Portstewart Golf Club (Old)

WHY PLAY PORTSTEWART GOLF CLUB OLD COURSE?

The Old Course at Portstewart Golf Club is the founding ground of one of Northern Ireland's most storied clubs — eight holes perched directly above the rocky Causeway Coast shoreline, with the back ten returning inland across classic linksland. Playing to a par of 64 over under 5,000 yards from the white tees, it delivers a links experience.

HISTORY OF PORTSTEWART GOLF CLUB OLD COURSE

Golf arrived at Portmore, east of Portstewart town, when the club was formally constituted in 1894, though informal play on the Causeway Coast had already been recorded as early as 1889. The original nine holes were laid out on 26 acres of land belonging to the Cromore Estate, on the seaward side of the County Road to Portrush, measuring 1,495 yards according to the Irish Golfers' Annual of 1897.

In June 1904 an extension to the ground provided a more challenging nine holes and led to the employment of the club's first professional greenkeeper, David Simpson. The club continued to expand its footprint during the First World War period: land on the landward side of the County Road was obtained in 1916, with the resulting 12-hole layout opening for play in 1918.

In 1934, R.C. Davison and greenkeeper James Rea made the course virtually what it is today — 18 holes measuring just under 4,900 yards at a par of 64, with eight holes along the seaside and the remaining ten routing inland. That configuration has remained the defining character of the Old Course ever since, separating it physically and architecturally from the Strand and Riverside layouts that subsequently developed at Strand Head.

In 2022, European Golf Design was appointed to develop a master plan for all three courses at Portstewart.

COURSE LAYOUT & PLAYING EXPERIENCE

The Old Course sits east of Portstewart town on the Portmore Road towards Portrush, physically detached from the main Strand and Riverside clubhouse by approximately 1.5 miles. The original home of the club, this compact links course predates the grander ambitions of Strand Head by over a decade.

Featuring seven par threes and no par fives, the layout plays to 4,890 yards from the white tees. With the Atlantic ever-present on the front eight, club selection across the short holes changes dramatically as the wind direction shifts off the water.

The front eight holes are perched along the rocky shore, while the back ten play on the landward side. The coastal holes offer exposed, raw links conditions with waves audible throughout; the inland half provides quieter but no less testing territory across undulating ground shaped by the original Davison and Rea routing.

As Kevin Markham notes in the book Hooked, the opening holes sit so close to the seashore and rocks that the wind becomes the primary design feature, with the par threes in particular presenting a substantial test when conditions deteriorate.

THE VERDICT

Portstewart Golf Club's Old Course is a links of unambiguous historical importance and deliberate restraint. It is where the club was born in 1894 and where R.C. Davison and James Rea established the 18-hole form that has endured for over 90 years. Playing to par 64 with seven short holes and no par fives, it occupies an architectural category of its own on the Causeway Coast — a traditional test shaped by shoreline terrain and Atlantic wind rather than length. For visiting golfers on a Northern Ireland golf holiday, pairing it with the Portstewart Strand Course in a single day at the club provides an unusually complete picture of how one institution has evolved across more than a century.

TRAVEL & PLANNING

Regional Golf Context

The Old Course sits within one of the highest concentrations of links golf anywhere in the British Isles. Portstewart town itself is home to all three club courses, with the Strand Course and Riverside Course operating from the main clubhouse on Strand Road roughly 2.4km (1.5 miles) to the west of the Old Course at Portmore Road.

Within 10km (6 miles), Royal Portrush Golf Club offers both the Dunluce Links and the Valley Links, while Castlerock Golf Club — across the River Bann to the west — provides a further championship links option with its Mussenden Course. Castlerock is approximately a 20-minute drive from Portstewart, making a two-club day entirely practical from a Portstewart base.

Further along the coast, Ballycastle Golf Club offers a mixed links and parkland experience with views across to Rathlin Island, situated around 35km (22 miles) to the east. Across the border into the Republic of Ireland, Ballyliffin Golf Club — home to the Old Links and Glashedy Links — extends the itinerary for visitors prepared to cross into County Donegal, approximately 65km (40 miles) to the south-west.

Practical Planning

The Old Course operates independently of the main Portstewart clubhouse and is located at Portmore Road, Portstewart BT55 7BE. Visitors arriving at the main Strand Road clubhouse will need to drive to the separate Old Course site. Advance booking is not required for the Old Course in the same way as the Strand, though contacting the club ahead of travel is advisable. Visitors completing a round on the Old Course are welcome to use the main clubhouse facilities on Strand Road for food and beverages after play.

Transport ✈️

City of Derry Airport (LDY): approximately 32km (20 miles) from Portstewart, with a typical driving time of around 50 minutes. The airport serves routes across the UK and Ireland. Car hire is available on site and is the most practical option for golfers visiting multiple Causeway Coast courses.

Belfast International Airport (BFS): approximately 77km (48 miles) from Portstewart, with a typical drive of just over one hour via the A26 north. This is the larger of the two nearest airports with more extensive international connections, including transatlantic services.

George Best Belfast City Airport (BHD): approximately 98km (61 miles) by road, with a drive of around one hour and ten minutes. Translink operates rail services from Belfast Great Central to Coleraine, from where Portstewart is a short onward taxi or bus journey.

Dublin Airport (DUB): Approximately 255km (158 miles) by road, with a drive of around three hours via the M1/A1. Dublin remains the preferred gateway for North American visitors, given its transatlantic connectivity.

Road access: Portstewart is accessible from the A2 Causeway Coastal Route. The Old Course is reached via the Portmore Road heading east out of town towards Portrush.

Seasonal Timing

Spring (March–May): Course conditions improve steadily through spring, with lighter visitor traffic making tee times more accessible on both the Old Course and the Strand. Atlantic winds are variable and can be strong in March and April.

Summer (June–August): Peak season on the Causeway Coast, with longer daylight hours and higher visitor numbers. Advance booking is essential for the Strand Course; the Old Course remains more accessible. The Causeway Coast Golf Tournament runs annually in summer.

Autumn (September–October): Shoulder season offers some of the most settled playing conditions of the year with reduced crowds. September in particular tends to produce good links conditions across the North Coast.

Winter (November–February): The Old Course remains open through winter. Conditions are exposed given the coastal routing, and winter green speeds will be slower. The links character of the course means drainage is generally effective even in wet periods.

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