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Holywood Golf Course Review

Holywood Golf Course

Holywood Golf Course is one of Northern Ireland’s finest courses and enjoys added notoriety as the home club of Rory McIlroy.

Don’t be fooled that Holywood gets it’s reputation as one of Belfast’s finest tracks just because McIlroy learned his trade here. This is a seriously good test and should on the list of anyone playing in Northern Ireland.

Situated in County Down in the Holywood Hills, Holywood Golf Club is located next to Redburn Country Park six miles east of Belfast. It enjoys views across Belfast Lough and the Irish Sea.

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Course Guide

Belfast is fast becoming a popular golf destination for tourists as well as residents of Ireland, and Holywood is one of the big attractions as Rory McIlroy‘s home course.

McIlroy’s course record of 60 will take some matching and is unlikely to be toppled for some time – if ever.

This 18-hole track has just one par five, with the 7th hole measuring just 483 yards off the back tees. But don’t let that fool you into think Holywood is a pushover.

The par-70 test measures just over 6000 yards at its longest and unusually features eight straight par-4s to finish the round.

With a series of par-4 holes which don’t reach the 400-yard mark, distance off the tee isn’t a must around Holywood.

Holywood Golf Course

Accuracy is what is needed, particularly on the back nine where undulations, trees and well-positioned bunkers more than make up for the lack of length.

The front nine is more forgiving and contains three par-3s – two short, tricky tests in the shape of the 123-yard 6th hole and 134-yard 9th hole to finish the opening loop.

McIlroy says: “Holywood was a great course for me to learn the game on, it has all the traits that develop your game from playing it regularly.

“It helps you to learn to shape your shots, places emphasis on your short game and creates more versatile and adaptable golf game through the variety of different shots encountered.

“I have no doubt that the course helped me to become the golfer I am today.”

Holywood Golf Club Details

Par: 70
Yards: 6056 yards (Blue), 6027 yards (White), 5802 yards (Green), 5245 yards (Red).
Fly: To fly to Holywood Golf Club, Belfast City is the nearest airport.
Book: Book accommodation in Belfast via Marriott Europe or Best Western.

Picture Credit: Holywood Golf Club

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FAQs

Holywood Golf Course Map

The Holywood Golf Course scorecard and map can be found via the link.

How much are Holywood Golf Club green fees?

Green fees start from £20 for 18-holes midweek, up to £45 for a guest visitor rate on a weekend.

What is the Holywood Golf Club slope rating?

Holywood’s slope rating is 120 from the white tees, 119 from the green tees and 126 from the red tees.