Northwest Ireland is home to hidden gems that are some of the highest ranked courses in the world. If you've played the greats in the Southwest and Northern Ireland, venture to the Northwest to play Ballyliffin, Sligo, Donegal, Carne, and Rosapenna, and you'll wonder why you didn't come here first.
Northern Ireland is home to Royal Portrush, site of the 2019 British Open and Royal County Down, the #1 ranked course in the World. There are plenty of other great courses and things to see to round out your trip to this spectacular location.
The Dublin Area can be a destination for the week or a stop for a round or two at the beginning or end of your trip. Portmarnock, Royal Dublin, and the Island are some of the great courses in the area. Be sure to take in all the great sights of Dublin while you're there.
Southwest Ireland is the place to go if you want to play several rounds of world class links golf without moving around a whole lot. Groups typically stay in Killarney and use our private coach service to play a number of courses within the area, and sometimes couple it with a few nights at another location a little further away.
Southwest
BALLYBUNION – OLD COURSE
Ranked #18 in Golf Digest's World's Top 100 Courses and host to the 2000 Irish Open, the very name Ballybunion strikes a chord with golfing enthusiasts around the globe. A sight to behold as you drive along the appropriately named Sandhill Road to the course, it has the largest sand dunes in Ireland. Tom Watson fell in love with Ballybunion and wrote in an article, "...man would think that the game of golf originated here. There is a wild look to the place, the long grass covering dunes that pitch and roll throughout the course making it very intimidating... in short, it is a course on which many golf architects should live and play before they build golf courses".
Website: www.ballybuniongolfclub.ie
LAHINCH – OLD COURSE
The legendary Old Tom Morris designed Lahinch and considered it the finest natural course he'd ever seen. Ranked #41 in Golf Digest's "World's 100 Greatest Courses" and one of the oldest courses in Ireland, it combines breathtaking views, towering sand dunes, undulating fairways, rolling greens and a fair share of blind shots, along with a bit of whimsy. You will appreciate your caddy on The Klondyke, Lahinch's signature par-5 4th hole. From an intimidating tee shot into a thin meandering fairway, it ends with a blind shot over a high dune onto the green.
Website: www.lahinchgolf.com
WATERVILLE
Golf Digest's #60 in the "World's 100" Greatest", this is links golf at its purest and considered to be the perfect natural golfing terrain molded and shaped over the centuries on the Atlantic Coastline. Almost completely surrounded by water, it has views of the ocean and mountains. Pause at Waterville's signature 12th hole, the "Mass Hole", built around a sacred area. During Ireland's Penal time (1600's), celebrating mass was punishable by execution, so local Catholics used this hidden, low-lying spot to have mass. The Mass Hole also happens to be one of Ireland's finest par-3's.
Website: www.watervillegolflinks.ie
OLD HEAD GOLF LINKS
Ranked by Golf Digest as #68 in the world, this is one of the most remarkable developments ever conceived in the history of Golf. Located on a site that is unequaled anywhere in the world, it juts 2 miles from the Ireland coast out into the Atlantic. Old Head Golf Links is one of the handful of courses in the world that must be played once in a lifetime simply because of its incomparable setting. Three hundred feet up, looking over the edge of a cliff, you will notice seagulls gliding below you and the Atlantic waves booming and echoing as they smash into the cave tunnels. It certainly takes your breath away.
Website: www.oldhead.com
TRUMP DOONBEG
Ranked #88 in the world by Golf Digest, the minimalist design is set among some of the finest sand dunes of Ireland. Designed by Greg Norman and considered his masterpiece, he said, "This is the best piece of property I have seen anywhere in the world. When I first looked at this site I thought I was the luckiest designer in the world." The course curves in a 1 1/2 mile stretch around Doughmore Bay providing magnificent views from the tees and greens. Even though course is relatively new by Ireland standards, having opened in 2002, it has already taken its place among the great courses of the Irish southwest.
Website: www.doonbeglodge.com
TRALEE
Ranked #98 in Golf Digest's "World's 100 Greatest Courses" in 2020, Tralee is the first European course designed by Arnold Palmer. This sensational links offers up one of the best backdrops of any golf course out there. "I designed the first nine but surely God designed the back nine" was the statement made by Palmer about his masterpiece. Golf Course Gurus write that holes 11-17 are "perhaps the best seven hole stretch in golf [and one] could never tire of playing with the great variety, challenge, and views."
Website: www.traleegolfclub.com
ADARE MANOR
JP McManus, an Irish billionaire who desired to give Limerick a course to be proud of, bought Adare Manor. He hired Tom Fazio, who consults Augusta National and Pine Valley, closed it down and performed a complete transformation and renovation. Adare is now one of the best conditioned courses in the world. The greens and tees will be some of the most flawless one can play on as they are hand cut daily. Adare will be hosting the Ryder cup in 2026.
