What Can A +3 Handicap Shoot At Royal Portrush?

What can I shoot at Royal Portrush ahead of The Open Championship 2025?

In this video I headed to Northern Ireland to tackle this year’s British Open venue Royal Portrush. So what can I shoot around this Major Championship venue?

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What can I shoot at an open championship venue? We’re here at Royal Port Rush to find out. So, we’re here with Gary McNeel. He’s the head pro here at Royal Port Rush. I’m going to do a little bit of a guessing game here. See if we can get a prediction on what you think I might shoot today. And then hopefully I’ll go out and try and beat it. So, going to play off the green tease. That’s 6,353 yards. I’m off plus three. What are you thinking? I’m thinking if you can stay out of the fairway bunkers out there and uh if you find yourself off the side of the green, get your putter out, use your putter loads out there because there’s a lot of little slopes and uh swails and things off the greens. I think 74 is about a good number for you today. Okay, so off the men’s TE’s it’s a par 72. Is it the same off the women’s? Par 73. So we’re saying one over par. I’m feeling lucky that it’s quite calm weather today. So, I feel I feel I feel quite comfortable with that. So, avoid the ferry bunkers. Put her around the green. Yeah. Any other tips for me to just watch out for the false fronts. There’s quite a few of them. Um nine or 10 of the the approaches have got a false front. So, if you’re not don’t get yourself all the way up onto the putting surface, you’ll find the ball will tend to run back down off the front of the green. Uh so, yeah, just watch out for those things. And the greens are running beautifully out there. They’re in great shape and uh they’re very smooth. So I think uh yeah I think 74 is uh you’re well capable of that. Now you had two rounds here back in the open as a marker. How much did you enjoy that? It was great fun. I was terrified on the first te. Uh it really was. Uh but um I’m really glad that I did it. To get to play in it and experience the open here for those two days was was was great fun. It was great. I played with Paul Wearing on Saturday. He was a great guy and and another Ashton Turner from England on on Sunday. So we we had great fun. Uh, and uh, great memories to look back on. Well, I think looking at all the out of bones posts out there, I might be feeling a bit terrified on the first te as well, but you’ve reassured me that you do think it’s fairly wide off the tea. So, keep keep it on the keep it on the short grass there and you’ll be fine. Right, 74 feet. Let’s go see how we get on. Okay, first hole target is missed the fairway bunkers. It is kind of in driver range, but it feels like there’s a lot of room right of it, and I would like the comfort of a full driver face for this first T-OT. So, let’s see how we get on. Oh, that was a bit tight, but we’re over it, so that’s all good. Oh, I was thinking when it Oh, it should have been 10 yards right that pin looks quite far back cuz it’s 105 to the middle. Just going to go with the little pitching wedge. Oh gosh, that f that turf is so much firmer than what I’ve been playing off. We’re on the green. Little bit to the right. That’s all right. Too of a par. I’d be happy with that opening. I remember people making a mess of this all during the open. So on the green in reg. I’m pretty pleased with that. This screen is a lot slurpier than I remember it being from the open. We’ve got pretty severe two tier going on here. H again, it’s not quite summer yet. It is still April. It’s like in my head used to seeing these putts being so rapid when you watch them on TV. Okay, that was a pretty bad. It wasn’t that putt’s fault. It was the first put, but didn’t really want to three put the first. Bogey five to start. Not the ideal start, especially given I had a wedge into the green, but it’s fine. We’re trying to shoot one over. So, we’re level to that now. We’re going to make some birdies. Okay, right bunker is 220. Left bunker is 250. So, we just need to thread it between the two somewhere. Oh, go straight at the right ones, please. Carry it. Yeah. Okay, we’re over. We’re over. Yeah, we still got 244 to the green. And there’s quite a lot of cross fairway bunkers here. So, I think I’m just going to try to hit it like 140 and then leave myself like 100 yards in. So, I’m just going to hit like a soft like chippy eight. I think that’s good. 134 to the pin. That’s right. Tad into the wind. It’s right at the back. Go with a nine. Think an eight could go along. line looks great, but I’m not sure it had the distance. The wind’s always stronger on links than I think it is. Okay, I was a little bit short as I thought and I don’t thought the pin will show the back. This is a pretty dead putt. not left myself in a good position. Gary told me to put when I could, so I’m going to listen to that advice. Shot scope data does also say you should put if you’re off the green. So hopefully this goes in my favor. Also remember it’s probably going to be a little bit slow. Absolutely chuffed with that from there. After the first I was like, “Oh god, you can’t start with two, three puts in a row.” But that looks pretty close. Good tip from Gary there. Nice to get the first bar in early, which I didn’t