Best Golf Courses in Northern Ireland: The Top 5 UK-Ranked Courses

Northern Ireland packs more elite golf per square mile than almost anywhere in the British Isles. Five Top 100 UK courses sit within 60 miles of each other on the Antrim and Down coastlines. Two of them — Royal County Down and Royal Portrush — are ranked among the best courses in the world.

Northern Ireland's Top 100 Golf Courses

The Two Giants

Royal County Down — Rank #2

Newcastle, County Down. The Mourne Mountains behind the course, Dundrum Bay in front, and 36 holes that have been ranked the best in the world by multiple publications. The Championship Course (#2 UK, often #1 globally) is a links of extraordinary beauty and difficulty — blind shots over dunes, gorse lining every fairway, green complexes that demand precision.

Tom Watson described it as the best course he had ever played. Ben Crenshaw said the same. If you are buying a golf experience for someone who has played seriously for years and still has one course left to tick off, this is the one to consider.

Visitor access is restricted but available. Tee times on the Championship Course are limited. Book months in advance.

Royal Portrush — Rank #5

On the Antrim Causeway Coast, a mile from the Giant's Causeway. Portrush hosted The Open Championship in 2019 — the first time since 1951 — and the event will return in July 2025. The Dunluce Links is the course: a clifftop and duneland links with the North Atlantic beyond the 5th and the ruins of Dunluce Castle visible on the horizon.

More accessible than Royal County Down for visitors, with a strong coaching team and facilities rebuilt for the Open. Green fees are significant but the course is worth it. The town of Portrush is small and pleasant; stay there or in nearby Bushmills.

The Causeway Coast Cluster

Portstewart (Strand Course) — Rank #29

A mile down the coast from Portrush. The Strand Course opens with nine holes through enormous dunes — among the most dramatic opening runs in Irish golf. Less well-known internationally than Portrush or County Down, which makes visitor access more straightforward and green fees notably lower. Excellent value for what it is.

Castlerock — Rank #36

Further east along the Londonderry coast with views of the Mussenden Temple on the clifftop above. A traditional links — tight, exposed, very different in feel from the dunes theatre of Portstewart. Often overlooked by visitors fixated on the big two. Worth adding to any Causeway Coast itinerary.

The County Down Coast

Royal County Down (Annesley) — Rank #44

The second course at Royal County Down. Shorter and more accessible than the Championship Course, it uses the same duneland setting and shares the same mountain backdrop. A natural warm-up for a first visit to Newcastle — or a standalone destination in its own right.

Planning a Northern Ireland Golf Trip

Causeway Coast (2–3 days): Portrush, Portstewart, Castlerock. Stay in Portrush or Bushmills. Within 15 miles of each other.

County Down (1–2 days): Royal County Down Championship + Annesley. Stay in Newcastle. Add Murlough Bay and the Mournes for a full break.

Full Northern Ireland itinerary (4–5 days): Both clusters. Fly into Belfast (George Best City Airport, 30 minutes from Newcastle) or use Derry for the Causeway Coast.

Give a Round as a Gift

If you want to send a golfer to one of the courses in this guide without committing to a fixed venue, a Swyng round-of-golf voucher lets the recipient pick from over 2,000 UK courses — including many of the venues featured here.

How to Gift a Northern Ireland Golf Experience

Northern Ireland golf is bucket-list territory for most UK golfers. A Swyng voucher at a value that covers Royal County Down or Portrush green fees is a meaningful gift — specific enough to feel personal, flexible enough for the recipient to plan the trip around their own schedule.

See also: best golf courses in Scotland, bucket list golf courses UK, golf in Northern Ireland location guide.

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