Tour of the Course

The golf course is on a headland reaching out into the Irish Sea on the northern end of the peninsula of Islandmagee and is bounded on either side by the sandy beaches of Brownsbay and Ferris Bay. It overlooks the Port of Larne and the mouth of Larne Lough and has fine panoramic views of the Antrim Coast and, on a clear day, the west coast of Scotland.

It is a 9-hole/18-tee course part parkland/part links of par 70 and total length 6288 yards (Ladies par 74, length 6052 yards). We have recently added 9 new teeing areas which allow us 18 unique holes by varying the length and perspective from the tee of the existing holes on the front and back nines. For example, the 1st is a par 5 of around 520yds but the 10th is now a long par 4 of around 460 yards from the new tee.  All the holes have their own distinctive characteristics but while the opening five of each nine are not overly demanding or punitive of wayward shots, the closing stretch of 6th/15th, 7th/16th, 8th/17th and 9th/18th do not give up good scores easily especially in the prevailing westerly wind.

Of particular mention are:

  • The signature 7th/16th, "The Bell", deceptive short par 3's which play from an elevated tee over water to a green bordered by the sea on two sides (the hole was named after the fog warning bell which used to be on the rocks at the back of the green to keep shipping clear. It was later replaced by a siren but is now obsolete).
  • The 8th/17th, "Whins", long par 4's with gorse (or whins as known locally) all the way down the left and the ocean to the right. The great Fred Daly, until recent years the only Irishman to win The Open Championship, rated the 8th as one of the best holes in Ireland!  

We are constantly striving to improve our course and new features are added and improvements made each year.

The excellent condition of the course is a credit to the fine work of our greenkeeper, Mr James Kane.