Our two photographers and videographers, Cameron Hurdus and Matt Rouches, may be the most talented people working at Fried Egg Golf. Cameron, our creative director, won the Lido contest three times. Matt, the young pup on the team, has a background of experiences working on a golf course build, studying turf, and working on the maintenance team at Chicago Golf Club. They don’t just know how to handle a camera. They both know golf.

They’re not out front as much, often by their own choosing, but given their expertise we wanted to make sure their voices were an integral part of the Eggsplorations trip to Northern Ireland. Here’s a quick roundtable postmortem with them on favorite holes, courses, and surprises from the trip.

Royal County Down or Royal Portrush? 

Matt: Royal Portrush just barely edges RCD for me, but I’d take RCD 6 of 10 between the two. I think Portrush 1-18 is such a complete golf course and the greens have so much interest. Like I stated in a previous newsletter, the climactic finish on the Dunluce Links makes it extremely memorable, and there’s something I enjoy so much about a course getting better and better as you go through the round. At the end of the day, I’m just thankful to have seen both of these amazing golf courses. I won’t stop thinking about them for a long time.

Cameron: It doesn’t get much better than the opening stretch at RCD, but I also feel that Portrush is a stronger 18-hole course from start to finish. The Harry Colt greens have tons of character, and I think the finishing stretch of 15-18 is one of the coolest in tournament golf. Personally, I think it’s the best course currently on the Open rota. I can’t wait to watch them host the event again next summer.

What was your favorite hole from the trip?

Cameron: This is basically an impossible question to answer, and would probably change depending on the day of the week you asked me, but I actually think it might come down to one of the short courses we played. There were so many great holes on the Annesley Links at RCD, which featured some of the best land on the entire trip. But the 2nd hole on the Bann course at Castlerock might be the one that stuck out the most. Nicknamed ‘Everest’, this par 4 climbs significantly between a smaller strip of dunes left of the fairway and a huge one that pinches the hole on the right before reaching a thin, undulating green perched along a deep falloff right.

Matt: County Down’s 13th (AKA Gorse Valley™)  just beats out the fifth at Portrush for this superlative. The greenside kicker right and the standout green are terrific, but the setting of the hole is what makes it for me. Gorse Valley has a distinctive feeling from the rest of the golf course in Newcastle. A few honorable mentions because I saw too many good holes the past 10 days: No. 4 at Portstewart, Nos. 6 and 13 at Annesley Links, No. 15 at Portrush-Dunluce, No. 1 at Ardglass, No. 8 at Castlerock-Bann.

Biggest surprise, either positive or negative?

Matt: Just how much exceptional turf and harsher elements can elevate the experience of golf. On several occasions, I would look back at a hole I just played and be amazed at how architecturally simple links golf holes can be while still offering plenty of excitement. A bunker here, a falloff there, and a flattish green can be enough to create a stimulating golf hole. The fine fescue turf and sandy soils allow the ball to move so quickly, forcing a different type of precision. It became apparent to me at Royal County Down that angles are everything in links golf. Finding the right avenue into the green is key to getting the ball close, but there isn’t just one shot from that correct angle. There are multiple clubs and shot shapes you can utilize. Links golf, with wind, is the superior form of golf.

Cameron: There were a couple, but the severity of the rough was pretty shocking (and most everyone said just wait until summer!) We had heard that losing five balls on the 9-hole Bann Course was not out of the realm of possibility (I think I lost 4) and there were a few points where I climbed a dune in the hopes of taking a photo and was worried I wouldn’t be able to get out of the waist-high grass.

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.