Website: www.adaremanor.com
DINGLE
Known locally by its Gaelic name, Ceann Sibéal, Dingle Golf Links sits at the edge of Ireland's dramatic southwest coastline on the Dingle Peninsula. Dingle has a unique microclimate where fescue, the champion of links grasses, has thrived in abundance, making it a bit of a hidden gem. It is a straightforward links course created within the natural landscape and has a meandering burn that traverses throughout.
Website: www.dinglelinks.com
DOOKS
The best word to describe Dooks is "mystical". It is located on the southern side of Dingle Bay and has stunning vistas of the MacGillycuddy's Reeks Mountains & coastal peninsulas. Dooks is a classical links course which blends naturally into its environment. It was voted Ireland's Most Scenic Golf Course in 2020 and is one of Ireland's oldest golf courses created in 1889. Only a 9-hole course until 1970, with a tiny budget & guided by Eddie Hacket, the members themselves built & expanded Dooks to 18 holes. Even today, the membership plays an active roll in maintaining the course by gathering for a barbecue & walking the course together repairing divots.
Website: www.dooks.com
DROMOLAND CASTLE
One of Europe’s most formidable design teams, Ron Kirby and Joe Carr, teamed up to re-design this parkland layout in 2002 and the result is stunning. Kirby and Carr were the driving force behind Old Head, so it’s not surprising that drama is very much in evidence here at Dromoland Castle. The course features rolling hills, ancient trees and water hazards and the views throughout are stunning, with Dromoland Lough and Castle as a backdrop. Its signature hole, #7, stands high above a postage stamp sized green with water left and a shamrock bunker to the right. Dromoland also has one of the classiest castle hotels in Europe, dating back to the 16th century. It was once the ancestral seat of the O' Brien’s, one of the few native Gaelic Irish families of royal blood.
Website: www.dromolandgolf.com
KILLARNEY - KILLEEN
Killarney - Killeen is set in its own National Park within the famous Ring of Kerry. The course, set on the banks of Lough Leane, the largest freshwater lake in the southwest, and the backdrop being the majestic Carrauntoohil, the highest mountain in Ireland, create an enchanting setting. David Jones updated the Killeen course ahead of the 1991 Irish Open, which was won by Nick Faldo. The Irish Open returned to the Killarney’s Killeen course in 1992 and once again Faldo triumphed. It has also hosted the 2010 and 2011 Irish Open and the Curtis Cup in 1996.
Website: www.killarneygolfclub.ie
RING OF KERRY
Ring of Kerry is a relative newcomer to the golfing scene in Southwest Ireland. It is set in a wonderful landscape of lakes and mountains, overlooking Kenmare Bay with the Kerry mountains as a backdrop. Two features combine to make golf at Ring of Kerry so good - exhilarating elevation changes and water which comes into play often adding both definition and danger. The 13th ("An Neidin") and the 14th ("Tahilia") are its two signature holes. #13 is an elevated par 3 with water protecting the front of the green and #14 is a slightly downhill par 4 that doglegs left to a green framed by trees and an enormous bunker in the front.
Website: www.ringofkerrygolf.com
BALLYBUNION – CASHEN COURSE
The Cashen Course at Ballybunion is set on the same majestic links land as its elder sister. Upon observing the terrain for the first time, Trent Jones commented that this was “the finest piece of links land I have ever seen and perhaps the finest piece of links land in the world”. With the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the river on the other, the tumbling, undulating, free flowing design is beauty beyond description in words.
Website: www.ballybuniongolfclub.ie
Northern Ireland
ROYAL COUNTY DOWN
Golf Digest has ranked Royal County Down as the World's #1 Golf Course 4 times in their biannual rankings. The course is nestled at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, connecting the town to the sea and is one of the most whimsical and natural settings for links golf. Blind tee shots exist throughout the course and are often marked with a painted stone or a towering target to give players an indication of the safest line to take. The ninth hole is one of the most photographed holes in the world. A 486 yard par 4, it is played from a huge mound down to a fairway some 60 ft below and 260 yards from the tee with the dramatic mountains and spires of the famous Slieve Donard Hotel as the backdrop.
Website: www.royalcountydown.org
ROYAL PORTRUSH - DUNLUCE
Ranked #8 in the world, Portrush hosted the 2019 Open Championship and has been a 4-time host of Irish Open. The Open Championship will return to Portrush in 2025. The small greens are considered some of the best putting surfaces in the world, protected by natural grassy hummocks instead of bunkers. It is advisable to avoid "Big Nellie" on the 7th, one of the biggest bunkers in Ireland. Rich in history, Portrush was the venue for the first professional golf tournament in Ireland. The course has striking views of The White Rocks, the limestone cliffs that lead up to its namesake, Dunluce Castle, which overlooks the course.
