Castlerock Golf Club: Under the spotlight

Situated on the northern coast of Northern Ireland, is the 27-hole golf club of Castlerock. The course was originally a 9-hole layout when it opened in 1901 and is a true links style course overlooking the River Bann and the North Atlantic Ocean.

Eight years later in 1909, the course was officially opened as an 18-hole links after additional land was purchased in 1906. Ben Sayers was the original course designer and then Harry Colt was brought in to make some alterations in 1925.

The course offers three tee boxes for golfers to choose from playing between 5,900 and 6,750 yards depending on the tees. As you stand on the first tee, you look out over tall dunes of the golf course, the North Atlantic Ocean, and the buildings in the town of Portstewart across the water.

The course is laid out with the first 9 holes surrounding holes 10-17 with hole 18 playing alongside hole 1 back towards the clubhouse. A small burn runs through the far east side of the course and comes into play on 7 holes, 3 on the front and 4 on the back.

The course is a traditional links style layout and offers golfers a good challenge with narrow, undulating fairways, strategically placed bunkers, and a prevailing ocean wind. The signature hole on the course is the par-3 4th hole playing 200 yards from the tips, with out of bounds to the right, a water hazard running up the left, and a green guarded by 4 bunkers on all sides.

For those looking to do a golf tour of Northern Ireland, Castlerock pairs extremely well with the likes of Portstewart, Royal Portrush and Ballycastle. There are also the two courses at Ballyliffin which are about a 75-minute drive further northeast.

For accommodation in the area, we would recommend staying in Portrush with most of the golf courses being accessible within an hour’s drive of the city. In terms of accommodation, the Portrush Atlantic Hotel is your best bet in the area, or the Bushmills Inn Hotel a bit further east in the Bushmills area.

The city of Belfast is an hour’s drive from Portrush area for those who are willing to do a city stay and drive out to the golf courses.

Recommended package

• 4 nights accommodation at the Portrush Atlantic Hotel
• 3 rounds of golf at: Castlerock Golf Club, Ballycastle Golf Club, Portstewart Golf Club

View package: 4 nights 3 rounds in Portrush

Location

• Coleraine, Northern Ireland, UK
• 50 miles from Belfast Airport
• 160 miles from Dublin Airport