RKR+ 2028
A Links Proposal
Dunluce Castle on its basalt headland above the Causeway Coast
RKR+ 2028 · Destination II of III

Northern Ireland

The Causeway Coast, County Down and the Two Kings

Fly into
BFS · BHD · or DUB
Itineraries
Three
Currency
Pound (£)

Dunluce Castle, minutes from Royal Portrush

Getting there

From Atlanta to the first tee

Delta does not fly direct to Belfast from Atlanta. Connect via London Heathrow or Amsterdam into Belfast City (BHD) or Belfast International (BFS), or fly direct ATL–DUB and drive 1 hr 45 min up the motorway.

Two of the world’s top-ten links — Royal County Down and Royal Portrush — sit two hours apart on the same coastline.

IThe Causeway Coast & Open Championship LoopIIThe Two Kings: Royal County Down to Royal PortrushIIICounty Down & Belfast Environs
Map of every course across the three Northern Ireland itinerariesNorth ChannelNORTHERN IRELANDBelfastCauseway CoastBelfast International✈︎BFSBelfast City✈︎BHDCastlerock Golf ClubCastlerockPortstewart Golf Club (Strand)PortstewartRoyal Portrush Golf ClubRoyal PortrushBushfoot Golf ClubBushfootGalgorm Castle Golf ClubGalgorm CastleArdglass Golf ClubArdglassRoyal County DownRoyal County DownRoyal Belfast Golf ClubRoyal BelfastKirkistown Castle Golf ClubKirkistownBelvoir Park / MaloneBelvoir / MaloneN10 MILES
Every course across the three Northern Ireland itineraries.
Three ways to play

The Northern Ireland itineraries

Each option runs five days on the ground. Open any option for the round-by-round plan, route map and booking windows.

A fairway at Royal Portrush running through the dunes toward the sea
I

Royal Portrush, Dunluce Links

Option B1Single Base

The Causeway Coast & Open Championship Loop

Base on the Causeway Coast and play the Open venue at Royal Portrush twice in a day, with Portstewart and Castlerock alongside.

Anchor
Royal Portrush Golf Club (Dunluce Links — Open Championship host)
Base camp
Portrush or Portstewart — 1 hr 15 min from BFS; 2 hr 45 min from DUB.
The golf
7 rounds over 5 days · 36 holes on Day 3
Castlerock Golf Club (Mussenden)Portstewart Golf Club (Strand)Royal Portrush (Dunluce Links)Royal Portrush (Valley Links)Castlerock Golf Club (Bann Course)Bushfoot Golf ClubGalgorm Castle Golf Club
A flag on a green tucked beneath grassy dunes at Ardglass
II

Ardglass, on the County Down coast

Option B2Split Base

The Two Kings: Royal County Down to Royal Portrush

Both of Ireland’s royal giants in one trip — two nights under the Mournes, two on the Causeway Coast.

Anchor
Royal County Down & Royal Portrush (both Top-10 World Links)
Base camp
Base 1: Newcastle (2 nights). Base 2: Portrush (2 nights). Transit drive between them is 2 hours.
The golf
6 rounds over 5 days · 36 holes on Day 2
Ardglass Golf ClubRoyal County Down (Championship)RCD (Annesley Links)Castlerock Golf Club (Mussenden)Royal Portrush (Dunluce Links)Portstewart Golf Club (Strand)
The castle clubhouse at Ardglass Golf Club
III

Ardglass’s castle clubhouse

Option B3Low-Mileage Base

County Down & Belfast Environs

One base near Belfast: Royal County Down 36 holes, Ardglass cliffs, and the city’s Cathedral Quarter at night.

Anchor
Royal County Down
Base camp
Holywood / Belfast or Newcastle — a single base, 35–50 minutes from BHD/BFS.
The golf
6 rounds over 5 days · 36 holes on Day 3
Royal Belfast Golf ClubArdglass Golf ClubRoyal County Down (Championship)RCD (Annesley Links)Kirkistown Castle Golf ClubBelvoir Park Golf Club or Malone Golf Club
The Prince of Wales seated on clubhouse steps in tweeds and plus-fours, 1923
From the archive

Royal County Down has been taking the measure of visitors since the 1890s — tweeds, plus-fours and a stiff wind off Dundrum Bay.

The Prince of Wales at Royal County Down, 1923

Or consider
Aerial view of the Portmarnock peninsula with Howth and Dublin Bay beyond
DUB
Ireland
North Berwick West Links running along the shore, seen from North Berwick Law
EDI
Scotland

PhotographsDunluce Castle, minutes from Royal Portrush — Iain Irwin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Royal Portrush, Dunluce Links — Average Golfer, CC BY 3.0 · Ardglass, on the County Down coast — Ardfern, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ardglass’s castle clubhouse — Ardfern, CC BY-SA 3.0 · The Prince of Wales at Royal County Down, 1923 — Unknown photographer, Public domain · The Portmarnock peninsula, looking south to Howth — PGC, CC0 · North Berwick West Links from the Law — Scott Cormie, CC BY-SA 2.0. Via Wikimedia Commons. Coastlines: Natural Earth.