Paul McGinley 'proud to be Irish' after filming series on the greatest golf holes in Ireland

The former Ryder Cup captain has filmed a new series, 'Golf's Greatest Holes Ireland & Northern Ireland', with broadcaster Chris Hollins.

The 14th at County Louth features on episode three of ‘Golf’s Greatest Holes, Ireland & Northern Ireland’, a series that takes viewers on a golfing journey across the island and which is set to reach 500m households in 189 countries.

If Paul McGinley were a stick of rock, he would surely have a band of green, white and orange running down his centre, so patriotic is he about his homeland.

Like so many Irish emigrants, he pines for home, and his love of country comes flooding back every time he sets foot on the old sod.

It was true when he hosted the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Lahinch in 2019 and those feelings of pride washed over him again as he filmed a new series, Golf’s Greatest Holes Ireland & Northern Ireland with broadcaster Chris Hollins.

Initially split into six 30-minute episodes, the first of which was aired on Sky Sports earlier this week, the programme is set to reach more than 500m households in 189 countries thanks to backing from Tourism Ireland, the umbrella body for tourism north and south of the border.

The series takes viewers on a golfing journey that encompasses all parts of the island and highlights the many reasons on and off the course why Ireland is a must-visit destination for golfers as we count down to the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor.

With the Irish Government investing at least €50m in the game’s biggest TV event, they expect a €100m tourism spin off and McGinley’s new TV project ticks all the right boxes as it showcases courses, not just along the 2,400km Wild Atlantic Way, but in Ireland’s Ancient East, the Hidden Heartlands of the Midlands and the Shannon region, and also in Northern Ireland, which so brilliantly hosted The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019.

The episodes broadcast on Sky Sports to 25m households were filmed earlier this year, when McGinley and Hollins travelled the length and breadth of the island playing iconic courses including Royal County Down, The K Club, Portmarnock, Druids Glen, Royal Portrush, Adare Manor, Lahinch, Enniscrone, Rosapenna and Mount Juliet, to name just a few.

“It was filmed during lockdown and it was very challenging as you can imagine with all the hotels closed,” explains McGinley, who filmed the entire series on two separate weeks, so tight and strict was the film schedule.

“We had to stay in our own little bubble during the whole thing, so we did our own cooking and rented houses with a decent sized crew about 10 or 12. A lot of the crew are not golfers so the idea was to have a different perspective that wasn’t just the golf.”

While Tourism Ireland largely selected the courses chosen, McGinley got to pick an outstanding hole at each one, and while many of the venues were old favourites, he also got to see places he’d never played before.

“The premise behind it was to highlight golf courses that might not necessarily be on everybody’s list,” McGinley explains. “When people come here, they go to the famous links courses, which we highlight. But it was also wonderful to see places like Carne in Mayo and Enniscrone in Sligo. It tugged at my heartstrings a little bit because I hadn’t been back at most of these courses since my amateur days, so to go back to Rosses Point, where I won the Irish Close in 1989, was fantastic.

“It was also great to go back to Lahinch as well and see Paddy Keane and all the lads after the success we had at the Irish Open there. They were shut down at the time, too, so they were delighted to see us, and we were able to reminisce about 2019 and look through the old photographs of that week.”

During the planning stage, McGinley and Hollins had hoped to included local characters, pubs, hotels and restaurants in their pieces on each venue, but while the Covid-19 lockdown severely curtailed their plans, they were bowled over by the hospitality of the people.

“I must say the hospitality that we received from all the clubs made me proud to be Irish,” McGinley adds. “Every club had officers there to meet us, and it gave me great pride in being Irish to see the welcome that we got.

“Bear in mind that the crew were not golf people — they were from TV production and movie production end — and they kept coming away saying, ‘my God, people are so nice here.’ Just little things like having soup and sandwiches waiting for us everywhere we went, those touches warm the heart.”

Episode one features the fourth at the spectacular Old Head Golf Links in Kinsale, the 11th at historic Ardglass, the 11th at Royal Belfast overlooking Belfast Lough and the 10th at Eddie Hackett’s Carne Links in Belmullet.

In episode two, they go to Ballycastle Golf Club near the Giants Causeway (7th), Christy O’Connor Jr’s Glasson in Athlone (5th), Portstewart (1st), Mount Juliet (3rd) and The K Club (16th) before heading off to Adare Manor, Lough Erne, Holywood, County Louth and Ballyliffin (episode three); Portmarnock, Druids Glen, Rosapenna, Galgorm Castle and County Sligo (episode four); Lahinch, PGA Slieve Russell, Malone, Carton House and Killarney (episode five); and then Enniscrone, Waterville, Royal Portrush, Royal County Down and Luttrellstown (episode six).

McGinley has a long list of other courses he wishes he had had time to visit, but if all goes well, he will be back to film more.

Tourism Ireland is keen to make sure it earns maximum exposure for its support of the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor and McGinley knows Ireland is a massive part of the European Tour’s plans for the next six years.

“The Government needs payback for its investment in the Ryder Cup in the years leading up to it, and Tourism Ireland is a big part of that,” he points out.

“They fully understand the importance of golf to the Irish economy and that’s why they took such a lead role in this programme. It’s very much tied into their marketing plan for golf.”