For many golfers, the Northern Ireland Golf Trip 2027 Royal County Down and Royal Portrush are the two names that immediately come to mind when planning a golf trip to Northern Ireland. However, securing a visitor tee time at Royal County Down can be extremely difficult, particularly during the peak golf season.
The good news is that Northern Ireland and neighbouring County Donegal offer enough world-class links golf to create an exceptional itinerary without Royal County Down.
This five-round golf trip combines one of the world’s greatest championship courses with historic links, dramatic coastal scenery and one of the most highly rated new courses anywhere in the world. The proposed itinerary includes:
- Ardglass Golf Club
- Portstewart Golf Club – Strand Course
- Royal Portrush Golf Club – Dunluce Links
- Portsalon Golf Club
- St Patrick’s Links at Rosapenna
Royal Portrush is unquestionably the headline act, but this is not simply a trip built around one famous course. Each round brings something different—from the ancient clubhouse and clifftop holes of Ardglass to the enormous dunes of Portstewart, the traditional character of Portsalon and the modern brilliance of St Patrick’s Links.
Although Portsalon and St Patrick’s are located across the border in County Donegal, they fit naturally into a Northern Ireland golf itinerary. The border is open, the journey is straightforward, and golfers can experience two outstanding golf regions during one carefully planned trip.
Round One: Ardglass Golf Club
Ardglass is the perfect opening round for golfers arriving through Dublin or Belfast.
Situated on the County Down coastline, the course occupies a spectacular setting overlooking the Irish Sea. Several of its opening holes play directly along the cliffs, immediately introducing visiting golfers to the beauty—and unpredictability—of traditional Irish links golf.
Ardglass may not have the international profile of Royal Portrush, but it has qualities that cannot be manufactured. It is charming, welcoming and wonderfully historic.
The club is home to what it describes as the world’s oldest golf clubhouse, with parts of the building dating to 1405. Walking through its stone walls feels more like entering a medieval castle than arriving at a golf club. It gives visiting golfers an immediate connection to the history and culture of the area.
The golf course is equally memorable. The early holes cling to the coastline, with rocky outcrops, steep drops and the sea constantly influencing club selection. Ardglass then moves through a mixture of linksland and more sheltered terrain before returning towards its historic clubhouse.
It is a course that rewards imagination rather than pure power. When the wind is blowing, golfers must control their ball flight, judge the bounce and accept that a good links shot does not always travel in a perfectly straight line.
Ardglass also offers something increasingly rare in international golf travel: an unpretentious and genuinely friendly club atmosphere. It is an excellent place to settle into the rhythm of an Irish golf trip.
Round Two: Portstewart Golf Club – Strand Course
After Ardglass, the itinerary travels north to the spectacular Causeway Coast and Portstewart Golf Club.
The opening tee shot on the Strand Course is one of the most visually impressive in Irish golf. From an elevated tee, golfers look across towering dunes, rolling fairways, the Atlantic Ocean and the distant hills of Donegal.
Portstewart was founded in 1894 and is home to three courses, but the Strand is its championship layout. It hosted the 2017 Irish Open, won by Jon Rahm, and has earned an international reputation for its dramatic duneland and exceptional scenery.
The front nine is the star attraction for many visitors. The fairways twist between some of the largest natural dunes found on the island of Ireland. Elevated tees create unforgettable views, but they can also expose golfers to strong and constantly changing winds.
This is big, exciting links golf. Drives must be committed, approaches must be calculated carefully, and missed shots can disappear into deep rough or intimidating dunes.
However, Portstewart is not simply a test of strength. The ground game remains important, particularly when the course is firm. Golfers who use the slopes and allow the ball to run may find better results than those who attempt to fly every shot directly to the flag.
The Strand Course also works extremely well as preparation for Royal Portrush. It introduces golfers to the scale, wind and natural terrain of the Causeway Coast without taking away from the anticipation of the trip’s headline round.
Round Three: Royal Portrush Golf Club – Dunluce Links
Royal Portrush is the centrepiece of this five-round golf journey.
The Dunluce Links is one of the most respected championship courses in the world. Originally designed by the legendary Harry Colt, it moves through rugged dunes above the Atlantic coastline and demands complete control of every part of a golfer’s game.
Royal Portrush hosted The Open Championship in 1951, 2019 and 2025. Shane Lowry’s emotional victory in 2019 brought The Open back to Northern Ireland after an absence of 68 years and introduced millions of golfers to the brilliance of the Dunluce Links.
Its reputation has continued to grow. In Golf Digest’s 2026–2027 list of the World’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses, Royal Portrush was ranked fifth in the world.
The Dunluce is a serious championship examination, but it is also wonderfully enjoyable. Its fairways appear generous from certain tees, yet the best angle into the green is often protected by bunkers, rough or an uncomfortable line close to the dunes.
The course encourages golfers to think before reaching for the driver. Position can be more valuable than distance, and the correct side of a fairway may provide a far more welcoming view of the target.