think was going to happen. I swear Gary said this was quite wide, but so far I think it’s quite narrow. And what’s interesting is all the bunkers and all the hazards are like perfectly positioned just where you want to hit the golf ball for which actually doesn’t always happen off the women’s te. So this is going to be an interesting challenge. I need to be really on top of good cost management today. Okay, we got 135 to the pin. It’s into the winter playing at least 145, maybe 150. Like I’m going to go up to a seven because I’ve been coming up a bit short and it says we got 160 pretty much to the back. So, I’m never going to hit it that far into the wind. Looks good if the distance is right. I pitch right next to the pin and it’s just disappeared. But I’m hoping it’s just behind a little mound. Actually, a decent length bird this time. So, let’s hope we get to the hole. Okay, we got about 10 foot. I think there’s a little left to right in it, but not loads. Be nice to hold one near the start. It’s so a confidence booster. Oh no. Can’t that move more? I just pushed it. I probably just pushed it. Jonas, that pin looks terrifyingly on the edge of the green from the tea. So, I’ll definitely take a two and a pass. While you’re here, I’d really appreciate if you’d hit that subscribe button. Over 80% of people watching the channel aren’t actually subscribed. And having a bigger subscriber number really helps in terms of what content opportunities we get and what great videos I can bring back to you. So, really, it’s all in your best interest. So, please hit that subscribe button. And while you’re there, you might as well drop this video a like and drop us a comment about what else you want to see on the channel. Right, 236 to cover the left traps, which is not going to happen into this wind. So, we need to go down the right then. I think that’s good. But that out of bounds is staring at me. No, we’re good. We’re good. Okay, par five. This is where we get a par 73 for the women instead of a par 72 for the men because this hole becomes a par five. We’ve still got 215 to the pit. And to be honest, it’s pretty tight down there. So, I feel like I’m just going to hit a fivewood short and then chip on. Looks pretty safe. Can’t get over how nice this golf course is. That’s probably one of the only places I’d shoot like a happy 80 because it’s just the views are so stunning. I’ve tried to be sensible here and then I’ve left myself a chip shot off a tight lie to a front pin over a slope. So, we’re not going anywhere near that pin because it’s just going to bring bad news in. Like there’s just no way that goes well. You either pitch it over on the down slope and it disappears or you pitch it into it and you got a chip again. I’m just going to go off this nice flat bit up the right. Got 15 yards to the front of the green. Oh, I nipped it so good. I was worried that was going to run out so much it’s not perfect. But that’s all right. We got decent levels. These kind of course, you just got to remember P’s your friend. There’s no need to go for stuff. Oh, hit it. Not bad, but would have to get it there. Thank goodness for that. I’d have been really annoyed if I tried to be sensible and then made a bogey. I think this might be one of the purest looking t-shirt/backdrops ever. Also slightly intimidated cuz there’s a lot of rough. It’s a big left to right dog leg, but I think we need to play just right of the like left fairway over this mound to get the right distance. Oh, that’s a bit right. I have no idea where that is. Absolutely no idea. Okay, this is a tricky one cuz we’ve got 106 to the pin into the wind. This a two club win. So like 126 slightly uphill probably like 130. But there’s OB long and pretty tight to the green. So we’re just going to have to feel like short left of the pin because we just don’t want to bring that in. Like going up two clubs is like a wedge, but that’s going to go quite high. So, I’m going to have to hit like a really soft knockdown nine. Oh, it looks really good, but then it disappears on a cross slope. I have no idea where it’s gone. Hopefully, it’s just on the back of the green over a ridge that we can’t see. It definitely wasn’t long, so guess we’ll find out in a minute. This is so cool. My ball is all good. It hit this side slope and then just disappeared. It was hidden at the back of the green. We much prefer those kind of face puts to the ones where I leave three or four foot short. Okay, we got 162 to the pin. Slightly downwind, but I really feel like I don’t want to be short. So, I’m just going to go for a soft six cuz the false front the false front looks massive. Oh god, that was awful. I nearly missed it. That is so far short. That was just a terrible golf swing. I so did not commit to that. This is an extremely steep slope. Thinking I should remember Gary’s advice and put this because the turf is so tight. Anything could happen if you chip it. It’s going to be slow up that hill though. Actually pretty pleased with that. Probably about 8 foot left. All right, I think this is fairly straight. Quite like this part. No, that’s so annoying. I mean, that was all the T-shots for. It was a pretty appalling shot. Two over par. We need to make some birdies. Okay, par five. Feels like we need to use this to try and get a shot back. We just need to be