With The Open Championship returning to Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland is gearing up to be the hottest golf destination in the world in 2025. The region is seeing large investments in the form of new hotels, hotel renovations and major architectural changes at the top golf courses.

Northern Ireland boasts some of the best golf courses in the world, as well as some of the most beautiful natural sightseeing and captivating cultural experiences in the whole of Europe. To really get the most out of your golf trip, you’ll have to carefully consider travel logistics and also be organised with your tee time bookings; the top courses sell their visitor tee times very fast! For the best possible golf experience you should also consider golfing in County Donegal which has 5 UK & Ireland Top100 courses. Although County Donegal is actually in the Republic of Ireland (different country), this shouldn’t put you off. There are no physical borders to cross, plus it makes sense logistically to combine these courses in the same trip, if you have the desire to play them all. 

For those of you not aware, this article explains the differences between The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. 

Pro Tip: The best way to learn about the history of Ireland, the division of the two countries and “The Troubles”  is by doing a Black Cab political murals tour in Belfast. It’s honestly one of the best tours I’ve ever done.

Read on for the step by step guide on how to plan your Northern Ireland Golf Trip, plus some example itineraries that just make sense. 

– Travel Logistics

– Booking Tee Times

– Choosing Hotels

– Sightseeing

– Example Itineraries

1. Consider travel logistics

This will determine the golf courses you play and what towns you stay in.

Before you rush into booking your tee times and hotels, you must consider the logistics of travelling around the country and the location of the courses on your wish list.

The two most popular golf courses in Northern Ireland, Royal Portrush and Royal County Down, are a 2 hour drive apart. Add in the likes of Ballyliffin (County Donegal) and you’re up to a 3 hour drive. If you don’t mind spending a couple of hours a day driving (or being chauffeured), then picking a central base and driving from there each day is the way to go.

The alternative option is to change hotels along the way. This significantly reduces your overall time spent on the road and also allows you to experience different towns and nightlife in the region. The downside to this strategy is the hassle of moving hotels and re-packing your luggage every couple of days.

I should also point out that it’s possible to have the best of both worlds by staying in 1 hotel and being within 20mins of the golf courses each day. However, this option means you won’t play all of the best courses in the region.

To help you make a more informed decision on where to stay and play during your golf trip to Northern Ireland, here’s a table and map outlining the locations and drive times between some of our favourite hotels, golf courses and towns. For the table: X axis = Golf Course, Y axis = Town / hotel.