Among its most famous holes is the par-three 16th, known as Calamity Corner. Played across a deep ravine, it is one of the most intimidating short holes in championship golf. Anything drifting to the right can fall sharply away, leaving little prospect of recovery.
The experience is about more than individual holes. The scale of the dunes, the views towards the ruins of Dunluce Castle and the sense of Open Championship history make Royal Portrush one of golf’s essential destinations.
Because visitor demand is exceptionally strong, tee times should be requested well in advance. Royal Portrush currently operates a defined visitor season, and availability can disappear quickly, particularly for groups requiring several consecutive tee times. Northern Ireland Golf Trip 2027.
Round Four: Portsalon Golf Club
Following the drama of the Causeway Coast, the trip crosses into County Donegal for a very different kind of links experience.
Portsalon Golf Club stands beside Ballymastocker Bay on the Fanad Peninsula. The surrounding mountains, beach and Atlantic coastline create one of the most peaceful and attractive settings in Irish golf.
The course was originally laid out during the late 19th century, with early design influence attributed to Charles Thompson of Portrush. Pat Ruddy later carried out significant work around the beginning of the 21st century, strengthening the course while retaining its traditional links identity.
Portsalon’s second hole is among the most memorable in Ireland. From an elevated tee, golfers must drive across a corner of the beach towards a fairway bending along the shoreline. The more coastline a player is prepared to challenge, the shorter the approach—but an overly ambitious drive can quickly find sand, rough or trouble.
It is a superb example of strategic golf, where every golfer must decide how much risk to accept.
Portsalon feels refreshingly natural. The course follows the terrain rather than overpowering it, and many of its best features are created by slopes, changes in elevation and the movement of the land.
Its history, isolation and scenery make Portsalon an ideal contrast to Royal Portrush. One is a globally recognised Open venue; the other is a characterful Donegal links that many international visitors are only beginning to discover.
Call us on the following Office Number
That contrast is one of the great strengths of this itinerary.
Round Five: St Patrick’s Links at Rosapenna
The final round brings the trip firmly into the modern era.
Designed by renowned American golf architect Tom Doak, St Patrick’s Links opened in 2021 at Rosapenna in County Donegal. Despite its relatively young age, it has already established itself among the finest courses in world golf.
Golf Digest ranked St Patrick’s Links at number 58 in its 2026–2027 World’s 100 Greatest Courses. It was also rated number five in Ireland and number 30 across Great Britain and Ireland. Those are extraordinary achievements for a course that only opened a few years ago.
Doak was given access to approximately 300 acres of exceptional linksland beside Sheephaven Bay. The result is a large, bold and highly strategic golf course.
Wide fairways offer several possible routes from the tee, but width does not necessarily make the course easy. Golfers must choose the correct angle, use the natural contours and think carefully about where their ball should finish. A drive on the wrong side of a fairway can leave a difficult approach to an elevated or angled green.
The course feels wonderfully adventurous. Fairways move through valleys and over ridges before opening towards enormous coastal views. Greens sit in natural hollows or on exposed ground where the wind becomes an important part of the challenge.
St Patrick’s is an excellent finishing course because it leaves golfers with so much to discuss. It is visually spectacular, strategically fascinating and completely different from the traditional links played earlier in the trip.
Why This Five-Round Golf Trip Works: Northern Ireland Golf Trip 2027
The quality of the golf is the most obvious attraction, but the variety makes this itinerary particularly special.
Golfers experience:
- Open Championship history at Royal Portrush
- Towering championship dunes at Portstewart
- Medieval heritage and clifftop golf at Ardglass
- Traditional links character at Portsalon
- Modern course architecture at St Patrick’s Links
The journey can begin in Dublin or Belfast, continue along the Causeway Coast and finish in County Donegal. Depending on flight arrangements, the return journey can be made through Belfast, Dublin or Shannon.
Comfortable transport is important because the route covers two golf regions. A chauffeured vehicle allows the group to relax, enjoy the scenery and avoid managing different driving rules, luggage and golf travel cases.
The ideal trip would generally allow six or seven nights. This provides five rounds of golf while leaving enough time for travel, rest and perhaps a visit to attractions such as the Giant’s Causeway, Bushmills, Dunluce Castle or the coastal villages of Donegal.
A World-Class Alternative to Royal County Down
Missing out on Royal County Down does not mean settling for a lesser golf trip.
Royal Portrush provides the championship highlight, while Portstewart, Ardglass, Portsalon and St Patrick’s Links create a journey through the past, present and future of Irish links golf.
It is a golf trip filled with variety: ancient stone walls, historic clubs, wild coastal holes, enormous dunes, Open Championship memories and one of the most exciting modern courses in the world.
For golfers who want five unforgettable rounds without building the entire itinerary around Royal County Down, this combination of Northern Ireland and Donegal may be one of the best golf journeys available anywhere on the island of Ireland.
Concierge Golf Ireland can arrange the complete experience, including tee times, carefully selected accommodation, private chauffeured transport, caddie requests and local support throughout the trip.
