Whenever amateur golfers receive an invitation to play a highly regarded course, they get nervous and get chills all over their bodies. It's a feeling of excitement, nervousness, exhilaration and disbelief.
It's truly a beautiful thing and another reason why the sport is so wonderful. Sometimes you get to play on the best courses in the world, the ones where the pros excel and the ones that shine on television. Whether it's Augusta National, Pine Valley or Pebble Beach, anyone who plays one of these courses will experience that feeling – a feeling that is so rare, if not never experienced.
I felt this way before playing at Royal County Downs Golf Course, voted the best golf course in the world by Golf Digest.
This week, the Irish Open is being held here, and Rory McIlroy has a one-stroke advantage going into the final round. Perhaps he will win the Irish Open in his home country, for a second title of his career, and get revenge on this beautiful golf course. McIlroy missed the cut in 2015, the last time the course hosted the Irish Open, and shot 80 in the first round.
McIlroy also lost the Walker Cup at Royal County Down in 2007. The American team, led by a young Rickie Fowler and 23-year-old Dustin Johnson, beat McIlroy and the British and Irish team by the smallest margin of the year. Photos of these matches are scattered throughout Royal County Down’s famous clubhouse, delighting everyone who passes by. Photos of Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods playing at Royal County Down are also widely circulated.
So many little things to bring a smile to any visitor’s face. The Mourne Mountains, the Irish Sea and the golf courses are obviously also a delight, but what is the most underrated part of Royal County Down?
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25621617/1821540158.jpg)
Caddy.
Those who play on this golf course have no choice but to play top-notch. Visitors from all over the world spend a fortune to travel to Newcastle, Northern Ireland, which, frankly, isn't the easiest place to get to. But once you're there, all the trains, planes, and cars are worth it. However, walking from the green to the first tee will leave you more nervous than at any other time during your trip. I know I was.
Nevertheless, on the short walk to the first tee, you will meet your personal guide, historian and instructor – who will show you around the most wonderful golf course on earth. Royal County Down has 75 summer caddies, and a smaller number of caddies for members who play year-round. They can all carry the bags in the traditional way, but they can also caddy for the entire team – a very important job with all the blind play on this golf course.
So, when I was playing, I felt lucky because I knew I was going to have a caddie for the day. But I had no idea how lucky I was going to be with Kyle.
Kyle is 24 years old and comes from Hillsborough, a small town in Northern Ireland about 30 minutes north of Newcastle. There are a lot of caddies living in the town, but Kyle doesn't mind. He loves this golf course too much to care. Rather than resenting the commute, he enjoys it every day, driving to Royal County Down with a smile on his face, imagining who he will be playing for that day. Sometimes, he'll play for a scratch golfer like himself. Sometimes, he'll play for an amateur golfer who can only putt the ball more than 75 yards. Or, on rare occasions, Kyle will meet a player who decides to make Royal County Down his personal bar for the day. Once, on the par-4 15th hole, which is a blind tee shot and a fairly steep hill, a player got so drunk after a bottle of Jameson whiskey that he fell while trying to get up the slope. An SUV from the pro shop had to go out to pick up the drunken tourist and bring him back.
Harry Styles had been part of his team, causing a buzz around the course. Rumors circulated among the caddies and their group chats about who would be playing that day, as everyone felt the heightened security. Would it be Tiger Woods? Rory? Maybe Bryson DeChambeau? No. It was Styles, an avid player and fan of the sport. He even played in last year's Masters. Kyle even called him a “pretty good” player.
Another time, Kyle caddied for a member of the 1982 North Carolina basketball team. That man wasn't Michael Jordan or James Worthy. But the man told Kyle that he was at the free throw line when Jordan hit “that shot” in front of the Georgetown goal in the national championship. Supposedly, that man was Matt Doherty, but Kyle can't remember his name. And who can blame him? He started caddying at Royal County Down in 2017 and has caddied there every summer since then. The names, golf bags, and balls he's played with are too numerous to count, but he's loved every minute of it.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25621618/1164677614.jpg)
His beginnings at Royal County Down are also an interesting story.
In late spring of 2017, after finishing his sophomore year of high school, Kyle went to Royal County Down with his father to watch the Irish Amateur Championship. He immediately felt a connection to the place and knew he had a future there. So after seeing the caddie shack, he approached the head caddie and asked, “What's the fun in that?”
He went on to explain that he was now old enough to work and wanted to make some money, and that he was an avid golfer. He had always wanted to caddy, especially at a golf course like this one, but his experience was limited.
The caddie captain then told him to be at the club at 9am the following Tuesday.
That's what Kyle did. So after receiving his red bib (red for caddie, yellow for alternate), the caddie supervisor had only one piece of advice: “Your buddy is over there. Introduce yourself and spend the day with him.”
