Royal Portrush (Valley)

“Isn’t it frustrating when you’ve worked your way through a top 100 list, only for it to be updated?” a wise mate asked me recently.

“Nah,” I replied. “Because playing the new additions is half the fun.”

I confess I had overlooked Royal Portrush’s Valley Course on previous visits when I played the much-heralded Dunluce. However, its recent ascension to GB & Ireland’s top 100 made it a must-play.

The highest compliment I can pay is that it feels like an extension of the grand links, not a weak sibling.

The Valley sits so close to the Dunluce that some of its land was relinquished to build the new seventh and eighth holes ahead of the 2019 Open.

The initial changes to the Valley were merely a temporary fix, so Martin Ebert was brought in to develop the course further.

Using land from the par-three Skerries course, he created two new par threes and a short par four, opening up stunning views of East Strand Beach.

Further work on its routing is expected over the next year or so to trim the walks between greens and tees on the back nine.

We stayed at a friend’s home overlooking the course the night before our round, which gave us a clear impression of how dramatic sandhills frame many of the holes.

We also grabbed a pint at the Rathmore Club—the Valley's home club, whose most famous son is 2010 US Open champion Graeme McDowell.

We were joined by Royal Portrush’s head professional for our early-morning game, though even he couldn’t prevent me from losing a couple of balls on the opening holes.

The Valley’s two nines have been swapped around, so the former tenth now serves as the par-five first.

The ground on the right has been raised, and you must avoid bunkers on the right side of a double dogleg that bends through grassy mounds and over a rough-covered ridge.

The course was in superb condition. The fairway turf was tight enough to make crisp connections effortless, and the greens ran consistently smooth. Meanwhile, the run-offs were as exciting as they were challenging, and the bunker sand was immaculate.

The third hole was an especially stern 457-yard par four into the wind. By this stage, I feared I would be totting up an embarrassing score.

Thankfully, with the breeze at my back on the par-five fourth, I reached near the green in two and managed to secure three Stableford points.

The ninth is a super par three cut into a dune on the right.

The back nine has seen the most alterations, driven by a simple principle: keep the ball on the fairway and you'll be rewarded; wander off, and it will cost you shots.

The nearest I came to glory was on the par-five 14th, where a tailwind left me just off the front of the green in two. However, a feeble third shot saw my eagle and even my birdie hopes evaporate.

The run-in is where Ebert’s work shines brightest, beginning with the new par-three 15th, which drops from an elevated tee to an undulating green guarded by two bunkers.

Anything overhit risks settling in the deep grass of the dune framing the hole.

The 16th sat directly in front of our apartment from the night before—a risk-and-reward par four with a green overlooking the beach.

It is a gorgeous hole, and expectations are high that it will eventually become the Valley’s opener once a repositioned tee extends it beyond its current 300 yards.

The penultimate hole is a dreamy par three set into a dune on the left with a steep drop-off to the right, where club selection depends heavily on the prevailing sea breeze.

Currently, the 18th is a long par four that weaves through the dunes before presenting a final challenge to two-putt on a massive green.

There is plenty of talk about the recent developments at the Valley and what future rerouting might bring.

I can see the benefits of the proposed plans, but I loved the new holes as they stand—and I can completely see why this layout has earned its place among GB & Ireland’s top 100.

The question now is whether Royal Portrush has become the finest 36-hole complex in Europe or even the world.