The Most Feared Hole at Royal Portrush

The Dunluce Links course at Royal Portrush demands precision from start to finish. Still, one hole in particular sends shivers down the spines of those teeing it up at Royal Portrush – the infamous Calamity Corner, the par 3 16th hole. On course data experts Shot Scope take a closer look at the hole with the name that strikes fear into players.

Competitors at The Open Championship will play the hole from the back tees, approximately 236 yards with little to no room to come up short, particularly on the right side, where a 40-50 feet chasm lurks ready to punish any wayward tee shots.

Greens are difficult to hit throughout the course, with players hitting 5 on average. Typically, players find the putting surface on Calamity Corner on every 1 in 5 attempts (when playing the hole from closer to 200 yards).

At the 2019 edition of The Open Championship, the difficulty of the hole was evident, with only 24 birdies carded throughout the Championship, the fewest of any hole.

The chasm

Missing the green is more than likely, so is there a good side to miss? Players missing right of the green can find themselves approximately 40-50 feet below the putting surface, down a chasm of thick rough, which probably earned the hole its name.

For the amateur golfer, balls that find their way into the depths of the chasm may be considered better lost than found. Players who have attempted to get up and down from there are unsuccessful 9 times out of 10.

When players do find their ball, it is easier for the pros, less so for the amateurs. They are faced with a blind shot out of thick rough with a slick green to try and land the ball on. This lethal combination results in players typically carding a bogey or worse 65% of the time on Calamity Corner.

The bailout

With the visually daunting chasm down the right side, players typically miss the green on the left, but this is by no means an easy up and down. A good lie is subject to luck, with tight lies or thick rough. A shot hit with too much gusto, or thin, could find its way into the chasm, which would make for a truly unpleasant playing experience and an astronomical score on the par 3.

Pars always play on Par 3s

When it comes to par 3s, given the opportunity, players would not turn down even par for the week on these holes. Shot Scope data reveals the difficulty amateur golfers have on these holes, with scoring averages closer to bogey than par on 75% of the holes:

With players struggling to hit the greens, it comes as no surprise that these holes play 0.7 strokes over par, with the 16th, Calamity Corner, the hardest of all. Given the difficulty of the hole, particularly if it’s windy, players will gain strokes on the field if they par the hole each day.

Playing to the left-center of the green minimizes the threat of the chasm, and if missing left, a fortuitous kick from the mounds can reward players with a ball safely on the green.
As The Open approaches, Calamity Corner will undoubtedly provide drama, testing the nerve and skill of every competitor as they battle to raise the coveted Claret Jug. 

If you use a Shot Scope performance tracking product and have played Royal Portrush, your data has contributed to the stats in this article.