Skip to content
Royal County Down is one Ireland's oldest golf clubs with traditions dating back for more than a century. Situated in Newcastle, where "the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea," County Down is not only a fine test of golf but has accompanying scenery that is spellbinding.
Alongside the Championship Links, County Down has a second golf course, Annesley Links, which is nowhere near as intimidating or as formidable a challenge as the Championship Links.
Royal County Down is currently looking forward to hosting the 2007 Walker Cup match between Great Britain & Ireland and America, becoming only the second golf club in Ireland, after Portmarnock in 1991, to host the biennial contest.
Stay & Play: Take your pick from these: Slieve Donard Hotel; Enniskeen Hotel; Donard Hotel and The Burranden Hotel.
Voted no. 15 in Golf World's Top 100 Golf Courses You Must Play poll, magnificent County Down was carved out of the dunes by Old Tom Morris in 1889 (for which he received £4!) and lies under the shadow of the Mountains of Mourne. But County Down is no stroll in the park: the long, unforgiving rough and gorse is everywhere and demands supreme accuracy while three of the par 3s measure more than 200 yards so you're often having to hit long irons into greens. Make no mistake, it's hard as nails...but you'll love every minute of it.
Royal County Down is widely regarded as one of the finest links in the UK, but if you're playing Old Tom Morris's masterpiece for the first time, you should be aware it's one of the quirkiest layouts around. If the wind is blowing, Co Down can be a 'hit and hope' course in that you're asked to play a series of blind shots to crisp, fast-running fairways while the bounce of the ball can be the difference between a good score and a disaster. We recommend you take advantage of a local caddie's knowledge - he could save you a lot of shots and heartache!
