--------------------------

Helen's Bay golf club Down

Helen's Bay golf course Down

Helen's Bay Golf Course

Helen's Bay Club Crest

Helen's Bay Golf Club is one of the oldest 9-hole golf courses in Ireland, still located on its original site. Hence the mature tree lined fairways, strategically placed bunkers and superbly maintained greens and course. Helen's Bay has a high membership for a 9-hole course, so be sure to phone in advance when looking for a green fee.

When you get the opportunity to play this little gem you will appreciate what only time and care can achieve to create magic on a golf course. Helen's Bay's 4th is a hole you will remember long after you have left the golf course behind, at just 124 metres played over mature trees to a well protected green. There are several relocated tee boxes on the second nine and the course has spectacular views of the Antrim Hills across Belfast Lough.

Helen's Bay offers the visitors and members all of the facilities associated with a modern club, should you intend to have dinner in the evening be sure to bring a jacket & tie.

Green Fees Monday to Friday: £25
Green Fees Weekends & B.H.: £28
Green Fees with a Member: £20/25
Green Fees for Opens: £20
Practice Area: No
Club Hire: No
Buggy Hire: Yes
Soft Spikes: No
Full Membership Available: Yes
Full Membership Fee: £690
Full Lady Membership Fee: £405
Full 6-Day Membership Fee: £580
Full Youths Membership Fee: £195
Full Junior Membership Fee: £50
Course Type Parkland
No Holes 9
Members 705
Designer Nature
Founded 1896
Address

Golf Road,
Helen's Bay,
Bangor,
Co. Down
BT19 1TL

Telephone 028-91-852815
Email mail@helensbaygc.com
Website Helen's Bay golf club website
Secretary/Manager: Patricia Craig 
Captain: Peter Gallagher  
Lady Captain: Irene Aston
President: Frank Graham & Ruth Cochrane 
Junior Bots' Captain: Alexander McComb
Junior Girls' Captain: Sophia Clarke
Vice-Captains':  & 
Hon. Secretary: David Marshall & Margaret Crawford
Club Pro: None
Hon. Treasurer: Ken Craig & Jean Wood
Comp. Secretary: Alan McGregor & Irene Aston
Helen's Bay Golf Course Layout Course Layout

Location Map

GPS Coord*
Lat:54.669685
Long:-5.736194
*Please check information before travelling

General Facts & Information

Course opening hours: Daylight hours Clubhouse opening hours: 9.00am to 11.00pm
Mobile phones: Not on course
Dress Code: Neat and casual, jacket and tie required evenings
Catering: Full catering, facilities Days to Avoid: Tuesdays, Thursdays pm & Saturdays
Green Fees and Societies Welcome: Other days Pre-booking for open Tournaments:14 Days in advance

Helen's Bay Golf Club Fixtures 2024 provisional*

Open & Major Fixtures 2024 (to be Confirmed)        
Event Start Finish Type Duration
Lady Captain's Prize Tuesday 18 June   Closed 1
Captain's Prize Saturday 22 June   Closed 1
Captain's Prize to the Ladies Tuesday 10 July   Closed 1
Lady President's Prize Tuesday 6 August   Closed 1
President's Prize Saturday 10 August   Closed 1
Captain's Prize to the Juniors
Friday 16 August   Closed 1
Captain's Prize to the Ladies
Tuesday 10 September   Closed 1
L. & G. Singles Stableford Friday 31 May   Open 1
Juniors Singles Stableford Friday 9 August   Open 1
Ladies 3-Person Texas Scramble Monday 12 August   Open 1
Ulster U-18 Girls' Foursomes Wednesday 21 August   G.I. 1

*Please check information before travelling

Card of the Course

KeyData
White Par 68 SSS 67 5,598 yd?s
Red Par 71 SSS 71 5,300 yd?s
Green Par 68 SSS 66 5,369 yd?s

Card

Hole No. White Green Par Index Red Par Index
1 296 293 4 12 288 4 9
2 376 368 4 4 336 4 3
3 384 379 4 2 396 5 13
4 136 113 3 18 120 3 17
5 355 341 4 14 352 4 7
6 359 343 4 6 343 4 5
7 312 290 4 16 290 4 11
8 217 200 3 10 195 3 15
9 355 344 4 8 342 4 1
Out 2,790 2,671 34   2,662 35  
10 316 302 4 9 297 4 14
11 391 381 4 3 342 4 2
12 408 390 4 1 405 5 8
13 140 120 3 13 129 3 16
14 329 324 4 15 325 4 6
15 386 386 4 5 341 4 6
16 312 290 4 17 281 4 12
17 171 161 3 11 171 3 18
18 355 344 4 7 347 5 10
In 2,808 2,698 34   2,638 36  
Total 5,598 5,369 68   5,300 70  
SSS 67 66     71    

Notable rounds

Men's Course Record: 67 Aaron Taylor 23/08/1997

Ladies Course Record: 70 Mrs. J. Allen

Members Achievements

Rafael Poli was selected on the Irish Boys Under-16 team for the Italian U-16 Boys' Championship played at Golf Club Biella “Le Betulle” from 29th to 31st August 2023, the other members on the team were Mark Cadden (Roganstown Golf Club), Calum Duane (Naas Golf Club), Evan Hogg (Belvoir Park Golf Club) and Isaac Oliver (Ballinasloe Golf Club) they were managed by Sara Rose Shelly and captained by Liam Troy.

