Ardglass Golf Club
A 19th-century golf course rooted in old-world design, Ardglass is a place you must experience firsthand to fully comprehend its beauty and charm
Eggsplorations: A Wild Trip Around Ardglass
Just 20 miles up the coast from the world-famous Royal County Down Golf Club lies the small fishing town of Ardglass. Elevated above the fierce sea on a rocky prominence is the unique and captivating Ardglass Golf Club. This 19th-century golf course has slowly but surely expanded its footprint and grown in popularity over its century-plus history. The original 1896 layout included just seven holes that roughly occupied the land where today’s first and 18th holes play. This was later expanded and lengthened to nine holes, then eventually 18 holes by 1970 with the acquisition of additional land. The most recent renovations include three new golf holes in the 10th, 16th, and 17th, which were created to mitigate wayward golf shots affecting the neighboring communities. The old par-3 10th was extended to a short par 4, the old par-4 16th has been lengthened into a par 5 ending halfway down the old 17th fairway, and a new par-3 17th has been built.
What makes Ardglass Golf Club special is the raw beauty of the landscape you traverse. The figure-eight-fish-hook-shaped routing covers nearly two miles of jagged rocky cliffs, providing an extraordinary setting for golf. Ardglass is a different type of links golf in the sense that it isn’t the same sandy dunescapes we see at Royal Portrush and Royal County Down. Where it lacks in sand, it makes up for in breathtaking views atop the dramatic and rugged land. The course itself is rooted in old-world design characteristics with simple greens and minimal bunkering because the real test is the battle of the elements and terrain. Ardglass is a place you must experience firsthand to fully comprehend its uniqueness and charm.
Take Note…
1405. Ardglass is home to the oldest building used as a clubhouse in the world. There are two sections of the building, including the original 1405 castle fortification nearest to the sea, that butt up against the first tee and the 1788 addition where most of the golf operations and restaurant reside.
A Really Nice Net. A warm-up net sits within the 15th-century castle walls, making it arguably the coolest place to prepare for your round of golf. There’s also a sign atop one of the castle pillars adjacent to the warm-up net that says “Hole 1 360 yards.” This leads me to believe that the flat area on top of the castle could have once been a teeing ground since the current back tee measures just under 340 yards. This is the beginning of my campaign to bring back the castle tee.
The Real Coney Island. The Coney Island that you know (Brooklyn, New York) is not the original. Just west of the golf club lies Coney Island, which has been made locally famous by Northern Irish native Van Morrison, who would make trips to the island with his mother as a young kid.
“Best Pint of Guinness in Ireland” -Flinn Morgan. The Ardglass local and assistant golf pro who shepherded us around the course emphatically proclaimed that the Arms Bar is home to the best pint of Guinness in Ireland. While I have only sampled a handful of watering holes across Northern Ireland, this was an incredibly delightful place to wind down after a wind-battered round on the cliffs of Ardglass. Don’t miss the Arms Bar.
Mysterious Wall of Fame. Just north of the golf course is the Ardglass Wall of Fame. Rumor on the street is that no one in town knows who created this shrine or if all of these people actually visited Ardglass. What we do know is that this is quite an eclectic group of humans.
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Favorite Hole
No. 1, par 4, 338 yards
The first encompasses a lot of what makes Ardglass special. Teeing off adjacent to the 600-year-old castle as waves crash into the rocks behind you is quite the introduction. The first begins the climb up to the rocky coastal cliffs where the opening five holes play. A tremendous green site that is tucked in an elevated hollow rounds out the hole, giving you a taste for what’s to come.
If the first didn’t have enough drama for you, the tee shot over the deep chasm on the par-3 second surely will. Ardglass’s opening five will leave you stunned.
Favorite Hole
No. 1, par 4, 338 yards
The first encompasses a lot of what makes Ardglass special. Teeing off adjacent to the 600-year-old castle as waves crash into the rocks behind you is quite the introduction. The first begins the climb up to the rocky coastal cliffs where the opening five holes play. A tremendous green site that is tucked in an elevated hollow rounds out the hole, giving you a taste for what’s to come.
If the first didn’t have enough drama for you, the tee shot over the deep chasm on the par-3 second surely will. Ardglass’s opening five will leave you stunned.
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Overall Thoughts
Oftentimes as golfers, we find ourselves in search of the greatest courses to make a pilgrimage to play and experience some of the “bests” that this wonderful game has to offer. Sharing stories of playing course X or pulling off this great shot at this historic and highly ranked club finds its way into conversation all the time. It’s fun to recount these experiences and share these stories with the other golf-obsessed, but when you distill these moments down, the pedigree or quality of the course almost never matters. It’s about the people you are with, the connection to the natural land, and the moments you share with each other that mean the most.
Ardglass Golf Club is by no means in the same category as Royal Portrush or Royal County Down in terms of the quality of its design. What it does have is an intangible charm and a one-of-a-kind natural environment that we are lucky enough to play golf on. There’s certainly no comparison to be made to anything in the States. Ardglass is one of one.
At Ardglass there’s no pretense or exclusivity. It simply is what it is, and the locals are more than happy to share their links and treat you like a member of their club. The course is a community asset and a gathering place for the locals of this small town, but also happens to be a captivating landscape to play the game. It’s the journey you make across this landscape that sticks with you as a fascinating and memorable experience.
The routing is made up of an equal amount of coastal and inland holes in which you jump between in a balanced way. This includes holes one through five on the coast, six through nine inland, 10 through 13 on the water, and 14 through 18 back inland, but you never stray too far from the sea to the point that it becomes an afterthought. That being said, the inland holes play over much more modest land that resembles gentle farmland more so than linksland and are more mundane in nature. There’s no single green that stands out as an extraordinary putting surface in regard to its contouring or the strategy it creates. Nevertheless, there are several spectacular green sites like the first, second, third, 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th, which set those holes up for success. It’s also no coincidence that all of those greens sit nearest to the meeting of land and sea.
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Perhaps Ardglass’s greatest success is being what it is–an incredible environment to play the game of golf. The history, connection to the town, and coastal prominence are all that it needs to be special, and that’s what the club embraces. Reaching a certain ranking or modifying certain holes or greens to try and increase the merits of the design wouldn’t make the experience any better. Your journey and round of golf at Ardglass is about the people you play with, the memories you create, and the wild coastal landscape in which you walk. Nothing more and nothing less.
0 Eggs
Ardglass is a remarkable place in the world of golf, but the same cannot be said for the golf course’s design. It has dramatic coastal golf holes that are unlike anything I’ve seen, but the sum of it all is disjointed and less refined than the other great Northern Irish links. Most of the inland holes are quite forgettable, and the soil profile holds the course back from playing like a true firm and fast sandy links. Would I add Ardglass to my itinerary on a return trip? Absolutely. The experience and charm of the town, its people, and fascinating landscape are 100% worth it, but the course’s design won’t be winning any awards.
Course Tour
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Eggsplorations: A Wild Trip Around Ardglass
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