Luxury hospitality group Galgorm Collection plans to invest more than £30m to create a new links golf course at Bellarena – the first new championship links course in Northern Ireland in over 100 years.
The Northern Ireland-based company owns and runs the championship parkland course at Galgorm Castle in Ballymena and the Roe Valley course in Limavady.
Galgorm said it will develop a new 18-hole links course at Bellarena, which is located between Portrush and Limavady within the Causeway Coast and Glens area and around 30 minutes’ drive from Derry and its adjacent airport.
It said the new course will help create new local jobs and act as a major catalyst for further tourism investment in the area.
Research last year showed the golfing sector’s value had risen by almost 66% since 2019, when The 148th Open was held at Royal Portrush. On average, golfers spend around nine days on their visit to Northern Ireland, playing five rounds on different courses during their stay.
Subject to planning approval, Galgorm Collection said development of Bellarena Golf Links will start next year and open in 2029, bringing its total investment in the north west to around £65m and with an additional 300 jobs created.
The group last year bought the nearby Roe Park Resort in Limavady and Galgorm Castle Estate in Ballymena as part of a landmark £50m investment.
It is now investing a further £22m in the now newly-named Roe Valley Resort and its own 18-hole golf course.
Galgorm Collection managing director Colin Johnston, said the company’s plans to develop a new 18-hole links golf course at Bellarena on Northern Ireland’s north west coast will deliver a once-in-generation opportunity to drive a new era of golfing and tourism success that will amplify its outstanding and award-winning credentials while also creating hundreds of jobs.
“Preparatory work is already well under way that could pave the way for development from next year before we welcome our first guests in 2029,” he said.
“We look forward to consulting widely on our plans and engaging stakeholders at every level to ensure collective, shared success for the local community, the north west region and Northern Ireland as a whole,” he added.
Northern Ireland Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald said that golf tourism generated a record £86m for the region last year and this month’s Open at Royal Portrush will help to increase this impact even further.
The Galgorm Collection is anchored by its flagship Galgorm Resort near Ballymena in a group of properties which includes The Rabbit Hotel & Retreat, The Old Inn, restaurants Fratelli and Parisien in Belfast city centre and Roe Valley Resort.
