The Royal Belfast Golf Club

The Royal Belfast Golf Club, established in 1881, holds the distinction of being the oldest golf club in Ireland. The course sits on a narrow peninsula jutting into Belfast Lough at Craigavad, County Down, with water visible from nearly every hole. Harry Colt redesigned the layout in the 1920s, working within the constraints of the distinctive landform to create a routing that plays out and back along the peninsula's length. The terrain is relatively flat parkland rather than linksland, though the coastal setting and prevailing winds from the lough provide a links-like playing experience. Mature trees line many fairways, and the course measures modest by modern standards, placing emphasis on accuracy and course management over length. The narrow peninsula means several holes run close to the water's edge, while others play through tree-lined corridors inland. The club has hosted numerous Irish championships and amateur competitions over its long history. Its location just outside Belfast makes it accessible to the city while maintaining a secluded, coastal atmosphere. The clubhouse overlooks the lough, and the club maintains traditional members' club protocols and customs reflective of its Victorian-era founding. The routing's compactness and the peninsula's natural boundaries create an intimate playing experience. Colt's design works with the available land to produce variety within the topographical limitations, using bunkering and green contours to define strategic options on what might otherwise be straightforward holes.