The first day of Fried Egg Golf’s Eggsplorations: Northern Ireland was not exactly set up to ease into the trip, as we started at what is sometimes ranked as the No. 1 course in the world: Royal County Down. We won’t get into the sorting by number discourse, but suffice to say it was an immediate plunge into some of the best golf offered anywhere in the world. Here is one takeaway from each of the four Fried Egg Golf staffers after everyone’s first encounter with RCD.

Brendan Porath: One aspect of Royal County Down that made me love and appreciate it more is its restraint with bunkers (setting aside the 18th). Make no mistake, they are present and open for business. They are both beautiful and foreboding. But unlike some of the other great links courses I’ve played, where pots may dot the landscape and besiege every green, they are not predominant at RCD. Recovering from vicious hazards should not override your impression of this challenge. The staggering land and wind are enough. They are plenty.

Cameron Hurdus: Royal County Down features possibly the greatest opening stretch of golf in the world, and the ninth hole is no slouch either, with a dramatic, blind tee shot that plays towards the iconic spire of the Slieve Donard hotel. And the middle of the front nine is incredible, with holes five through eight playing along and across a central dune ridge. These aren’t holes that I’ve seen discussed much and although they’ve moved inland after the sensational start, they feature some of the most intriguing fairway contours on the entire course, with dramatic green sites to match.

Andy Johnson: It’s impossible to miss Royal County Down’s mesmerizing sand dunes. They are the perfect size for ultra-dramatic golf. They surround holes and you often play over them on blind tee shots. They create an unforgettable canvas for golf. What I found most revealing about the course were the micro-contours that exist in spades within the fairways. This smaller and less-obvious contouring elevates RCD from a great place to walk around to a spectacular place to play. The magic of links golf is firm and fast turf and small counters that can either corral your ball into the line of charm or pinball it away. I had seen photos of RCD and stared at the dunes. But the thing that makes it one of, if not, the best course in the world is its smaller features, which can have you screaming at a ball heading down the middle of a fairway to go a little right or a few yards left.

Matt Rouches: Fescue turf on sandy soil is the most superior playing surface for golf. Period. After playing a full day of golf at Royal County Down it was so apparent to me that the incredibly firm, fast playing conditions completely change the way you play the game, as opposed to the overwhelming majority of stateside golf. The fine-leaf blade turf allows you to play creatively around the greens. At various points today I used a 60-degree wedge, a 4 iron, and putter, all within 30 yards of a green. Although I’ve played on fine fescue turf before, the seaside links of Northern Ireland gave me a sensational realization that great turf married with unique contours is the recipe for wonderfully fun golf.

These are just some initial impressions for the newsletter. We’ll have a lot more from the members of the traveling band on the Eggsplorations podcast feed, and we’ll be sharing some of the stunning visuals on social media and other platforms.

This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter as part of a special series of Eggsplorations dispatches, sponsored by Tourism Ireland. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.