Royal County Down Golf Club

WHY IT BELONGS IN THE CONVERSATION

Links golf beneath the Mourne Mountains.

Royal County Down was formed at Newcastle in March 1889, as the railway helped turn the town into a seaside destination. Tom Morris visited that summer; an eighteen-hole layout followed by the middle of 1890. George Combe’s later work and Harry Colt’s redesign in 1926 helped shape the course that golfers recognise today.

Its sporting history reaches across amateur and professional golf. The club hosted the Walker Cup in 2007 and the Irish Open returned in 2015 and 2024. Dundrum Bay and the Mourne Mountains give the setting its unmistakable identity, while the Championship Links remains the central draw.

1. 1889Club founded; Tom Morris advises on the course.
2. 1926Harry Colt redesigns the front nine.
3. 2007Walker Cup hosted at Newcastle.
4. 2024The Irish Open returns.

History source: the club’s published account

Plan your round.

Course Rating and Slope measure difficulty from a specific set of tees; they are separate from course style, tournament history or a golfer’s review score. Where we haven’t verified a current scorecard, we leave those numbers unstated.

For a day on an exposed course, choose headwear for the actual forecast. Merino brings natural comfort; selected WINDSTOPPER® styles add wind protection, while AG11 and AG12 provide waterproof GORE-TEX® construction.