239 - The Royal Belfast Golf Club

Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland

Rating: 8.0

The last stop on this trip to Northern Ireland and a great way to finish with 3 under, 3 man scramble at the oldest golf club in Ireland. What a clubhouse, an old Victorian age building that must be one of the iconic ones I have seen. Not to mention once you get inside it is like a maze in there, incredibly easy to get lost amongst all the different corridors. A few miles further down the road from the airport than Holywood, Royal Belfast offers more incredible views of the Belfast Lough and gets within touching distance at certain points, only separated by an old stone wall.

After a cracking breakfast and a wee Guinness to whet the whistle we headed to the first tee. Sadly no time to hit the range although there was one next to the first tee. Similarly to Malone, Royal Belfast is a predominantly parkland course with a few curveballs chucked in along the way.

Starting off with a few gentle par 4’s, the course eases into your round and without a real abundance of trees it never really threatens to make your round implode. The kind of course that is perfect for members, one where you can get around fairly comfortably without losing too many balls. The 4th is a tricky par 3, only 125 meters long but with the majority of the green surrounded by deep, carefully crafted bunkers, it is not one to miss. The 5th is the beginning of a stretch of holes with the Belfast Lough in the background. The 10th is a really interesting and challenging hole, running parallel to the lough, it works uphill and too the left, requiring both an accurate tee shot and approach with a pretty cool rock face to the back right of the green. One of the curveball holes I alluded to. The 11th is another one of those, an almost blind tee shot on a par 3 isn’t something you see very often but with a steep incline and plenty of trouble to the left and the right it is quite an intimidating shot. Until you actually get up to the green and realize how wide the hitting area is.

Coming back down the hill, the 12th offers some more stunning views, especially as you get closer to the green. The course moves back inland from there with a variety of interesting holes before finishing with 470 meter par 5 bringing your round to a close in front of the iconic clubhouse. The course was in pretty good condition without being superb, it had clearly suffered from a dry couple of weeks. £200 is pretty steep for a round here but it definitely offers a good and interesting experience.