8 days · 6 links courses · 3 hotels
This journey joins what, in my view, belongs together: the far north of the Republic of Ireland and the wonderful Causeway Coast in Northern Ireland. That may not be what politics wants. But when it comes to atmosphere and the warmth of the people, it makes no difference whether you are in the Republic or in the UK.
The route starts in County Donegal, in the far north-west of the Republic of Ireland, and ends on the Causeway Coast in Northern Ireland. In between lie six links courses, from the surf town of Bundoran to the dunes of Portstewart. Two of them have hosted the Irish Open: Portstewart in 2017 and Ballyliffin in 2018.
You’ll be staying in three very different hotels, ranging from a stately castle with an open fire to a modern hotel not far from the famous Royal Portrush. The streets are quiet, the countryside is rugged, and the welcome is warm.
Six courses, a castle, a cliff-top temple and a fish shack on the beach. That is the north.
Day 1
A castle on the lough
Dublin Airport is the easiest gateway to this journey. Pick up your car and head north-west to Donegal. The drive takes just over three hours, so today is mainly a travel day. If you fly into Belfast International instead, the drive is about 2 hours 15 minutes.
Lough Eske Castle sits on the shore of the lough at the foot of the Blue Stack Mountains, only a few kilometres from Donegal Town. There is no golf today. Arrive, unpack, and enjoy the evening: a crackling fire, a very good dinner and, if you still have the energy, a swim in the pool.
Stay
Lough Eske Castle is a place close to my heart. I got engaged here many years ago, so I am not entirely objective. But I think it is a wonderful hotel, with a cosy fireplace, excellent food and a surprisingly large pool that is a perfect invitation to a swim after a round on the links. You stay here for three nights.
Day 2
A warm-up beside the surf
Today is a warm-up round. Bundoran is a classic seaside resort with an active surf scene, and it is a short drive from the hotel.
The golf club was founded in 1894, and Harry Vardon is among the names linked with the course. One tip for the 9th hole, Aughrus: keep your approach precise. Directly behind the green stands the Great Western Hotel, and a ball that ends up there will cause either amusement or horror.
After the round, take some time for the town. Find a café, sit down and watch the action on the beach. It is a lovely contrast to a round on the links. Then head back to the castle for another evening by the fire.
One more thing: on the 7th hole, a street lamp stands right on the fairway, which is a rather unusual obstacle. Such obstacles have a magical attraction for me, so I keep my fingers crossed for you.
Day 3
Valley of Tears
Donegal Golf Club lies on the Murvagh peninsula, only about 20 minutes from your hotel, between forest, dunes and Donegal Bay. Eddie Hackett laid out the links, and Pat Ruddy later refined it.
There are many really good holes here. My highlight is the 5th, Valley of Tears, a devilishly difficult par 3. The three holes that follow are also among the best of the course, so make sure you still have some energy left after the 5th.
After the round, you have two options. You can head into Donegal Town and find one of the cosy pubs. Or, if you started early, drive out to Slieve League, which has some of the highest sea cliffs in Europe. The landscape is unique, beautiful and very lonely.
Either way, the evening belongs to the castle.
Day 4
Old Tom Morris and Sheephaven Bay
Today you change hotels, and you play one of the oldest links courses in Ireland on the way.
Rosapenna is a resort with three very strong courses. The Old Tom Morris Links is the lowest-ranked of the three, in 27th place in the National Club Golfer ranking “Golf Courses in Ireland”, but it is also the oldest, laid out in 1893. It is probably the one on which you are most likely to get a tee time, and the green fee is lower than on the other two.
The second nine holes are the most interesting. They head towards Old Tom Morris’s original routing and show off the dunes of Sheephaven Bay at their best.
The two other courses at Rosapenna, Sandy Hills and St Patrick’s, are also very much worth a visit on another trip.
Then continue to Ballyliffin on the Inishowen Peninsula. The drive takes about 1 hour 40 minutes and leads through narrow lanes past Buncrana.
Stay
Ballyliffin Lodge & Spa, Ballyliffin
Ballyliffin is a long way from almost anywhere, so a welcoming hotel is worth a lot. Ballyliffin Lodge & Spa fits the bill. The rooms range from practical and comfortable to genuinely luxurious, depending on the category. The restaurant serves very good food, and the views across the landscape are a wonderful backdrop to the evening. You stay here for two nights.
Day 5
One of my top five links
Today you play Glashedy Links, one of my top five links courses. You notice why at once: the 2nd hole, a par 4 of 463 yards, is one of my personal highlights.
The 7th is a par 3 with a fantastic view from the tee and one of the most beautiful holes I know. The 13th is also superb.
Glashedy opened in 1995 and hosted the Irish Open in 2018. The club has more courses to offer, the Old Links and Pollan, but today belongs to Glashedy.
Spend the evening at the hotel and eat there. After a day like this, you will not want to go anywhere else.
The hotel also seems to have a very good spa. I did not use it myself, but it was extremely busy with people from the area, and I take that as a good sign.
Day 6
Under the Mussenden Temple
Today you cross from the Republic of Ireland into Northern Ireland. Castlerock Golf Club was founded in 1901, and its Mussenden Course takes its name from the Mussenden Temple on the nearby cliff.
I recommend Castlerock, with one personal note. I played here in the off-season, and the pro shop was unfortunately not at its best. I put that down to bad luck, because I believe in the friendliness of the people of Northern Ireland. The course is beautiful enough to forgive it.
