Royal Portrush Golf Club
Portrush
Royal Portrush Golf Club is one of the great headline courses for a Northern Ireland golf holiday, giving UK golfers the chance to play a world-famous links without the need for long-haul travel. Set on the Causeway Coast in County Antrim, the club is home to two links courses, with the Dunluce Links as the main championship layout and the Valley Links offering a strong second round.
The Dunluce Links is the course most golfers travel for. Designed by Harry Colt and later updated ahead of The Open’s return in 2019, it is one of the most iconic and demanding links courses in the game. Expect towering dunes, firm fairways, deep bunkers, coastal wind and views towards Dunluce Castle, the Skerries and the Atlantic.
Royal Portrush has serious championship pedigree. The Open has been staged here three times, including 1951, 2019 and again in 2025, when Scottie Scheffler won The 153rd Open. That history gives the round a real sense of occasion, especially on holes such as the famous par-3 “Calamity Corner”, where anything loose can quickly turn into a card-wrecker.
For a Northern Ireland golf break, Royal Portrush pairs beautifully with Portstewart, Castlerock, Royal County Down and Ardglass. Add in the Giant’s Causeway, Bushmills, coastal drives and lively evenings in Portrush or Belfast, and it becomes a proper bucket-list golf trip with scenery, history and world-class links golf all in one itinerary.
Belfast International Airport
66km
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England’s best golf tour operator 2026 winner
Time Zone:
GMT+0
Currency:
British Pound
Temperature:
00-00℃
Cost of a Beer:
£5.00
Cost of a 3-Course Meal:
£5.00
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About The Area
Antrim places golfers at the heart of one of the world’s most revered links regions. Located on the shores of Lough Neagh and within easy reach of Northern Ireland’s dramatic north coast, it offers a strategic base for exploring championship courses that consistently rank among the finest in the world.
The undisputed centrepiece of the region is Royal Portrush Golf Club, host of The Open Championship and home to the world-renowned Dunluce Links. With towering dunes, dramatic elevation changes and firm-running turf shaped by Atlantic winds, it provides a stern but unforgettable test. Nearby, Portstewart Golf Club offers one of the most visually spectacular front nines in links golf, with expansive dunes and panoramic ocean views. Closer to Antrim itself, Massereene Golf Club provides a scenic parkland alternative set beside Lough Neagh.
Golf along this coastline is pure links in its most authentic form — firm underfoot, wind-influenced and demanding creativity from tee to green. The terrain is natural and often dramatic, rewarding controlled ball flight and thoughtful strategy.
Off the course, the Causeway Coast offers unforgettable scenery. The Giant’s Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, provides a striking geological backdrop for rest days, while the ruins of Dunluce Castle sit dramatically above the Atlantic. Bushmills Distillery offers whisky tastings nearby, and Belfast is within easy reach for dining, nightlife and Titanic Quarter tours.
The prime golf season runs from May to September, when daylight stretches long into the evening and the links play at their firm-running best. For golfers seeking Open Championship pedigree, breathtaking coastal scenery and genuine Irish hospitality, Antrim offers access to one of the world’s most iconic golf regions.
