I have never been to Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland so when the opportunity came up I knew I had to take it. It’s not often you get the chance to play three great links golf courses in some of the world's most wild terrain.
Northern Ireland is just a pebble stone throw away and took no more than 30 minutes to get there via plane. The fact you don't require your passport to enter from England just adds to the ease of this trip and is one of the reasons I will be returning in the New Year! Landing in Belfast we headed off to Bushmills Inn, home of the world famous whiskey, to enjoy a wonderful dinner and a relaxing evening before playing the 2025 Open Championship course the next morning.
Royal Portrush - Dunluce Links
Famous for Shane Lowry's memorable victory back in 2019, Royal Portrush has seen its fair share of golfing greatness and now it was my turn to deliver.
Carved through the sand dunes, the course offers great views of both the sea and the town of Portrush, which you can't help but notice when you get up on the third tee box. I needed to get there first before I could indulge in the scenery and in order to do that I called upon Mark - who from henceforth shall be known as ‘The Caddie’. I could not recommend enough how awesome it was to have a caddie and also how important it was.
The course knowledge of these individuals is incredible and I would have been lost without him.
I got the first hole out of the way, hitting a two iron just left of the fairway and opening up my round with a double bogey. Great start. However, for some reason the golfing Gods were looking down on me as I slowly put together what was looking like a semi-decent round. It felt like I hit more fairways off the tee that round than all my other rounds from this year put together.
Of course a good round always helps when judging a golf course, however I couldn't help but be swept away by the rolling fairways and the purity of the greens. The course was in immaculate condition and played exactly as I would want a links course to do so. It's no surprise it's regarded as one of the best links courses in the world.
There were run-offs at every green and if you missed in the wrong places you were more than likely saying goodbye par, hello double.
The Dunluce links is famous its beauty, challenge and championship pedigree, as well as one particular hole - Calamity Corner - the par 3 16th playing over 200 yards and up to 240 yards from the back. This hole is a nightmare for anyone who may go right off the tee.
I stepped up onto the tee box and the wind was doing everything in its might to send that ball towards The Valley Course - which sat about 70 yards below and right of the Dunluce links. Remember, I was playing some of the best golf I have all year. I started my ball left knowing the wind and my fade would bring it back, i just hoped not all the way back and down the right handside. The ball touched down on the green and I breathed a sigh of relief. A not-so-simple two putt followed and I walked away with par.
I rounded off my time at Royal Portrush with a par up 17 and an outrageous birdie on 18 finishing just one-over-par total for the 18 holes - now turning pro!
Rosapenna St. Patrick's Links
My tour of Northern Ireland took me across the border into the Republic of Ireland to a quaint little clubhouse tucked away amongst tremendous sand dunes - you could not see this clubhouse unless you were standing next to it.
This lengthy links is called St. Patrick's, part of the Rosapenna Golf Resort. The world renowned Tom Doak design only opened for play in 2021 but is already regarded as one of the UK&I's finest layouts, ranking 61st in Golf Monthly's UK and Ireland Top 100 list. It was absolutely incredible; so vast and wild as it contoured along the coastline. Wild is the only way I can describe this course, shaped by the wind, it was a true test of golf.
The day that I played the wind was gusting up to 42 mph, great for any holes straight down wind, a problem for any that were into or off the left and right. The wind wasn’t the only thing sweeping me away, the layout and design of this course was spectacular, each hole had a different character and brought new challenges for you to face.
The fairways rolled into the tee box which were marked out by different kinds of stone, again adding to the wildness of the course. St Patrick's offers incredible coastline views and beautiful, blue water was but then that 42 mph wind would hit with its right hand reality check so I soon remembered I was in Ireland and not a tropical island.
Rosapenna is also home to the Old Tom Morris course and the renowned Sandy Hills course. The Pat Ruddy creation opened in 2003 and ranks 44th in the Golf Monthly top 100.
I truly believe this is the best course I have ever played. If you’re looking for a challenge but also some fun St Patrick's is the course to play. Not to mention the logo is really cool!
The Old Links - Ballyliffin
The final destination was The Old Links, Ballyliffin. A great routing with some really interesting holes and definitely worth adding to your bucket list. It has previously ranked inside Golf Monthly's UK&I top 100, with Ballyliffin's Glashedy Course ranking 70th.
Rory McIlroy said of the club: "Anyone planning a golf trip to the north of Ireland, the two courses at Ballyliffin are must play championship links.”
My round here was cut short after nine holes as the weather was not playing ball that day. Let’s just say my waterproofs were no longer keeping out water! Despite this, I was continuing my streak of good golf as I was rolling in putts from all over the place. That is something I noticed, the greens were impeccable even with the amount of rain they were soaking up; putts still rolled true.
We called it a day after nine and headed into the clubhouse where we were able to shower and get changed ahead of our flights home. The clubhouse itself was lovely with a panoramic view of property and sea.
The staff were extremely polite and the food was really good, washed down with a beautiful pint of Guinness. The perfect way to end a golf trip to this part of the world.
It’s More Than Just Golf
I have been talking a lot about golf but there is plenty to do in Northern Ireland, where we were based. You can experience breath taking scenes along the Causeway Coastal Route, which takes you past the famous Giants Causeway, Dunluce Castle and the Glens of Antrim. Enjoy a stay at Bushmills and enjoy exploring the village, and maybe the whiskey as well.
That was my first trip to Northern Ireland and Ireland but I can assure you it won't be my last. If you are interested in exploring what Ireland has to offer along with a golfing experience of a lifetime then head on over to www.ireland.com/golf to arrange your trip.
