Royal County Down: The Greatest Stretch in Golf

Earlier in 2024, Fried Egg Golf made a visit to Northern Ireland as part of our Eggsplorations series. Getting to play Royal County Down was a special treat, and it’s stuck in our minds ever since.

What makes Royal County Down such a fantastic golf course? Sure, it’s impossibly scenic and features wonderful links conditions, two things that already put it way ahead of the curve. But it’s the holes themselves, especially in the opening 13-hole stretch, that stand out.

But don’t just take our written word for it! Please enjoy this Fried Egg Golf video, featuring plenty of footage from our visit as well as Andy Johnson’s thoughts on what makes that opening run of holes so special. (Also, watch in 4k, if you can. It’s worth it.)

It’s the perfect way to prepare for the upcoming Irish Open, set for Royal County Down next weekend and marking a wonderful close to coffee golf season. We’re certainly excited to watch some of the best players in the world on one of the best courses in the world. Sounds simple, and yet it doesn’t happen nearly often enough.

Related Content:

– First Impressions of Royal County Down – An early stop on our Northern Ireland trip, we had so much fun we convened a roundtable to immediately break down what we thought.

– A Northern Ireland Trip Eclectic 18 – It was honestly hard to not just name RCD holes here, but they make plenty of appearances.

– Favorite Holes, the Best Nines, and Other Northern Ireland Superlatives – Andy lists his favorites from the trip, with RCD coming in strong as you’d expect if you watched the video above.

– Debating Royal Portrush vs. Royal County Down – It’s impossible to go wrong with either course, obviously, but what fun is that as an answer?

– Finally, two podcasts that touch on Royal County Down, one featuring our thoughts and one featuring the thoughts of some local kid who loves to play golf named Rory McIlroy. (We thought we’d toss him a platform.)