As the Open Championship returns for the second time in six years, Northern Ireland’s best courses are shining brightly
With a rich history of conflict and struggle embedded in a people notorious for their wit and charm, few places compare to Northern Ireland. This picture-perfect province, which is similar in size to Connecticut, has spread its influence around the world with ease.
In golf terms, Northern Ireland comfortably punches above its weight. Rory McIlroy proves that. More importantly, its golf courses are revered, particularly the links. So, when the Open returned to Royal Portrush in 2019 after a 68-year hiatus, the region collectively held its breath waiting to be rediscovered. Then Covid struck.
A lot has happened since then. Renewal has taken hold in the bustling city of Derry-Londonderry and the vibrant Cathedral Quarter of Belfast. Regeneration and revival are running rampant ahead of the Open’s return to Portrush this summer. There are many reasons for you to follow.
ROYAL COUNTY DOWN
County Down
Royal County Down is a visceral experience. Tom Watson described the outward stretch as “as fine a nine holes as I have ever played.” Standing on the first tee, you can see what he means. As the spray of the surf forms a fine mist over the tall dunes, you quickly realize this is what links golf should look like.
Playing Royal County Down will become one of your most cherished golf memories. What’s more, the Old Tom Morris design, which has been around for 135 years, isn’t likely to change any time soon. According to Kevan Whitson, the former long-serving head professional and director of golf operations, it’s a keeper.
“When you’re dealing with such a masterpiece of a golf course, it’s difficult to make major changes and take on that responsibility,” he says.
While course changes have been minimal, how it looks has been a work in progress. “Presentation has been a long journey,” admits Whitson, “to maintain the balance between the beauty and the beast.”
Elsewhere, Slieve Donard—the redbrick hotel that provides the iconic backdrop to the course—has emerged from an audacious transformation guided by Nashville-based Adventurous Journeys Capital Partners, which operates hotels throughout the UK under the Marine & Lawn brand. Whereas before the hotel’s interior was bland, it now glistens with a zealous style that embraces the extravagance of a bygone era and matches the unmistakable aura of Royal County Down.
ARDGLASS
County Down
Thirty minutes up the coast from Royal County Down is a remarkable golf course that combines generous measures of history and quirkiness. Welcome to Ardglass Golf Club, home to the world’s oldest clubhouse. As if to emphasize the point, the first tee is flanked by a fleet of cannons as waves crash onto rocks nearby. As first-tee experiences go, there’s a lot to take in.
And then, when you look toward the first green encased in cliffs with the subsequent holes just as perilous, you can see Ardglass is golf on the edge.
A multi-phase development led by architect Ken Kearney has resulted in holes reimagined and tees remodeled. “The new 16th has been lengthened to make a new par five,” explains Flinn Morgan, the club’s assistant pro. “The 10th was a par three and is now a driveable par four, and the 17th was a par four and we changed it to a par three.
“When people hear you can see the coast from every tee box, fairway, and green, it’s an automatic go-to,” he says. “It’s a links course, but you’re on the cliff for the majority of your round.”
Ardglass may sound like a location in Game of Thrones (filmed in Northern Ireland), but it has its own dramatic endings. If you’re looking for thrills, Ardglass has it in spades.
ROYAL BELFAST
County Down
As the oldest golf club in Ireland, Royal Belfast Golf Club can trace its history back to 1881, although the Harry Colt-designed 18-hole parkland course didn’t open until 1926. Since then, little has changed.
The drive into the property is suitably grand for one of only five Irish courses granted Royal status. Suitably, the round kicks off with a pair of lavish par fours, but by the 3rd, you’ll notice the stunning views over the lough, and the journey builds to a crescendo at the stretch from 8 to 13 where each hole is shaped around the shore edge.
In 2024, the club appointed Clayton, DeVries & Pont to devise a long-term plan for the Colt classic; Frank Pont and Hendrik Hilgert will mastermind the revamp. “Harry Colt took full advantage of this beautiful, elevated site, delivering a great course with spectacular views,” Hilgert notes.
With a long history, Royal Belfast seems to be making up for lost time.
ROYAL PORTRUSH
County Antrim
My best memories would undoubtedly include my first round at Royal Portrush. Its significance dawned on me on the 6th tee. My fourball had just completed one of the great golf holes, a sweeping left-to-right dogleg that concludes at an infinity green overlooking the North Atlantic Ocean, and it was glorious.
