 153rd Open Championship

ENTER COMPETITION HERE (if you have subscribed to channel) – https://tinyurl.com/2wxzktkk

In this 2025 Open Championship preview, we take on the hardest holes at Royal Portrush – with none other than Gary McNeill, the club’s Head Professional, as our playing partner and guide.

With Gary leading us through every bump, bounce, and brutal bunker, Royal Portrush delivers a true links test – and come July, the world’s best will face the same challenge, likely made even tougher by more wind and unpredictable weather.

Brought to you by Titleist.

Special thanks to Royal Portrush and Gary for joining us.

#golf #golfcourse #golfing #ontheroadwithiona #titleist

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