Royal Portrush has long been admired as a great links course. That’s why it earned the honor of hosting the 1951 Open Championship. But since the Open returned in 2019, the club’s profile has surged. So, too, have the Royal Portrush greens fees.
How much it costs to play Royal Portrush
The Dunluce Links, one of two 18-holers at Royal Portrush Golf Club, is the course that hosts the Open. Designed by legendary course architect Harry Colt, who also designed Open hosts Muirfield and Royal Liverpool, the Dunluce Links is ranked 16th in GOLF’s Top 100 Courses in the World ranking (another Northern Ireland course, Royal County Down, is ranked 6th).
At such an esteemed course, visiting golfers can expect to pay a pretty penny to tee it up there. But the price of greens fees at Royal Portrush have risen dramatically in recent years.
Open Championship venue has second course, and it’s (kind of) in play this week
If you teed it up at Portrush as a visitor in the spring ahead of the 2019 Open Championship, won by Irish pro Shane Lowry, you would have paid £220, or $276, for admission.
That’s a steep price to be sure, though it doesn’t come close to some of the other top-ranked public-access courses in the world.
But in the six years since the 2019 Open, things have changed. If you were to travel to Northern Ireland to play the Royal Portrush’s Dunluce Links this year after the 2025 Open, you’d have to fork over nearly twice as much cash, a whopping £420, or $562.
If you want to visit Portrush and save a few bucks, you can play the Valley Links course for a more modest £220, or $295.
Most expensive tee times in golf
While greens fees at Portrush are high, they’re lower than many major courses located in the U.S.
As of December 2024, iconic U.S. Open host course Pebble Beach would cost you $675 to play, $100 more than a round at Royal Portrush. But former PGA Championship and Ryder Cup host course Whistling Straits takes the cake with $735 greens fees.
Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course, where Phil Mickelson won the 2021 PGA and Rory McIlroy won the 2012 PGA, is close behind at $650 for a non-resort guest. U.S. Open anchor site Pinehurst No. 2 has $595 greens fees.
But the prices get even higher in the U.S. outside of major sites.
TPS Sawgrass’ Players Stadium course, home to the PGA Tour’s Players Championship, costs more than $700 to play. But no course compares to Las Vegas’ glitzy Shadow Creek. If you’re able to score a tee time, Shadow Creek will require $1,250 in payment.
As for courses that have hosted the Open Championship, Trump Turnberry’s Aisla course is the priciest. At the famed Scottish links, greens fees run from £545-£1000 ($730-$1,300).
