The 1991 Walker Cup and a Trip To Northern Ireland
In the winter of 1991 Interlachen Country Club was named to host the 1993 Walker Cup Match. By the summer of '91 the paperwork was all buttoned up and fellow club member, David Hays, and I were named Co-Chairmen of the event. Having no idea how to host an event of this magnitude, it was imperative for the two of us to attend the 1991 Walker Cup Match to be held at Portmarnock Golf Club in Dublin, September 5th and 6th.
David Hays is one of the most experienced world travelers I have known and when he suggested we start the trip playing two of the great courses in Northern Ireland, I was all in.
I began a cursory review and quickly discovered 'The Troubles' of Northern Ireland were based in the middle of our travels. I had heard about the conflict but had never focused on it. I went to David with my discovery. "Don't worry," David assured me, "they don't kill tourists."
The Troubles ran from the late '60s until 1998. 3500 were killed and 47,000 injured. It was a guerrilla war between the British Army and their mostly Protestant supporters, and those in Northern Ireland who wanted to separate from the mother country, who were mostly Catholic. The separatists were a paramilitary force who fought a guerrilla war protesting discrimination by the British government and the police.
The fight was settled with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 which called for powersharing between the parties and the Republic of Ireland dropping its claims to the six counties making up Northern Ireland.
Thus the conflict was full on during our trip in 1991.
Two of the great courses in the world are in Northern Ireland - Portrush in the very north on the Atlantic Ocean and Royal County Down at Newcastle.
We headed north out of Dublin by car. The trip took us through the capital city of Belfast, the center of much of the unrest. Passing through rolling farmlands separated by knee-high rock walls hundreds of years old, we entered Belfast after two hours on the road. Shortly the main road into the center of town pinched down to two lanes where we came upon a roadblock.
It was a tight area about 20 feet in length with a concrete wall on the left separating the two lanes. The wall housed the guardhouse behind. It was just wide enough for one vehicle to fit through.
Two government soldiers, each with semi-automatic weapons at the ready, came out of the front side of the building and approached the car. One of the men was at the driver's side while the other circled around to the passenger side. Barely able to offer a "good morning", they demanded to see the registration on the car and our passports. They were all business. While the one examined our documents, the other perused the vehicle, including checking the trunk.
It was the least welcoming situation I have ever had as a tourist. We were finally cleared to proceed and the guard gate was raised. We made our way through town passing several buildings surrounded by 25-foot high concrete block walls. Two-foot high razor wire rested on top of the walls. They looked like a mini-prisons.
They were not prisons, they were police stations. The police and British soldiers were the main targets for the separatist paramilitary groups of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Sein Fein, another guerrilla group.
While we felt safe driving through town, it was unsettling to know the walls and razor wire were there for a reason, to hold back a bombing.
We proceeded up to Portrush in County Antrim, and the Portrush Golf Club, two more hours north of Belfast. In 1991 Portrush had the charm and flavor of old Ireland before being 'westernized' as many of the courses are today. The pro shop was run by the professional, players around the course were eager to talk with the foreign visitors and the fees to play were reasonable. It was fun just being there.
The first hole plays up to a plateau where the next 15 holes are located before coming back down at 17 and 18. And what fantastic holes they are! The tee box at number five backs up to dramatic cliffs with views of white cliffs off to the east. Views extend for miles and miles up and down the coast. Sailboats of all sizes and colors painted a beautiful picture of the water. Testimony to the fact of how great a course it is, the 2019 Open will be held at Portrush Golf Club.
Portrush is in my top five of the greatest golf courses I have played.
After a night of tasting Bushmills Irish Whiskey, distilled a short way up the coast, and a good night of sleep we were on our way to Royal County Down in Newcastle. Located not far from Belfast, many consider Royal County Down to be the finest course in the world.
The summer of 1991 had been extraordinarily dry triggering a watering ban on the golf course. No water had been applied to the fairways and roughs in months. Greens were watered by hand using sprinkling cans.
On a windy day with a dried out course some of the enjoyment of the great course was diminished. Someday I would like to go back and play it again. Reversing our trip of two days earlier we made our way back through Belfast, past the police stations, through the guard gates and on to Dublin for the Walker Cup Match at Portmarnock.
It was the first time the Walker Cup Match had been contested on Irish soil and the locals turned out in big numbers. As Americans, we do not understand the popularity of amateur golf in Great Britain. Crowds larger than any I have seen at a Walker Cup in the US turned out at Portmarnock.
Portmarnock is a links course, located on a sliver of land east of Dublin surrounded by backwater from the Irish Sea. Stunning beaches surround the course. It is relatively flat with elevated greens and collection areas around many of the greens. The club has a history of hosting events, having held the Irish Open an astounding 18 times. Players with the status of Olazabal, Woosnam, Bernhard Langer, Seve and Ben Crenshaw have won at Portmarnock.
Under sunny skies, light winds and pleasant temps the USA jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead after the morning matches the first day. Following the big upset win by Great Britain and Ireland (GB & I) at Peachtree Golf Club in Atlanta in 1989, it put the USA in a commanding position.
The afternoon singles matches found the two teams splitting 4-4, thus the USA maintained a four-point lead. Phil Mickelson, Bob May, Allen Doyle, and Jay Sigel were responsible for six of the eight points won on day one.
Sunny skies greeted the players again on day two. This Walker Cup was the Phil Mickelson show. Hitting flop shots from short side collection areas adjacent to greens, he amazed his opponents and the fans.
I stood with Reed Mackenzie and David Hays watching Mickelson hit a marvelous flop shop from over the 18th green to win his foursomes match with partner Bob May, one up over Paul McGinley and Liam White.
"Under extreme pressure from the tightest of lies, he threw it up in the air. Amazing," I said.
"If he did not hit it perfectly they might have lost the match," responded Reed.
It was a great show.
Captain Jim Gabrielson sent Mickelson and Bob May out for the fourth time in second day afternoon singles. Mickelson and May were the only team to win in the morning, thus GB & I crept closer at 9-7. With eight points remaining a 5-3 victory for GB & I in the afternoon would keep the cup in their hands.
Mickelson was sent out first in the afternoon, in hopes of motivating the team by winning his match. The strategy worked, but not until the USA won the last three of the singles matches to record a 14-10 win.
It was a tough loss for Captain George MacGregor who would again lead the GB & I team at Interlachen in 1993. If the GB & I had won the last three matches, instead of losing, GB & I would have retained the Walker Cup. Mickelson and May both won as partners in the morning and in singles in the afternoon. A most impressive record of two singles wins each and two foursomes wins as partners.
It was a great trip seeing two of the greatest courses in the world, then watching how a Walker Cup Match was run. The next two years preparing for the Walker Cup at Interlachen would be one of the greatest thrills in a Life In Golf.
