Royal Portrush Dunluce: 2026 Access and Booking Update
The Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush is the most coveted tee time in Irish golf, a Harry Colt links on the Causeway Coast that hosted the Open Championship in both 2019 and 2025. A year on from the second of those Opens, here is where visitor access, fees and booking stand in 2026.
The news: a year on from the 2025 Open
Royal Portrush heads into 2026 with its profile higher than ever after hosting the 2025 Open Championship, the second time the Claret Jug had been contested on the Dunluce Links in six years. The return of the championship confirmed Portrush as a permanent fixture on the Open rota and sent demand for visitor tee times to new levels.
The practical message for travelling golfers is to plan early. In the seasons since the 2019 and 2025 Opens the Dunluce has been one of the hardest tee times to secure in these islands, and a year out from each championship the squeeze only tightens, so a 2026 round needs to be booked well ahead.
The course itself
Royal Portrush dates to 1888, and the Dunluce Links was reshaped into its classic modern form by the great architect Harry Colt in 1932. Ahead of the 2019 Open two new holes, the seventh and eighth, were added by Mackenzie and Ebert, replacing the old 17th and 18th and lifting the closing stretch to championship standard.
It plays as a par 72 of around 7,344 yards, a tumbling links of fierce dunes, sharp doglegs and the famous par 3 Calamity Corner, with the white rocks and the ruins of Dunluce Castle framing the run along the coast. It is widely rated the finest links in Ireland and one of the best in the world.
How to play it in 2026
Visitors are welcome but on defined windows. In 2026 the Dunluce takes visitor play on Mondays from late morning, on Tuesdays and Thursdays in mid morning and again in the afternoon, on Friday mornings, on Saturdays from mid afternoon and on Sundays from early afternoon, with no visitor bookings on Wednesdays. Visitors are expected to belong to a recognised club and a handicap certificate may be required.
The indicative 2026 peak season green fee, from April to October, is around 420 pounds per round on the Dunluce Links. That figure is set by the club and changes by season and year, so always confirm the current rate, the visitor windows and availability directly before booking. Tee times can be reserved through the club's online booking system.
Our take
Our take is that the Dunluce is the centrepiece of any Northern Ireland golf trip and worth every effort to secure. It is a true Open links with a closing stretch that now ranks with the best in the game, and the wider Causeway Coast gives you Royal Portrush's own Valley Links plus Portstewart and the Castlerock courses within a short drive.
If 2026 is the year, book the Dunluce first and build the trip around the date you are given, because everything else on the coast is easier to arrange. Aim for the long days of late spring or early autumn, and pack for wind, because on this stretch of coast it is rarely still.
Plan your Royal Portrush and Causeway Coast trip
From a Dunluce Links round to Portstewart, Castlerock and the wider Causeway Coast, tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge builds and costs the trip, with no obligation.
Questions
How much does it cost to play Royal Portrush Dunluce in 2026?
The indicative 2026 peak season green fee, from April to October, is around 420 pounds per round on the Dunluce Links. Rates are set by the club and change by season and year, so always confirm directly before booking.
Can visitors play the Dunluce Links?
Yes, on defined windows through the week, with no visitor bookings on Wednesdays. Visitors are expected to belong to a recognised club and a handicap certificate may be required. Book well ahead, as demand since the 2019 and 2025 Opens is exceptional.
Has Royal Portrush hosted the Open?
Yes. The Dunluce Links hosted the Open Championship in 2019 and again in 2025, confirming Royal Portrush as a permanent fixture on the modern Open rota.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course, season and access details verified June 2026 from club, resort and golf travel sources; conditions and green fees change, so always confirm directly before booking. Last reviewed June 2026.