Why it matters
Castlerock is the cheaper, quieter member-loved sibling on the Causeway Coast between Portstewart and Royal Portrush. The Mussenden Course (the main 18) plays through a strip of dunes between the River Bann and the Atlantic; Ben Sayers' original 1908 routing was refined into its modern form by various hands and the course closes with a sequence of holes most regulars consider the most underrated three-hole closing stretch in Ireland. The Mussenden Temple — a clifftop folly — sits on the horizon above the 4th green.
How to play it
Walking only and walkable. The 9-hole Bann Course is a fine warm-up. Pair with Portstewart Strand and Royal Portrush for a Causeway Coast trio. Easier to land than the other two; meaningfully cheaper.