Editor’s note: This story first appeared in Global Golf Post on Sept. 16, 2024
There is a moment, when night has turned to morning and the plane that started on the far side of the Atlantic the previous evening is descending into Dublin, when a glance out the window reaffirms why you’ve come to Ireland.
It’s the green. Parcels of land, divided by stone walls, each a slightly different shade of green from the other.
It’s the sky. Even when it’s cloudy and painted with blue-gray scraps of clouds swept together by the wind, it seems almost impossibly wide.
It’s the people, ruggedly proud of their ancient home that has managed to maintain its charm while adapting to a changing world.
And it’s the golf, collectively as good as anywhere in the world. Famous and inconspicuous. Links and parkland. Heroic and humbling.
A journey to Ireland with golf clubs, whether along its southwestern edge where Ballybunion and Lahinch lie, along the Wild Atlantic Way at Donegal and Sligo or north from Dublin into what is called the Ancient East and on into Northern Ireland, is an experience that draws you in like a warm fire on a wet, cold night.
For all that golf in Ireland and Northern Ireland offers, the prospect of seeing something different – with the promise of a tee time at Royal County Down on the final day as the big-bang finish – is like tearing into presents under the Christmas tree.
Having visited Ireland a handful of times, I found the thrill of returning endures.
Arriving at the charming Grand Hotel in Malahide, a small seaside village a short drive north from the Dublin airport, the prospect of a week-long golf excursion with overnight stops in Belfast with its robust city life and Newcastle, which resembles a moviemaker’s version of a wee coastal village along the Irish Sea, brushes away the residue of a trans-Atlantic overnight flight.
For all that golf in Ireland and Northern Ireland offers, the prospect of seeing something different – with the promise of a tee time at Royal County Down on the final day as the big-bang finish – is like tearing into presents under the Christmas tree.
If Old Head, Waterville, Doonbeg, Lahinch and Ballybunion are undeniable and familiar bucket-list visits on the southwestern side of the island, a run north from Dublin offers a similarly spectacular itinerary that is becoming increasingly popular with visitors.
There is buzz that Portmarnock Golf Club near Dublin is in line to host a future Open Championship and, if infrastructure issues can be resolved, it seems likely to happen sooner rather than later, adding another classic links to the rota.
Next door is the Portmarnock Golf Resort which features the Jameson Links, crafted by Bernhard Langer when he wasn’t busy winning tournaments. It’s an ideal spot to get acclimated to the different demands of links golf, especially when the wind blows, which it generally does.
If you’re wondering about the name, it comes from the famous Irish whiskey-making family, many of whom are buried in a small cemetery to the right of the first fairway. It seems only proper to offer a toast – real or imagined – setting off for golf in a place known for its spirits – real or imagined.
A lesson in Irish sports culture was delivered on the first evening. A group of us gathered in the Grand Hotel’s Matt Ryan Bar (the rooms did not provide Sky Sports, but the bar area did) to watch the finishing holes of the Open Championship at Royal Troon.
Instead, we found the bar full of patrons, all glued to the All-Ireland hurling championship. If you’re not familiar with hurling, it’s a cross between rugby, lacrosse, hockey, Aussie rules football and is rough enough to intimidate NFL linebackers.
It was not until the match ended (congrats to County Clare on its championship) and the trophy had been lifted that golf returned to the screens, just in time to see Xander Schauffele finish off his victory.
“We love our golf, but we love watching hurling more,” our server said.
County Louth Golf Club, also known as Baltray, is where Shane Lowry introduced himself on the world stage, winning the 2009 Irish Open as an amateur. Like Lowry, the course’s standing in the game has continued to grow.
“County Louth is a great links,” Lowry said when the subject of our recent visit was raised.
It offers everything you want in links golf with a collection of brilliant holes that run through the dunes, the firm fairways framed by shin-high grass that waves in the breeze but is wispy enough to play from and rolling greens guarded by humps and bunkers.
Retired doctor Conor O’Shea, a long-time member and accomplished player, paused early in our round to point at the waterway running from the River Boyne estuary to the sea. It was essentially opened by Captain William Bligh years after the infamous mutiny on the Bounty, which he captained, and offers clear passage to the Irish Sea.
The 12th, 13th and 14th holes may be the highlight at County Louth, running along the edge of the sea before turning back at the elevated 14th tee which reveals a short par-4 that can be as confounding as it is enticing.
Take a moment atop the 14th tee to look behind you and there is Seapoint Golf Links, another fine layout. Its opening nine plays through a parkland setting before the second nine shows its links chops. The three closing holes at Seapoint are more than enough to get the post-round conversation started over a pint of Guinness or Rockshore lager.
As much as golfers like to discover or rediscover courses in Ireland, part of the pleasure is the places golf can lead one. Belfast and Northern Ireland are among those places.
Crossing the border between Ireland, which is independent of the United Kingdom, and Northern Ireland, which is a part of the U.K., isn’t much different from crossing the border that divides North and South Carolina.
There are no checkpoints, and the most immediate difference is currency. Ireland uses the euro while Northern Ireland uses pound sterling. Otherwise, there are more similarities than differences.
