Guide to Bushfoot Golf Club
Bushfoot Golf Club is a 9-hole golf course located in the town of Portballintrae, near Bushmills, Country Antrim, North Ireland. The course is famous for its serene seaside location against a bumpy terrain that offers a great challenge to golf enthusiasts. On the other end is a seafront that gives the course a picturesque attraction and a cool breeze. It is also an excellent course for testing links that it mixes with parkland elements.
The holes require some good accuracy, which attracts players who are keen to improve their game. The course hosts different golf tournaments around the year, including the Bushfoot International Ladies Tournament. When there are no competitions, the club welcomes visitors to have a feel of its golf course as they have some fun playing.
The length of the par men is 5,777 yards par 67. On the other hand, the length of the par ladies is 5,301 yards par 66. On the course, there is a putting green, pull carts for hire, a restaurant and a bar. Members and visitors can use a designated locker/changing rooms when preparing for the round.
Distance from Portrush, Ireland
Bushfoot Golf Club is only 5.7 miles from Portrush, Ireland. It will take you at most 15 to 20 minutes to drive to the golf course. You can visit the location as often as you get the time and back to Portrush in no time.
The History of the Club
The golf club has been existence for over 125 years, having been established in 1890. It is thought that people played links at the course long before the club was officially registered with the Irish Golf Union.
Originally, the course covered the area between the Bushmills to Giants Causeway Tramline and the River Bush with a right of way lane running to the right. When the managers found that this area was not enough, they decided to increase it by buying the adjacent Curries Field. The club also acquired grounds on the east of the tram line. Part of the land was actually leased at the start but progressively changed ownership to the golf club.
The first clubhouses were semi-permanent wooden structures that were located on the 7th green before modern structures were built at the current location. The first permanent house was constructed in 1908. Members used to pay £1 for a key at the start, but it has been raised over the years.
Initially, the club only had 14 members who joined for £10 in 1890. Today, the club boasts of over 860 members. New members join the club by paying around £250 when membership is open.
A lot has also changed in terms of amenities and maintenance of the golf course. At the start, the club only had a greenkeeper and herders were allowed into the course so that sheep could trim the grass. Over the years, as the mowing technology came into being, the sheep were replaced with machines and several employees were brought on board to maintain the golf course and offer services to visitors and members. In the last 100 years, the club has had several captains with the first being appointed at the year of incorporation. It got its first president and ladies captain in 1934 and a lady president in 1990.
Description of the Course
Bushfoot golf course is a good blend of the links and parklands golf course. Much of the course is a links course that is located along the coastline with a few trees where players enjoy lots of tall grasses. Large parts of the greens are kept green by nature with broad and deep bunkers as you move away from the coastline.
However, on the east of the Tramline, you will find fast greens, several trees, flat grounds and verdant fairways, giving it more of a parklands golf course feel. Players get to experience the best of both pitches, from the gentle bounces to the rolling hilly outcrops, which makes golfing challenging and very interesting.
Holes at the Golf Course
Like any other links course, the bumpy terrain makes it hard to really determine where the ball will actually finish. There are actually twelve holes, but a good number of them have different teeing areas. Interestingly, the third and twelfth holes share the same teeing ground but are played on different greens. The 12th hole crosses the narrow gauge railway track of the Bushmills and Giants Causeway Heritage railway. Interestingly, players have to hit over the railway line.
The green where the 1st/10th hole is located is on an elevated tee. It gives you great views of the landscape around you. However, the entrance looks quite narrow, given that the hole is meant to play 440 yards. This does not spoil the game though, especially if you do not perform as a scoring course.
The ground elevation changes when you get to the 2nd/11th hole. This is a low tee located along the River Bush. It has exceptionally flat grounds where you can feed the ball from your right.
The 3rd/12th hole also has parklands nature, with several trees, short grass and flat terrain. This landscape makes it less difficult than the first two holes. The 4th/13th has a soft tuft, and a good green complex and trees are lined on either side as the terrain starts to rise again.
The 7th to 9th holes are located in more challenging terrain. The 7th/16th hole has a superb per-three while the 9th/18th holes enjoy a more fabulous finish just like the 1st/2nd holes.
Overall, the most challenging holes are located at the start and the finish of the nine-hole course. Most players who love a strict linksland golfing miss out the uneventful 5th and 6th hole as both are low lying on flat ground. The club regularly renovates the landscape across various holes to give players an exciting teeing experience.
Bushfoot Green Fees
It costs you about £15 per key at Greenfoot Golf Club. The highest green fee during the weekdays is £10 with the cost going up to £12 during the weekends. If you like to pay for a round, you will pay a little more than £5, depending on the time of the week when you visit the club. Check their fixture dates as the club is closed to visitors when there is a competition.
Contact Details
The driving location of the club is 50 Bushfoot Road, Portballintrae BT57 8RR. You can contact the club at 028 2073 1317 or email them at admin@bushfootgolfclub.co.uk. You can also look for more information from the official site of the club at http://www.bushfootgolfclub.co.uk/
Conclusion
Bushfoot Golf Club is a perfect golfing destination for anyone who would like to enjoy a sea breeze as you play golf away from the crowded and noisy seaside beaches on the Causeway Coast
The Links golf course also incorporates elements of a parklands course where the natural landscape gives players superior elevations for many of the holes. Players also get to alternate long hard tuft with soft, gentle lawns in the course of the nine-hole tee.
This is a place for both low and high handicap players alike. Visitors are welcome when there are no competitions, and membership is open. You can try it with a round on any day of the week.
