How this year's Open venue ranks among the best golf courses in Northern Ireland

When planning a trip around the the best golf courses in Northern Ireland, the home of Rory McIlroy, of course, you're so spoilt for choice that it almost seems unfair not to include them all. 

And believe us: there are a lot. Whisper it quietly around the Scottish, but we're inclined to say that per square metre, the Northern Irish might have the best golf in the world.

Of course, most conversations around the best golf to be had in Northern Ireland—and, indeed the UK— tend to begin and end with the country's heaviest hitters: Royal County Down and Royal Portrush. The former has a near-mythical status in the golfing world, venerated right up there among the likes of Pebble Beach and Royal Melbourne as true bucket-list tracks. The latter, of course, is set to play host to this year's Open Championship for the third time (and second in a decade).

Suffice it to say, if you want a round of golf you will be telling your mates about for the rest of your life, you need to tick these two gems of your list. 

Beyond these two golfing Meccas, however, Northern Ireland boasts a cornucopia of incredible courses, from dramatic links landscapes to pristinely plotted parkland. GolfMagic Equipment Editor Tom Usher was lucky enough to sample three of these incredible courses not too long ago, his full experience of which you can check out below.

But with the British summer shining and Open fever flowing through our veins, we were inspired to go one step further, and put together a comprehensive golfing guide to a nation that punches well above its weight as a golf destination.

Naturally, however, it's only right to start with the very best course in Northern Ireland (and, according to many, the best in the world).

Best Golf Courses in Northern Ireland

Royal County Down (Championship Links)

Location: Newcastle, County Down

Par: 71

Green fees: £450

Renowned for being one of, if not the best golf course in the world, Royal County Down is as true a test of links golf as you will find anywhere in the world.

One of the spiritual homes of the game, Royal County Down oozes a level of class and elegance that's almost impossible to replicate.

A tough but fair test, the natural landscape provides a stunning variety of challenges and obstacles to overcome.

The Mourne Mountains and the Irish Sea combine beautifully to create breathtaking backdrops throughout the round, with every hole framed perfectly against its surroundings.

A course that has to be seen to be believed, Royal County Down's tumbling fairways and razor-sharp greens won't be easily overpowered, with thoughtful shot-making being the best approach to shooting a low score. 

While pitting yourself against the course on your own may seem like an almost romantic affair, we would highly recommend employing the help of one of the courses wise and experienced caddies. Not only great company for the walk, they will undoubtedly save you 5-10 shots thanks to their valuable wealth of local knowledge. 

Royal Portrush (Dunluce Links)

Location: Portrush, County Antrim

Par: 71

Green fees: £420

Famously the only non-British mainland host of The Open, the Dunluce Links of Royal Portrush is a course steeped in rich tradition and heritage. 

Designed by the legendary Harry Colt, the course is blessed with some of the best sea views in Ireland.

Towering dunes flank manicured fairways throughout the course with small but well-protected greens being one of the most recognisable features of the course. 

An intimidating prospect for golfers of all levels, accurate tee shots are vital to navigating the course without punishment.

With wind sweeping in off the ocean, Portrush is a pure test of links golf, and the course really bore its teeth when Shane Lowry battled the elements to claim his first major championship in 2019. 

Set to host The Open again this year, we can't wait to watch this diamond of a course test the best players in the world once more.

READ OUR FULL ROYAL PORTRUSH REVIEW

Portstewart Golf Club (Strand Course)

Location: Portstewart, County Londonderry

Par: 72

Green fees: £195-£286

Home to three 18-hole courses, Portstewart is somewhat of a golfing mecca in Northern Ireland.

Located on the north coast only five miles from Royal Portrush, the Strand course is set amongst towering dunes that provide stunning panoramic views across the Atlantic Ocean. 

Characterised by its steep banked hills and tight winding fairways, the Strand course provides a tough but fair test that requires a great deal of thought to navigate successfully. Caught on a sunny day, there are few better-looking courses in the world. 

No Northern Irish golf trip would be complete without a visit, and upon arrival, you are met with one of the finest opening holes in golf. A sweeping dogleg right from an elevated tee will suit a cut, but beware of cutting the corner too tight, as the gorse will swallow up your ball and never give it back.

