
Annesley Links Course
The Royal County Down Golf Club


About this course
Annesley Links serves as the second eighteen-hole course at Royal County Down Golf Club in Newcastle, situated along the same dramatic stretch of Northern Ireland coastline that hosts the club's celebrated Championship Links. Designed by George Combe and opened in 1970, Annesley was created to accommodate the club's growing membership and provide an alternative routing that, while distinct from the Championship course, shares the same remarkable setting beneath the Mourne Mountains and along Dundrum Bay. The course occupies terrain that is somewhat less severe than its famous neighbor, with a routing that moves through gorse-lined fairways and features more forgiving topography in places, though it retains the characteristic duneland movement and coastal character of the area. Annesley measures shorter than the Championship Links and presents a different strategic challenge, with several holes playing closer to the shoreline and others moving inland through the property's natural contours. The design incorporates the site's native grasses, heather, and gorse, and the views toward the Mournes remain a constant presence throughout the round. Royal County Down members use Annesley Links regularly, and it provides an opportunity for visitors to experience a second round at the club when Championship Links tee times are limited. The course has undergone periodic refinements over the decades to maintain playing quality and strategic interest. While it operates in the shadow of one of golf's most revered links courses, Annesley offers a legitimate test in its own right and extends the golfing experience available at this historic County Down location.
Rankings
Ranked by CV ratings from golfers who've played this course. Positions are shown worldwide, by country, and by state; the Public column compares courses anyone can play.
Best in World
Best in UK
Best in Northern Ireland
Quick facts
- Location
- Newcastle, Down, Northern Ireland
- Access
- Public
- Holes
- 18
- Par
- 66
- Length
- 4,548 yards
- Difficulty
- 65.6/110
- Course Vaults score
- 8.4
Getting there
The journey to The Royal County Down Golf Club begins at Belfast International or George Best Belfast City Airport, each roughly an hour's drive south along the coast. The route traces the edge of Strangford Lough before sweeping into County Down, where the landscape opens to reveal the dramatic sweep of Dundrum Bay and the looming presence of the Mourne Mountains rising directly behind the links. As the road narrows into Newcastle, the town gives way almost immediately to the dunes, and the club's understated entrance appears tucked between mountain and sea - a threshold to one of golf's most storied and visually arresting settings.

FAQ
Common questions about Annesley Links at The Royal County Down Golf Club
Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.
Annesley Links at The Royal County Down Golf Club has a Course Vaults score of 8.4 out of 10 based on 14 logged golfers.
Yes. Annesley Links at The Royal County Down Golf Club is listed as welcoming public or guest play on Course Vaults.
Par at Annesley Links is 66.
Annesley Links plays 4,548 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.
The slope rating at Annesley Links is 110.
Annesley Links is a 18-hole course.




