Royal Portrush Golf Club’s Dunluce Course will host the 153rd Open Championship in 2025. It is a place with a rich history and several fascinating chapters, despite being relatively inexperienced in terms of the Open rota.
However, given its status as one of the best links courses in the world, it has not only welcomed The Open since starting up but also The Amateur Championship, the Irish Open for both men and women as well as the Senior Open Championship – among others.
Originally named The County Club when it was founded in 1888, it became The Royal County Club four years after that before switching to Royal Portrush in 1895 under the patronage of the Prince of Wales.
As well as the Dunluce Links, Royal Portrush owns the Valley Links – which is the home of Rathmore Golf Club and commonly used by the club’s juniors given its shorter length.
Below, discover 10 facts about Royal Portrush Golf Club and what makes the 2025 Open host the place it is today.
NAMED AFTER A CASTLE
Royal Portrush in the foreground with Dunluce Castle in the background on top of the cliffs (left)
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The course on which the 153rd Open Championship will be played is called the Dunluce Links, named after Dunluce Castle – which sits just along the coast from Royal Portrush to the east.
Historians believe there is evidence of settlement in the castle from before 1000 AD, but the current castle ruins – which barely hang on to the land above these days – are thought to be from the 16th and 17th century. It is still possible to see the ruins from the fifth green.
FIRST OPEN VENUE OUTSIDE OF GREAT BRITAIN
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Royal Portrush has only hosted The Open three times in its history, with the first occasion coming in 1951. Four years earlier, Rathmore Golf Club member Fred Daly became the first Irishman to lift the Claret Jug. As a result, the fourth hole on the Dunluce course is named after him.
When the Northern Irish layout welcomed a premier field to its links, though, it made history as the first golf course outside of Great Britain (England, Wales, Scotland) to host The Open. Max Faulker (pictured) was named Champion Golfer of the Year.
THERE WAS A 68-YEAR HOSTING GAP
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Despite a successful first attempt at hosting The Open,…
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