Portstewart Golf Club (Old Course)

Overview: Portstewart’s Old Course is an 18-hole links routing on the north coast of Northern Ireland. It is listed at par 64 and 4,890 yards from the white tees, with the opening stretch following rocky ground by the shore before the holes turn inland. The shorter card does not mean a simple round: links wind, firm lies and small targets make control and creativity more important than raw length. The club’s official description supports the course’s age, layout and specifications, while no architect is assigned here because the current sources do not provide a reliable single attribution.

History: Golf has been played at Portstewart since 1894, giving the Old Course a direct connection with the club’s early history. The present routing reflects the relationship between the coastal edge and the landward dunes, with the first eight holes described as rocky shore golf and the final ten using the inland side. Portstewart is now known for a wider collection of links courses, but the Old remains a separate, compact experience within that destination.

Did You Know? The Old Course has a remarkable number of par threes for its length, and the low par makes every dropped shot feel expensive. Its front section by the rocky shore also gives the round a different texture from the dune-heavy Championship Course nearby. The result is a compact links test in which short-game accuracy and wind judgement matter more than a long driving display.