Touring Northern Ireland’s legendary links courses

Some of the Golfbreaks team and I were fortunate enough to play some of Northern Ireland’s finest links courses.

From the iconic Royal Portrush, host of the Open Championship, and Royal County Down, no.1 golf course in the world, to the hidden gems of Portstewart and Castlerock, each course offers a unique challenge amidst spectacular natural beauty.

Arriving at George Best City airport on a damp, windy Tuesday in March, it would be very easy to wish you had booked your next golf break to a sunnier destination. However, the excitement within our 4-ball was as high as it could ever be knowing the itinerary we had planned for the next 5 days.

Once we had picked up our hire car for the week and had fuelled our bodies with another much-needed coffee following our 3am alarms – we headed an hour or so North to the coastal, resort town of Portrush.

Portrush is famous for housing one of the greatest links courses in the world, Royal Portrush – Dunluce (home of the 2019 and 2025 Open Championship). The view from the coastal road as you drive round the headland is spectacular, even on a slightly murky day. You are greeted by the vast expanse of the Dunluce and Valley courses at Royal Portrush, and if that doesn’t get a golfer excited for their round then I don’t know what will!

Royal Portrush is one of those unique golf clubs where there is an aura as soon as you step foot out of the car and into the premises. Very much like the Old Course at St Andrews, you can tell that this town is home to one of golf’s greatest gifts!

Standing on that first tee at Royal Portrush you are met by a strong par 4 up the hill with out of bounds left and right, along with a fairly big bunker in the centre of the fairway about 250 yards from the tee (we were off slightly forward winter tees).

Having made four solid pars at the first four holes and standing on the tee box of the iconic 5th hole, you are then provided with the first panoramic views of the North Atlantic Ocean and beyond. The 5th hole is a great risk reward par four, do you go for the green or layup… that is the question every golfer faces on this hole. Proceeding to top my tee shot off this tee I then regretted my choice of going for the green in one, however, the views of the ocean beyond certainly made-up for any ill feelings I had walking up the fairway toward the green.

A unique feature on Royal Portrush is that they have old shelters built into some of the dunes, and they certainly came in handy when the wind and the rain came driving in and we needed to hide from the showers. There are so many iconic holes at Royal Portrush you could spend hours dissecting your round, which is what we did at dinner with a well-earned Guinness!

The work they are doing to both courses ahead of The Open 2025 will only make the experience even more memorable and place the club higher on all golfer’s bucket lists! I must also add the Portrush town is a beautiful seaside town, and the Portrush Atlantic Hotel is ideally located to walk into town for dinner and drinks in the evenings.

Day 2 began with another early start, with two golf course visits planned and arguably the best 9 holes of Links golf I have ever played!

The murky weather was hanging over the North Northern Ireland coastline as we walked from the clubhouse to the elevated first tee at Portstewart. However, the view that greeted us was not hampered one bit. Dunes, sand and the most breath-taking golf holes are all the eye can see from the tee box – it really does get the golfing bug excited for what’s in store.

Portstewart is split into the wild dune sloped front 9 and the more traditional flatter landscape of the back 9 running along the estuary. That front 9 was arguably the best 9 holes of golf I have ever played and provides the perfect balance of beautiful scenery, and a fun and challenging golf experience – it is a must play on your Northern Ireland itinerary.

After a delicious bacon and egg breakfast bap from the Portstewart clubhouse (and our 4th coffee before 11am), it was only a 20 minute drive across the estuary to the home of one the hidden gems of the country, Castlerock Golf Club. The sun had finally come out for that afternoon round, although it was still very windy – but is that not what links golf is all about…?

Castlerock, in my opinion, is the perfect course to start a Northern Ireland trip with. It’s a little more scoreable and playable than the likes of Portstewart and Royal Portrush – but underestimate it at your own peril. There are some cleverly placed bunkers, interesting slopes, and water hazards to catch errant shots – but there are some fantastic views from some of the raised tee boxes towards the end of the front 9 and into the back 9. You can see Portstewart Golf Club from the 8th tee at Castlerock, another reminder of just how good the golf is along that short stretch of coastline.

Now I have spoken a lot about the golf, and rightly so given its quality (even in mid-March), and you can appreciate why this is such a popular 2 or 3 night golf tour to do. However, there is so much more to the country than just golf.

All 3 hotels we stayed in during the trip were superb. The Portrush Atlantic Hotel is the perfect place to stop if you want easy access to the atmosphere of Portrush Town centre without breaking the bank.

You then have the Bushmills Inn which is a boutique country hotel with its own pub, AA-rosette restaurant, and cinema room – the perfect base for those looking for something with a little more quality and sophistication but still only 20 minutes South-East of Portrush town.

Lastly, you have the five- star luxury hotel in Newcastle called the Slieve Donard Hotel. Right on the beachfront and less than a 2 minute walk to the first tee at Royal County Down, it is the ultimate luxury treat for any Northern Ireland golf tour. Comfy beds, Sky Sports in each room (perfect for watching The Players Championship after golf whilst we were there), full spa facilities and a variety of dining options it really gives you a feeling of being special.

The walk from the Slieve Donard Hotel to the first tee at Royal County Down is a feeling I have only had replicated when walking to the Old Course at St Andrews! There is an excitement, tension and tranquilness that fills the air, and you can tell what you are about to experience is special and unique – but more of that later!

