Why it matters
Portstewart's Strand Course opens with one of the great first holes in the world — a downhill drive from a clifftop tee into a fairway carved through 100-foot dunes above the Atlantic strand. The front nine is a modern Des Giffin routing (1992) through the heart of those dunes; the back nine is older, gentler, but no slouch. It hosted the 2017 Irish Open and is the natural sidekick course to Royal Portrush ten minutes east.
How to play it
Walking only and walkable. 90 minutes from Belfast International (BFS) or Dublin via the M1 / A1. Pair with Royal Portrush Dunluce, Castlerock, or Ballyliffin for a Causeway Coast week. Easier to land a tee time than Royal Portrush; price is meaningfully lower.