left of that right hand bunker. I’m not sure we can carry it. Although it is downwind. Well, definitely left a bit. I think we’re just in the left semi. Okay, we still got 300 yards to go. So definitely not reachable par five. The thing I’m wanting to take in is up the left hand side. There’s a fairway bunker at just over 200 yards. I think we need to play short of that. We’re also not on a great lie. So I’m just going to hit like a chippy five iron and get it back in play. So I mean even if I hit this 150 have like 130 in which is fine. Pretty perfect, I think. Okay, well laid up. If you’re laying up, just lay it properly. Don’t get near the rubbish. Okay, we go. 110 to the pin. Looks like quite a severe false front. So, I don’t really think I want to be short. It should be a tad downwind. That’s so in between clubs. Like I’ve got a 110 and a 125. It’s on an ups slope, so that’s going to add loft to my club. So it’s going to make my 125 go like 115, I think. So let’s go with that. And it’s dead at it if the distance is right. That nearly pitched in the hole. Let’s hope it wasn’t too rapid once it hit the green. So according to Shot Scope, this is the green that has the highest amount of putts on it when I’m golfers play this course. 2.25 putts on average. So hopefully we can two put and be lower than that. There is actually quite a lot of side slope on this. It looks a bit sneaky. So I can see why that happens. Go on. Look how much that moved. I aimed that like a couple feet right. Still nearly three foot left. Safely in for a two put. Avoided making a mistake on the most difficult green on the golf course. Okay, there’s quite a few bunkers through the fairway here. So, I’m just going to hit threewood. I feel like driver could reach them. Please miss it. Yes, we’re just just in the middle of the two of them. H shots go. One in 10 golfers lose their golf ball off this T-OT. So luckily we’ve got past that mark as well. Was a pretty intimidating shot to be honest because left you’re straight back down the hill and there’s so many bunkers and I can imagine in summer that rough gets really thick. Okay, 150 to the green but straight into the wind. So we’re going five iron. We just need to get it down there and over that bunker. Oh god. Go. No. That’s hit the slope and run back into it. My approach shot literally must have been like a foot from being perfect because it pitched on top of the hill and we’re so shortsided here. So, we just need to get this up on the green. Give myself a put. So, did not hit a practice bunk shot. So, I have no idea how soft this sand is. I’ll take that. To be honest, that was a pretty pretty tricky bunker shot. We’ve got a putt for par. Would quite like to make a P because I don’t really want to go three over. This is actually a pretty tricky putt. Straight down a teared green left to right. It’s not quite quick enough yet to trickle it. Everything’s just breaking a bit more than I think. Another bogey. Which honestly, I feel like I’m playing quite well. It’s really difficult when you come to this caliber of golf course and you don’t know it. to play really good consistent golf because there’s so many like little things around the greens and things that kind of just catch you out. Okay, ninth hole par four to get back to some steady golf here. We just need to be left of that bunker and I think it will release out. I think that’s literally perfect. Just so sunny I can’t tell. But it looked good. I can’t believe it’s that sunny in Ireland. I can’t see where my shots are going. This shows you just how much Link’s bunkers gather the ball cuz I pitched this like 30 35 yards left of this bunker. Purposely trying to avoid it and it still run into it. Also, this bunker was 285 yards away. So, I didn’t really think I was going to go in it. So, now we’re definitely chipping out. Contra shots go. This is the green that’s the hardest to hit in regulation. And I can see why now because I think it’s pretty hard to get yourself in a good position to hit the green. It’s definitely all I could do. Okay, we’ve got 109 to the pin downwind. Definitely going down because my pitching wedge last time when I had this yard just went quite a lot through. Should go for my 48. I think it’s been high. Tad right. I feel like I’m either leaving the face slightly open or aiming a little bit right on everything today. It’s just a fraction off. could really do with this at this point. Like my score seats would have just slipped out of my fingers in the last few holes. Decent pile though. That looked good for so long it just flicked off at the end. bogey five. That makes me four over through nine, which is not great and doesn’t really feel like it reflects how I’ve played. Luckily, apparently the back n plays over a shot easier according to shot scope. It’s going to have to play quite a bit easier for me to get to that target score of 74, but we could still do it. I’ve got fifth. Okay, 10th hole. Quite a severe dog leg par four. Just going to play to the corner with my three because after the last hole, I’m running out. I kind of want to keep the ball where I can see it. I think that’s good. I’ve still managed to hit that over a slope somehow, but I’m pretty sure it’s in the middle of fire, so that’s all good. We’ve got 150 straight into the wind, which is exactly what we had