Royal Co Down introduce new watering system

Royal Co Down will have a new, fairway irrigation system installed and fully operational by the time the Senior British Open has its second staging there next July. But it is not to be seen as a reaction to the parched conditions which confronted competitors for the opening round last Thursday.

The fact is that the club had plans for the system going back 18 months. And now that it is to go ahead at an estimated cost of £700,000, it will offer obvious protection against further drought conditions.

Starting in October, both the championship and shorter, Annesley course, are to have a fairway system to complement existing sprinklers for the tees and greens. It is anticipated that work on the championship layout will be completed by next January.

"This was first considered as far back as early 1999," said the club's secretary/manager, Peter Rolph yesterday. "Though we favour the traditional links look to our courses, there is no doubt but that bare patches will occur after dry periods, which irrigation would avert."

He went on: "There was no real concern within the club about the condition of the course last week, even though some people thought otherwise. It was certainly dry, firm and dusty in parts, but links grasses are remarkably resilient."

Greens convenor Brian Coburn is hoping that the system will change the look of the course in other respects. "We would like to recover some of the dust paths between greens and tees and have them as grassy walkways," he said.

Either way, the introduction of a watering system will certainly be welcomed by senior players, however traditional their thinking might be. For instance, Christy O'Connor Snr, who revelled in the bump and run of links terrain, found last week's conditions very severe on his 75-year-old wrists. And as a sufferer of rheumatoid arthritis, Brian Barnes was forced to withdraw.

But Christy O'Connor Jnr clearly enjoyed the experience, which will now allow him to expand his participation in the British Open to 31 years - from a debut at St Andrews in 1970 until Royal Lytham next year. And given his Senior British Open form, few would bet against him extending that run even further.

Unfortunately for him, his winner's cheque for £63,330 sterling doesn't count towards the Senior money list in the US as British Open earnings do on the regular tour there. With current earnings of $228,966 from 16 American tournament appearances this season, the Galwayman will probably need a tournament victory to get him among the all-exempt, top-31 at the end of the year.

But he is not concerned. "I am going to take each tournament as it comes, starting back with the FleetBoston Classic at the end of August," he said. "As a winner of two tournaments on the Senior Tour, I have two guaranteed exemptions along with invitations in the majors.

"With sponsors' invitations, I would be doing badly not to get into a minimum of 20 events next year. So, I am not concerned about my current position in the money list (49th). On the sort of form I've shown at Royal Co Down, another win could be just around the corner."

Meanwhile, it is interesting that none of last weekend's professionals managed to equal the amateur record of 66 for the course, set by Jimmy Bruen in the Irish Open of 1939 when, incidentally, the ninth was playing as a par five giving it an overall par of 72. David Jones came closest when shooting a 67 with a bogey at the 18th.

The professional record of 67 at Royal Co Down was also set before the Second World War, by British Ryder Cup player Archie Compston whose main claim to fame was as runner-up to Jim Barnes in the British Open at Prestwick in 1925. It has yet to be beaten, while local members Hugh Smyth and Mervyn Jameson have equalled Bruen's 66.

The re-design of the 18th by British architect Donald Steel has been a wonderful success and club officials are looking at further changes. High on the list is a new championship tee at the first, which will increase its length by 30 yards to 532. They are also looking at a re-location of the 12th green towards the right, so as to add a dog-leg dimension to this 479-yard par five. Wearing a fetching blue, fedora hat, Hubert Green was a big favourite with the crowds over the weekend. And despite his obvious disappointment at failing to make a birdie from the fifth hole in a final round of 71, he expressed a wish to return.

"I really love this course," said the American, who won the Irish Open at Portmarnock in 1977 and returned there in 1978 and 1980. "It brought me back to the sort of shots I played on my visits to Portmarnock and to the British Open. Shots I never get to play back in the States."

He concluded: "I want to come back here, but much will depend on my tournament schedule and whether I'm showing decent form this time next year."

Green can take it that he will be welcome back.