This week for the Amgen Irish Open we are at Royal County Down, one of the most revered golf courses on the planet.
The links layout often tops surveys and opinion pieces looking for the best golf course on earth and Rory McIlroy earlier this week called it the "best links course in the world".
Its breathtaking beauty is the first thing you notice but do not allow yourself to be fooled, Tom McKibbin said he was "traumatised" by the course before he learned its nuances, while Shane Lowry - a man who knows a thing or two about links golf - is expecting a potentially record-breaking high score to take the title this week.
It is no surprise therefore that many of this week's field have changed their equipment to suit the unique challenge and here, we have teamed up with Sporting Insights to take you inside the bags of the very best.
Royal County Down showing off this morning 🌅 #AmgenIrishOpen pic.twitter.com/RhCFAO8urD
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 13, 2024
It is often said that one of the keys to links golf is to keep your ball fight low to tackle the winds and many of the changes made reflect that old adage, with the overall theme being the omittance of higher-lofted fairway woods and hybrids and the inclusion of long and utility irons.
Some players have also changed the grinds and bounce on their wedges to have less bounce in the firm conditions and much of this can be seen when we compare the situation to last season's Irish Open at the parkland K Club.
A total of seven two irons are being used this week and while that may seem a small number, it takes on more significance when you consider not one player carried one at this event last year.
The amount of three irons being carried has doubled but the number of fairway woods and hybrids has dropped by 59 and 22 respectively, with 40 more utility clubs in use.
| . | Royal County Down | K Club |
|---|---|---|
| Fairway woods | 175 (1.12 per player) | 234 (1.5) |
| Hybrids | 14 (0.09) | 36 (0.23) |
| Utility irons | 107 (0.69) | 67 (0.43) |
| Wedges | 596 (3.82) | 593 (3.80) |
| Two irons | 7 (5% of players) | 0 |
| Three irons | 46 (29%) | 23 (14.7%) |
There are 14 players this week carrying a mini driver, including Aaron Rai who is using one for the first time, citing his preference for its low flight. The Englishman is a player who looks to have gone full links this week, also jettisoning his five wood and hybrid for a three and four iron.
Fellow Rolex Series winner Nicolai Højgaard has taken a similar path, removing his three and seven woods in favour of a mini driver and a three iron, while Robert MacIntyre has swapped out his three wood for a hybrid, making him the only player in the field to carry two this week.
Of course, not every player is just making changes to their ball-striking set-up, Laurie Canter has switched to a different Scotty Cameron putter and the last time he changed the short stick, the man who has started 69-68 won his first DP World Tour title at the European Open.
And to some, playing links golf is similar to breathing: Lowry has not seen the need to make any changes to his bag - if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
