Luxury hospitality group Galgorm Collection has unveiled plans to invest more than £30 million to create a new, landmark links golf course at Bellarena on the region’s stunning north west coast.
The company, which owns and runs the championship parkland course at Galgorm Castle in Ballymena and the scenic Roe Valley course in Limavady, said its plans would create the first championship links course in Northern Ireland in over 100 years and help to cement the region’s reputation as a world-class golfing destination.
Home to 2025 Masters champion and Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland is already a renowned location for some of the world’s most iconic golf courses, and this month played host to The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
According to Galgorm, the new 18-hole links course, which will be located between Portrush and Limavady within the stunning Causeway Coast and Glens area, will help create new local jobs and act as a major catalyst for further tourism investment in the north west.
Subject to planning approval, the development of Bellarena Golf Links will start next year, with plans to open the course in 2029.
Galgorm said that building the course would bring its total investment in the north west to around £65 million with an additional 300 jobs created.
Masters and Grand Slam champion Rory McIlroy. (Getty Images)
Last year, the group acquired the nearby Roe Park Resort in Limavady and Galgorm Castle Estate in Ballymena as part of a landmark £50 million investment. It is currently investing a further £22 million in the now newly-named Roe Valley Resort and its own award-winning 18-hole golf course.
“Our exciting plans to develop a new 18-hole links golf course at Bellarena on Northern Ireland’s stunning north west coast will deliver a once-in-generation opportunity to drive a new era of golfing and tourism success that will amplify our outstanding and award-winning credentials while also creating hundreds of jobs," said Colin Johnston, Galgorm Collection's managing director.
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Research conducted by Sporting Insights for Tourism Northern Ireland’s annual Golf Tourism Monitor last year showed the golfing sector’s value had risen by almost 66 percent since 2019, when The 148th Open was held at Royal Portrush.
Its value has also more than doubled in the past decade, from £33.2 million in 2014. On average, golfers spend around nine days on their visit to Northern Ireland, playing five rounds on different courses during their stay.
Northern Ireland's Economy Minister Dr. Caoimhe Archibald said: “Golf tourism generated a record £86 million for the region last year, and this month’s Open at Royal Portrush will help to increase this impact even further.
"I commend the Galgorm Collection team for their confidence and ambition in supporting our drive to amplify the regional prosperity which the sport can bring."
At the forefront of the region’s tourism growth, Galgorm Collection has invested around £120 million in less than two decades and currently employs a team of more than 1,400.
“With a rich heritage and stunning views, Northern Ireland is a highly sought-after destination for golfers from across the globe and our golf strategy focuses on maximising our strengths to continue to grow this crucially important part of our tourism offer," said Ellvena Graham OBE, Tourism Northern Ireland Board Chair.
"Galgorm Collection has been a pioneer in developing an outstanding, internationally acclaimed tourism product and I’m delighted that this key, experienced tourism stakeholder is further investing in this area.”
Bellarena – derived from the French word for ‘beautiful’ and Latin for ‘sand’ – is a small townland on the coastal road between Limavady and Coleraine within the Causeway Coast and Glens District Council area and is located close to the main railway line between Belfast and Derry.
Northern Ireland is a golf powerhouse, with an enviable reputation for producing some of the world’s all-time greats, including Masters and Grand Slam champion Rory McIlroy, US Open winner Graeme McDowell, and Open champion Darren Clarke.
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