The eyes of the golfing world are on Royal Portrush and the 153rd Open Championship this week, and there has been more good news for Northern Ireland today with plans being released for a stunning new championship links course.
The country's premier luxury hospitality group, Galgorm Collection, has revealed plans to invest more than £30 million on a new layout at Bellarena on the north west coast, located between Portrush and Limavady, around 30 minutes’ drive from the City of Derry.
Bellarena Golf Links, which is scheduled to open in 2029, will be the first championship links course in Northern Ireland in over 100 years.
Bellarena - derived from the French word for 'beautiful' and Latin for 'sand' - is a small town on the coastal road between Limavady and Coleraine within the Causeway Coast and Glens District Council area.
Galgorm Collection owns and runs Galgorm Castle in Ballymena and Roe Valley in Limavady, and its latest course will bring its total investment in the area to approximately £65 million.
The company said the new course would create an additional 300 jobs, and help cement the region’s reputation as a world class golfing destination.
"With a rich heritage and stunning views, Northern Ireland is a highly sought-after destination for golfers from across the globe and our golf strategy focuses on maximising our strengths to continue to grow this crucially important part of our tourism offer," said Ellvena Graham OBE, Tourism Northern Ireland Board Chair.
Northern Ireland is already home to a collection of the world's very best golf courses, including Royal County Down and Royal Portrush, which is currently hosting The Open for the third time.
Subject to planning approval, Galgorm Collection, which is also developing plans for a new championship links golf course in Glenariffe in the Glens of Antrim, said development of Bellarena Golf Links will start next year.
Last week, it was announced that Scotland's newest links golf course, Old Petty, which sits alongside four-time Scottish Open host venue, Castle Stuart, would be opening for preview play from August 1, 2025.
