Golf visitors will appreciate a little local help when they arrive, so going that extra yard will not only help our guests, it will help reinforce why Northern Ireland is Made For Golf. Do a little research on event ticket details, tee-off times, players, facilities and transport so you become their go-to destination for info. You can keep an eye on the golfing events here.
Golf Tourism & Marketing in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is experiencing unprecedented success and status as a golf destination through the triumphs of its champion golfers, its world ranking golf courses and hosting of outstanding events, including The 148th Open held at Royal Portrush Golf Club in 2019. And most recently the 2020 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort.
Golf Tourism
Working with international tour operator led organisations, hosting media familiarisation trips, facilitating workshops and attending golf promotions, Tourism NI is promoting the NI golf product to a global market.
Tourism NI also have a role in product development, working with golf clubs and associated golf bodies and agencies to ensure the golfing visitor has a quality visitor experience throughout their trip.
Find out more about our clubs and courses at discovernorthernireland.com/golf
Golf Marketing
The Tourism Northern Ireland Golf team is here to support the Golf industry in Northern Ireland, facilitating connections between buyers and suppliers to help you create inspiring itineraries that will ensure you stand out in your market showcasing that Northern Ireland is Made for Golf.
Toolkit
In this section, you can gain access to our products and key golfing information. You can also access our annual golf guide to give you more information on the itineraries already in place and key attractions and accommodations that you can add to your trips to provide your clients a giant experience.
With our world ranked players as well as our world class Golf Courses, Northern Ireland has much to be proud of.
We’ve got some of the best golf clubs in the world, 90 in total, all somehow squeezed into about 5,460sq miles of lush landscape. It means this place really excites golf visitors. And we should all be excited about that. Golf tourism drives money into local businesses and our economy. It generated £52m in 2019 and we can expect to see that continue to grow over the coming years.
Tee it up for golf visitors
Let's give golf visitors the round of a lifetime in Northern Ireland. When we go the extra mile as hosts, our golfing guests hurry back. and they encourage their golf-crazy friends to visit too.
How can I help my golfing guests?
Know the events
Know the courses
Everybody looks for a little insider-info. And golfers want to know about courses more than anything else. So find details about our famous courses and your local gems. They'll want to hear about yardage, signature holes, facilities, booking methods and the clubhouse. You can find out all you need to know on our courses here.
As if further proof was needed, many of our courses have been accredited with a Golf Quality and Assurance award. The accreditation is designed to certify quality assured Golf Courses in meeting and exceeding customer expectations. These awards raise the bar when it comes to standards at golf clubs, with a particular focus on customer service. Having these high standards for our golf industry means you can enjoy the experience at every step, from the welcome and reception you receive, clubhouse facilities and services as well as the golf course itself.
Know the '19th hole'
Pointing visitors towards the top local bars and restaurants is always a great way to enhance their golf getaway. The more you can offer, the more guests will recommend you to fellow golf fans they meet.
Marketing Opportunities
Tourism Northern Ireland’s Golf Marketing team creates engaging trade platforms for Northern Ireland golf tourism businesses to meet and do business with Golf Tour Operators internationally.
In 2019 the team exhibited at consumer shows attended by over 400,000 consumers and had over 1,000 trade appointments. Since mid-2020, we have delivered six virtual golf events for the wider golf tourism industry and have the following upcoming events for 21-22. The registration for the events below has not opened however please keep up to date on industry news & events, including golf events by signing up here.
Golf Trade Shows provide a valuable platform to promote your business to tour operators who programme golf trips to Northern Ireland. We are delighted that trade and consumer shows are safely returning to in person events. Where necessary the golf marketing team will continue to provide virtual platforms also.
Upcoming golf trade events 2023/2024
- Asian Golf Tourism Convention, Japan, 13-16 March 23
- IAGTO North American Convention (NAC) Florida, 20-22 June 2023
- IAGTO Golf Ireland convention, Northern Ireland 5-6 October 2023
- Irish Golf Tour Operator Association (IGTOA) Conference, Northern Ireland, 8-9 October 2023
- International Golf Travel Market (IGTM) Lisbon, 17-19 October 2023
- PGA Merchandise Show, Orlando, January 2024
Professional Tournaments 2023
- ISPS Handa World Invitational Presented by Modest! Golf Management, Galgorm Golf Club August 2023
- NI Masters ,Clandeboye Golf Club, June 2023
- NI Open Clutch Tour Elevated Tournament, June, Galgorm Golf Club
- Horizon Irish Open 2023 - DP World Tour, The K Club, September 2023
Amateur Tournaments (some events tbc)
- Three Towers Tournament, April 2023
- Causeway Coast Tournament, June 2023
- County Down Golf Classic, October 2023
- Great North Links Challenge, October 2023
Provisional Ryder Cup Consumer Stands 2023 - Industry places will be confirmed as and when we have them.
- Dutch Open, The Netherlands, May 25-28
- Porsche European Open, Germany, June 01-04
- Volvo Car Scandinavian Mix, Nordics, June 08-11
- BMW international Open, Germany, June 22-25
- BMW PGA Championship (stand part of Irish Open deal), Great Britain, September 14-17
- Cazoo Open de France, France, September 21-24
- DP World Tour Championship, UAE, November 16-19
There may be additional consumer shows which we will recruit for directly as and when we have more details.
In addition to this our Discovernorthernireland website is an opportunity for you to submit any stay and play offers and upcoming tournaments you would like to promote. Please email golf@tourismni.com with the details.
Northern Ireland Golf Tourism Monitor
The Tourism Strategy for Northern Ireland highlighted the opportunity for growing golf tourism nationally and internationally to position Northern Ireland as a premier golf destination.
The heightened interest and publicity from the successes of Northern Ireland’s three Champion golfers as well as the hosting of world class events has elevated the destination on the global golf map.
It is vital that this growing demand is converted into an accurate evaluation of current golf business to Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Golf Monitor provides robust data and trend to help formulate and shape future growth of the Northern Ireland golf product.