golf history at royal portrush

Royal Portrush Golf Club

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Amateur golfer and golf writer Bernard Darwin’s review of Royal Portrush Golf Club summed up the North Coast links well: 

This year’s 153^rd Open Championship sees the return of golf’s oldest tournament to Northern Ireland. 

The Open began in in 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club and its famous trophy, the Claret Jug, was first awarded in 1872. The origins of Royal Portrush Golf Club begin a little later. 

Modern-day golf started on the east coast of Scotland, with its popularity rising when King James IV of Scotland endorsed the game. Musselburgh native George L Baillie took the sport to Ireland, and was soon involved in the establishment of a club in seaside Portrush in 1888, then referred to as the County Club. 

On its opening, the Belfast Newsletter wrote: 

It went on to become Royal Portrush Golf Club in 1895, as per the vote at a Special General Meeting. At this time there was a regular boat service from Glasgow to Portrush, and the world’s first hydroelectric tramway ran from the Giant’s Causeway to the town. 

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Early Champions

The club soon established Ladies and Juvenile branches, and became the third member of the Ladies Golfing Union of Ireland. 

The first AGM of the Ladies Club took place on 24 June 1893, and the first children’s competition was organised by the Ladies section in June 1894. It is possible one of the competitors was a young May Hezlet, who was playing off a handicap of 16 by the age of 12. Along with her sisters Florence and Violet, May was a talented player who went on to win three British Championships. 

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Another talent associated with Portrush was Rhona Adair, who won six amateur championships. She toured North America in 1903, and was described by some as ‘the foremost female golfer in the world’. 

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Championship Links

Portrush has always been considered an impressive but challenging course, ‘abound in hazards of the bunker type’ (Newsletter, 1888). 

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The first Irish Amateur Open Championship was held at Portrush on 7 Sept 1892. An early record for the County Club was reportedly held by Thomas Gilroy, who shot a round of 71. 

2019 saw the competition return to Portrush for the first time since 1951. Shane Lowry set a new record of 63 during the 2019 Open, winning the championship. 

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Local Talent

Golf has been a prominent sport in this part of the world for several hundred years, and has seen notable success from many local talents. A few of these are represented in our collection.

Fred Daly was born on Causeway Street, a few minutes away from the Club. He won The Open in 1947, becoming the first Portrush golfer to win a major competition Graeme McDowell won the US Open in 2011. The Fred Daly Trophy, an all-Ireland cup, is now played every year.

Dungannon-born Darren Clarke won The Open in 2011 and is now an honorary member of Royal Portrush. Most recently Rory McIlroy won the US Masters, becoming the sixth golfer to achieve the career grand slam of winning all four major tournaments. A Co. Down native, McIlroy has a long association with the club, shooting a course record at the time of 61 during an amateur competition when he was 16. 

From its beginnings in the late 1800s, golf’s popularity quickly spread throughout Ulster. These days, the island of Ireland is amongst the top ten places with most golf courses per capita.  

The success of local professionals in recent years has continued to increase the sport’s popularity, inspiring a new generation of golfers to take up a set of clubs. Whatever happens today on the historic greens of Royal Portrush, the winner will join a club of talented golfers with a close connection to the course, from May Hezlet and Fred Daly to Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy.

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From amateur players to international champions, this place has produced its fair share of local talent. Our sports collection is an area we are hoping to develop, so if you have any stories or objects you would like to see represented in our collection, please contact curatorial@nationalmuseumsni.org.