How to Play Royal County Down: Tee Times, Ballots and Booking

The short answer

You can play Royal County Down as a visitor by booking a tee time on the Championship Course on one of the days the club opens to guests. There is no ballot and no member introduction required, but there is a calendar to respect: visitor times are generally offered all day Monday, Tuesday and Friday, on Thursday mornings and on Sunday afternoons, with Wednesday and Saturday kept for members. The single constraint is supply, because summer dates are among the most sought after in golf and go quickly. Indicative 2026 green fees are around 450 pounds in high summer, with lower shoulder and winter rates and the shorter Annesley links a fine and cheaper companion round. Always confirm current fees directly before booking.

Treat the tee time as the fixed point of the trip. Reserve County Down first through the Secretary's Office, then build flights, the short hop from Belfast or Dublin and the rest of the golf around it. Lock the date and you remove the only thing that stops most golfers from playing the course at all.

How to book, step by step

Start as early as your dates allow. The club's tee sheet for the coming year typically opens in late March or early April, and the prized summer mornings can be gone within days, so the earlier you make contact the better. Bookings are handled by the Secretary's Office rather than an open online system, which means a direct enquiry, a confirmed date and a deposit. If your travel window is fixed, secure the County Down time before you book flights, not after, and choose one of the visitor days, avoiding Wednesday and Saturday. Take a fore caddie, which on a links of blind drives and hidden hollows is genuinely valuable on a first visit, and arrive in good time to warm up and take in the setting.

If the Championship Course is full for your dates, do not abandon the trip. The Annesley links, the club's shorter second course, is a charming and far more available round in its own right and lets you experience the place while you keep an eye out for a Championship cancellation. Many strong trips pair a confirmed Championship time with an Annesley round and a day along the Causeway Coast.

When to go, and what to expect

The Northern Irish season runs roughly May to September, with the firmest turf and longest light at the heart of summer, which is also the busiest and dearest window. Spring and early autumn trade a little weather risk for easier tee times and lower rates, and a calm day in May at Newcastle, with gorse in bloom and the Mournes sweeping down to the sea, is as good as golf gets. Whenever you come, expect a stern and thrilling test: a par 71 of towering dunes, blind shots, fearsome bunkering and an exposed front nine that can bare its teeth in wind. It sits less than an hour from Belfast and around two hours from Dublin, so most golfers fold it into a wider Irish links run rather than a single round. Bring your best game and a sense of occasion.