Royal Portrush Golf Trips and Golf Outings

The County Club, the predecessor to the Royal Portrush Golf Club, was established in 1888. Under the sponsorship of the Duke of York, it changed its name to The Royal County Club in 1892, and in 1895, the Prince of Wales gave it its current name. The County Club was the initial name of the golf club when it was established in May 1888. It then changed its name to the Royal County Club in 1892 under the patronage of H.R.H. The Duke of York, and three years later under the patronage of H.R.H. The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), it became the Royal Portrush Golf Club.

The Irish Open Amateur Championship and Irish Professional Championship were both first held here in 1892 and 1907, respectively. The first links tournament held outside of England was the British Ladies Championship, which Lady Margaret Scott won in 1895 at Portrush. In 2011, the Championship was held here for the ninth time, and Miss Lauren Taylor of Woburn Golf Club took first place. The nine-hole course from 1888 was expanded to 18 holes the following year, and eight of those holes were initially set up on the Causeway Road's landward side. However, the course was gradually pushed deeper and deeper into the sand hills until Harry Colt, a renowned architect, designed the Dunluce Links in 1929.

Over sixty national championships, including British and Irish competitions, have been decided at Royal Portrush. The club organized the first professional competition ever to take place in Ireland in 1895. The famed 'Sandy' Herd, who was the Club's first professional at the time, ultimately prevailed in match play to determine the champion. Graeme McDowell, who was born in Portrush, became the first golfer from Ireland to win the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach during a successful period for Irish golf from 2010 to 2012. The following year, Honorary Club Member Rory McIlroy replicated McDowell's accomplishment, and Portrush resident and fellow Honorary Club Member Darren Clarke won the 2011 140th Open Championship at Sandwich.

The R&A added Royal Portrush to the Open schedule in 2014 as a result of the combined success of these outstanding Champions and the 2012 Irish Open. All parties involved carefully considered their options before deciding that certain alterations to the Dunluce Links would be required to make room for the contemporary Open Championship. After the Members gave their approval, construction of two new Martin Ebert-designed holes that were formerly a part of the Valley links started. The 148th Open will be held at Royal Portrush in July 2019, 68 years after it first hosted the Championship, The R&A announced in 2015. The Boys Amateur Championship, the first major championship to be played on the new course, was the first major championship to be played on the newly renovated Dunluce Links, which went into play in June 2017 with the two new holes played as the par-5 7th hole and the dogleg par-4 8th hole.