Calamity Corner: The Icon #2 That Tests Your Nerve
Where turf, sky, and raw links terrain conspire to punish the faint-hearted
The Greatest Holes Don't Just Test Your Swing — They Test Your Nerve
At Royal Portrush, perched at the highest point of the Dunluce Links, stands a hole that embodies everything fearsome and beautiful about links golf. The 16th hole — Calamity Corner — isn't just a par 3. It's a 236-yard examination of courage, where the Atlantic winds howl and a 100-foot chasm waits to swallow any ball that strays right.
Why Calamity Corner Earned Icon Status
"Not because it's forgiving. But because it never was."
The Icon Range captures golf's most intimidating moments in minimalist linework with maximum meaning. Calamity Corner earned its place not through length or complexity, but through pure psychological warfare. This hole doesn't just demand precision — it demands faith.
Gary McNeill, the Club Pro, puts it perfectly: "It has the potential to be a real card-wrecker – most players aim to the left centre of the green."
The Anatomy of Fear
The Chasm: A deep ravine plunges 100 feet below the green, more fearsome than any bunker ever designed. This natural hazard turns a routine par 3 into a test of nerve that's haunted golfers for generations.
Locke's Hollow: The bowl-shaped safety area left of the green, named after Bobby Locke who strategically played there during the 1951 Open. Smart golfers know — left is safety, right is calamity.
Atlantic Winds: Fully exposed to swirling winds off the Atlantic coast, the hole adds unpredictability to an already intimidating shot.
Plateau Green: The elevated green offers no forgiveness, sloping away from approach shots with a false front that rejects anything short.
Historic Moments That Defined a Legend
1929: Harry Colt's renovation creates the intimidating plateau green and enhances the natural hazards that define the hole today.
1951: Bobby Locke's strategic approach — playing left all four days during The Open, avoiding the ravine and making par each time. The left hollow bears his name as a testament to smart course management.
2019: The Open returns to Portrush after 68 years. Only 41% of players find the green in regulation — the lowest of any hole. Rory suffers a four-putt double bogey, but Shane Lowry navigates successfully on his way to victory.
2025: The Open returns to Royal Portrush for the 153rd Championship, with Calamity Corner once again poised to determine the Champion Golfer of the Year.
What Champions Say
Gary Woodland: "I think you'll see a lot of balls going left. Right is no fun. And that's obviously weather dictating."
Graeme McDowell: "It's one of the most intimidating shots in golf – even when you've played it a hundred times."
The Universal Playing Tip: "Don't flirt with Bobby Locke's Hollow. Left is safety. Right is Calamity."
Can You Solve the Dingbat?
Before we dive deeper into the story, here's a challenge for you. The shirt speaks in code — can you read what it's saying?
More Than a Shirt — It's the Tension of the 16th
The No.002 Icon Tee isn't just apparel. It's the psychological weight of standing on that elevated tee, Atlantic winds swirling, chasm gaping, knowing that your next shot will reveal more about your character than your swing.
"This is more than a shirt. It's the tension of the 16th at Royal Portrush — worn in fabric."
The Heritage Edition for The 153rd Open
Released specifically for The Open's return to Portrush in 2025, this heritage drop celebrates the iconic hole where turf, sky, and raw links terrain create golf's most unforgettable psychological test.
The minimalist line graphic captures the essence of what makes Calamity Corner legendary — not its length or complexity, but its ability to test what can't be seen: nerve, faith, and the courage to commit to a shot when everything in your mind screams "play it safe."
Wear the Story
Every Icon tee includes a free downloadable "hole card" — the kind of strategy breakdown a caddie would whisper before the shot. Because understanding the story behind the hole makes wearing it that much more meaningful.
Download our exclusive Hole Card: Tee 16 Portrush Royal Dunluce Links
Calamity Corner reminds us: golf's most unforgettable holes are not always the longest or most complex — but the ones that test what can't be seen.
Ready to wear the nerve it takes to face Calamity Corner? The Icon #2 is available now, just as The Open returns to the scene of golf's greatest psychological battleground. The No.002 Icon Tee from Worn By Golfers