Northern Irishman Darren Clarke, the 2012 Open champion who is a longtime Portrush member, was speaking generally of the course but he might as well have been speaking specifically of Calamity Corner when he said, “There’s no place like it. It’s brutal and beautiful – often at the same time.”

Royal Portrush is not only open to visitors, but its yearly membership dues are what the average American golfer spends on public tee times.

In 2019, it was the first-ever sold-out Open. It was a hugely significant moment for Northern Ireland after a troubled past.

Set the coffee pot for the wee hours of the morning, because we’re heading to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland for the British Open this week. It’s going to be an early start for fans in the United States, but it should be well worth it with all of the drama and the fantastic return to links-style golf that should excite golf fans far and wide.

The Open has had 28 different winners aged 38 or older all-time, the same number as the Masters and U.S. Open combined.

A mural of Shane Lowry holding aloft the claret jug adorns the side wall of a house just across the road from Royal Portrush.

As the best players in the world prepare for this 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush, it’s important to note just how different Irish golf – and particularly this one – is from those classic Scottish or English rota courses.