Ardglass Golf Club: Northern Ireland’s ‘new’ classic links golf course
By Tim Gavrich, GolfPass senior writer
Ardglass Golf Club, tucked far north and east in Northern Ireland, is the newest old golf course you are ever likely to play. Its linksy layout is one of the most visually stunning in the world, clinging to the Irish Sea coast from the opening swing and hardly letting up from there.
Though the golf course dates back to the late 19th century, Ardglass is a prime example of the urge to continually improve through steady, gradual but transformative progress. Subtle and overt redesigns to several of its holes in recent years have increased its length and amped up the challenge while enabling the course to remain true to its roots.
All you need to know about playing Ardglass Golf Club
Ardglass may not have the championship history of Royal Portrush or the top-of-the-magazine-lists heritage of Royal County Down, but it has tremendous personality thanks to the sublime piece of terrain the course enjoys: a U-shaped stretch of craggy coastline between the town after which the course is named. Reminiscent of great Scottish links like the Old Course at St. Andrews and North Berwick Golf Club, Ardglass begins and ends in the town, with the course taking the golfer on a glorious out-and-back journey along the shoreline.
The opening hole at Ardglass stands up to any first hole in the world for beauty: a short, uphill par four with a green set amongst rocks and sharp sand dunes covered in fescue grass. The fairway is generous enough but the sea tends to exert a maddening magnetic pull on golf balls anyway.
The hits keep coming from there; the par-3 second hole, par 4s at holes 3 and 4 and another spectacular one-shotter at the 5th all perch on the cliffs. Number six heads inland to flatter ground briefly before the long par-3 7th ushers the golfer back to the rocks, with a green behind a centuries-old barn that has been converted into one of the game’s most charming snack huts.
A few mellower holes follow before a spectacular downhill drivable par 4 at number 10, followed by a terrifying, narrow par-5 11th where avoiding losing a golf ball between gorse and sea is an accomplishment, especially in a crosswind.
Two more holes play with the sea on the golfer’s right before the course moves inland for a scenic but somewhat calmer finish. The par-3 17th hole is a perfect example of Ardglass Golf Club’s commitment to incremental improvement aimed at elevating it as high in esteem as possible among other golf courses in Northern Ireland. What was once a relatively pedestrian connector hole is now much more substantial, with two formidable pot bunkers guarding an elevated green.
The 18th tee is a gorgeous place to stand as the golfer looks back down the hill towards the clubhouse and the town of Ardglass beyond. The shortish par-4 finisher drifts down with a tilted left-to-right fairway beside the spectacular first, closing the loop on one of the most fun 18-hole journeys a golfer can have in Northern Ireland.
One of Ardglass’s most fascinating features greets golfers before they even set foot on the course. The clubhouse resides in a castle that dates to the year 1405, predating the game of golf itself by more than a century. It is speculated that the foundation of the clubhouse could date back as far as the late 12th century. Repurposing and expanding on parts of the fascinating structure has further enabled Ardglass to stand out as a unique destination in the world of golf. Restaurant 1405 is a lovely spot to enjoy lunch pre- or post-golf.
Ardglass Golf Club is one of many world-class destination golf courses where you can book tee times through GolfNow. Click here to go play.