The Troubles and Triumph of Royal Portrush
THE PROBLEM
Royal Portrush waited 68 years between Open Championships. It was the longest gap in the tournament's history. This had nothing to do with the golf course itself, which remained one of the world's finest links throughout those lost decades. The problem was simple: you can't host major international sporting events in a war zone.
When the Troubles broke out in the 1960s, the country became known for car bombs, army patrols, and walls dividing neighborhoods, and in large part, this was a fair assessment. Even Portrush, which had largely escaped the violence, wasn't immune, and the town experienced bombings in 1976 and an IRA attack that killed two police officers in 1987. International visitors stayed away, businesses relocated, and major events simply didn't consider Northern Ireland as an option.
The Good Friday Agreement ended the violence in 1998, but Royal Portrush and Northern Ireland faced an uphill climb back to global appreciation. The Troubles had halted any momentum Portrush had as a championship venue. Championship golf operates on a continuous improvement cycle that rewards venues in the regular Open rotation. Each time St. Andrews, Carnoustie, or Muirfield hosts The Open, they learn what works and what doesn't. They upgrade their facilities incrementally, build relationships with R&A officials, develop local expertise in handling massive events, and gradually modernize their infrastructure. So, while other courses were installing fiber optic networks in the 1980s and 1990s, expanding media facilities, and learning how to manage television requirements, Portrush was simply trying to survive as a golf club.
R&A chief Peter Dawson said in 2012, “There is a great deal, and a huge amount of money would need to be spent, in my estimation, to make Royal Portrush a sensible choice.” Dawson wasn't just talking about building new facilities; he was acknowledging that Portrush would essentially need to compress three decades of missed development into a few short years.
When The Open returned in 2019, it marked a significant moment for golf and Northern Ireland. The story behind what this took makes it even more incredible.
THE TRANSFORMATION
Modern Open Championships require accommodation for hundreds of thousands of spectators (237,750 in 2019), corporate hospitality facilities, media infrastructure for global broadcasting to 199 countries, and comprehensive transportation networks. While the U.S. Open and PGA Championships are often around modest cities, the R&A is committed to small coastal towns, and to say the town of Portrush is modest in size would be an understatement.
Portrush was a seaside town of 6,000 people being asked to accommodate crowds of 250,000+ over championship week. The roads were narrow country lanes. Parking was virtually nonexistent. The nearest major airport was an hour away. Emergency services would need to scale up exponentially. Hotels and restaurants would be overwhelmed beyond comprehension. The course specifically required 40+ miles of fiber optic cable and control cables, along with 3+ miles of new roads and an underground tunnel beside the 8th green for player movement. Unlike venues in England and Scotland, everything had to be shipped across the Irish Sea, which meant 2,000 “lorries” carrying grandstands, scoreboards, and equipment via ferry.
The course layout presented the most glaring problem. Royal Portrush's original 17th and 18th holes ran directly back toward the clubhouse, creating a bottleneck that made expansion impossible. As mentioned, Opens require vast tented villages for hospitality, merchandise, media centers, and player facilities, sometimes covering 30+ acres. At Portrush, there was simply nowhere to put them.
Royal Portrush made the unprecedented choice to completely eliminate its historic 17th and 18th holes. While it was a move that would seem like architectural vandalism at any other venue, the original 17th and 18th were considered the weak part of the course, and to get the championship back to Northern Ireland, it was a no-brainer. In 2015, Martin Ebert carved two entirely new holes from the adjacent Valley Course, creating a par-5 7th and par-4 8th, and freeing up 215,000 square feet. This redesign was met with unanimous support, and Portrush has been inside the top 10 of most worldwide rankings in the decade since.
The saying it takes a village proved true. The Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council conducted 18 months of community consultation, while the town's “dressing and animation programme” created civic pride and celebration. Over 1,800 volunteers participated. Additionally, the R&A's £100,000 Legacy Fund distributed to ten community groups ensured lasting benefits beyond the championship week.
THE TRIUMPH
Accommodating hundreds of thousands proved extremely difficult. Local hotel capacity was insufficient, forcing creative solutions. This included 4,800 guests at Ulster University's Coleraine campus. The R&A also created “The Open Camping Village,” a temporary city of tents in fields around Portrush. Visitors spread across the entire Causeway Coast region, with hotels in Coleraine, Ballymoney, and Portstewart reporting full bookings months in advance. Locals got creative. Residents rented out spare bedrooms, garages were converted into temporary lodging, and some families decamped entirely for the week, making a few months salary renting their place out.
Local businesses experienced dramatic effects. Harry's Shack in nearby Portstewart received over 300 emails requesting tables before even opening reservations. The Ramore Restaurant Complex expanded to six outlets serving 1,000 people daily, while new establishments like Ocho Tapas Bistro held back tables for regulars amid the chaos.
The £106 million generated during championship week represented roughly 10% of the entire Causeway Coast region's annual economic output, concentrated into seven days. Local unemployment virtually disappeared as businesses hired anyone available, and new infrastructure funded by the government remained after the crowds left. While major cities absorb championship crowds into their existing infrastructure, small towns like Portrush experience complete economic and social transformation
Perhaps most remarkably, the 2019 Open transformed Northern Ireland's global image. The tournament showcased stunning coastal beauty to hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide, featuring dramatic shots of Dunluce Castle, the Giant's Causeway, and the Causeway Coast. For the fans who made it to Northern Ireland, they experienced the warmth and charm of the country. For locals, to finally see their region celebrated rather than pitied and to watch international visitors discover the stunning landscapes and genuine warmth meant more than any money.
THE FUTURE
The 2025 championship should surpass even the remarkable success of 2019. Expected attendance has grown to 278,000, and economists predict an impact exceeding £213 million for Northern Ireland, with £35+ million flowing directly to the Causeway Coast region. These numbers would represent the largest single-week economic event in Northern Ireland's modern history.
The championship has become a destination event in ways that extend far beyond golf. Visitors are building entire Northern Ireland holidays around championship week, touring the Giant's Causeway, Bushmills Distillery, and Belfast's Titanic Quarter. Tourism Northern Ireland estimates that over 60% of international visitors will extend their stays beyond championship week.
This week should be another strong step for the country of Northern Ireland in redefining itself in its history, beauty, and stunning links.
