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HOLYWOOD, County Down, Northern Ireland - The Holywood Golf Club has gone, well, full Hollywood after Rory McIlroy's memorable Grand Slam win at The Masters.
McIlroy's home club is blossoming into a popular tourist trap outside Belfast, attracting visitors from around the world. Following McIlroy's historic green jacket in April, the demand for photos in the "Rory room" and memorabilia from the pro shop skyrocketed.
The club launched the "Rory Experience", which offers the chance to enjoy snacks and drinks with a member host who shares stories about McIlroy's days growing up at the club, followed by the chance to take photos with replica major championship trophies from the U.S. Open, PGA Championship and The Open. It's best to call the club for availability (phone number: +44 (0) 28 9042 3135).
I saw the McIlroy mania first-hand during a visit in May. While I was wandering through the pro shop before a round, a woman came in and asked, "Where's the Rory room?" She and her husband had taken a taxi from a cruise ship in Belfast to take photos around the clubhouse. After golf, I met an Aussie who was loading up on logo polos for his buddies. None of them had time to play. They all just wanted to see where it all started for one of golf's most popular heroes.
"It's crazy at the minute," Head Golf Professional Ciaran Lavery said. "It's almost like we have two time sheets. We have a (tee) time sheet for members and guests that are playing, and then we have the cruise ships coming in with the cabs picking them up, so it's chaotic at times. But it's a really good busy."
If you see a car parked in a certain spot in the lot during your visit, get excited.
Although McIlroy hasn't played well since putting on the green jacket, the Holywood buzz will only ramp up in advance of The Open at nearby Royal Portrush in July.
McIlroy has made more than $100 million in his PGA Tour career, second only to Tiger Woods, and is one of six players to win the career Grand Slam. Not bad for a kid from a small club in Northern Ireland.
"Everyone here is really proud of him," Lavery said. "They've just been so supportive and they're just amazed at what he's done and the magnitude of it. We've all been talking about it, like, there's no other club in the world with all four majors sitting in their trophy cabinet."
And what a trophy cabinet it is. McIlroy has donated clubs and bags he's used to win Ryder Cups and majors.
And McIlroy has reinvested in the club, funding construction of a world-class weight room and an indoor training center home to multiple Trackman and HD simulator hitting bays. That wing of the clubhouse was added in 2019.
The new training amenities, not to mention the fact that two top professionals, McIlroy and LIV golfer Tom McKibbin, are homegrown has the junior program thriving. "We have a huge waiting list of juniors wanting to get involved in the game and follow in Rory's footsteps," Lavery said.
What it's like to play the Holywood Golf Club
Golfers playing Holywood will get a better understanding of why McIlroy is one of the best drivers in the world. The 6,009-yard course is carved from the hills high above Belfast, just two miles from the Belfast City Airport. It's a quirky test of golf that offers very few flat lies. Everything slopes down towards Belfast Lough and the city. It's nearly impossible to hold the severely tilted first fairway without a draw. Both par 3s at no. 4 and no. 6 play dramatically downhill.
"We've a lot of undulation here, fairways that slope left to right, that slope right to left, some sort of short doglegs," Lavery said. "There's a lot of shot shaping into greens and a lot of shot shaping off the tee to hold fairways. That's why we keep turning out great young players."
A few design flaws because of the dramatic terrain keep Holywood from being ranked among the best courses in Northern Ireland. Regardless, it's an interesting, scenic walk.
I teed it up with three long-time members. They regaled me with stories of a young McIlroy who was a "nuisance," using the club facilities as his personal playground. "Gerry [McIlroy's father] was the manager in the bar," one recalled. "Rory would be in the lounge chipping or putting while people were drinking."
Then he added with a smile: "It worked out for him."
After uphill par 3s at no. 9 and no. 10, the round finishes with eight straight par 4s. This back nine climbs to the property's highest points, riding its most turbulent ground. These holes deliver gorgeous panoramic lake views and some real challenges, including one of the quirkiest holes I've ever seen.
That would be the 433-yard 12th hole, where the approach shot plays over a temporary green used in the winter that sits in a bowl to a blind green surrounded by trouble. There's thick rough everywhere, plus a ridge along the left side that falls off into an deep pit staked as out of bounds. It's such a tricky hole that I'd take a bogey every day.
From there, the routing settles into a great rhythm. Ditches, long carries, side slopes that kick the ball offline - it's all part of a stellar home stretch.
"You need to be able to control your ball. You need to be able to shape it off the tee and be so accurate into greens. You need to be on top of it," Lavery said. "Even your short game needs to be impeccable to give yourself a chance to score well here."
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