Historic Timeline
2023 World Invitational
The final World Invitational took place at Galgorm in 2023 when England's Daniel Brown and American Alexa Pano both claimed their respective titles at the renowned Northern Ireland tournament venue. Galgorm continues to stage high profile events and the series of World Invitational events were some of the most innovative of their kind when men and women professionals competed at the same venues at the same time and for the same prize money.
2022 World Invitational
The 2022 World Invitational took place once more at Galgorm when Scotland's Ewen Ferguson and Sweden's Maja Stark emerged victorious in the tri-sanctioned event between the DP World Tour, LPGA and Ladies European Tour.
2021 World Invitational
The 2021 ISPS HANDA World Invitational presented by Modest! Golf broke new ground as the first event of its kind in the northern hemisphere. The US$3 million event is tri-sanctioned event between the European Tour, LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour.
Two separate tournaments (144 men and 144 women), competed on the same courses (Galgorm and Massereene) at the same time and for two equal prize funds of US$1.5 million. A stunning week culminated with England's Daniel Given's coming from six strokes behind to win the men's tournament, while Thailand's Pajaree Anannarukarn won from a dramatic play-off with American Emma Talley.
Dubai Duty Free Irish Open / Northern Ireland Open
An historic moment with Galgorm Castle playing host to the island of Ireland’s national Open for the first time. The 2020 staging was the fourth time the Irish Open was played in Northern Ireland since 2012 when Royal Portrush became the first course north of the border to host the tournament since 1953. Now Galgorm joins Royal Portrush, Royal County Down and Portstewart as recent hosts. American John Catlin won the 2020 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.
In 2020 the Northern Ireland Open supported by The R&A returned to Galgorm amid the Coronavirus pandemic. The event was only made possble by the key support from the R&A, event partners and the vision from the European Challenge Tour. Tyler Koivisto made it an American double at Galgorm in 2020 by securing his first professional win at the Balleymena venue.
ISPS Handa World Invitational
An innovative first of its kind event in Europe where men and women professionals compete for equal prize money at the same venue at the same time. The World Invitational is an integral part of tournament golf at Galgorm.
Fun Golf Area
The Fun Golf Area is a stunning addition to the Galgorm offering where all members of the family, young and old, can enjoy playing on the six-hole par-three short course and Himalayas Putting Green.
The Ivory Pavilion
The Ivory Pavilion at Galgorm is an established wedding and events venue of unique distinction, situated in the grounds of the historic Galgorm Castle. Nestled within the Castle’s delightful walled garden and just 40-minutes from Belfast, it’s a fabulous venue and a magnificent setting for weddings, events and corporate functions.
Film & TV Location
Galgorm Castle became a highly sought after location for big and silver screen productions. In 2015 The Frankenstein Chronicles were filmed on site and took full advantage of the spectacular Jacobean Castle, while Morgan, an American sci-fi thriller used Galgorm for part of its filming in 2015.
Courtyard Business Park Phase II
Phase II of the Courtyard Business Park at Galgorm was completed in 2015 to provide state-of-the-art, competitively priced units, ranging from 500sqft to 10,000sqft with flexible configurations to meet individual business requirements.
Creative Gardens Opens
Creative Gardens officially opened at Galgorm in February 2014 as part of the estate’s £8million investment programme.
Clubhouse Extension
In 2013, Galgorm's clubhouse was extended and refurbished. Lockerrooms and changing facilities extended, while new ground floor and first floor terraces were added to allow members and visitors to enjoy meals and drinks ‘al fresco’.
First Northern Ireland Open
The first Northern Ireland took place on the development PGA EuroPro Tour before progressing to the European Challenge Tour in 2013. Galgorm is the home of the NI Open and has set all attendance records on the Challenge Tour’s international schedule. The 2020 event was supported by The R&A, the game’s governing body.
Championship Course Opens
In 1997 Galgorm Castle Golf Club opened the Simon Gidman desaigned championship course for the first time.
Redevelopment of the Courtyard
The courtyard as Galgorm was transformed into a thriving business centre, consisting of 18 offices, totalling 10,500 square feet. At the time it won RICS and Civic Trust Awards and continues to go from strength to strength today. The Courtyard Business Park is typically fully let with international and local business tenants.
A Turning Point
For most of the 20th Century the estate fell into disrepair primarily because the Youngs, who bought the estate from the Earl of Mountcashal after he gambled his money away, then lost all their money when the linen industry crashed. However, from 1980 things started to look up when regeneration and redevelopment started at Galgorm.
Sir Roger Casement
The Youngs, affluent linen merchants, bought the estate in 1850 and their cousin Sir Roger Casment lived at Galgorm for six years while he was at Ballymena Academy.
The 1798 Rebellion
During the 1798 rebellion, Ballymena was occupied by 10,000 United Irishmen who stormed the Market House and killed three people. However, they could not breach the castle’s defences but they burned the adjacent chapel.
Battle of the Boyne
The Duke of Wurttemberg-Neuenstadt, who commanded the Danish Troops for William of Orange at the Battle of the Boyne, used Galgorm Castle as his headquarters in 1690. Carrying a bullet in his lungs since the siege of Negroponte, he was awarded the Order of the Elephant and died of catarrh soon afterwards.
Dr Alexander Colville
Known for turning a quick buck, Sir Faithless Fortescue sold the estate to Dr Alexander Colville who, as legend has it, was an alchemist and was reputed to have sold his soul to the devil for gold and knowledge. Records suggest that the good doctor was in residence in 1640.
Sir Faithful Fortescue
Sir Faithful Fortescue (b. 1585) was the nephew of Sir Arthur Chichester. He might have been better named Sir Faithless Fortescue for his habit of being particularly sharp in his dealings. He tricked Rory Og McQuillan out of several estates and began building Galgorm Castle in 1618.
Construction of the Castle
Galgorm Castle, one of the finest examples of Jacobean architecture in Ireland, has a rich and colourful history. The estate consisted of 245 acres. Many of the buildings are listed; including the castle, courtyard, a cottage on the Sourhill Road and the roundhouse.
McQuillan granted Ballymena Estate
On May 10th 1607, King James I granted the Ballymena Estate to Rory Og McQuillan, a mighty warrior, famous for stating that 'No Captain of this race ever died in his bed', which thankfully means Galgorm has one less ghost!