Five must-visit golf courses in Northern Ireland

The natural beauty of Northern Ireland and its coastlines are ready-made for spectacular golf. The greatest in course design have taken full advantage of its wonders to create links unlike anywhere else - here are five you have to consider for your golfing adventure to Northern Ireland.

Royal County Down
With the misty Mourne Mountains as your backdrop, flanked by the Bay of Dundrum sweeping out into the Irish Sea and with purple heather blooming all around, if there’s still debate as to whether Royal County Down should be considered in the echelons of Cypress Point, Pine Valley and the Old Course, there’s no doubt it’s the most beautiful. It may not have hosted the Open, but the golf is undoubtedly a major-worthy challenge, with absolute accuracy required off every blind tee shot, battling swirling coastal winds and the strategically placed bunkers of Old Tom Morris. From 200 yards carries over gorse to greens surrounded by bunkers to short par-three’s protected by devastating run-offs, the contrast at RCD is what makes it so overwhelmingly difficult and a golfing experience like no other.

Royal Portrush – Dunluce
Standing on a rocky promontory to the Atlantic, surrounded by natural beauty from east to west, Royal Portrush won fame as the first and only course outside of Great Britain to host The Open Championship in 1952. Crafted by Harry Colt in 1932, the Dunluce course underwent significant changes before the return of the Open in 2019 with two brand-new holes (the 7th and 8th), five new greens, eight new tee boxes, 36 new trees and 22 new bunkers created, but it’s soul still remains, the famous White Rocks and Calamity Corner still providing stiff punishment to any unworthy golfer. After Shane Lowry’s success in 2019, his sensational bogey-free 63 on Saturday considered among the best rounds in Open history, the course has only risen to new heights, with golf’s oldest tournament set to return in 2025.

Portstewart
Submerged among imposing, mountainous sand dunes, with views across the Atlantic to the Inishowen peninsula, The Strand at Portstewart is set apart from the rest of Northern Ireland’s best courses in that, rather than being designed by a towering colossus of 19th century golf, the genius of this course came from the mind of a local maths teacher. Sitting just three miles of craggy Ulster coastline to the west of Portrush, Des Giffin saw that the course needed to catch up to its royal neighbour, doing so by adding seven new seaside holes to the old Strand course in 1990. So spectacular is the golf he created, weaving through the Thistly Hollow dune, the course has taken ownership of the status as Northern Ireland’s ‘next-best’, making it an unmissable stop on any Irish golf tour.

Castlerock
On the banks of the River Bann, Castlerock may be the lesser known of the courses that share the Causeway coastline but is talked about as one of the most difficult links courses in the world. The wind is the deciding factor here, determining if the course will play difficult or near to impossible, all with charming views towards Scotland and the Isle of Islay on a clear day. The 4th, a 200-yard par 3 known as the ‘Leg O' Mutton’, is the signature hole, the tee-shot playing to a green bordered by railway lines that run along the entire length of the fairway to the right, with a meandering burn threatening any wayward shot to the left. Castlerock has flown under the radar as one of Ireland’s top courses in the past, but today its merits are fully recognised, and within half an hour’s drive of Portstewart, it’s grown into more than just an add on to your Northern Ireland adventure.

Ardglass
Speaking of nearby delights, for those on the west coast taking in Royal County Down, in the fishing port of Ardglass you will find the perfect addition to your trip. With the Irish Sea in intoxicating view from every tee box, fairway and green, this course departs from traditional links into more of a clifftop style, so while it may struggle to compete on golfing terms with its more famous neighbours, the setting is utterly unique. As is the clubhouse – dating back to 1405, it’s the oldest clubhouse in the world, the former home of the Earls of Kildare. If you’re in search of a stunning golf course and a spiritual experience surrounded by the best of Ireland’s coastline, a visit to Ardglass is essential.