Royal Portrush Golf - Dunluce Links at Its Relentless Best
Updated: Oct 22
I made a birdie on the 7th at Royal Portrush and an 8 on the 9th. That is the Dunluce Links in two holes, and it took me the rest of the round to accept that it was not bad luck. I played it on the 16th of September 2024, the day before Rosapenna, on the same Irish trip that also took in Royal County Down.
Most golf courses don't reveal their full power at first glance, and the Dunluce is a perfect example. It sits on the rugged north coast of Northern Ireland with the Atlantic right beside it, and it is an extremely demanding, raw links test. There is a restless energy about the place: towering dunes, constantly shifting ground and a wind that changes on every hole.
A bit of history. Harry Colt shaped the Dunluce, and the club named its 6th hole after him. In 1951 Royal Portrush became the first club outside Scotland and England to host The Open, and Max Faulkner won it. Then it took 68 years for the championship to come back. For 2019 the old 17th and 18th were replaced by two new holes, today's 7th and 8th, built on land that used to be part of the Valley Links next door, and Shane Lowry won. The Open returned in 2025, when Scottie Scheffler won.
Dunluce is consistently rated among the best courses in the world, and its drama comes from the Atlantic weather, the dunes and the ocean. You have a never-ending view of surf, coastline and sand, but the golf always demands your full attention. Every shot needs respect. This is links golf in its purest form, where the land runs the show.
OK, the actual golf.
Portrush doesn't go for the kill straight away. The opening holes give you space and time to settle into a rhythm. Then, before you know it, the course starts squeezing you. The fairways feel much narrower than they are because of the steep, heavily vegetated rough, and any strike that isn't right leaves you a compromised next shot. The rough is almost always unforgiving. I can confirm this personally.
Some courses let you get away with poor positioning if you are creative and aggressive with the recovery. Portrush is not one of them. It rewards the player who trusts his judgement and commits to the line he believes is right.
It is not about overpowering the course either. It is about shaping shots, reading the wind and flying your irons low. The ground around the greens is unpredictable and the terrain unforgiving, so a bump-and-run is often the right play rather than a high, spinning wedge. Those who try to force the course usually leave frustrated. Those who adapt leave inspired. I left somewhere in between.
The holes that define it, and what they did to me:
5th, par 4 (White Rocks). This is where you really feel you have arrived among the dunes. From the back tee, the sheer height of the dunes makes it feel like a hole built for a big drive. I made a 6.
6th, par 3 (Harry Colt's). Named after the architect who shaped the Dunluce, and a demanding short hole in its own right. Demanding enough that I took 6 on it.
The par-5 7th, one of the two holes added for 2019, then handed me a birdie, presumably to keep me interested.
10th, par 4 (Himalayas). An intimidating hole in a wild, open landscape, and one that sets a clear standard for the back nine. I made a par and took it gratefully.
16th, par 3 (Calamity Corner). For many people the most exciting, and most terrifying, par 3 on the course. A deep chasm runs in front of and along the right of the green, and you simply have to carry it. Come up short and right and you are in serious trouble. I made a 4 and was happy to walk off with it.
18th, par 4. A strong, fair and demanding finish that asks for one last committed drive and approach before you reach the clubhouse. I gave it a 7.
The rest of the card follows the same pattern. An 8 on the 14th, followed straight away by a birdie on the 15th. Front nine 47, back nine 46, 93 on a par of 72 from the green tees. Two birdies on the day and still 21 over. The course does not care how many good holes you have. It counts the bad ones.
Portrush has a serious, traditional atmosphere without any arrogance. Everything is focused on the game, on golf as it was always meant to be played. It feels real, it feels honest, and it feels earned.
Should you play it? Yes. Of all the courses on that trip it was the one that beat me most clearly: 93 here, against 83 at Royal County Down and 85 and 77 on Sandy Hills and Old Tom Morris Links at Rosapenna the next day. Royal County Down was the kinder round. Portrush was the more relentless one. For anyone who loves real links golf, exposed, imaginative, challenging and full of personality, Royal Portrush isn't just recommended. It is a must.
Final word. The Dunluce Links stays with you. The shifting sands, the wind, the awkward lies and the mental challenge combine into a round that feels earned rather than given. You don't dominate Royal Portrush. You endure it, and it teaches you lessons you will hold onto long after you have left. Mine mostly concern the 9th and the 14th.
Read also: St Patrick’s Links Rosapenna – Tom Doak’s Modern Masterpiece on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Coast
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