Golf in Belfast and beyond

Just 11km from Belfast International Airport, the Hilton Templepatrick Golf Club is the perfect place to start an unforgettable trip. This 72-par course is set on 220 acres of manicured parkland surrounding Castle Upton which has stood proudly in the area for over 400 years – a fort stood here for centuries before that. You won’t tire of these 18 holes, but if you feel like a break, book into the Doubletree by Hilton Templepatrick spa to use the hydro facilities or avail of their indulgent treatments such as massages and facials. Golfing followed by relaxation is the epitome of self-care.

The journey to Galgorm Castle will take you to the northernmost point on your trip, and it’s well worth the drive. Nestled deep in the beautiful County Antrim countryside between the Braid and Main Rivers, this parkland course is 18 holes of pure class. Northern Ireland’s most popular club for hosting European professional golf events, it’s also home to the Northern Ireland Open which welcomes large crowds to the course over the annual week-long tournament. For those keen to improve their game, the clubhouse has a teaching room equipped with the latest V1 Digital Coaching System.

You simply can’t visit this part of the world without sinking into the natural landscape. Lough Neagh is part of this natural landscape that you can’t miss, not only because of its sheer size – it’s the largest lake in the British Isles – but because of its vastly varied flora, fauna and history. Take a boat out to Coney Island where ancient people first settled in Neolithic times and St Patrick himself is said to have sought solitude among the dense woodland. While you explore, take a minute to drink it all in. After all, this is the same beauty that inspired Ireland's prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney in so much of his writing.

If you have more time, stop by the Seamus Heaney HomePlace in the small village of Bellaghy in County Londonderry, and allow his words to soothe your soul.

The clue is in the name. If you want to feel like royalty then this is the club for you, and it’s only fair, given that the Royal Belfast Golf Club is the grandaddy of golf courses. Designed by Harry Colt in 1881, it’s one of the oldest courses in Ireland. This course is half links and half parkland, ticking all the boxes. If you’ve never been, head out to the 4th for a hole favoured by regulars; at just 142 yards it’s short but sweet with bunkers and gorse bushes a plenty guarding the green.

If you have more time, pop into the Ulster Folk Museum. It’s the definition of quirky with everything from regal horse-drawn carriages to a DeLorean!

27 holes and the gently rushing River Lagan make Malone Golf Club a very enjoyable experience. And yet, it’s perhaps one of the lesser-known courses in Northern Ireland! The 72-par 9-hole and 70/71 par 18-hole courses are set within 330 acres of pristine parkland hidden in plain sight just five miles outside the city. Praised by legendary golf writer Jim Finegan as a “spacious beauty with an abundance of mature oaks, sycamores and pines, [and] rolling terrain”, Malone truly is a joy to play.

Long before Jack and Rose there was Harland and Wolff, a household name in Belfast known as the company that built and launched the Ship of Dreams. Today, over a century after the Titanic’s construction and tragic end, Titanic lives on in the very footprint of where it was built. Titanic Belfast was voted the World’s Leading Tourist Attraction and is packed with interactive galleries, story-filled floors and countless accounts, exhibits and artefacts that root the infamous liner very much in the city where it was created.

One thing is for certain, time spent learning about this magnificent ship will build up a correspondingly massive appetite. Thankfully, Belfast is the perfect place to be hungry. Check out St George’s Market where you can fill up on ocean-fresh seafood if you're here during the daytime. Or, pop over to Stix & Stones for an indulgent meal at one of Belfast’s top steak and seafood restaurants.

While in the city, take a Black Taxi Tour and be chauffeured around the city and suburbs by an experienced driver who knows all the spots written in the hearts of the locals. If you want to get the real Belfast, from the political murals to the true stories of its colourful culture, this is a tour you can’t miss.

Tee off day 3 with a trip to Ardglass. Originally built as a 7-hole course back in the 19th century, today it comprises 18 holes of pure green bliss boasting some of the most spectacular views you’ll find anywhere in the world. As you make your way around this par 70 course, take the chance to gaze out across the Irish Sea and south to the stunning Mourne Mountains before finishing off at the 18th hole with higher ground offering spectacular views over Ardglass. Before you go, spend some time in the oldest clubhouse in the game of golf.

Surrounded by the golden blaze of gorse and purple heather, overlooked by Slieve Donard and perched on the edge of the ocean, Royal County Down is undoubtedly one of the world’s most spectacular golf courses. This par 71 links course is set within the Murlough Nature Reserve, and you’d be forgiven for taking your time on a visit as there’s so much to enjoy. With constantly shifting sea winds and measuring nearly 7,200 yards in length, Royal County Down doesn’t make a round here easy, but it certainly makes the trip worthwhile.

There’s something of another era about St John’s Point Lighthouse. The narrow exposed coastal road leading up to the gate, the silence punctured by crashing waves and the sight of the giant, bumblebee-striped tower looming in front of you… It feels as if time has stood still here for centuries.

Other attractions in the area are out of this world... and into that of HBO’s Game of ThronesⓇ which draws countless fans to Northern Ireland every year. Those on the hunt for real-life Westeros can’t get much closer than Castle Ward, or Winterfell as it is known in the show. If you’re a fan, treat yourself to a visit at the ancestral home of House Stark.

If you have more time, take a trip out to Strangford Lough. This is both an Area of Oustanding Natural Beauty and an Area of Special Scientific Interest, and it’s filled with countless flora, fauna and gorgeous views. On its eastern shores sits Mount Stewart, the stunning 19th-century house and gardens that give a new meaning to the word “grandeur”.