by In between the rounds of golf, stops at the pub, and morning drone shoots, our team sat down to recap their experiences in Northern Ireland on our Eggsplorations podcast. Some episodes are golf heavy while others focus more on the places they visited and the people in those towns. Whether or not you’ve been to Northern Ireland, these podcasts will fill you in on what it’s like to experience this golf-rich country. Enjoy!
Eggsplorations: Northern Ireland
Episode 1 – Northern Ireland: What We’re Most Excited For – The traveling Four Horsemen of Fried Egg Golf for this trip to Northern Ireland — Andy Johnson, Brendan Porath, Cameron Hurdus, and Matt Rouches — hop on the horn before they depart to discuss a few of the things they’re most curious about and anticipating on the trip. They cover a brief schedule overview and hit on some of the subjects, both golf course and culture related, that have piqued their interest in their initial research and hope to investigate further on the ground.
Episode 2 – Royal County Down: As Good as Golf Gets? – The first day of Fried Egg Golf’s Eggsplorations trip to Northern Ireland did not start with a whimper, but rather with 27 holes at a course sometimes ranked as the best in the world. Regardless of whatever number ranking you might assign it, Royal County Down is a true stunner that will stick in your heart and mind long after you’ve visited. Andy, Brendan, Cameron, and Matt discuss some of their initial impressions, favorite features, and favorite holes (quite hard to choose). There will be much, much more on RCD in written, visual, and audio form from this trip but it demanded an initial review. Unlike many of the possible “best courses in the world,” Royal County Down can be played with a bit of planning and commitment if you’re not a member.
Episode 3 – Of Cliffs and Castles: Ardglass Golf Club – Andy and Brendan jump on the mics for this episode of Eggsplorations, which begins with a curveball: what’s been your least favorite thing about Ireland so far? Neither answer was certainly Ardglass, which becomes a focus of this chat. It’s the second course in Northern Ireland they’ve played on the trip. They discuss their day in town, from breakfast mistakes all the way through to the postgame pints, hitting primarily on the club and the golf course — from the dramatic holes on the cliffs to its turf to the routing. They dive a bit deeper into what they liked about the course, where it wins, and what to expect from the experience.
Episode 4 – Rory’s Holywood and Where Golf’s Superstars Come From – Andy and Brendan take a trip to Belfast to visit Holywood Golf Club, the home of Rory McIlroy. They ponder the current youth golf scene and if a global megastar will still come out of a place like Holywood. They discuss a few initial impressions of the club, set on an extreme sidehill. They chat about a couple of the features they enjoyed about it, the memorabilia, and the investment Rory has put into it. Brendan draws some parallels that hit him during the visit to another home course of one of the game’s legends that he’d seen about a decade ago.
Episode 5 – The Greatest Short Course in the World – Beware of the abrupt start to this podcast with some cross debate over who is responsible for an extra pint putting some of the traveling band in rough shape. But then it gets lively in this edition of Eggsplorations, where Andy, Cameron, and Brendan discuss the Annesley Links, aka the “wee course” at Royal County Down. It’s a sub-5000 yard layout on similar dunesland adjacent to the “big” course. They recount their day, discuss some favorite holes, ponder whether its status is hurt or helped by being so close to the main show next door, and crown it the greatest short course in the world.
Episode 6 – Guest Voices: Legends of the Ports – In this episode of Eggsplorations, Fried Egg Golf brings in two guests they met out and about in Portstewart and Portrush. The first is Dr. Joe McGoldrick, who they met in the Harbor Bar on their first night in town and would run into again at the very same spot late the next night. Dr. Joe is a bit of a legend who has been all around the world golfing and surfing, but always comes back to Portrush to get right. He’s also an incredible storyteller and one-liner wordsmith who charmed us over multiple days in Portrush. The second guest is Dave Lynas, who we ran into our first morning in Portstewart at one of the best coffee shops you’ll encounter anywhere in the world, Lost & Found. Dave just so happens to be the owner and operator of said coffee shop, which was impeccably designed and looks out over the sea right on the cliffs. Dave grew up in Portstewart and could be a so-called “pioneer” in the surfing culture before it got big in the last 15 years or so. His discusses his roots in the Causeway Coast area and what drew him back with his family after a lengthy stint in Dublin. Both guests bring a local flavor from each town, sometimes framed as “rivals” but two gems where you could spend several weeks. They should give you a sense of the people, hospitality, and culture we’ve encountered.