For many, Belfast is familiar as the dangerous and often violent site of the “Troubles” that bloodied Northern Ireland for decades. When the Good Friday agreement was signed in 1998, it ended a conflict that divided people along religious and political lines.
More than 25 years later, Belfast is a thriving city. There are still stark reminders of the Troubles – four miles of what was once a 26-mile fence dividing Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods still stands – but the vibe is inviting rather than imposing.
The city center features a mix of old and new. The shipbuilding industry remains important to Belfast more than a century after the Titanic was built there, and the $100 million Titanic Experience – the building’s exterior is scaled to the ship’s size – is a spectacular attraction that tells the ship’s story in captivating style. If you are in Belfast, don’t miss it.
The Grand Central Hotel is a modern lodging that offers sweeping views of the city and is ideally located, close to the pubs and restaurants in the busy Cathedral Quarter. Make sure to grab a pint in the Crown Liquor Saloon, which dates to the 1880s and still has many of the original fixtures, including small private rooms called snugs where ladies were allowed to imbibe when they felt so inclined more than a century ago.
Just outside Belfast is Holywood, the area where Rory McIlroy grew up and learned his golf. The Royal Belfast Golf Club is about three miles from Holywood Golf Club where McIlroy was based. RBGC is an original Harry Colt design that is situated along Belfast Lough on a hillside with 500 feet of elevation change.
It’s a hearty walk, but the views are exceptional and the uphill par-3 11th – which plays close to 200 yards with gorse everywhere – is a hole you won’t soon forget.
The drive from Belfast to Newcastle takes less than an hour and, if you’re looking to add a pleasant surprise to your itinerary, make a stop at Kirkistown Castle Golf Club in Portaferry. It’s exactly the kind of place that epitomizes Irish golf, even if it’s mostly a spot for locals.
It’s also a good stopping point before a 15-minute ferry ride across Strangford Lough where a couple of spots used in “Game of Thrones” are visible from the water.
To the south lies Ardglass Golf Club, a cliffside layout whose profile has continued to rise among the locals and, increasingly, visitors intent on getting the full golf experience. Ardglass doesn’t yet have the name recognition of some others, but with its commanding views and a layout that runs along the rocky edge of the Irish Sea, it adds to any golf itinerary.
Ardglass claims to have the oldest clubhouse in golf – some of its walls dating to 1405 when construction began on what was then a castle.
The club has undertaken an aggressive campaign to upgrade the facilities without losing its history. Ardglass also is reworking parts of the course, having redesigned the 10th hole into a risk-reward short par-4 while converting the 16th from a par-4 to a par-5 and the 17th from a par-4 to a memorable par-3.
As the club approaches its 150th birthday in 2046, Ardglass is on its way to becoming a star of Irish golf.
After a round at Ardglass – where it’s tempting to sit on a hillside and spend the afternoon gazing east across the water toward the horizon – a 30-minute drive west leads to the Slieve Donard hotel, one of the best golf hotels to be found.
Now a part of the Marine & Lawn collection of renowned golf hotels, the Slieve Donard is an elegant Victorian hotel that seems to envelop visitors the moment they arrive. It has all of the modern touches while maintaining an old-world ambience, tucked near the foot of the magnetic Mourne Mountains.
Whether it’s breakfast at J.J. Farrall’s, a round or two of cocktails in the Wolf lounge or a visit to the spa, the Slieve Donard is a destination unto itself.
As good as the hotel’s features may be, the best thing may be its access to Royal County Down, which is literally outside its backdoor. It takes less than five minutes to walk from the hotel to the pro shop at Royal County Down, and it is one of the most exhilarating walks in the game because of where you have been and where you are going.
Depending on the year and the source, Royal County Down annually ranks among the top five courses in the world and achieved the No. 1 spot in Golf Digest’s ranking this year. It is difficult to argue that any place is better.
The first nine holes at Royal County Down could be the best in the game with its combination of design and scenery.
“Thirty-three years here and people always did come with very high expectations, and I’ve never met anybody that it didn’t meet them. That’s a hard one. Very proud of that,” said Kevan Whitson, who will retire as RCD’s head professional later this year after more than three decades in the role.
What separates and elevates Royal County Down?
It’s everything big and small. The setting, in true linksland alongside the Irish Sea, is enhanced by the Mourne Mountains which loom over the property, seemingly close enough to touch.
Royal County Down has its quirks – there are several blind shots with tall aiming poles in the distance – and it demands careful attention on every shot. There is plenty of room to play, but errant shots can bring a severe penalty.
The first nine holes at Royal County Down could be the best in the game with its combination of design and scenery. Upon arrival at the par-4 ninth, playing directly toward the Mourne Mountains with an 80-foot drop from the tee to the fairway, the magic and majesty of Royal County Down is on full display.
At the end of a week in Ireland and Northern Ireland, finishing Royal County Down in the golden hour during another slow summer sundown feels like the perfect punctuation point.
All that’s left is to raise a pint to the experience – the people and the places – and to start planning for next time.