236 - Holywood Golf Club

Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland

Rating: 7.8

Off to Northern Ireland for a wedding and of course that meant an extended stay and turning it into a mini golf trip. First stop the world renowned Holywood Golf Club, a course not famed for its incredible layout or signature holes but for being the home of none other than Rory McIlroy.

That is not to take away from the quality of the course itself as it is a really enjoyable layout. A stone’s throw from Belfast Airport, Holywood overlooks Belfast Lough and is only a few miles down the road from the Royal Belfast Golf Club.

Playing on a Tuesday afternoon, the course had a steady stream of golfers and I was able to make my way round fairly swiftly. Hats off to the young guys in the Pro Shop, they were incredibly helpful and informative about the quirky nuances that are present at Holywood.

Rarely do you see two sets of 9 holes that contrast each other more than what you get here. Both sides parkland but with a more open and expansive front 9 compared to a tighter more bush lined back 9. Having watched the No Laying Up crew play here recently I was aware of how hilly the course is, it is a tough walk!

The first hole is a great example of this. Up towards the top of the property, it is a par 4 that slopes steeply left to right. With bush on the left and without a draw in my armory, what looked like a fairly straight drive ended up at the foot of the 2nd tee box with a tricky shot back up to a raised green. The next few holes continue to weave down the hill before arriving at the par 3 4th which offers the first of many great views of the Belfast Lough. A long, downhill par 3 at roughly 170 meters. A couple holes later you have the quirky par 3 6th which takes you across the road of the entrance to the club to a short downhill hole clearly trying to utilize as much of the land as possible.

Not to mention all the par 3’s but the 9th was one of the more interesting holes, 120 meters long uphill but a tricky shot leading to a raised green protected by 3 large pot bunkers at the front.

Onto the back 9 and things were very different, much more bush lined fairways, much less margin for ever and a considerably longer side of the course, over 300 meters in difference. The toughest being the 12th hole. On the face of it not a long par 4 but with a huge drop in the fairway within driving distance you are forced to hit a shorter club. From there the fairway raises and with no more than a pole to aim at in the distance you’re really not sure how it will end up. It is tough to reach in two and with all sorts of slant to the fairway, for me it was by far the toughest hole on the course.

The course finishes with a strong of par 4’s, all fairly similar but different in their own right, different slopes, different placement of the bush and all equally as tricky. I was pleasantly surprised by Holywood, it was in very good condition for the summer months and for £35 a round it is a no brainer to stop here on any visit to Northern Ireland.