Episode 7 – Captivated at Casterock – Castlerock might be considered a “throw-in” to a trip up to the Causeway Coast — a way to spend a day that’s not at Royal Portrush or Portstewart. As Andy articulates at the top of this episode, it was a course and experience that pleasantly captured him and the kind of unexpected day that really helps redeem these treks to golf-rich areas. Cameron and Brendan also join to discuss some of their favorite features and holes from a true links setting and fabulous day in the sun. There are a few points about where they think it could improve or may have gone too far, but it’s a course where their experience had them concluding it is one that should visited on any trip to this part of the world.
Episode 8 – Extreme Games: Golf in the Portstewart Dunes – The Fried Egg Golf four in Northern Ireland discuss their experience playing Portstewart, which possesses perhaps the most extreme dunes land you will find with a golf course attached to it. They offer some of their favorite holes and memories of the land on the front nine, which has a fascinating and charming backstory to it. It is not the work of some golden age great or local from 100 years ago, but rather a front nine, sometimes labeled among the best in golf, bought in the late 80’s and then designed by a local teacher in town. It was an experience that Cameron called “restorative” and one that should be seen on a trip to Northern Ireland.
Episode 9 – Rory McIlroy Joins to Discuss Golf and Growing up in Northern Ireland – In this episode of Eggsplorations, the greatest golfer in the history of Northern Ireland joins to discuss his roots there, his favorite golf memories growing up, and his favorite courses and earliest memories of Royal Portrush and Royal County Down. Rory McIlroy fields questions from TPC Sawgrass as he prepped for The Players while Andy and Brendan were across the Atlantic in his home country acquainting themselves with the golf culture and a few of the world class courses that Rory came to know in his earliest days as a junior standout. He also explains this golden age of pro golf success for the island, which boasts five different major winners since 2007 after a 60-year drought. There’s also plenty of banter and insight into what it was like growing up at Holywood, how different it is now as a big shot on the PGA Tour, and much more.
Episode 10 – Reflections from Royal Portrush – All four Fried Egg Golf staffers return for this episode on their impressions of Royal Portrush after a few days playing, walking, and filming its Dunluce Links, Northern Ireland’s Open Championship host and perhaps its most renowned course. They debate some of the characteristics that make it so great, changes undergone by Martin Ebert to accommodate The Open, and favorite holes. They also relay a few of their own unique experiences trying to navigate the course, what to look for as you go around, and take on the age-old debate of how you’d split 10 rounds between Royal Portrush and Royal County Down.
Episode 11 – Big Picture Thoughts and Wrap from Northern Ireland –Andy, Brendan, Cameron, and Matt re-convene to put a bow on their March 2024 trip to Northern Ireland. They discuss some feedback and questions they’ve gotten since returning home, ponder some of their favorite holes, courses, golf memories, and non-golf activities. There’s some debate over a composite eclectic 18 from the courses they played and a head-to-head Royal Portrush vs. Royal County Down hypothetical match.
Other Eggsplorations: Northern Ireland content
Eggsplorations Hub, featuring all of our Northern Ireland content
Journal #1: Newcastle, Royal County Down, and the accessibility of the Northern Ireland golf trip
Journal #2: The Holywood Hill and Rory McIlroy’s home course
Journal #5: What to do in the Causeway Coast region of Northern Ireland, both golf and non-golf
Journal #6: Picking an Eclectic 18 of holes from the seven courses we played in Northern Ireland
