Royal Portrush, Royal County Down and Portstewart are just a handful of world-renowned championship links golf courses in Northern Ireland. But soon, there will be a new addition to the country.
In a planned £30 million investment from luxury hospitality group Galgorm Collection, a new landmark links golf course has been announced for Bellarena, on the region’s spectacular north-west coast.
The company, which owns and runs the championship parkland course at Galgorm Castle in Ballymena and Roe Valley course in Limavady, said its plans would create the first championship links course in Northern Ireland in over 100 years and help to cement the region’s reputation as a world-class golfing destination.
The par-3 third at Royal Portrush. Image by David Cannon/R&A
Home to 2025 Masters champion and Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland is already a renowned location for some of the world’s most iconic golf courses, and this month plays host to The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
Galgorm said its plans are to develop a new 18-hole links course at Bellarena – located between Portrush and Limavady within the stunning Causeway Coast and Glens area around 30 minutes’ drive from the City of Derry and its adjacent airport – will help create new local jobs and act as a major catalyst for further tourism investment in the north west.
Subject to planning approval, Galgorm Collection said development of Bellarena Golf Links will start next year and open in 2029, bringing its total investment in the north west to around £65 million and an additional 300 jobs created.
Last year, the group acquired the nearby Roe Park Resort in Limavady and Galgorm Castle Estate in Ballymena as part of a landmark £50 million investment. It is currently investing a further £22 million in the now newly-named Roe Valley Resort and its own award-winning 18-hole golf course.
Galgorm Castle Golf Club, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland
Research conducted by Sporting Insights for Tourism Northern Ireland’s annual Golf Tourism Monitor last year showed the golfing sector’s value had risen by almost 66 percent since 2019, when The 148th Open was held at Royal Portrush. Its value has also more than doubled in the past decade, from £33.2 million in 2014. On average, golfers spend around nine days on their visit to Northern Ireland, playing five rounds on different courses during their stay.
Galgorm Collection is also developing plans for a new championship links golf course in Glenariffe in the Glens of Antrim.
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Main Image: Galgorm Collection
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