Website: https://www.royalportrushgolfclub.com/our-courses/dunluce-links/
PORTSTEWART - STRAND
Portstewart Strand Course was ranked #96 in Golf Digest's 2020 World's Top 100 and hosted the 2017 Irish Open. It sits among imposing, gigantic sand dunes with panoramic views across the Atlantic. Portstewart is known as having one of the best front nines in golf, with its #1 considered one of the best opening holes in golf. Both stunning and intimidating, the hole itself is a tight, sweeping downhill where it doglegs right around a forest of gorse.
Website: https://www.portstewartgc.co.uk/
ARDGLASS
One of the most spectacular courses on the coast of Ireland, all 18 tees and greens have intoxicating views of the Irish Sea. The memorable opening 5 holes spectacularly wind along the clifftops. The signature second hole is a 167 yard Par-3 called Howd's Hole. The tee shot is played over a rock-filled inlet with water to your left onto a small, distant-looking green. The clubhouse is also remarkable in that it is a 14th Century castle making it the oldest clubhouse in the world.
Website: https://www.ardglassgolfclub.com/
CASTLEROCK - MUSSENDEN
Castlerock, a natural, authentic links course, lies between the railway, the river Bann and the Atlantic Ocean. It has a delightful, wandering route through the dunes as the holes twist, turn and intermingle with each other. Its best known hole is the 4th, a 200-yd par 3 played to a raised green with the railway running the full length of the hole and a meandering burn running diagonally. Situated on the Causeway coast and only a 20-minute drive from both Royal Portrush Golf Club and Portstewart Golf Club, Castlerock is a more than worthy neighbor to these great Irish links.
Website: https://www.castlerockgc.co.uk/
Dublin Area
PORTMARNOCK
Ranked #62 in Golf Digest's, World's Top 100, and host to the Irish Open 19 times, Portmarnock sits on its own peninsula surrounded on 3 sides by water. The land was owned by the famous distiller, John Jameson. From about 1850, he used it as his own private links course. Considered "easy walking but hard golfing", there is nothing man-made about Portmarnock so it is a fair test of links golf. Tom Watson said of Portmarnock, “There are no tricks or nasty surprises, only an honest, albeit searching test of shot making skills.”
Website: https://www.portmarnockgolfclub.ie/
COUNTY LOUTH BALTRAY
Founded in 1892, Golf World magazine writes, “County Louth is one of the best kept secrets of Irish golf... this has to be one of the most enjoyable Links in Ireland... There is not a weak hole on the course”. There is much variety among the holes, the ones running along the sea the most splendid. Baltray has twice hosted the Irish Open.
Website: countylouthgolfclub.com
THE ISLAND
It was founded in 1890 as one of the first twelve golf clubs in Ireland, born out of frustration that its older neighbour Royal Dublin Golf Club, forbade golf on Sundays. The Island Golf Club enjoys a unique setting bordered by sea on 3 sides. It is a completely natural, rugged links course nestled between the highest sand dunes along the east coast of Ireland. Although ranked amongst the top 10 courses in Ireland, many have not heard of this gem, which prompted a UK golf magazine to once comment ‘The best course in Ireland you have never heard of. Play it and tell no one!’.
Website: www.theislandgolfclub.ie
ROYAL DUBLIN
The Royal Dublin Golf Club is steeped in golfing history and presents a stern golfing examination on a truly magnificent links course and is widely accepted as one of the greatest links courses in the world. Host to many Irish championships including the Carrolls Irish Open from 1983-1985, Royal Dublin is both challenging and rewarding, and classic links golf at its best.
Website: www.theroyaldublingolfclub.com
DRUIDS GLEN
Enjoy the tranquility of the mystical Druids Glen, with manicured tree-lined fairways, historical landmarks, spectacular water features and vibrant floral displays. Just a year after opening in 1995, Druids Glen hosted the Irish Open for four years in a row. Druids Glen and its sister course, Druids Heath, both offer exhilarating landscapes, and are renowned as being amongst the finest, most challenging and most enjoyable courses in Europe.
Website: www.druidsglenresort.com
Northwest Ireland
COUNTY SLIGO
County Sligo is ranked #91 in Golf Digest's World's Top 100. The original 18 went in a clockwise direction but when Colt redesigned the course in 1927, he went with a change of direction that he admired at the old course in St. Andrews, Prestwick, Lytham and Royal Troon. Known locally as Rosses Point, Sligo is a diverse course with dramatic undulations, raised plateau greens, run-offs, high ground, low ground, cliffs, and challenging bunkering, berns and dunes. The way the course juts out provides plenty of panoramic views.