in that other hole where I came up just short. I hit five iron there. So, it really should be four iron, but stupidly I left my four iron at home when I couldn’t play ling golf for a week. Sevenwood just feels like a lot of club. It’s only 127 to the front. Let’s Let’s go five iron again. This is actually so shortsided. It’s hilarious. Feel like at this point I can’t really just play safe for a bogey because like we’re already far over here. Going have to take this high. Try to land it soft. That was actually played pretty good, but it’s pitched straight on a down slope. Come back a little. I think given where we were, I’ll take that. About 8 foot for par. I could really do one of them coming at this point. I feel like I’ve just been at that distance constantly like 8 10 12T, which is like you just don’t really hold any of them. Okay, it’s going to move right to left. I feel like I’ve underread all of them. I should just confidently give this a little bit more and trust it’ll break. Oh no, I hammered it. That was such a good line, but also just such a dreadful put at the same time. These greens are rolling so pure, but I am finding them pretty tricky to read. It just shows you how good the pros are when they’re hauling them from all over the place. And also when they’re playing a new course every week because it’s so hard to get the greens and get the reads. You forget when you’re playing your home course all the time. You just kind of know what’s happening. Okay, par five 420 straight down wind. Let’s try get something out of this. No bunkers as well, which is quite nice. Not sure if that’s run out of room or not. Guess we’ll find out. Okay, we’re 196 to the pin, 193 to the middle. Very big false front, but I think five would be long downwind. So, we’re just going to go with a sevenwood. I mean, it’s right at it if it has the legs. Jesus, that had the firmst bounce ever and it’s gone long. It’s 208 to the back of that green. That’s like 10 yards long. That could be an interesting chip. Right, I need to just let this on the green and then let it run out. pretty good. It’s a very disappointing par. Oh, it’s amazing. Okay, 12th hole. Another par five. Another chance for a birdie. We kind of need one to get to that target score. Just got to avoid the bunkers down the right. Oh, we definitely avoided them. It’s actually lying really well. 233 to the middle. It’s lying. Amazing. Also, basically have no idea where I’m aiming. Although, there’s a little bit of a grand stand in the distance. Go seven wood. I think that’s pretty good. Possibly a tad short. I couldn’t get all the way to the green with this. That was coming out to see. Thanks. The pro says that was worth coming out to see, so it must have finished good. The runoffs and stuff. Yeah, we put the pin on the right hand side, front right, is a really dangerous pin here. Where it is, it’s not too bad today. Eagle puck, guys. We need we need this right now. Okay. I don’t think there’s loads in this, but given where my ball’s finished, it must have moved left to right of the green. So, there should be some left to right in this. Oh, no. I absolutely hammered it through the brake. Okay, solid birdie. That’s the start of the comeback. Hopefully 160. 160. Playing 148 cuz it’s so downhill. Very into the wind. probably play it 168 because of the wind. It’s going to be like a solid six iron Stop. I think that’s just taken a side slope and gone into a bunker. It’s like perfect distance as well. I was convinced this was in the bunker, but it’s just short of it, which is kind of nice. But also, I’ve got to put up a big slope and then back down it. So, distance control is going to be important here. actually pretty good for pace. I just couldn’t quite convince myself to get near enough to the bunker to allow for the break. Okay, given that mound we’ve come down, there should be a decent bit of left to right in this. This is a pretty tricky testing put for par. Oh god. Everything’s just been like a millimeter out today and you just can’t be that here. Give him my birdie back strip. Oh, back into the wind and back to the par fours. 356 again. We can probably get past the bunkers. We’ll just keep it a little up the right. That’s perfect. Okay, we got one, two, three to the pin, straight into the wind. And it looks like it’s literally just over a massive force front. Two club wind feels like an eight, but it also feels like an eight. Could go short, but I think any more than that would be a bit ridiculous. 150 to the back. I don’t feel like I can hit seven. Can hear seven. It’s cold. The ball’s above my feet. It’s not going to go full distance. That’s still come back off the frost front. I hit that soft thinking I didn’t need it all. I needed it all. That is crazy. This pin is so near the front slope. I’m definitely going to have to go right at the pin to make sure it doesn’t roll back off the other side of the green. Oh, I was just so scared of that. So scared hitting it hard and it going over there. That was rubbish. Please break. I’m just having one of those days today. We’re actually playing pretty good, but just nothing’s really happening. I can’t actually remember when I made this many burgers in around. But I’ll tell you what, the golf course is incredible. Like I had quite a lot of open championship golf courses and this is