Getting In The Mood: Royal Portrush Edition

The Irish Open returns to one of the world's great courses in Royal Portrush this week, with a solid field that includes 10 major winners, including Rory McIlroy, Padraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell and Keegan Bradley. This is also an opportunity for Portrush to show the R&A if it's capable of hosting another Open Championship, which last visited Northern Ireland in 1951.

Golf Channel will be airing coverage in the U.S. at 6 a.m. PT Thursday and Friday, and starting at 5:30 a.m. PT on the weekend. Whether you've been there or not, or just remember it from recent Senior Opens, it's a fantastic links worth watching.

Here's a European Tour preview story on the field and expected massive galleries.

Philip Reid explains the history of the event and its much anticipated return to the north.

In the years from 1927 to 1953, an informal rota of using courses North and South operated and, then, after a 10-year hiatus, the tournament returned (under the Carrolls International banner) and was played exclusively in the South (mainly at Woodbrook) before the Irish Open was properly revived in 1975.

Since then, 11 courses, all in the South, have played host to the championship  . . . and, so, its return to Northern shores, for the first time since Belvoir Park in 1953, is both apposite and timely.

Brian Keogh on the 100,000 plus expected for the week.

Deborah McAleese explains how Northern Ireland is preparing for the Queen's visit along with the Irish Open, and notes that Bill Murray is among those scheduled to play the pro-am.

The club has posted a couple of image galleries, with this excellent course overview and hole-by-hole option found in the lefthand column.

Ran Morrissett's GolfClubAtlas.com review has some super insights and images of the Dunluce course.

The club's member site also features this super newsreel video of Max Faulkner winning the Open Championship there in 1951.

Finally, there's an excellent Renton Laidlaw narrated "Hidden Links Golf Tours" video that is just under four minutes and tremendous fun, including a tour inside the Doctor's Locker, a look at one of golf's great halfway houses (but not halfway on the course), and plenty of fun course insights.