– 23 May 2015
On my way into Portrush for last weekend’s North West 200 motorcycle races, I couldn’t help, once again, admire the ingenuity behind the roadsign, opposite Royal Portrush Golf Club.
Welcome To Portrush, it proudly declares… Major Golf Capital Of The World. Never a town to undersell itself, Portrush knows how to trade on its unique golf links in more ways than one.
The famous, old Royal course, due to host The Open Championship in 2019 or 2020, is world renowned, attracting players, visitors, and their money, from all corners of the globe, all year round.
And, as an added attraction, they are reminded on the way in of the connection to golfing greatness of a town, population just 7355, in the shape of Fred Daly (The Open, 1947), Graeme McDowell (US Open, 2010) and Darren Clarke (The Open, 2011).
There are obvious tourism and reflected glory benefits from bigging up your box office associations. And they don’t come any bigger than the World No1 Rory McIlroy, born and bred in Holywood, Co Down, but passing through the town, how could you tell?
Holywood really does need to put down a physical, lasting marker to tell the world it is the home of the greatest golfer in the global game today and hopefully a groundswell begun in this paper last week will gain traction with Rory’s return for the Irish Open next week. Like Rory’s talent, the possibilities for Holywood are both exciting and endless.
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