seriously impressing me amongst that. Okay, I’ve gone down to 3wood just because it’s pretty firm today and it’s only 250 the end of the fairway. I don’t want to run out. Oh no. Please draw off that bunker. Straight in it. Sometimes being sensible just just doesn’t end well. This is definitely just a splash out. When Gary said don’t go in the fairy bunkers, that was good advice because they’re very deep. I mean, I’ve hit that so hard and it’s gone like 20 hours. We still have 180 to the pin into the wind. 200 to the back of the green. Probably going to have to be a fivewood. It’s one of those where if I hit five and then it bounces firm, could disappear. I’m going to hit seven wood. I don’t really want to go long. There’s loads of rubbish along. It should bounce up. I mean, it’s straight at it if it’s good. Go. Oh, thank god I hit sevenwood. That is perfectly pin high. Five would have been a goner. The green looks like it just disappears behind this hole. Just not that comforting. I just keep feeling like something has to drop and then it looks really good and then it moves off. I didn’t even see that going that much that way at the end. Okay, I think that bogey makes me seven over for the round so far, which puts me on par for an 80, which is not very near the prediction of 74. I think Gary might have overegged me a bit because we did both play in the Sunnydale Forsomes earlier in the year and I played pretty well there, but he probably forgets I’ve never been here before and he has so much local knowledge. I think it makes a massive difference. I can see why Shane won here last time because so many intricacies and like places you just can’t be to certain pins and the greens break a lot more than they necessarily look like they’re going to. So I think having home advantage and I’ve been here a lot is just like a massive plus point for those Irish golfers. It’s going to be interesting to see if him or Rory make a run again this year. Okay, Calamity Corner, the 16th hole here at Port Rush. one of the most kind of famous and like on the edge holes last open championship because the players really found this hard. It was over 200 yards off their tea. It was straight into the wind. Luckily, we’re downwind today, but still playing just over 200 yards. Quite a big ravine to carry. So, let’s see how we get on. The pin’s kind of tempting us to the right there. I think should probably go a bit safer to the middle of the green. Please be good for Len. We are safely on board. I think a lot of golfers would take four of those this week in the open. I’ve stuck this so close and then I think I’ve left myself the curliest, fastest downhill breaker on the green. You see how much that moved? That is insane. No, I’m so happy with the power there. That’s such a tough par three and it looks so intimidating off the T- box. I remember pros when we came being literally right down the bottom nearly on the driving range for the week. So a three there absolutely delighted with 17. I think this is literally like the straightest hole on the course basically. So many holes have been dog legs or fairway bunkers to avoid. This is just dead straight. Open the shoulders. Give it a hit. Try to get close. That’s lit awful. I don’t even know what’s down there. Oh, that’s so annoying. The updators were in a bush and it’s not really playable. There’s quite a few balls in here actually. It’s very annoying cuz I didn’t really realize there was a bush here. I definitely would have smashed it down the right. So, I think we’re just going to have to take a drop. At least two clubs got us out. 74 yards. I think it’s pretty much just a full 58 cuz it should bounce on a bit. Sit. I really wish that was three foot for birdie rather than P, but we’ll take it either way. That was such a clutch up and down. We’ve got to birdie the last to break 80. That’s the new challenge. Okay, I think if we don’t want to run out of room, we need to go over the left hand. Also give us a short approach shot. That’s out of bounds. I actually think it’s hit the slope and come back. Either way, it was rubbish. Okay, 153 yards, but the ball is massively below my feet. So, I’m gone up to a six. So, I’m just going to chip it a little bit. kind of hope it releases out onto the green. Sit. It’s just on the back half of the green. Got a P, but not really a very short one. This should break 80. If I have a real thing about shooting 80, I just don’t like it. Even though it’s like we’re playing an open championship golf course like get a grip. Oh no, I’ve left it short. It was a bit left though as well to be fair. Not a bad effort. Well, what a golf course. Obviously, it didn’t quite hit the target score. I don’t want to say it’s my best golf, which is a bit annoying because I’ve been playing really well recently, but actually feel like I probably maybe hit three bad golf shots, but this course is just so penal. If you miss it in the wrong places or you get in those fairway bunkers, you’re literally just chipping it out sideways and then carrying on. So, it’s going to be interest to see how the players get on this week. And hopefully this makes you appreciate how hard this golf course is, cuz I’ve played it a thousand yard shorter than the pros will at the open and it still caught me out. Hope you enjoy watching. Drop us a note in the comments.