BELLARENA — Tiger Woods is reportedly set to design his first course in Europe, a £30 million links at Bellarena on Northern Ireland's north coast between Coleraine and Limavady that is claimed to be the first links layout created in the area in 100 years. According to the Derry Journal, the 15-time Major winner will head up the project, which is being developed by Galgorm Collection, the hospitality business that already owns and operates parkland courses in Ballymena and Limavady.
A Causeway Coast and Glens councillor said the appointment had been confirmed at a briefing, stating: "we received a briefing and it was confirmed to us that Tiger Woods has been signed up to design the course at Bellarena." If reports are confirmed, the Bellarena layout would be Woods' first design commission not only in Northern Ireland but in Europe as a whole.
Woods' TGR Design company have built an expanding portfolio in recent years. Their work includes Bluejack Ranch and Bluejack National in Texas, El Cardonal at Diamante in Mexico — which stages the PGA Tour's World Wide Technology Championship — as well as Payne's Valley in Missouri and The Hay at Pebble Beach in California. Payne's Valley was Woods' first public course and was opened via the Payne's Valley Cup, which featured Justin Rose, Justin Thomas, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Rory McIlroy.
No set timeframe has been confirmed for the Bellarena project, though a Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) was submitted in August. Away from design, former TGL Jupiter Links teammate Kevin Kisner has hinted the 50-year-old is hoping to play a larger role in the simulator league next year, while attention remains on whether Woods — who has not played a professional tournament since the 2024 Open Championship — could feature at the Hero World Challenge in December, the event he hosts, where three places in the field are still to be confirmed.