Royal County Down Golf Club

The pride of Northern Ireland golf, Royal County Down Golf Course is an Ireland must-play. It tops many prestigious lists as the best course in Great Britain and Ireland – if not the world. Founded in 1889, the current course has two nine-hole loops that finish at the clubhouse, with a design that has been influenced by some of the greatest golf architects of all time.

Royal County Down Golf Course is infamous as one of the only true championship links with multiple deliberate blind shots, and has hosted a variety of amateur and professional events. It is also a favorite of many professionals – including Rory McIlroy, Tom Watson, and Tiger Woods – and a popular destination on our spectacular Northern Ireland Golf Tour.

The original 9-hole course at Royal County Down was laid out by George Ballie. Old Tom Morris made the trek to inspect and advise on the proposed second nine and was paid 4 guineas for his efforts. The most notable input to the course was during the years between 1900-1913 until Harry Colt arrived in 1925.

Colt’s contributions included enhancements to the 9th hole with its views over the fairways to the Mourne Mountains, rivaling the 7th at Pebble Beach as the most photographed hole in golf. Usually a deterrent to hosting championships, Royal County Down wouldn’t be Royal County Down without them, and the Club has played host venue to a variety of key amateur events and a smattering of professional ones.

Royal County Down’s second course, Annesley Links, was barely acknowledged even by many Irish golfers until recently. The firm of Tom Mackenzie and Martin Ebert has done wonders in bringing the course to its true potential on the landscape. 

The course always played hide and seek among the dunes of the Championship course but suffered from a mundane start. The flat opening landscape has been transformed into a much-needed practice range and the course received three new holes further out in the dunes. While it is still very short by modern standards at just over 4,500 yards, its six par 3’s would be at home on any championship links and it combines to make a perfect 36-hole day on any Northern Ireland golf trip.

Bernard Darwin summed up a day on the links at Royal County Down as, “…the kind of golf that people play in their most ecstatic dreams.”

However, with the reputation of the Championship course, any visitor tee time at Royal County Down is at a premium and usually sells out more than a year in advance, so plan accordingly so as to not be disappointed and have your golf dreams come true.