{"id":33516,"date":"2026-07-08T21:57:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T21:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/33516\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T21:57:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T21:57:09","slug":"former-ryder-cup-captain-backs-plans-for-new-belfast-golf-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/33516\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Ryder Cup captain backs plans for new Belfast golf course"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ireland\u2019s first ever Ryder Cup<\/a> captain has backed his designs for a new Belfast golf club for \u201cgenerations to come\u201d as significant planning progress is made.<\/p>\n

But a planning committee has raised concerns about a lack of talks with Belfast City Council.<\/p>\n

Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council agreed this week to approve the Merrion Group pre-application notice (PAN) for the relocation of Balmoral Golf Club to a new site at Ballylesson Road, Belfast.<\/p>\n

Former Ryder Cup Captain Paul McGinley believes the new course will be a \u201ctruly classic and timeless\u201d golf venue.<\/p>\n

\"PSNI<\/a>\"Children<\/a><\/p>\n

He said: \u201cBallylesson will be a truly classic and timeless golf course, rooted in the traditions of the game and embracing a minimalist philosophy where the land itself shapes every golf hole.<\/p>\n

\u201cIts natural contours, subtle nuances and strategic character will provide a pure, authentic, and enduring test of golf.<\/p>\n

\u201cDesigned to work with the landscape rather than against it, Ballylesson will honour the game\u2019s origins while creating a sustainable course that can be enjoyed by generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new site at Ballylesson Road is understood to have been bought for approximately \u00a33m with the existing south Belfast golf course set to be developed into a residential scheme.<\/p>\n

Developer the Merrion Group has launched an online consultation on the relocation of the Balmoral Golf Club on the Lisburn Road in Belfast some four miles away to the Ballylesson Road.<\/p>\n

Lisburn North SDLP councillor Pat Catney said: \u201cDo we have any ongoing correspondence with Belfast City Council? As I don\u2019t believe one can happen without the other. I think it would be prudent for us to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AnotherAnother digital graphic of how the course will look. <\/p>\n

Lisburn North DUP councillor added: \u201cNot to pre-empt the decision, but this would be a very interesting development of a world-class facility in the district.\u201d<\/p>\n

Castlereagh East Alliance Alderman Martin Gregg raised concerns of members \u201cgoing over the line\u201d in their comments with legal advice brought into a confidential chamber session.<\/p>\n

A council officer responded: \u201cThere has been no direct discussions with Belfast City Council, this would be a matter for our council area.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have looked at the code of conduct when speaking on matters at a PAN stage, if needed members can sign up to retraining.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement to the LDRS, a spokesperson for Merrion Property Group said: \u201cThis proposal represents a significant investment in the Lisburn and Castlereagh area and stands to create an exciting new amenity for the wider South Belfast community.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur modern, state-of-the-art championship golf course will be designed by international golfer and former Ryder Cup Captain Paul McGinley and will be built to Golf Environment Organization (GEO) standards, with a strong focus on sustainability.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur proposals also include the transformation and extension of the listed New Grove House into a high-quality, accessible clubhouse, preserving its historic character while incorporating sustainable design.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are excited about this opportunity to bring increased tourism to the area, deliver local jobs and invest in a new local amenity, whilst integrating sustainability principles and biodiversity into the heart of the proposals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were pleased to discuss the proposals with the community during our consultation event on 18 June, and welcome feedback on the designs prior to the consultation deadline on Thursday 16 July at 5pm via our website: ballylessonroad.consultationonline.co.uk\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ireland\u2019s first ever Ryder Cup captain has backed his designs for a new Belfast golf club for \u201cgenerations…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":33517,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[552,13838,13837],"class_list":["post-33516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ryder-cup","tag-ryder-cup","tag-belfast-city-council","tag-lisburn-and-castlereagh-city-council"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33516"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33516\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}