Royal Belfast Golf Club

Royal Belfast holds a singular place in golf history as the oldest club in Ireland, founded in 1881 — predating even the great wave of late-Victorian course building that would shape the island's golfing identity. That lineage alone makes a round here feel like something more than a day out. The club has called its current home at Craigavad, on the southern shore of Belfast Lough, since 1891, and the waterside setting gives the course a distinctive, open character shaped by Lough breezes and coastal light.

The course plays to a par 70, which reflects a design that rewards precision and course management over raw power. Tight, mature tree lines and undulating ground demand accurate ball-striking, and the views across the Lough toward the Antrim hills provide a constant, striking backdrop.

Craigavad sits just east of Belfast in County Down, close enough to the city to feel connected to Ulster's vibrant golf culture, yet far enough removed to carry a genuine sense of retreat. This is a private members' club with real historical weight — the kind of place where context enriches every hole.