Taking place in the grounds of Royal Portrush Golf Club from 17-20 July, the 153rd Open is putting Northern Ireland on the map as a top destination for golfers and holidaymakers worldwide.

Six years after hosting the 148th Open, the crème de la crème of golf is making its return to the beautiful Antrim coast.

In 2019, the Open delivered a combined economic and media benefit of more than €116m to the region. Tourism Northern Ireland chief executive, John McGrillen, predicts the 153rd Open will surpass 2019 and generate over €139m for the local economy.

Yet, one critique expressed during the summer of 2019 was the dearth of accommodation options for visitors in the popular seaside towns of Portrush and Portstewart, as well as the surrounding areas along the north coast.

This time around, more hotels have opened in the region – The Marcus Portrush, Tapestry Collection by Hilton is the newest north coast hotel which opened at the end of June – and more agencies are offering properties and holiday lets.

But with a whopping 278,000 golf enthusiasts attending over the course of the week, the region is simply overrun with demand for places to stay. For hoteliers and rentals, it could be a question of naming a price.

Irish Country Living spoke to a spokesperson from the Official Open Accommodation Bureau [stayattheopen.com] which lists hotels, camping plots, and private rents – all of which can be booked through their website. Open Accommodation Bureau has been set up to form a central rental agency working with The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews or R&A [golf’s governing body].

A lot of the accomodation is booked ahead of time, but on the date of our search [mid-June], many private let properties were priced somewhere in the region of €23,388 for the week. Yes, you read that right!

One property located only five miles from Royal Portrush had no asking price online [instead listed as price on application] and it was described as: “A spacious, modern semi-detached seafront home with four en-suite double bedrooms and three generous reception rooms, facing directly onto both Portstewart Golf Club and the beach of Portstewart Strand.”

The Official Open Accommodation Bureau told Irish Country Living, “We would start negotiations at €29,235 for this property.”

Golfers welcome

Discover NI has a long list of ‘golfers welcome accommodation’ available on their website [discovernorthernireland.com]. These are private lets, hotels and guesthouses deemed suitable for golfers, with facilities for drying and storing outdoor clothing and golf clubs.

We spoke to the owner of a four-bedroom detached bungalow in Portstewart listed on the Discover NI website. The bungalow is located about 6km from Royal Portrush Golf Club and the owner is renting it out to a group for around €1,169 for three days. They say they could have asked for a lot more. The owner pointed out that a typical holiday let in Portstewart would usually go for €877 per week during the summer.

Rory McIlroy on the 18th green during Day Two of the 148th Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Portrush, Co Antrim. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Another property owner says not all landlords are charging more money. They add the mismanagement of social housing in the area and landlords retiring and leaving the market are also contributing to a shortage of rentals and higher prices.

Many of the hotels along the north coast are reported to have been booked up by large companies, but Irish Country Living enquired about one hotel in Portstewart, called Mr and Mrs Jones, and they had some availability. The hotel is around 7km from Royal Portrush and a few weeks before the Open, they had one room available for the official practice days (13-16 July) before the championship starts. The hotel was charging €3,003 for those three nights or over €1,000 per night. Note if you were to book the room for the same stay one month earlier [13-16 June], it would cost €894 for the three nights. This is a 236% increase.

Over pricing

Tourism NI are cautioning against extortionate prices. “Over pricing can affect the image and reputation of Northern Ireland, and the business community must bear in mind the long-term effects,” a spokesperson for Tourism NI said.

“Accommodation pricing is an important issue and we continuously work with the tourism industry to encourage fair pricing.”

They added: “We have seen that those who are adjusting their prices sensibly are getting the business.”

If you’re heading up to see the golf this summer, enjoy (and don’t forget your sterling). Try to support the local businesses along the Antrim coast where you can,

In 2019, there was reportedly less footfall than expected in food and drink venues in Portrush and Portstewart because visitors used the on-course facilities in the spectator village. This year, the Department of Economy is supporting the R&A and its contractors to use local supply chains and 85% of the products being served will have been sourced locally.