Going for Golf

Belvoir Park

Belvoir Park is a testing parkland course, which meanders through 136 acres of mature woodland. Designed again by Colt, and just two miles from Belfast City centre, it can claim to be one of Ireland’s ‘hidden gems’ – a cliché perhaps, but valid nonetheless.

Belvoir Park is not particularly long, at just over 6,500 yards, but the layout is a wonderful example of the skill of Colt with its five excellent par-threes and top-class, long par-fours. Colt himself described it as “a course affording an excellent test, and at the same time, one that will give maximum pleasure to golfers”.

It’s a classic parkland course with a surprisingly modern and impressive clubhouse with great views and all the amenities you’d expect. Belvoir Park has hosted several championships including the Irish Open and it’s easy to see why as the course comprises a terrific blend of fairly-demanding par-threes, four decent par-fives – which are real scoring opportunities – and some tough par-fours.

The closing trio of holes are wonderful. The 16th is a massive 220-yard, par-three to a well-guarded, elevated green. There is no respite at the next, a great tree-lined dog-leg par-four of 449 yards which needs your best drive, with a touch of draw, to avoid the fairway bunkers – and then you are again faced with a tree-lined approach to a green protected by four bunkers. The 18th looks a doddle at 397 yards but it is almost a 90-degree dog-leg right and the drive is pre-eminent to clear the line of trees. Anything less than your best will see you blocked out but a good drive will leave a wedge to the raised green.

The holes on the course are shaped and separated by many new varieties of trees, which were due in large part to the club’s 1958 captain, Dr JA Smiley. He was personally involved in the planting of 40,000 new trees and the forest between the seventh and 15th fairways is affectionately known as Smiley’s Wood.