Irish Amateur Open champion Colm Campbell has no shortage of golf courses played on his golfing CV, racking up titles at the Island Golf Club and Royal Dublin while achieving Home International success on some of the top links around the UK and Ireland including Ballyliffin this year.
The Warrenpoint native was tasked with the unenviable job of selecting his top ten courses from around the world that he has played.
“We are blessed with the golf courses we have in Ireland at the moment, we really are spoiled for choice,” he said.
Ballyliffin earned a special mention as the first sub or eleventh man, but it didn’t quite crack this illustrious list that takes in courses from the island of Ireland, Continental Europe and the USA.
1.Royal Portrush
“It’s a golf course we grew up playing on the North of Ireland. Obviously Shane winning there in 2019 was massive. Just the connection around it is great. What a test of golf, it’s fair, it’s scoreable. Off the back tees it’s as good a test as anywhere in the world.
“Just that feeling you get when you drive down from Bushmills and you are looking down at the course from a height, it’s just something really special and really cool.
“To be fair whenever you rock into the place Gary and his team treat you very well and make you feel very welcome.
“It’s just an unbelievable golf course as well.”
2. Lahinch
3.Royal County Down
4.Metedeconk National (New Jersey)
“It’s unbelievable. We played Carey Cup there in 2015. It was superb. Keelan McDonagh is the director of golf there at the minute and he sent me over a few nice gifts from the club, it’s an unreal golf course.”
5.Baltusrol
6.Bayonne Golf Club (New York)
7.Portmarnock Golf Club
8.Real Seville (Spain)
“Another unbelievable track. We played a few Spanish Amateurs around there and it was superb.”
9.Chantillly Golf Club (France)
“It’s incredible.”
10.Druids Glen
“I’m a big fan of Druids Glen, looking forward to seeing the new changes as well. I know Marcus very well there the director of golf there so there’s big things coming.”
Special mention: Ballyliffin
Campbell was also asked to form his dream fourball and being a die hard Celtic fan, he wouldn’t dare leave out King Henrik from his famed tee time around Portrush.
“My dream fourball would be, Tiger, Rory and Henrik Larsson.
“I’m a Celtic man through and through,” he beamed. “Henrik was a big hero of mine growing up so he was. “He was class, he was unreal. I could talk about him all day.
“Without a shadow of a doubt he’s the best player to play in the SPL I would class him as the best to ever play for Celtic. He was something else. He could have left Celtic and gone elsewhere after a couple of seasons but he hung on and he was a great servant.
“He’s a big golfer as well so it would be a good day out.”
Leave a comment