Royal Portrush (Dunluce)
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Course Type
Semi-Private -
GOLF Top 100 World Rank (2023-24)
16 -
Year
1929 -
Architect
H.S. Colt -
Par
71 -
Yardage
7344
Course Overview
The only course outside of England and Scotland to host the Open is perennially ranked in the world’s top-20 courses, thanks to a superior 1929 H.S. Colt design that maximizes its setting in the high dunes along the Irish Sea. The golf world saw two new holes in action at the 2019 Open: the 7th and 8th, which replaced the old, comparatively dull 17th and 18th holes. Both nines touch the cliff line, with the course’s most spectacular moment coming at the 5th as it doglegs right to a two-tiered green flush against the cliff. Indeed, plenty of the holes elbow one direction or the other, so driver is not an automatic decision as hitting the twisting fairways and approaching Colt’s angled greens from the correct side of the fairway are of paramount importance. (Photo: Getty Images)
3 things to know
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Hole everyone talks about
No. 16, par-3, 210 yards: Appropriately named “Calamity Corner,” this lengthy par-3 requires a tee shot to a raised green guarded by gnarled rough and a steep drop-off in front and on the right side of the green. -
Best non-golf amenity
Nearby Portrush boasts some of Northern Ireland’s most beautiful beaches and is in close proximity to the Giant’s Causeway World Heritage site. -
Insider tip
Visit the nearby Old Bushmills Distillery for some Irish whiskey and a dose of history.