Fairway to go to discover better

GROWING up on the north coast there is no shortage of top-class golf courses on which to ply your trade.

From Royal Portrush, home of the 148th Open Championship in 2019, to Portstewart, scene of the equally successful Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in 2017, we are spoiled by what's on offer on our doorstep.

With that in mind, you'd think I'd be half decent at the game.

Wrong - as my debut in the annual Tourism NI 'Writer Cup' proved!

A two-day golf tournament in the style of the much more better known Ryder Cup, it pits media teams from both sides of the border against one another in a friendly yet competitive environment.

Resurrected following a hiatus caused by the global pandemic, the event took place recently over two of Northern Ireland's best kept secrets – Dunmurry Golf Club in Belfast and Massereene Golf Club in Antrim town.

In between, we were treated to wonderful hospitality by our hosts, Tourism NI, the body which does such good work to promote golf tourism on this island, estimated to be worth upwards of £50m to the local economy in 2019.

The first morning saw Ireland's finest, we'll use that term loosely, rock up to Dunmurry Golf Club, located at Dunmurry Lane in the south-west of Belfast, where I was greeted by a familiar face, Michelle Jackson, from our days together at Dominican College in Portstewart.

A par 70, 18 hole course, Dunmurry prides itself on offering the golfer a 'unique opportunity to play one of Northern Ireland's finest lay-outs in a serene atmosphere on outstandingly presented playing surfaces.'

And it's hard to argue with that, the warmth of the welcome matched only by the splendour of a course officially opened in 1983 by the former voice of golf on the BBC, Peter Alliss, following several previous incarnations of the club.

Formalities dispensed with, it was time to hit the first tee, the opening day taking the form of four-balls in the style of the long-standing Europe v USA competition under the guidance of respective captains Paul Kelly (Team NI) and Eddie Coffey of the visiting southern team.

Most of those taking part had never played the course before but, to a person, all enthused about the condition of the greens and the challenge presented by some beautiful holes, typified by a wonderful dog-leg opening hole.

The food and drink at the ninth was much appreciated too, particularly as the temperatures increased – both on and off the fairways.

At the end of the first day, the Republic of Ireland team held a slender lead, as they were quick to remind everyone over a superb dinner in a private upstairs dining room at Deane's Restaurant in Belfast, cooked by the man himself, Michael Deane.

After a fantastic night's sleep – and a hearty breakfast - at the iconic Europa Hotel in the heart of Belfast city centre, it was on to Massereene Golf Club in Antrim for the second and decisive day's play.

On this occasion, both the weather and formats were different. Gone were the blue skies of 24 hours earlier, to be replaced by imposing grey clouds, while the day's matches would take the form of singles in the best tradition of Samuel Ryder's biennial competition.

Unfortunately for me, playing off 18, I found myself pitted against three-handicapper Dermot who dominated from start to finish and, in the process, taught me a very valuable lesson: golf is difficult enough to master without either playing regularly or at least a bit of pratice.

Duly noted.

Despite the paucity of my scoring, however, it was another thoroughly enjoyable day's play at a club which, as recently as 2018, scooped the prestigious and much coveted Golfers Guide to Ireland's Hidden Gem Award.

More latterly, of course, it has become synonymous with the DP World Tour's ISPS Handa World Invitational, of which it is is a co-host alongside Galgorm Castle in neighbouring Ballymena, reinforcing its enviable reputation among the nation's parkland courses.

It's easy to see why, too, with its testing track set against the rugged beauty of Lough Neagh, especially on the day we were there, a brisk wind and the odd shower combining to examine every aspect of a golfer's armoury.

The opening two holes are a good indication of what lies ahead, going out in 35 the front nine is tree lined with well placed bunkers. Reaching the top of the seventh hill, golfers are greeted with a breathtaking view of the lough and the fantastic new clubhouse below.

The inward nine, meanwhile, consists of drier and more undulating fairways, reminiscent of a links course, before finishing on an expansive 18th green beside the clubhouse.

All in all, it's a good test for golfers of every standard, the narrow fairways and small greens placing an emphasis on accuracy rather than distance and making it a rewarding test for even the scratch golfer - of which I am sadly not one.

Unfortunately, it doesn't take much to upset my rhythm, such as it is, and so it should come as no surprise to anyone that I failed to land a punch on my opponent as he ran out an easy winner in testing conditions.

Nevertheless, it was great playing another unfamiliar course for a second consecutive day. Too often, we tend to think about the better known golf clubs when going for a round, so it was illuminating to discover what else there is away from the famed north coast.

Again, as at Dunmurry the previous afternoon, the welcome in the clubhouse only served to enhance the experience which, for many, is as big an attraction to playing the game as swinging a club.

In the end, the Republic of Ireland maintained their overnight advantage to run out overall winners, the final fourball finishing the two-day extravaganza in front of team-mates and rivals in full view of the clubhouse.

Afterwards, over dinner, the trophy was presented to a delighted winning captain Eddie Coffey, who thanked Tourism NI for its hospitality, the host clubs and, of course, the vanquished home team, already busy plotting revenge in 2023.

But, as someone once famously said, it's not the winning but the taking part that counts, and that's what I will take away from my Tourism NI Writer Cup introduction. New friendships formed and old relationships rekindled - the very essence of the game of golf on the island of Ireland which makes it such an attractive proposition to both locals and visitors.

And if, like me, you don't get to play as much as you would like – make the effort and try out some of the many hidden gems dotted around the province.

As in the cases of Dumurry and Massereene Golf Clubs, you won't be disappointed.

Me? I'm away for an overdue golf lesson...

* For further information on golf in Northern Ireland, check out Tourism NI. With 90 courses squeezed into about 5,460 square miles of lush landscape, there really is a course to suit everyone.