Travel

THESE are the best golf courses in Northern Ireland


nic brook

TEE UP…Rory Mcllroy with the Claret Jug he won in 2014 (Image: Getty)

I’ve made a dozen or more pilgrimages to the venue of this year’s Open Championship which starts next Thursday on Northern Ireland’s Antrim coast, and while I really, really like the place, I sense it doesn’t feel the same way about me. I lost so many golf balls on my first visit that by the sixth tee I was down to just one.

I was playing alone at dawn, one beautiful summer’s day in 1988, and back then the rough could be impenetrable even just a yard or so from the fairway.

It was two hours before the pro shop was due to open and I was at the furthest point on the course. Not good! 

On another occasion our host grabbed the mic as our coach left the clubhouse car park. We all thought he was going to tell us a bit of local folklore but instead he asked all 32 of us to look at the houses to the left and see if anyone could spot the two new Titleist balls I’d sliced more than 70 yards from the then 18th tee into the gardens on the other side of the Bushmills Road. 

One time I played in a match there. Afterwards my teammates invited me to write to Alexander Armstrong to sign-up for Pointless, as I’d played three, lost three. You see a pattern here? It’s been so frustrating to endure such torment on such a majestic golf course. 

The layout is fair but always seems just too demanding for my amateur game. You think I’m going to quit? Not a chance! 

I do get the impression that I’m not the only one to struggle here. The 16th is called “Calamity Corner” and at 236 yards of daunting carry, usually into the prevailing gale, is one of the most exhilarating Portrush challenges you’re likely to find on a course. 

It’s easily the hardest links I’ve played and I can’t get enough of the place. 

giant's causeway

Nic visited the giant’s Causeway, a World Heritage site (Image: Getty)

One golfer who hasn’t suffered such demons is local favourite Rory McIlroy. He famously knocked it round Royal Portrush in 61 when he was just 16 and will be one of the favourites for this year’s Open. 

The 2014 champion, from Holywood, Co. Down has this to say about golf in his homeland: “For me, Northern Ireland really is made for golf. I’d urge anyone who hasn’t played on one of our many superb courses to give it a go. It really is one special place to play the game.” 

Visually, the Dunluce links are stunning, and even if the weather is only half-decent they’ll still look fabulous.

Another bonus to golf in these parts is that Portrush is on an awe-inspiring stretch of coastline boasting a couple of other great courses just a few miles away, making it an ideal golfing destination. 

Portstewart’s front nine holes career naturally through some of the most fabulous dunes, making it “crazy golf” on a grand scale. 

Castlerock is less renowned but no less worth a visit. The clubhouse is smaller and somehow more intimate, the welcome is warm and genuine. Great golfing land. 

These two seaside courses, the Strand course at Portstewart and the Mussenden links at Castlerock, straddle adjacent banks of the River Bann, and are both superbly laid out. 

If you visit the region in the summer months take advantage of the Lough Foyle ferry operating between Magilligan and Greencastle in neighbouring Co Donegal.

Ballyliffin, host to The Irish Open last year isn’t far away and is one of the friendliest and most welcoming clubs you’ll ever find. Two courses there, the Glashedy and Old Links make the journey worthwhile. 

In the old days one of the problems visitors faced in Northern Ireland was the fact that tourist facilities were pretty basic. That’s no longer the case. Tourism is booming and the province has plenty to show off. 

The Causeway Coastal Route from Belfast to Derry is regarded as one of the world’s greatest road trips and Northern Ireland has really upped its game when it comes to welcoming not just golfing pilgrims. 

The giant’s Causeway, just a few miles along the coast, attracts more than a million tourists a year and has a new visitor centre to welcome callers to the Unesco World Heritage site. The crashing Atlantic waves, the stones’ formations and rocky outcrops are surreal and never fail to impress. 

Game of Thrones enthusiasts will enjoy finding dramatic locations for the epic series throughout Northern Ireland. 

There’s a great pride in the rich variety of local produce in this rich agricultural region, so you’ll find some fine dining to complement some great apres-golf. Bushmills village is home not only to the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery, but also two excellent restaurants; The Bushmills Inn and Tartine. 

castlerock

Castlerock golf course is small and intimate, with a ‘warm and genuine’ feel (Image: Getty)

Both worth booking well in advance of any trip. And when you’re at Portrush don’t leave without a walk down to Willie Gregg’s Harbour Bar for the finest pint (or three…) of Guinness in Co Antrim. 

So if you enjoy golf and you’ve never played in Northern Ireland, sign-up soon. Once the TV cameras pan across its raw and rugged rippling dunes during The Open coverage, Portrush is set to become the hottest ticket in golf travel. Just make sure you’ve enough balls. 

When to go: Anytime, though Royal Portrush is closed to visitors until after The Open in July. 

Top tip. Keep the ball low, beneath the wind. A five iron is your friend. 

THE KNOWLEDGE 

Flights to Belfast available from airports across the UK; ferries from Liverpool and Cairnryan and also Cairnryan to Larne. 

Castlerock GC green fees from £100 (Mussenden Course, castlerockgc.co.uk). 

Portstewart GC green fees from £60 (Strand Course, portstewartgc.co.uk). 

Royal Portrush GC green fees from £120 (Dunluce Course Nov-Dec, £220 Jul 25-Oct 31, royalportrushgolfclub.com). 

● Golf packages available at golfbreaks.com and yourgolftravel.com 

● Rooms at the Bushmills Inn start at £170 a night B&B. bushmillsinn.com 

● Tourist info: ireland.com/golf 



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