Since then, Royal Portrush has been steadily improved ahead of the 2019 Open and this year’s event, masterminded by the design team of Mackenzie & Ebert. “The old 17th and 18th holes were slightly weak after such an amazing tour of the dunes,” notes Martin Ebert. “That has been addressed by creating two new holes that continue to improve Colt’s best links.”
The additions (7 and 8) were clearly to the liking of Shane Lowry, whose bogey-free round of 63 on “moving day” in 2019 resulted in a new course record and laid the foundations for his victory.
Alongside the famed Dunluce course, the recently opened £16.5 million Dunluce Lodge offers 35 luxury suites, while the club next door has acquired an eight-bedroom property that will be run as a holiday let. In Portrush itself, the Atlantic and Adelphi hotels will be transformed under the Marine & Lawn brand.
For a town once blighted for its limited accommodations, Portrush is blooming.
PORTSTEWART
County Londonderry
The North Antrim coastline is home to two of Ireland’s best golf courses: One will host this year’s Open while the other is the country’s best-kept secret.
Portstewart Golf Club sits on an elevated piece of linksland above Portstewart Strand. Below the first tee, a remarkable landscape of steep dunes and huge amphitheaters awaits. You’re about to walk through the land of giants.
Jon Rahm was certainly impressed. “It’s probably one of the most beautiful golf courses I’ve ever seen,” he revealed after winning the Irish Open there in 2017.
By the 5th, the River Bann comes into view, providing the westerly boundary of the property. The best of Portstewart’s second course (Riverside) hugs the banks of Northern Ireland’s longest river, marking a transition from the dunes of the Strand.
The club has appointed European Golf Design to develop a master plan for its three courses, with the architects noting: “The Strand course is the highlight of the project, with improvements focused on its back nine holes. Additionally, significant enhancements are planned for the Riverside course.”
BALLYLIFFIN
County Donegal
Among the mountains and sea inlets of the most northerly reaches of Ireland you’ll find Ballyliffin Golf Club, a club with an astonishing ability to impress.
Ballyliffin’s origins trace back to 1947, but while its rippling fairways might appear to be carved out by an old, bearded architect, the Old Links and Glashedy Links were in fact opened in 1973 and 1995, respectively.
General Manager John Farren explains: “The Old Links was originally built largely with member input, with an upgrade resulting from the construction of Glashedy Links. The Old Links is on the lower ground because it was easier to construct, while the Glashedy is up on the higher ground in the bigger dunes, so it’s more exposed. As a result, the greens are bigger and the fairways less rumpled; they have more of a gentle roll as opposed to the elephants-going-for-a-swim aspect you get with the Old Links.”
Standing on the first tee of the Old Links, you’d be forgiven for thinking this place is centuries old. “During construction, the ground wasn’t really disturbed,” Farren continues. “The phrase is they ‘cut the carpet God had laid.’”
Ballyliffin has already hosted the Irish Open and the Amateur Championship. Tentative plans to develop onsite accommodations will make it an absolute must for anyone looking to bag the next links masterpiece.
LOUGH ERNE RESORT
County Fermanagh
Fermanagh is a magical county where waterways mix with time-stopping sunsets. One of the best places to stay is Lough Erne Resort.
Opened in 2007 on a 600-acre peninsula, Lough Erne Resort brought with it refinement and international levels of service. The real draw, however, is the 18 holes designed by Sir Nick Faldo with water coming into play on 11 of them.
Barry McCauley has been at Lough Erne since the beginning. Discussing the latest phase of a huge upgrade of its 53 guest bedrooms, six suites, and 25 luxury lodges, the director of golf says the resort’s U.S.-based operator, TRU Hotels and Resorts, has been raising standards since taking over in 2015.
“They’ve been constantly investing in the place,” he explains. “With a resort of this caliber, you have to invest in it. It gets people to come back again.”
AWAY FROM THE COURSE
Stay for the views: Harbour Rock House, Portrush (blackrockbandbportrush.com/rooms-item-81271)
Stay for the staff: The Ebrington Hotel, Derry-Londonderry (theebringtonhotel.com)
Eat for the seafood: Harry’s Shack, Portstewart (harrysshack.app) and for the opulence: The Great Room at The Merchant Hotel, Belfast (themerchanthotel.com)
Visit for a city reborn: Derry-Londonderry (visitderry.com and derrycitytours.com)
Try catching your own breakfast: Causeway Boats (causewayboats.com)
For more information visit ireland.com
