Malone (Championship)

Malone Golf Club, located just a few miles south of the Northern Irish capital city of Belfast, is blessed to have 27 holes.  

 

The Championship Course at Malone is made up of the Drumbridge and Ballydrain Nines, with water coming into play on the latter.  

 

C.K. Cotton designed the original 18 holes after the club moved to its third location, with Fred Hawtree adding a further nine (known as the Edenderry Nine) a decade later.  

 

  

Visit Malone's website here. 

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Like a lot of Irish venues, Malone Golf Club was founded in the 19th Century, with the club dating back to 1895. 

 

Two decades later, the club moved location with Dr Alister MacKenzie being the man to design the course. He would go on to design Augusta National and Cypress Point among many other world-class courses.

 

In 1933, Malone achieved championship status thanks to hosting what was only the seventh edition of the Irish Open - an event which has gone on to become a fan favourite on the DP World Tour. Bob Kenyon was the victor, as he became the first man to win the Irish Open for a second time.

 

In the late 1950s, the club moved to its current home at Ballydrain Estate. C.K. Cotton designed the new layout, with Fred Hawtree then adding another nine holes in 1965.  
 

Malone Golf Club is blessed to have 27 holes on its property. The Drumbridge and Ballydrain nines form the basis of this entry, with the two nines making up the Championship Course. Thanks to recent changes and improvements, the course now plays at 6,600 yards and features plenty of water hazards, especially on the back nine. 

 

The Drumbridge Nine is the front nine on the Malone Championship Course and plays at the southern side of the venue. A tight drive kicks things off, on a short-ish dog-leg left par 4. The 2nd is the first of just two par 5s off the back tees, but at just 533 yards, the longer hitters can certainly aim to reach this green in two.

 

The 3rd plays as a par 4 from 485 yards off the blues, and as a par 5 off the whites (from 525 yards). Off the blues, it is one of two par 4s on the front nine that play at more than 480 yards long. The other is the 7th, with both being very difficult holes. 4 and 6 are the two par 3s on the front nine, with the former being the shortest hole on the course at just 158 yards. It is played to a kidney-shaped green with a large bunker sitting in front of the green.

 

The 5th is another par 4 of more than 400 yards, while the Drumbridge Nine ends with two easier 4s. 8 is only 363 yards, with the 9th slightly longer, but both offer opportunities for good scoring. After making the walk past the clubhouse to start the Ballydrain Nine, you are greeted with a pair of par 4s to open the back side of the course. Both are more than 400 yards from the blues, and require accurate drives. 12 is the longest par 3 on the Championship Course at Malone, measuring more than 200 yards from the tips. 

 

The tough holes continue, with both 13 and 14 being dog-leg par 4s. The latter of those is 475 yards long and plays right to left, ending with a green in front of the water hazard that you will have to deal with for the rest of the round. The closing stretch begins with the par 3 15th which plays to a green with the same water hazard on the left and behind the green. The bail out on this 168-yard hole is to the right.

 

16 and 17 present you with late chances to score well. The 16th is only 303 yards long, while the penultimate hole on the course is the last par 5. At 544 yards, even those needing three shots should only require a low-iron or wedge to find the putting surface. The closing hole sees you hit your tee shot over water, with the hazard then in play down the right of the hole. The 430-yard par 4 has just one bunker, on the left of the green, as you make your way back to the clubhouse.  
 

Where is Malone Golf Club located?  
Malone Golf Club is just seven miles from the centre of Belfast, the Northern Irish capital city. It is based just outside the town of Drumbeg, and only a mile from the M1 which runs directly into Belfast. The venue sits in the boundaries of the Lagan Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

 

Dunmurry Railway Station is the closest to Malone Golf Club, two miles to the west of the venue. Trains run between Belfast and Lisburn, and on to Newry, while stopping at Dunmurry on route. For international travellers coming to the region, Belfast has two airports – Belfast City and Belfast International - both within a half-hour drive of Malone.

 

Are there any other NCG Top 100s: Ireland venues nearby?
Belvoir Park - another venue on the NCG Top 100s: Ireland list - is just six miles to the northeast by road. Royal Belfast is also within 15 miles of Malone as well. Ardglass and Royal County Down - home to the Championship Links and the Annesley Links - are both within 30 miles to the south.

What golf facilities does Malone Golf Club offer?  
Along with the Championship Course, Malone Golf Club is also home to the Edenderry Nine, which is the hilliest of the three loops at the club. There is also a large practice area on the western side of the property, along with a putting green by the 9th and 18th greens of the Championship Course. 

The price of a green fee at Malone Golf Club changes throughout the year, depending on the season. It is also different depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend.  

 

For more information on current green fees at Malone, visit their website here. 

 

  

Visit Malone's website here. 

Go back to the NCG's Top 100s Homepage.