Young Rafael Poli was selected on the Ulster Under-16 Interprovincial Team played at Ballykisteen Golf Club on 21st and 22nd August 2023.
The other members of the team were Stuart Nesbitt & Luka Rodgers (Royal Portrush Golf Club), Evan Hogg (Belvoir Park Golf Club), Rafael Poli Bruce McDonald (Lisburn Golf Club) and Charlie Smyth (Slieve Russell Golf Club)
They were Captained by Trevor Lewers (Portstewart Golf Club) and Managed by Tiarnan McLarnon (Massereen Golf Club)

Members who played representative golf for Country or Province;

D. J. Cameron* represented Ireland as a Senior International in1900;

History of Helen's Bay

Instituted 1896 affiliated 1897

The records of Helen’s Bay are not available until 1906. However, an article in The Irish Field on the 12th June 1909, gives an account of the origins of the club.

It tells us the club was formed in 1895 and it was expected to attract 30 to 40 members, to the surprise of the promoters, 150 members joined. The Marquis of Dufferin and Ava was a generous supporter and gave the club the use of 60 acres of his land. It is, bounded on the north by the sea.

Mr. G. Herbert Brown was the Captain for the first three years. The club remains unchanged to the present day.

What the Club tells us:

Helen’s Bay Golf Club was established in 1896 by a group of businessmen who met regularly in Belfast. In choosing the location for the Course they sought land of outstanding beauty and terrain that was within strolling distance of a station on the Belfast to Bangor railway line. Only a handful of houses existed in Helen’s Bay at that time and so competitions were often timed to begin ten minutes after the arrival of trains from Belfast.
From the very beginning Helen’s Bay has been a Club of men and women co-existing happily; the first Captains in 1896 were husband and wife Herbert and Kathleen Brown. The lay out of the 9 hole course today remains much as the same as it has been throughout its existence. The original Clubhouse was a quaint old estate cottage provided by our landlord the Clandeboye Estate, and to this various make-shift extensions were added during the first half of the last century. It was eventually replaced in 1970 with a modern Clubhouse, and this in turn was further modernised and extended in 1995 ahead of the Club’s centenary in 1996

