THE IRISH AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP, PORTRUSH, 1896.

The 1st hole, treated as they all must be for our present purpose, i.e., from the medal tees, is two full drives and a short iron shot to rather a good green in a triangular position between two roads. It is a 5, and is called "Glenmanus."

The 2nd hole, also a 5, is over a fine stretch of turf, and there is always a good lie for the second shot. A sliced ball may lie on a road some four feet below the level of the course, and guarded by two stone walls - a very difficult place to get back from both physically and golfically. If, however, the slice has been very pronounced, one's ball is over this road and on to the ladies' links, from whence, if counter attractions are successfully resisted, the regaining of the men's course entails no penalty beyond the distance lost. The green is a very fair one, perched up, nevertheless, in a difficult situation.

The 3rd hole has a tricky little burn to be crossed, but it is only a good drive and an iron, and is a 4 hole. The green is a good one.

The 4th hole - "Camerons" - is a poor hole, and has no features of interest; a road has to be crossed, and the green is guarded by an artificial bunker. It is also a 4 hole.

The 5th hole - "Dunluce" - is a grand one indeed, well worthy of its historic designation. Many players hold the opinion that this hole is quite the best on the entire course, and in this the writer is entirely at one with them. The length of the hole is over a quarter of a mile, and the play space where a bad lie could not be found, is very wide. There is a small stream about 150 yards from the tee, but this should be carried, and then two more good shots will fetch the green, which is large, and it is the only one on the course which gives evidence of having been formerly tilled ground; it is nicely guarded by a little sandy bunker, which must be pitched over, and is a very good 5 hole.

The 6th hole is the first of the new holes of the course as extended in 1896. It supplants the old "Feather-Bed," and is a vast improvement upon that old and obsolete institution. It is a 5 hole, and is reached by two play club shots, nearly always obtainable, and an iron shot over a disused farm road, or "loanin" - formerly much frequented by "talking age and whispering lovers" - on to a high green.

"Primrose Dell" is the 7th hole, and requires a full straight drive to a small made green, protected on its flanks by dykes, and beyond by a stream.

The 8th hole presents two hills for carry by the tee shot. The second shot will scarcely get home, and the par may safely be considered 5.

The 9th hole may be set down as a 4, with straight driving. Time will probably provide a wider play space here, but meantime it is somewhat restricted on either side by heavy bent, fern, and broken ground. The green is in a small field, and difficult to negotiate, as a sod fence guards it, and too bold an approach will lie under a similar fence beyond.

The 10th hole, an uneventful 5, from which we proceed to "Patrick's," a capital golfing hole every way. There is a very high bunker to be carried rather close to the tee, and a second bunker, this time an artificial one, lies yawning for a topped second. The green when reached is large and true, and 4 is good to it.

Now we leave the new ground, and are back to the old course, practically speaking, except at the 16th, where the old "Chapel" hole and the "Gasworks" have been thrown into one.

"Bunker's Hill" - the 12th - will be reached on a calm day in one, and is a 3 hole.

The "Valley," which follows, is a grand hole, without, however, any distinguishing characteristic beyond that conveyed by its name. It is gratifying to the good player to hole out here in 5, and rather disappointing if he fails.

"Purgatory" requires a fine tee shot to carry the undesirable chasm which lurks for those who err, but who, happily, are not irretrievably lost. Those who lose a shot here, and with this penalty on their shoulders hole out in 5, should rejoice that worse did not befall them, as it easily might have done.

The next hole is a 4, and its annexation in that figure should fortify the player, who at the next tee has to be "thrice armed" in order to carry a fearful gully, to restrain the wanderings of his mind towards the hospitable attractions of the club-house, now in view, and to prevent his eye being attracted by the symmetrical architecture of a Roman Catholic church. All these distractions withstood, he may have a 3 hole where 4 is the par.

Now we have to cross a road to play the "Crater," the most formidable hazard on the entire course. A topped drive or a short one means grief in sand or in a brook or on a road, but a good straight tee shot gives a 3 hole, while safe pawky play to the left, and a short pitch to the green, ensures a 4.

The "Home" hole is a good drive from a high tee on to falling ground, and a brassy shot therefrom to the green, which lies just beneath the club-house windows. Portrush course affords fine scientific golf, and everything there is modern and up to date. The air at Portrush is extremely bracing, and makes early rising, after even late seances, absolutely no virtue at all ! It is impossible to feel ill at Portrush.

The journey from Portrush to Portsalon is an interesting one, and very beautiful scenery meets the eye everywhere en route. First we go by rail to Coleraine, and thence, on the main line from Belfast northwards, to Londonderry. From Londonderry there is a short half-hour's rail to Fahan, and there passage is taken on board a neat river steamer, which steams through the many lovely little bays and harbours with which Lough Swilly abounds. Portsalon is reached in an hour, so that there is ample time for lunch before starting on a round at the usual hour of two o'clock. There is first-class accommodation for over forty guests in the roomy shooting lodge which Colonel Barton, the owner of most of the land hereabouts, has turned into a hotel, and an excellently managed hotel it is too. It stands high above the harbour, and commands a beautiful view of the lough and of the links. These links are free to all guests staying in the hotel at a nominal charge of sixpence a day. Seven golfing days in the week may be had here, if the visitor is keen enough for it, for, although we are still in Ulster in Donegal, it almost requires the convincing production of an atlas to prove this to those who have travelled in the South of Ireland and are acquainted with its people. Here we are amongst pure Celts, and, though golf flourishes, the Scottish element, so abundant in Ulster generally, has been left out of sight, and while the Queen's Writ runs in Donegal the anathema maranatha of the General Assembly does not, and erring Scotsmen, having escaped from its jurisdiction, have more than once engaged on a Sunday with the profane native in a good tussle over eighteen holes. Scruples are gently broken down, first by putting on the home green, then by short approaches to the next, until finally, for his holiday here, at all events, the genial Sabbatarian strays far from the principles of his forbears.