While the first tee shot may be intimidating, the welcome you receive couldn't be further from it. Traditional Irish hospitality is given to all visitors, making you feel right at home when you set foot in the clubhouse.

Ardglass Golf Club

Location: Ardglass, County Down

Par: 70

Price: £100-£220

Located just a few miles down the coast from Royal County Down and framed by the same incredible vistas, Ardglass doesn't have the all-out pedigree of its neighbour, but is arguably where you go to get the strongest sense of the game's long and rich history.

While the course itself is great, the clubhouse, built in 1405 and universally regarded as the oldest in the world, is Ardglass's real centrepiece. Almost worth visiting just for the clubhouse and halfway hut, the course is an homage to uninterrupted nature. The craggy cliffs and thick rough give the course a dramatic atmosphere, that is only heightened by the ocean breeze and sound of crashing waves. 

The second hole was one of our particular favourites, a par-3 that requires you to carry a deep ravine that's ready to swallow up any wayward tee shots. It lies in the middle of a truly memorable stretch of opening holes that stand up to any links course we've played. 

The halfway hut at Ardglass is almost deserving of an article of its own. Simple, charming and full of character, the four walls will shield you from the elements while you tuck into a pint of Guinness and a sarnie. So enjoyable was our visit we could have happily stayed there all day. 

READ OUR FULL ARDGLASS GOLF CLUB REVIEW

Castlerock Golf Club (Mussenden Course)

Location: Castlerock, County Londonderry

Par: 72

Green fees: £160-£270

Castlerock has had a few years in somewhat of a limbo, recovering from sweeping renovations implemented in 2017 that involved a full redoing of no less than six holes on the course under the watchful eye of renowned architect Dr Martin Hawtree.

Now, however, Castlerock is back in full colour, and the championship Mussenden course, which sits proudly on the northern coast just down the road from Portrush and Portstewart, makes a strong case to be considered among the country's very best.

Rocky, rugged and exceptionally long (it can go up to a Par 75 depending on the tees you play off), it's a true test of links golf set among some seriously stunning scenery. The 200 yard Par-3 fourth, Leg 'O Mutton, might be the best-named and possibly toughest hole of its kind anywhere, flanked by a railway line for its entire length on one side and cut through with a stream leading up to a raised green.

The closing stretch, meanwhile, is undoubtedly one of the most picturesque in the country, with sweeping vistas of the Atlantic Ocean framing the scene the whole way as you close out play.

If you want to make a weekend of it, the nine-hole Bann course that sits alongside it is one of the coolest of its kind anywhere in the UK.

READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF CASTLEROCK GOLF CLUB

Royal Portrush (Valley course)

Location: Portrush, County Antrim

Par: 70

Green fees: £200

It's rare that a golf club has two full-sized championship links courses that can be counted up there as the very best in its home nation, but that's just part of what makes Royal Portrush all the more special as a golfing destination.

And while Portrush's Valley course doesn't have the major championship heritage of its sibling, it's still one of the most picturesque tests of golf to be found anywhere in Ireland. Far easier to get on, and priced at less than half that of the Dunluce course for a full round, some have even gone as far to say it provides considerably better bang for your buck than its more illustrious brethren.

Whatever way you lean, there's no doubt that the Valley course is a must-visit on any tour itinerary.

Royal County Down (Annesley Links)

Location: Newcastle, County Down

Par: 66

Green fees: £120

While its sibling gets all the plaudits, it's hard to imagine any golfer worth listening to walk away from Royal County Down's secondary Annesley course and not think they've had one of the best golf experiences money can buy.

Immaculately kept in the same manner as the Championship links and flanked by the same incredible combination of mountains, sea and dunes that separates RCD as such a unique jewel in golf's crown, the only thing holding it back in attaining its own place in the conversation of the world's best courses is its length.

However, in our opinion this makes the Annesley links all the more fun to play. The bounty of par 3s and 4s keep you on your toes, provide variety, and make things a bit more manageable if County Down's notorious winds are proving a little too punishing.

The Royal Belfast Golf Club

Location: Holywood, Belfast, County Down

Par: 70

Price: £80-£250 (seasonal)

The oldest golf course on the Island of Ireland, Royal Belfast is a pristine parkland layout that offers bags of charm and a rich history, as well as some stunning coastal views that combine with the lush layout to make for something all the more unique. 

