Royal Portrush Golf Club
Voted Number 8 in the World’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses, Golf Digest (2019 & 2020).
Founded in 1888, the legendary Royal Portrush Golf Club has two Championship Courses – the renowned Dunluce Course and the smaller but equally enjoyable Valley Course. Both command impressive views across the North Atlantic with breathtaking views of Scotland and Donegal but the golf is even more spectacular.
The Dunluce Course, re-designed in 1947 by Mr H.S. Colt and later in 1951, became host to the first ever Open Championship held in Ireland. During the entire tournament only two golfers managed to break 70. It’s easy to see why; the greens are scattered among huge sand dunes gently raised above the Antrim Coast providing vistas of sea, cliffs and islands. But no matter how appealing the view, attention must be paid to your game as Portrush can challenge even the most experienced of golfers. 2019 saw a monumental year for golf in Northern Ireland with the return of The Open to Northern Ireland for only the second time in history. The event had over 237,000 spectators attend.
See more on Royal Portrush on Discover Northern Ireland
Royal Portrush is just under 30 minutes away, view the route here:
Portstewart Golf Club
“3 Mighty Courses, 1 Magnificent Club”
Situated on Northern Ireland’s magnificent Causeway Coast, Portstewart Golf Club presents a difficult but fair game. The Strand Course is indisputably the jewel in Portstewart’s crown for both quality of game and scenery. The course is set in classic links country amid towering sand dunes with views at every turn of the Donegal hills, the Atlantic and the River Bann. The opening hole with its elevated tee, dogleg right to the green and sandy strip on the right, was always a particularly memorable opening hole.
For something a little less challenging, the Riverside Course stretches from the clubhouse down to the River Bann. And if you like a little heritage in your game, the original Old Course situated at the eastern end of Portstewart along the rocky shore, has tested players since 1889.
See more on Portstewart Golf Club on Discover Northern Ireland
Image Credit: Discover NI