Roll of Honour

Member Year Hon. Position
Miss G. P. Gribben 1989 Ladies Captain
R. D. N. Blair 1989 Ladies President
W. M. K. Clark 1989 Mens Captain
T. H. McKinstry 1989 President
Mrs. A. C. L. Miller 1990 Ladies Captain
R. D. N. Blair 1990 Ladies President
I. S. Jamison 1990 Mens Captain
T. J. Weir 1990 President
Mrs. D. Graham 1991 Ladies Captain
G. H. Smiley 1991 Ladies President
A. S. Foster 1991 Mens Captain
T. J. Weir 1991 President
Miss. J. V. Hull 1992 Ladies Captain
G. H. Smiley 1992 Ladies President
S. E. James 1992 Mens Captain
T. J. Weir 1992 President
Mrs. J. D. Prifti 1993 Ladies Captain
G. H. Smiley 1993 Ladies President
R. G. Brennan 1993 Mens Captain
T. Oscar Rollins 1993 President
Miss. M. R. Gilliland 1994 Ladies Captain
W. E. Evens 1994 Ladies President
R. D. Cooke 1994 Mens Captain
T. Oscar Rollins 1994 President
Mrs. V. McNabney 1995 Ladies Captain
W. E. Evens 1995 Ladies President
M. D. M. Rea 1995 Mens Captain
T. Oscar Rollins 1995 President
Mrs. J. S. Graham 1996 Ladies Captain
W. E. Evens 1996 Ladies President
P. B. Clarke 1996 Mens Captain
R. E. Dorman 1996 President
Mrs. G. Clark 1997 Ladies Captain
R. Rollins 1997 Ladies President
Dr. W. H. K. Haslett 1997 Mens Captain
R. E. Dorman 1997 President
Mrs. O. E. Shields 1998 Ladies Captain
R. Rollins 1998 Ladies President
J. R. Craig 1998 Mens Captain
R. E. Dorman 1998 President
Mrs. Geraldine Kelly 1999 Ladies Captain
Mrs. Ruby Rollins 1999 Ladies President
Willie Alexander 1999 Mens Captain
David D. W. Lindop 1999 President
Miss Adelaide E. Nelson 2000 Ladies Captain
Miss Joan Hull 2000 Ladies President
R. A. Taylor 2000 Mens Captain
David D. W. Lindop 2000 President
Mrs. Louise Davison 2001 Ladies Captain
Miss Jane Hull 2001 Ladies President
W. E. Evans 2001 Mens Captain
David D. W. Lindop 2001 President
Valerie Ferguson 2002 Ladies Captain
Joan Hill 2002 Ladies President
Michael E. Field 2002 Mens Captain
F. A. Edgar 2002 President
Jane Allen  2003 Ladies Captain
M. R. Gilliland 2003 Ladies President
John Coote 2003 Mens Captain
F. A. Edgar 2003 President
Jane Allen 2004 Ladies Captain
M. R. Gilliland 2004 Ladies President
Mary Corry 2005 Ladies Captain
M. R. Gilliland 2005 Ladies President
Frank Graham 2005 Mens Captain
Frank Edgar 2005 President
Jack McIlduff 2005 Mens Captain
Leslie Mann 2005 President
Ruth Cochrane  2006 Ladies Captain
D. Graham  2006 Ladies President
Peter Johnston 2006 Mens Captain
Leslie Mann 2006 President
Myra Logan 2007 Ladies Captain
Dorothy Graham 2007 Ladies President
Terry Cromey 2007 Mens Captain
Leslie Mann 2007 President
Pam McBride 2008 Ladies Captain
Dorothy Graham 2008 Ladies President
Dermot Rollins 2008 Mens Captain
Leslie Mann 2008 President
Pauline Clarke 2009 Ladies Captain
Georgina Clark 2009 Ladies President
Robert Sinclair 2009 Mens Captain
Bill Eakin 2009 President
Leonora James 2010 Ladies Captain
Georgina Clark 2010 Ladies President
Peter Smith 2010 Mens Captain
Peter Clark 2010 President
Eileen Patterson 2011 Ladies Captain
Adelaide Nelson 2011 Ladies President
Richard Mann 2011 Mens Captain
Peter Clark 2011 President
Cecil Linehan 2012 Ladies Captain
Adelaide Nelson 2012 Ladies President
Robert Coey 2012 Mens Captain
Peter Clark 2012 President
Mary Cregg 2013 Ladies Captain
Adelaide Nelson
2013 Ladies President
Peter Martin 2013 Mens Captain
Robin Longmore
2013 President
Ruth Croft 2014 Ladies Captain
Gerladine Kelly 2014 Ladies President
William Pollock 2014 Mens Captain
Edwin James 2014 President
Jo Farrell 2015 Ladies Captain
Gerladine Kelly 2015 Ladies President
Dennis Farrell 2015 Mens Captain
Edwin James
2015 President
Liz Jackson 2016 Ladies Captain
Geraldine Kelly
2016 Ladies President
Denis Logan 2016 Mens Captain
Michael Rea
2016 President
Ann McCarty 2017 Ladies Captain
Jane Allen
2017 Ladies President
Niall James 2017 Mens Captain
Michael Rea
2017 President
Linda Wilson 2018 Ladies Captain
Alan Shannon 2018 Mens Captain
Robert Cooke 2018 President
Barbara Edwards 2019 Ladies Captain
Robert Cooke 2019 Mens Captain
Alan Thomson 2019 President
Helen Baird
2020 Ladies Captain
Mary Corry 2020 Ladies President
Derek Johnston Jnr.
2020 Mens Captain
Barry Ditty 2020 President
Helen Baird
2021 Ladies Captain
Mary Corry
2021 Ladies President
Derek Johnston Jnr.
2021 Mens Captain
Barry Ditty
2021 President
Mary Field 2022 Ladies Captain

2022 Ladies President
Roy Jackson 2022 Mens Captain
Frank Graham 2022 President
Linda McAuley 2023 Ladies Captain
Ruth Cochrane 2023 Ladies President
Gareth Magee 2023 Mens Captain
Frank Graham 2023 President
Sophia Clarke 2023 Junior Girl's Captain
Alexander McComb 2023 Junior Boy's Captain
Irene Aston 2024 Ladies Captain
  2024 Ladies President
Peter Gallagher  2024 Mens Captain
  2024 President
  2024 Junior Girl's Captain
  2024 Junior Boy's Captain
Jane Allen (6) 2024 Lowest Ladie's H'cap
Rafael Poli 2024 Lowest Men's H'cap

Holes in One at Helen's Bay

Member Date Hole No. Club Used Distance
Tom Craig 26 August 2000 17th 3-Wood 201 m
M. Davison 2 September 2000 13th 8-Iron 127 m
T. Graham 14 September 2000 4th 8-Iron 124 m
Judith Caruth
7 April 2012 13th 7-Wood 127 m