Overview
Ardglass is a pure links: hilly, firm-running, and set hard against the cliffs of the County Down coast so that the Irish Sea is visible from every one of the 18 tees and greens and comes directly into play on eight of them. On a clear day you can see the Isle of Man; the Mourne Mountains sit to the south the whole round. It is a par 70 of 6,268 yards from the back tees, and there is no handicap requirement to play.
The strongest reason to make the trip is where it sits: about 30 minutes from Royal County Down at Newcastle, which makes Ardglass the natural second course on any Down golf break. It is a private members’ club that welcomes visitors, but you must book ahead, and weekend mornings are reserved for members (Saturdays until 2pm, Sundays until 11:30am).
The clubhouse
The clubhouse is widely reckoned the oldest building in the world still used for golf. It began as a fortified warehouse around 1405, guarding the harbour trade, and the site itself may have carried a fortification as early as the 12th century. Four old cannons still stand in the courtyard. The club was founded in 1896, so golf came to the building comparatively late in its long life.
The course
The layout runs out and back over rolling links land, with firm fairways and small, undulating greens that punish anyone playing strictly to the yardage book. Heather, gorse, dunes and deep sodwall bunkers do the rest, and the wind off the sea sets the club selection more than the distance does.
The holes people remember come early. The 1st is a short par-4 with a tee shot fired over the cliffs – all of Ireland, as the members say, is to your right. The 2nd is a par-3 along the clifftop, a deep sea inlet cutting in front of the tee. On the back nine, the 11th is a par-5 with the sea guarding the entire right-hand side, and the 12th (Cathlin) is the one for the camera: a 198-yard par-3 from an elevated tee with the Mournes behind the green. Recent work has added a new par-5 16th played over a stone wall and a new par-3 17th, opened in 2024.
Facilities
There is a pro shop, a practice green, a driving range, and caddies, buggies and clubs for hire. The clubhouse restaurant and bar serve fresh fish and seafood, and pour beer from a micro-brewery in the village. Dress is proper golf attire – collared shirts, no metal spikes.
Getting there and practical tips
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Address | Castle Place, Ardglass, County Down BT30 7TP |
| Phone | +44 (0)28 44 841 219 |
| Website | ardglassgolfclub.com |
| Booking | Pre-book via the official visitor tee-booking portal |
| Handicap | None required |
| Course | Par 70, 6,268 yds (back tees) |
| Parking | Free clubhouse car park |
Ardglass sits on the A2 coastal road, about 50 minutes’ drive south of Belfast and under two hours from Dublin. The honest caveat is the price: £250 for a high-season round is steep. If you can travel outside May to October, the shoulder-season fee drops to £125 and the low-season rate to £90, and the course changes far less than the price does. Whatever the season, book online – it is the only way to the cheaper rates, and it locks in a tee time around the members’ slots.