As I mentioned above, Northern Ireland has lots of great activities other than golf to be enjoying during your trip. The beauty of the Giants Causeway is unmatched, you can only imagine on a beautiful sunny summer morning or evening that place would be a stunning way to begin or end a day. Watching the waves crash against the rocks and seeing the sun peak round the rough rocky headlands certainly gives you a great understanding for the natural beauty of Northern Ireland.

Now I am not the biggest drinker at all, but the Whiskey Tour and tasting at Bushmills Distillery was fantastic. We spent about 45 minutes getting a guided tour of the distilling facilities, watching how whiskey is made from start to finish. And if you’re brave enough, you can even try the 85% proof clear Whiskey liquid before its barrelled and aged – it will certainly put hairs on your chest! It was a really interesting tour and was topped off with a tasting session which surprised all of us with how Whiskey’s can taste slightly different to different people.

The Titanic experience in Belfast is also a must do, especially if you are looking to kill some time before or after golf. It was interactive as well as factual and followed the journey of the Titanic from being built to the wreckage being found. Having watched the film your understanding of the Titanic is slightly dramatized, but this museum was tastefully done and shed new light on the many issues which ultimately doomed the ship. I would certainly recommend factoring in time to do both options during your golf trip itinerary.

Anyway, back to the golf and the final jewel in the Northern Irish golfing crown of Royal County Down…

But first, I must give a mention to Ardglass Golf Club. The weather did beat us and stopped us playing golf, however, just visiting the course you can see how special it is. The Clubhouse is built within an old Castle ruin and the first tee is as close to the jagged rock and beach you can get.

A great course and must-play in my opinion on the way down South to play Royal County Down. I would also recommend driving the extra 15 minutes along the coastal road from Ardglass to Newcastle, the views are stunning of the sea with the mountain range in the background.

Arriving in Newcastle you are greeted with the mountain range above, and this is a backdrop which is visible throughout the round at Royal County Down – there really is nothing better than having the sea crashing against the beach and looking at the mountains watching your every shot!

Now, we couldn’t have timed the golf any better, the sun had come out for afternoon our tee time and golf course was empty (it doesn’t actually open to visitors until May) – so we had millionaires golf in the beautiful afternoon sun at one of the best courses in the world.

It was very very windy however, and that first tee shot certainly gets the nerves going with the beach waiting on the right and thick rough on the left. None of our tee shots were particularly social with us all going in different directions (mainly because it was hard to stand let alone swing a club in the wind) but none of us cared and we were all beaming ear to ear as we walked down that first fairway.

Royal County Down is renowned for its blind tee shots (the compulsory fore-caddies certainly earn their value during the peak visitor seasons) and steep undulations around the greens. This makes it a course that punishes the bad shots but in equal measures rewards the good ones – there is no better feeling than hitting a good shot on that course. This was shown when we all shared Jack’s joy and happiness as he made a birdie 2 at the short Par 3 7th hole – this is what golf is all about, enjoying the course and making memories with your friends!

There are 2 holes that stand out to me on that course above all else, and both of them end the two respective 9 holes. The par 4th 9th is a blind tee shot over a massive sand dune (shock) to a fairway that sits below you. From the tee all you can see is your ball climbing over the dune into the mountain dominated skyline and then fall to hopefully finish in the fairway. The second shot to the green is framed by another dune on the right hand side of the green and steep run off to the left side, with bunkers short, left and right. A true test of golf, and when coupled with the beauty of the natural surroundings, the course certainly lives up to its “theatre producing” nature.

The second stand out hole for me is the Par 5 18th, again with the mountains in the background – this is a great hole and chance to end the round on a high with a birdie due to it being reachable in 2. Hitting that second shot from the crisp links fairway as the sun was setting and watching the ball fizz and climb up the mountain side backdrop is something I will never forget – even if it did take 3 shots to get up and down from just short of the green for a “stress-free” par 5.

The feeling walking off that course back into the warmth of the clubhouse was one of joy and excitement. As soon as you finish you want to get out there again and play the course differently to better your score, but you are also so aware of how lucky you are to have played a former number 1 ranked courses in the World.

There is often a debate within the golfing circle as to which is better, Royal County Down or Royal Portrush. The answer isn’t a simple one, Royal County Down is so unique and beautifully combines the classic traditional links feel with the large dunes and breathtaking scenery that modern links courses seem to have.

Royal Portrush on the other hand is slightly less undulating and punishing to walk but is in no way any easier, and that feeling you get as you walk in the footsteps of your favourite players who played in The Open there cannot be replicated. Both are fantastic courses in their own right and must be ticked off on any golfers bucket list – the ever growing price points of trophy links courses in the UK shouldn’t discourage you as you certainly get value for money and memories that will last a lifetime.

Boarding the plane back to Heathrow from George Best City airport, I found myself looking back on the videos and pictures from the 5 days spent in Northern Ireland, while already trying to plan when I was going to come back.

If you are after a destination which has natural beauty and scenery at every turn, fantastically hospitable people and hotels, and world class golf courses then you cannot look any further than this country. There are so many great courses we didn’t see to supplement your itinerary such as Ballycastle and Royal Belfast. With all this choice for golf and hotels there is a trip to suit any budget or type of golfing break, along with activities to keep you entertained when you are not walking the fairways. Northern Ireland – I will be back!