Website: https://www.countysligogolfclub.ie/courses/colt-course/
BALLYLIFFIN - GLASHEDY
Pat Ruddy, the owner of The European Club and regarded as one of the greatest golf architects of modern times, has created a masterpiece in the Glashedy Course. Nick Faldo upgraded the links in 2005/6. Ballyliffin is Ireland’s most northerly golf club, located off Tullagh Point on the Atlantic edge of the Inishowen Peninsula. Ballyliffin is often described as “the Ballybunion of the North” or “the Dornoch of Ireland” because it is set amidst towering natural sand dunes. Glashedy was also host to the 2018 Irish Open.
Website: https://www.ballyliffingolfclub.com/
ROSAPENNA - SANDY HILLS
Sandy Hills Links opened for play in 2003 and has matured into one of Ireland's finest modern links courses. Old Tom chose to route the Old course alongside the dunes, but Pat Ruddy had different ideas – he decided to carve straight through them. Each and every hole has precise definition with the hummocking fairways framed by the dunes, so the immense challenge is always clearly visible from the tees. Golf Digest Ireland writes, "A stunning modern links that funnels its way through centuries-old dunes created by and still whipped by the winds coming in off of the Atlantic".
ROSAPENNA - ST. PATRICK'S
Rosapenna St. Patrick's is Ireland's newest course; it opened for public play in June of 2021. Golf World Top 100 Courses and Resorts editor Chris Bertram was one of the first in the world to play this course. In his review, he states, "This is a World Top 100 course in waiting, and an absolute certainty to come into our 2022 ranking of the finest courses you can play on this planet. It’s that good." St Patrick's Links debuted as the highest new entry at #55 on the GOLF Magazine Top 100 in the World rankings 2021-22 alongside only three other courses in Ireland; Ballybunion, Lahinch & Portmarnock
Website: https://www.rosapenna.ie/st-patricks-links-by-tom-doak-2021.html
NARIN & PORTNOO
Narin & Portnoo is a simple, old-fashioned, unpretentious links tucked away in the southwest corner of County Donegal. Golf has been played here since the early twentieth century but recent work by acclaimed architect Gil Hanse and his associate Jim Wagner has elevated the course to something really very special. Narin and Portnoo deserves to be bracketed with one or two other natural, unspoilt courses that really should be given greater recognition. It’s a fun course which won’t beat you up from the tee.
Website: https://narinandportnoolinks.com/
DONEGAL
The Murvagh peninsula jutting out into Donegal Bay is the home of Donegal Golf Club and is one of the longest golf courses in Europe. The panoramic view across the bay is sensational, with the Bluestack Mountains providing a dramatic backdrop. It is considered one of Eddie Hacket's finest creations, taking a naturally rugged and crumpled links land and producing a monster championship course. One of its signature holes is the 185-yard par three 5th. This one shot hole, called “Valley of Tears”, is a brute with a semi-blind tee shot over a valley to a raised, narrow, plateau green surrounded by bunkers.
Website: https://www.donegalgolfclub.ie/
ENNISCRONE
Starting out in 1918 as a modest nine hole course, Eddie Hackett put Enniscrone on the map in 1974 when he extended it to 18 holes. Then, Donald Steel further extended the configuration to 27 holes by using new land and adjoining dunes. The main course, appropriately called "Dunes", plots its way through the gigantic sandhills and across the folded rippled links land. The fairways pitch and roll between towering shaggy dunes. Some greens are raised on plateaux and protected by deep valleys and ravines, whilst others nestle at the feet of high dunes. There are elevated tee shots and stunning panoramic ocean views.
Website: https://www.enniscronegolf.com/
CARNE
Carne hosted the 54-hole Irish PGA Championship in August 2021. Tom Coyne, author of A Course Called Ireland, said of Carne, "... I might never write a more true sentence than this: Carne is absolutely brilliant. Front nine, back nine, every hole, every hill, every inch of the place is simply special." Carne lies on the remote and rugged Mullet Peninsula, along the Wild Atlantic Way, an area renowned for its wild and ancient landscape. This 6,700-yard links is not a simple out and back affair. Each nine winds its way back to the clubhouse – the holes snake up and down through the dunes in all directions. Eddie Hackett himself said of Carne, "ultimately there will be no better links course in the country, or, I doubt, anywhere."
Website: http://www.carnegolflinks.com/
CONNEMARA
Connemara's landscape has something special on every hole... views of Slyne Head Lighthouse, the 12 Ben Mountains, the Atlantic Ocean or Grainne O'Malleys Castle. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2023, the club offers fantastic facilities with a modern clubhouse bar, coffee shop and restaurant, a proshop, practise range and putting green. The course is littered with stern and craggy rocks and, with no sand dunes, the wind is a significant factor. Brace yourself for the challenging 210-yard par three 13th, with its raised green. It’s regarded as Connemara’s signature hole and this is where the lunar landscape kicks in and stays with us for the closing holes.
Website: http://www.connemaragolflinks.com/