Tom Watson, the former world number one, said the first nine holes of this coastal course are the best he has ever played. Designed by Tom Morris, the links hug the coastline near the small town of Newcastle. Among the course’s many challenges, the seventh (a par three) and the 12th (a sharp dog-leg) stand out. However, the feature hole has to be the fourth – a 217-yard par four. From a dramatically elevated tee, players must clear a sea of gorse to a heavily bunkered green surrounded by trees and tall grasses. Views stretch to the Morne Mountains while, behind you, wind-whipped dunes rise high above the Irish Sea.

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