Top 10 Courses: Northern Ireland
Here’s our list of the top 10 courses across the Atlantic in Northern Ireland 1. ROYAL COUNTY DOWN (CHAMPIONSHIP), County Down This postcard-perfect beauty, nestled between the Irish Sea and the Mountains of Mourne, can also be a beast, as blind tee shots, punishing rough, and deep bunkers conspire to create an unrelenting challenge. 2. […]
15 Hidden Gems in Ireland
Has anything or anyone benefitted more from the internet than Irish golf? Images of Waterville, Tralee, Old Head, or Royal County Down speed along the information superhighway and soon the world wants to visit. Courses that once charged 25 Pounds/Punts for 18 holes and lunch, and which people only knew about by reading the World […]
Ranking the World – United Kingdom and Ireland
LINKS presents the start of a four-part series in which we’ll be ranking the nations of the world (outside of the U.S.) according to the quality of their golf. First up: the nations of the UK and Ireland. By Darius Oliver In the first of our four-part LINKS Magazine series, Scotland has emerged as the leading country in […]
Darren Clarke’s Royal Portrush
If Max Faulkner were around to defend his 1951 Open Championship title, he might not recognize what they’ve done to Royal Portrush’s acclaimed Dunluce Course. But 2011 Open Champion Darren Clarke has had a front-row seat to all the architectural drama that’s taken place there recently. The jovial Ulsterman has owned a home in Portrush […]
Portstewart Golf Club, a Place Worthy of Praise
By Nick Edmund Too long in the shadow of its northern neighbors, this renovated links has earned another look The country of Northern Ireland is smaller than the state of Connecticut, and yet in recent years has produced three major champions: Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell, and, of course, Rory McIlroy. It can also boast […]
Royal Portrush Prepares for 2019 Open Championship
By George Peper Unfurled across a rocky rampart of Northern Ireland’s Antrim Coast, the Dunluce Course at Royal Portrush is blessed with one of the game’s most idyllic settings, and its architect, the redoubtable Harry Colt, crafted a links that is equally arresting, making full use of dramatic natural valleys, ridges, and plateaus. Among its […]
Royal Portrush Prepares for 2019 Open Championship
By George Peper Unfurled across a rocky rampart of Northern Ireland’s Antrim Coast, the Dunluce Course at Royal Portrush is blessed with one of the game’s most idyllic settings, and its architect, the redoubtable Harry Colt, crafted a links that is equally arresting, making full use of dramatic natural valleys, ridges, and plateaus. Among its […]
Malone Golf Club, Northern Ireland
Belfast’s Little Augusta
Royal County Down, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland’s Rugged, Gorgeous Masterpiece
Portstewart Golf Club, Northern Ireland
Portstewart, a small town in Northern Ireland, suffered from a large inferiority complex in the late 19th century. Separated by only three miles of rugged Ulster coastline from the neighboring resort town of Portrush, Portstewart had been losing ground to its more fashionable and popular rival since the early Victorian era. When it […]