This little instruction worked wonders. He never looked back.
Over time, Kyle learned every corner, every slope, and every section. But most importantly, he learned every sight line from the tee. This golf course has a lot of blind shots. You often have to hit the ball over the dunes, and the fairway is just the other side. It's so uncomfortable that some people pray before every tee shot. I know I did.
So after introducing himself on the first tee, Kyle explained that as a caddie, he would be standing on top of a sand dune about 200 yards in front of us for a blind tee shot.
“You’ve got to hit me over the head with it,” he said, laughing.
After a horrible mess on the par-5 first hole, I came to the par-4 second hole looking to make a comeback. But my first blind tee shot of the day had me panicking. There stood Kyle, perched on top of a dune, his hands raised. He looked like he was standing in the middle of nowhere, but that was exactly where I needed to be. Did I follow him? Absolutely not. I hit a rough duck hook off the tee, a straight 90-degree pull that buried deep into the side of the dune. Immediately after impact, I lifted my left arm and pointed it to the left—something we often see Jordan Spieth do. I tried to hit a big hook, which is my typical shot, but my nerves caused me to swing too fast, so I hit a duck hook.
It would take me forever to find the golf ball, but it took Kyle only 40 seconds, the first sign that he knew what he was doing. He tossed a towel next to my ball, and there it was: my Taylormade 4, with a purple dot next to the string—a little emblem of my alma mater, the College of the Holy Cross.
“Take your medicine, Jack,” Kyle said.
“Just pick up a 9-iron, hit it out, and then get back into it.”
Well, that's what I did. Then I tried to be clever with my bunker wedge and ended up hitting it on the green. After weeks of anticipation, I played a round at Royal County Down and ended up with two double bogeys, which made me laugh to myself. Kyle must have rolled his eyes when I told him my handicap was a 5.
But something happened on the 3rd hole that made me realize that Kyle was a unique and knowledgeable caddie.
With the wind blowing down from the Mourne Mountains and behind me, I somehow left that ugly duck hook behind me and hit a big shot off the third tee. My big, towering pull hit the center of the fairway, and my confidence grew slightly. The hole is 475 yards, though. I had 220 yards left, and as we reached the third hole, it started to rain.
“Put on your raincoat,” Kyle said.
So I put on my FootJoy hoodie, got out my umbrella, and headed for the ball. All I could think about was the idea of my swing and how I could repeat the same trajectory for the rest of my round.
When I finally got my ball, Kyle gave me the number: “Hit your 180.”
“180?” I thought to myself. “That's my 6-iron. There's no way I can hit a 6-iron 220 yards with the wind at my back! And in the pouring rain!”
I decided to trust Kyle, and I pulled out my 6-iron.
“Aim for the pole behind the green,” Kyle said.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25621622/1155199757.jpg)
“Don’t think about the flag.”
The flagpole was located to the right of the green that day, so we couldn’t see it from the fairway. A sand dune blocked our view, which explains why the tall black and white spiral column behind the third green, a landmark of Royal County Down, became a target for our hackers.
So I aimed my 6-iron at the post and gave it a good beating.
The sound of the blade was perfect.
Of course I hit it in the air, but it couldn't possibly go there, could it? No way. Kyle was right. My ball came to rest about 15 feet from the pin, and I felt like a PGA Tour pro because I had just hit a 6-iron 220 yards. The wind had played a role, but it didn't take away from my accomplishment—my last real accomplishment of the day. I two-putted for par and walked jubilantly to the fourth tee, Kyle's favorite spot.
The fourth hole is a par 3 and is absolutely beautiful. It faces the Mourne Mountains, the Irish Sea is to your left and the entire golf course is right in front of you. “Incredible” is not enough to describe it.
Kyle's job for the day could be described in the same way. We shared our experiences growing up, our favorite pubs in Killarney, and who we thought would win this year's Irish Open. Tom McKibbin was Kyle's choice, and I loved it. McKibbin is an up-and-coming Northern Irish golfer who has won on the DP World Tour. Kyle has also played with him a few times. I said I would love to see Sean Lowry do well, and Kyle nodded in agreement.
But we talked about so many different things, experiences and passions that turned a bad match into a memorable one. He was my compass, telling me where and how to hit certain shots. I felt I let him down with my 91 though, it was the worst score I’ve had in a long time. But it was the best 91 of my life because Kyle took me through Royal County Down, one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Kyle isn’t the only one, however. From everyone I’ve spoken to, those lucky enough to play at Royal County Down have had an extraordinary experience with their caddies. Maybe it’s the charming Irish hospitality. Or maybe it’s the fact that these caddies can walk along the Irish coast, look out at the Mourne Mountains with a smile on their face and say, “Yeah, I work here every day.”
Jack Milko is SB Nation's Playing Through golf columnist. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @JackMilco Same here.