The Best Golf Courses in Northern Ireland
For its size, no country on earth packs in golf like this. The world number one, an Open Championship venue and a run of Causeway Coast links most nations would build a trip around, all within a couple of hours of one another. Our eight, ranked, with verdicts and how to play them.
Photograph: Royal County Down Golf Club, M O, via Google
How we picked them
Northern Ireland is, hole for hole, the best value great golf trip in the British Isles. We weighed the quality of the golf above all, then the strength of the surrounding cluster, the conditioning and the history a course carries, from Old Tom Morris to The Open. The two royal links lead any honest list, but the depth behind them, especially along the Causeway Coast, is what makes this such a complete destination.
Every fact here, the designers, the dates and the host events, was checked at the time of writing. Visitor access at the marquee links is limited and books up far ahead, and green fees move with the season, so treat any figure as a guide and always confirm directly before booking. The verdicts are ours. If you want any of these built into a costed itinerary, that is exactly what our concierge does.
The ranking
- 1
Royal County Down, Championship Links
Newcastle, County DownLinks · visitor daysOur number one and, in countless polls, the best course in the world. Old Tom Morris laid out the original holes in 1889, and the par 71 links runs through towering dunes beneath the Mountains of Mourne, with blind drives, bearded bunkers and a front nine many call the finest stretch in golf. It hosted the 2024 Irish Open, won by Rory McIlroy in front of home crowds. Hard, beautiful and utterly singular. Play it on a clear day and you will not forget it.
- 2
Royal Portrush, Dunluce Links
Portrush, County AntrimLinks · Open venueThe only Open Championship venue outside England and Scotland, and the equal of anything on this list on its day. Harry Colt's 1929 design, updated by Martin Ebert, is a par 71 of around 7,380 yards with the famous Calamity Corner par 3 and the dunescape of White Rocks. Portrush hosted The Open in 1951, again in 2019 when Shane Lowry triumphed, and once more in 2025. A worthy stage for the game's oldest major and a thrilling visitor round.
- 3
Portstewart, Strand Course
Portstewart, County LondonderryLinks · visitor friendlyThe front nine at Portstewart, threading enormous dunes above the River Bann estuary, is one of the great opening stretches in Irish golf, and the par 4 first from its elevated tee is a postcard. The Strand hosted the 2017 Irish Open, where Jon Rahm set a tournament record at 24 under par. A genuine championship links a short drive from Portrush, and a natural pairing on any Causeway Coast trip.
- 4
Castlerock, Mussenden Links
Castlerock, County LondonderryLinks · visitor friendlyAn underrated north coast links with massive dunes and rolling, natural ground. Laid out by Ben Sayers in 1901 and refined by Harry Colt in 1925, the Mussenden course has a rare par 3 with a railway and a burn both in play, and views to the headland that gives it its name. Quieter and better value than its famous neighbours, and a fixture of the Causeway Coast cluster, lately a co-host of tournament golf in the region.
- 5
Ardglass Golf Club
Ardglass, County DownLinks · visitor friendlyHome to the oldest clubhouse in the world, a fortified building dating to 1405, Ardglass is a clifftop links of pure drama on the Lecale coast south of Royal County Down. The opening holes hang right above the Irish Sea, with carries over rocky inlets and crashing surf below. Short by modern standards but endlessly memorable, and an ideal, good value companion round to a day at Royal County Down nearby.
- 6
Royal Portrush, Valley Links
Portrush, County AntrimLinks · visitor daysThe second course at Royal Portrush, set in a sheltered valley among the dunes beside the Dunluce. It lacks the championship pedigree of its sibling but offers a tight, characterful links test that has long served as a qualifying venue and a haven for members. A clever way to add a second round at Portrush on a trip, and a fine links in its own right at a friendlier fee.
- 7
Galgorm Castle
Ballymena, County AntrimParkland · tournament hostThe best parkland on this list and a welcome change of pace from the coast. Set in a 220 acre estate around a historic castle, Galgorm co-hosts the ISPS Handa World Invitational, a rare event sanctioned across the men's and women's tours. Mature woodland, the River Maine and the castle itself frame a polished, accessible round, an easy inland addition between the Causeway Coast and the County Down links.
- 8
Lough Erne Resort, Faldo Course
Enniskillen, County FermanaghParkland · resort stay and playNick Faldo's design, opened in 2009, wraps a 600 acre peninsula in the lakelands of Fermanagh, with water from Lough Erne and Castle Hume in play across a par 72 of more than 7,100 yards. The five star resort makes it the most complete stay and play in the region, and a relaxed western leg for a group that wants golf, spa and lake country away from the coast.
Designers, dates and host history verified June 2026. Two royal links sit about two hours apart, with the Causeway Coast courses clustered around Portrush, so a single base rarely covers everything. Always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking.
Plan a Northern Ireland golf trip
Tell us which of these you want to play and roughly when. One concierge costs the whole trip to the head, ballots and all, and replies within one working day, with no obligation.
Northern Ireland golf questions
What is the best golf course in Northern Ireland?
Royal County Down at Newcastle is our number one and is frequently ranked the best course in the world, a wild Old Tom Morris links beneath the Mountains of Mourne. Royal Portrush, the only Open Championship venue outside Britain, runs it close. Most serious trips build around both, adding Portstewart, Castlerock and Ardglass on the Causeway Coast.
Can you play Royal County Down and Royal Portrush as a visitor?
Yes. Both welcome visitors on set days and at premium green fees, though tee times are limited and book up far ahead, especially in summer and around major championships. The two sit about two hours apart, so a four to five day trip can take in both along with the Causeway Coast links. Always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking.
When did Royal Portrush host The Open?
Royal Portrush hosted The Open Championship in 1951, again in 2019, when Shane Lowry won, and returned as host in 2025. It is the only course outside England and Scotland to stage the championship. The Dunluce Links was redesigned by Harry Colt in 1929 and updated by Martin Ebert ahead of its modern Opens.
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The Tee Sheet
Links openings, ballot timing and the trips worth taking. One considered email every other week.