Portstewart's par fives key for weekend climbers

Portstewart Golf Club’s par fives have been offering up birdie and eagle opportunities all over the place. 

Given their length (583, 516, 555, 522 yards) and the prevailing wind, which is in the pros’ favour for the three shortest holes, that is no surprise. After two days they have produced a combined total of 36 eagles and 526 birdies. Tomorrow, they may well provide the springboard for someone to leap through the field and, with little change in wind strength anticipated, the par-five 13th and 14th could determine who wins this tournament.

The second of Portstewart’s par fives is the uphill seventh, measuring 516 yards. There is not one bunker. That alone should fill most golfers with joy and the belief that a birdie is in the offing, but you have to understand the hole fully to play it well. It doglegs gently right and is uphill from the turn. The optimum landing zone for the pros is around the 300-yard mark, where it is 24 yards wide. After that the dogleg causes problems.