Designed by one of golf's greatest architects, Harry Colt, the lush fairways, intelligent bunkering and variety of elevation changes make Royal Belfast a delight to play. More generous off the tee than the links courses previously mentioned in our list, the course protects par with lightning-quick greens and thick stretches of trees that line the fairways. 

The stretch of holes from 8 through to 12 were our particular favourites. The 11th hole, an uphill par-3, was particularly enjoyable with a steep elevation change from tee to green. Make sure to use enough club, because anything short will cascade back down the hill for a difficult up and down. 

Fantastically maintained, you can tell a great deal of pride is taken in the course, with tee boxes, bunkers, fairways and greens all kept in immaculate condition. 

With an abundance of links golf available in Northern Ireland, Royal Belfast offers a stunning alternative that should certainly be included in any golf trip's schedule.

Lough Erne Resort (The Faldo Course)

Location: Enniskillen, County Fermanagh

Par: 71

Price: £150

Lough Erne provides Northern Ireland with two firsts: its first true luxury golf resort, replete with a spa, accomodation and restaurant; as well as its first course designed by the legendary Sir Nick Faldo.

A parkland course replete with natural aquatic wonder thanks to its setting among the Fermanagh Lakelands, two Loughs flank the course at different stretches, providing hazards the whole way that require you to plan every shot with the utmost precision. It's long too, measuring in excess of 7,000 yards when played from the back tees.

Built to provide Northern Ireland with a true year-round golfing destination, The Faldo sits on a unique sand foundation to enhance drainage, meaning it should maintain excellent nick throughout the winter season. 

Adding to its status as Northern Ireland's best weekender spots, Lough Erne's other course, the Castle Hume, is also among the nation's best parkland tracks, having hosted the Ulster PGA Championship a record 10 times.

Malone Golf Club

Location: Enniskillen, County Fermanagh

Par: 71

Price: £100-125

Another flower in Northern Ireland's parkland line-up that's starting to bloom in full once again, Malone Golf Club on Belfast's southern outskirts is on a path to establishing itself firmly as one of the country's best inland courses.

Set over 6,600 yards amidst sprawling old-growth woodland in the Lagan Valley AONB, Malone provides a surprisingly varied set of vistas for a parkland course, with views opening up to take in the neighbouring Black Mountain, the Antrim Plateau and Ballydrain Lake at different points across its layout.

Malone has undergone serious work in recent years to place it back in the conversation among the country's premier courses. Carried out under the oversight of Ken Kearney, who has also worked on Ardglass in recent years, it has brand new bunkers, five new green complexes, seven new tees and a brand new practice area. 

New drainage has also been installed, bringing its year-round playability up there with the very best courses around.

Belvoir Park Golf Club

Location: Newtownbreda, Belfast, County Down

Par: 71

Price: £190

Belvoir Park is routinely mentioned among Northern Island's most picturesque pure parkland courses, and the club, set among the mature woodland of Belvoir Park forest on Belfast's southern tip does everything in its power to live up to that reputation.

Immaculately maintained and blessed with a wonderful Harry Colt layout, numerous iconic golfers, including Harry Bradshaw, have named it among the best parkland courses they've ever played over the decades. 

While it lacks a the coastal grandeur one naturally associates with Irish courses, it's perhaps the most complete inland golf experience in the country, having been tapped to host the Irish PGA Championship, the Irish Amateur and the British Ladies amateur championship over the last couple of decades. 

READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF BELVOIR PARK

Templepatrick Golf Club

Location: Castle Upton Estate, Templepatrick, County Antrim

Par: 72

Green fees: £80-£90

Set among the picturesque Kingfisher Country Estate, Templepatrick is rapidly gaining a reputation as one of Northern Ireland's finest parkland courses—and one that well and truly goes toe-to-toe with its links counterparts.

And while it's easy to presume that being a parkland course Templepatrick will offer a slightly more gentle golfing experience, we found the course to be anything but. Devilishly tricky, it boasts tough greens, fairways that require you to hit tee shots on a razor-thin margin of error, and a layout that requires true problem solving to get a good score out of. 

Put simply, if you're not on your A-game, it'll beat you up—which makes it all the more rewarding to conquer.

And with rounds to be had for under £100 throughout peak season, it's surely one of the best value golfing experiences to be had anywhere in the British Isles.