Links between the railway and the River Bann, with the Leg o’ Mutton par three.
Castlerock is the quietest of the north coast’s three big links, a village club at the mouth of the River Bann, west of Portstewart. The Mussenden Links is named after the domed temple on the cliff at nearby Downhill, and its best-known hole runs beside the Belfast to Derry railway line. Green fees are lower than at its two neighbours, and a separate nine, the Bann, suits a short evening loop.
Book a tee time online through the club’s visitor booking page, which shows live availability. For anything extra, such as caddies, buggies or a group lunch, email reservations@castlerockgc.co.uk or call the pro shop on +44 28 7084 8314. The club recommends booking ahead, and in the summer months that matters most for groups who want consecutive times. The rate card does not set weekday and weekend prices apart, but in winter it warns that weekend availability is limited. No handicap limit is stated on the visitor pages. Unlike Portstewart, the club does not publish blocks of members’ times, so the booking page is the best guide to what is open on your day.
Mussenden Links visitor green fee in April and October 2026; £250 from May to September. The last published winter rate (November 2025 to March 2026) was £66.
| 1 May to 30 September 2026 | £250 |
|---|---|
| April and October 2026 | £175 |
| Winter, November 2025 to March 2026 | £66 |
The 18-hole championship course, par 73 and 6,780 yards from the blue tees, reshaped in part by Martin Hawtree in 2017–18. It is the course visitors book and the one on the published rate card.
A nine-hole course of 2,446 yards and par 34, with views up the River Bann and across to Donegal. It mixes short par fours with a 491-yard par five and a 92-yard par three. No visitor fee is published, so ask the pro shop.
The club began in 1901 as a nine-hole course, and Ben Sayers, the North Berwick professional, extended it to 18 holes in 1908. Harry Colt made further changes in 1925. Over the winter of 2017 and 2018 the club brought in Dr Martin Hawtree, who reworked six holes, and a second phase in 2019–20 added bunkers, mounding and new tees. From the blue tees the Mussenden measures 6,780 yards and plays to an unusual par of 73, helped by par fives such as the 523-yard 3rd and the 477-yard 5th. The 4th, the Leg o’ Mutton, is a 200-yard par three to a raised green, with the railway down the right and a burn cutting diagonally in front. Several holes look out over the Bann estuary to the dunes on the far bank, and the club’s website quotes a ranking of 31st in Ireland.
Castlerock works best as the third round of a north coast trip rather than the main event, and its lower fee helps balance a week that includes Royal Portrush. It is also the closest of the three to City of Derry Airport, so it suits a first or last day. The village is small, with a beach, a few cafés and a railway halt, so most golfers stay in Portstewart, Portrush or Coleraine and drive over. Allow time to visit Mussenden Temple, which is a short drive west.
City of Derry Airport is about 35 minutes west by road, and Belfast International roughly an hour and ten minutes. Castlerock has its own station on the Belfast to Derry line, a few minutes’ walk from the clubhouse.
Nearby: 1. Portstewart Golf Club (Strand Course) (4 km) · 2. Royal Portrush Golf Club (10 km) · 3. Ballycastle Golf Club (35 km) · 4. Ballyliffin Golf Club (Glashedy Links) (40 km) · 5. The Machrie Golf Links (65 km) · 6. Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Links (Sandy Hills) (66 km) · Compare all Northern Ireland tee times
Castlerock itself has a handful of guesthouses and holiday lets. Coleraine, about ten minutes away, has hotels and is on the main railway. Portstewart and Portrush, 15 to 20 minutes east, have the widest spread of hotels, apartments and restaurants, and either works well if Royal Portrush and Portstewart are also on the list.
Portstewart’s Strand Course is about 20 minutes east across the Bann, and Royal Portrush another five minutes beyond. Across Lough Foyle in Donegal, Ballyliffin is a longer day trip. Off the course, the National Trust’s Downhill Demesne includes the ruined Downhill House and Mussenden Temple, built in 1785 on the cliff above Downhill Beach. Benone Strand, further west, is a long sandy beach facing the Atlantic.
These packages have a confirmed round at Castlerock Golf Club (Mussenden Links) in the itinerary, with the other courses, nights and hotels listed so you can compare like with like.
7 nights B&B, 5 rounds
Rounds: Portstewart Strand · Royal Portrush Dunluce · Castlerock · Ardglass · Royal County Down Championship
Stay: The Causeway Coast and County Down
Both Royals plus Portstewart and Castlerock, with the drive between the north coast and Newcastle built into the itinerary.
10 nights B&B, 7 rounds
Rounds: Portstewart · Castlerock · Royal Portrush (Dunluce) · Royal County Down · Royal Belfast · Portmarnock Old · The Island
Stay: Bushmills Inn on the Causeway Coast, the Europa Hotel in Belfast and the Grand Hotel Malahide
All three royals of Ulster plus Portmarnock and The Island, from three bases, with rest days in Belfast and Dublin.
Prices are Golfbreaks’ published per-person guide prices in US dollars, checked November 2026; your quote depends on dates and group size. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How we work
The visitor season pricing runs from April to October, with the highest fee from May to September. Winter golf is open on the Mussenden at a much lower rate, though weekend times are scarce. The winter rate runs from 1 November to 31 March, and the 2026–27 figure was not yet on the rate card in November 2026.
Explore golf by monthFor 2026 the Mussenden Links costs £250 from May to September and £175 in April and October. The previous winter rate was £66, with limited weekend availability. Buggies and golf carts are £50.
It is the 4th on the Mussenden Links, a par three of 200 yards from the back tees. The railway line and out of bounds run down the right, and a burn crosses diagonally from right to left in front of a raised green.
Yes. On the course golf clothing is required, mock-neck golf shirts are fine and no denim is allowed. The clubhouse accepts smart casual clothes and smart jeans, and hats come off indoors.
Yes. Castlerock station sits on the Belfast to Derry line close to the club, so non-drivers staying in Coleraine or Derry can reach the course by rail.
Last checked 10 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
How we research our guidesPhoto credits and licencesA lighthouse, an Atlantic headland, and a round that stays with you.
Dune-ridge links on the Kerry shore, from the graveyard first to the cliff-edge 11th.
Blind shots over Klondyke and the Dell, a surfing village and goats that read the weather.
