Bushfoot Golf Club

The links course at Bushfoot sits right on the edge of things near Bushmills, where the fairways roll toward the coast and the wind tends to have opinions about your scorecard. It's a proper test of golf - nine holes that demand respect, especially if you're playing into the prevailing breeze.

This isn't a destination course that'll make you abandon your plans to stay at Causeway Country Pods down the road, but if you're already in the area and you've got your handicap about you, it's worth a morning or afternoon. The views toward the coast are the real draw here, honestly. You're looking at genuine links territory, which means the rough will punish you and the greens run faster than they look. Beginners might find it a bit much - the course doesn't mollycoddle anyone.

Allow two to three hours for a round, depending on how many balls you're losing to the gorse. The nine-hole format means you can knock it out without a full day's commitment, which suits a holiday where you've got other things on. The Bushmills area itself has the whiskey distillery and the Giant's Causeway nearby, so you could bundle this into a proper active day if you're that way inclined.

You'll need to ring ahead for rates and booking details - it's not the sort of place with a glossy website - but locals will point you right. Go when the weather's decent. Playing links golf in proper rain is character-building, but it's also just wet.