[Photo: courtesy of the club]
Tiger Woods’ expanding course portfolio appears to be heading to a new continent.
According to a report from the Derry Journal, a regional newspaper, Tiger Woods’ TGR Design is in talks to build a course near the village of Bellarena, a small town on the north-west coast of Northern Ireland about 30 kilometres from Royal Portrush. An elected official told the newspaper he “received a briefing” that confirmed Woods’ TGR firm has been selected as the design team. TGR did not respond to a request for comment.
The news would be big for a few reasons.
–New courses in Northern Ireland are a rarity. The Galgorm Collection, the luxury hospitality group behind this project, is calling this the first new championship links in the country in more than 100 years.
–This would be the first TGR golf course in Europe. It’s validating for a design firm to work in Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, as jobs are few and far between. It will be a particularly big deal if Tiger is working in Northern Ireland, the same country where his friend Rory McIlroy grew up. You could imagine Rory, who fancies himself an appreciator of course design, would come check out Tiger’s work.
The Galgorm Collection announced the project last year. The group projected its investment in the future 18-hole course and surrounding development to be north of £65 million, including £30 million for the golf course. The project appears to be subject to final approvals with a projected opening of 2029, according to the report.
Northern Ireland tourism has seen an uptick since the 2019 Open Championship when the event returned for the first time in 68 years. Royal Portrush also hosted the 2025 Open. Royal Portrush is currently ranked fifth on Golf Digest’s ranking of the World’s 100 Greatest Courses, and Royal County Down, on the southern tip of the country, is the No.1 course in the world.
Woods’ course design projects are ramping up, most recently with Marcella Club outside Park City in Utah opening up, as well as the opening of Trout National in Millville, New Jersey. The TGR group has also designed Bluejack National, 158th on Golf Digest‘s list of the Second 100 Greatest Courses; Payne’s Valley at Big Cedar Lodge, No.81 on Golf Digest‘s America’s 100 Greatest Public list, and El Cardonal at Diamante in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. He has also designed a number of short courses, including the short course at Cobbs Creek, The Hay at Pebble Beach, the Oasis short course at Diamante and the Playground at Jack’s Bay in the Bahamas. His work spans four countries, including Mexico, the Bahamas and Vietnam.