The start is less spectacular, but the course gets better and better. Two holes stayed in my memory: the 7th, because it is so difficult, and the 8th, which is not exactly easy either, but has a lovely dune setting.
Next to the course, I recommend a visit to Mussenden Temple, which is owned by the National Trust and is probably one of the most photographed monuments in Northern Ireland. Alternatively, a visit to Derry is worthwhile. You can walk the city walls and see the famous murals of the Bogside, which recall the Troubles. In Derry, they feel closer than anywhere else.
For dinner, you can eat at your hotel in Portrush. Or stop on the way at Harry’s Shack, a sensational fish shack directly on the prize-winning beach of Portstewart Strand.
Stay
Marine & Lawn Portrush, Portrush
For the last two nights you stay at Marine & Lawn Portrush, a hotel of the Marine & Lawn collection. I have not stayed here yet, so I cannot give you a first-hand report. But I know four other hotels of the group and love every one of them, and the location in Portrush is spectacularly good. The hotel stands on the headland of Ramore Head, and the clubhouse of Royal Portrush is only five minutes away.
Another option is The Bushmills Inn in Bushmills, a historic coaching inn near the Giant’s Causeway. I have not stayed there either, so I can only mention it as an alternative.
Day 7
The best three opening holes
Portstewart is the final round of the trip, and it starts with the three best opening holes you can imagine, among imposing dunes. After the turn, the terrain becomes a little less dramatic, but it remains a super course.
The clubhouse is unbelievably friendly, in the pro shop as well as in the restaurant, where the food is good. If you did not eat at Harry’s Shack yesterday, you can do so after the round. It is right on Portstewart Strand.
In the evening, enjoy the end of the trip in Portrush. And make time for the three main sights of County Antrim: the Giant’s Causeway, the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge and Dunluce Castle. None of them is an insider tip, but all three are extremely worth seeing.
If time is short, make sure you see the Giant’s Causeway. It gives the whole coast its name, and the visit is really worth it. You may not believe the legend that the giant Finn McCool built a path here because he wanted to measure himself against the Scottish giant Benandonner. I, of course, do.
The Old Bushmills Distillery is also worth a visit, and so is a drink at the Bushmills Inn.
Day 8
Home from the Causeway Coast
After breakfast, the drive to Belfast Airport takes about 1 hour 15 minutes. Dublin Airport is about 3 hours away, so plan carefully if you fly home from there.
If you do not want to leave yet, Portrush is a good place to stay a little longer. Royal Portrush, whose Dunluce Links hosted the Open Championship in 2019 and 2025, is right on your doorstep, and so is its second course, the Valley Links. Whether it becomes Dunluce or Valley is a question of budget and availability. I know neither, but I would love to play both.
WHY THIS ROUTE
This journey follows the coast from west to north. It crosses the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and it changes hotel only twice.
Bundoran comes first because it makes a relaxed warm-up. Donegal follows with some of the best holes of the whole trip, including a par 3 with a very fitting name.
Rosapenna is the oldest course of a three-course resort. It is probably the one on which you are most likely to get a tee time, and it is cheaper than the other two. Then comes Ballyliffin, where Glashedy Links is one of my top five links courses.
In Northern Ireland, Castlerock and Portstewart round off the journey. Castlerock has the temple, Portstewart has the dunes.
Rosapenna and Ballyliffin both have further courses that are well worth playing. Sandy Hills and St Patrick’s at Rosapenna, and the Old Links and Pollan at Ballyliffin, are on my list for another visit. I have deliberately kept this route to one round per day.
Royal Portrush is only a few minutes from your hotel in Portrush. Its two courses are not part of this route, because I have not played them yet, and I only want to recommend courses I know. I am sure that both are very good.
Driving times stay moderate, apart from the transfers on Day 4 and Day 6.
Best time: Thanks to the mild Gulf Stream, this trip should be possible all year round. That is a plus compared with many classic golf tours, which lead to the east of Scotland.
Tee times: Rosapenna’s Old Tom Morris Links is usually the easiest of the three Rosapenna courses to book, and its green fee is lower. Book Glashedy at Ballyliffin and Portstewart as early as possible and plan the rest of the trip around them.
Rental car: Pick up your car at the airport you fly into. I always follow two rules. First, book an automatic. It costs more, but when you are driving on the left, you will be glad not to change gear with your left hand. Second, choose a smaller car. On the narrower roads, you will be glad it isn’t too wide.
Crossing the border: There is no border control between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, but the currency changes from euro to pound sterling, and speed limits change from kilometres to miles per hour. Tell your rental company that you plan to cross the border. Please note that Northern Ireland is part of the UK. Depending on your nationality, you may need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to enter it, while the Republic of Ireland does not require one. Check the current rules before you travel.
Weather: Pack waterproofs and warm layers, even in summer. The wind is part of every round.
Eating and drinking: Dinner at the hotels in Lough Eske and Ballyliffin is a pleasure. In Bundoran, find a café and watch the surfers (Day 2). In Donegal Town, there are several cosy pubs (Day 3). Harry’s Shack, a fantastic fish shack on Portstewart Strand, is the place to eat on Day 6 or Day 7.
Beyond golf: The cliffs of Slieve League (Day 3), Mussenden Temple and the city of Derry (Day 6), and the Giant’s Causeway, the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Dunluce Castle and the Bushmills Distillery (Day 7).
Getting home: From Portrush, Belfast Airport is about 1 hour 15 minutes away and Dublin Airport about 3 hours. Flying into Dublin and out of Belfast saves the long drive back, but a one-way rental usually costs extra.
