PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – It’s one of the most painful moments in golf, and it’s a real possibility at Royal Portrush.

A plethora of O.B. stakes, especially early in the round, means that some players will face the dreaded re-tee. The first, second, fourth and 18th holes all have out-of-bounds, and some of it is too close for comfort.

On the 482-yard, par-4 fourth hole, just a thin strip of rough separates the fairway from the boundary. Players must squeeze the tee shot between the bunker and those stakes.

Out-of-bounds stakes line both sides of the first hole. Some of the stakes are within 20 yards of the fairway’s left side. Players are still on Royal Portrush’s property if they miss it left on 1, but that area was deemed O.B. to keep consistent with history. The same is true down the left side of the dogleg-right 18th.

When The Open visited Royal Portrush in 1951, the club didn’t own the land between the first and 18th fairways (it was the 16th hole in 1951). The club owns the land now, but that land is still played as out-of-bounds during everyday play. Many decry internal O.B. as quirky and unnecessary, but the R&A decided to keep it for The Open.

“We try to stay true to how the course is played,” said Martin Slumbers, the R&A’s chief executive.

The O.B. will force players to decide how aggressive they will be on the 474-yard finishing hole. Players who try to force their tee shot further down the fairway risk bringing the O.B. into play.

“It's a great hole if you have 4 to win,” said Justin Rose. “By hitting an iron, even if you pull it left, you're not reaching the trouble. Obviously if you hit driver and pull it left you are reaching the trouble. … If you need birdie to force a playoff, for example, you'd probably hit driver.”

The O.B. came into play during the third round of the 1951 Open at Portrush.

The winner, Max Faulkner, famously hit a miraculous recovery in the third round. After hitting his tee shot near some steps and barbed wire that served as a boundary, he took some time to determine how to hit his shot without cutting his hands on the wire. He eventually used his 4-wood to slice his ball – which flew over the out-of-bounds before curving back into play -- onto the green.

Faulkner’s playing partner, American amateur Frank Stranahan, called it “the greatest shot I’ve ever seen.”

There is no barbed wire this week. White stakes and spray paint serve as demarcation lines.

“You can see all those white stakes,” Henrik Stenson told Golf Digest. “They stare right at you.”