Ireland is home to some of the finest championship courses and most spectacular golf in the world. Rob Smith recommends some of its many wonderful golfing destinations
Golf Holidays in Ireland – Our Top Destinations
With something like 400 courses, Ireland is a wonderfully scenic country for golf.
Home to many famous links, it also has a terrific number of inland courses of great beauty.
There are also plenty of very fine courses in close proximity to one another that make for a number of wonderful golfing destinations.
Starting on the east coast, the area around Dublin’s fair city is a fabulous hotbed of extremely strong and varied golf.
Here, you could play somewhere different every day for a month and not run out of great new courses to enjoy.
The Island, Portmarnock, Portmarnock Links and Royal Dublin dot the coastline.
Less than an hour to the north is County Louth, while a similar distance south is the superb Pat Ruddy design, The European.
Less than an hour south of the capital, The European is a modern classic
Golf Holidays in Ireland – Our Top Destinations
The South Coast
There are plenty of appealing stop-off points as you head south round the coast through Wicklow and Waterford.
Alternatively you can travel inland and stop off at the K Club or Mount Juliet.
The Jack Nicklaus design at Mount Juliet, host of the 2021 Irish Open
The area around Cork is particularly strong for golf, with the excellent development at Fota Island as well as the memorable Alistair MacKenzie design at Cork itself.
Cork, or Little Island, is a delightful course packed with character and interest
You are now within striking distance of arguably the most visually stunning course in the UK&I.
Old Head is just to the south of the fishing village of Kinsale, and is literally breath-taking.
Old Head is blessed with the most sensational and spectacular site for golf
The Lakes
As you continue west, the scenery continues to delight.
A little way inland, Killarney is a perfect destination with its own courses and access to other golfing highlights of great variety.
The short third on the Killeen Course at beautiful Killarney
Waterville is remote but an absolute must-play and more than worth a stay, while closer is the really engaging links at Dooks.
Dooks is blessed with a picturesque setting and is extremely enjoyable
The West Coast
Continuing up the west coast, you can stop off at magnificent Tralee on the way to Limerick.
This river city is another great base for a golfing holiday.
There may be a little more driving involved, but from here you can play tip-top links such as Ballybunion, Doonbeg and Lahinch.
Historic Lahinch is a timeless links that hosted the 2019 Irish Open
You can also treat yourself to a round at the host venue for the 2027 Ryder Cup, the pristine and very beautiful parkland course at Adare Manor.
Adare Manor – possibly the finest-conditioned course in Europe
And as ever, the neighbouring supporting cast is strong, often offering great value such as at Shannon.
The fabulous and very demanding par-3 seventeenth at Shannon
To The North
The journey north takes in many more courses that are superb such as Connemara, Enniscrone, County Sligo, Donegal, and Narin & Portnoo.
The beautiful links at Donegal is flanked all the way by water and rolling hills
Arriving on the north coast, Rosapenna is a wonderful base for a trip with its two superb courses about to be joined later in 2021 by the new St. Patrick’s Links.
The thirteenth on the Sandy Hills Course at Rosapenna; a complete golfing resort
Still in beautiful County Donegal, you should try and play at Portsalon and North West.
Both are on the way to the two excellent links at Ballyliffin; the Glashedy and Old Tom Morris.
The par-3 seventh on the Glashedy Course at Ballyliffin is played from way up high
Ireland is an absolutely glorious golfing destination with a vast treasure chest of golf that will cater for all enthusiasts.
Much of it is on the coast, but don’t forget the parkland beauties a little further inland.
With so much on offer, this article is just a starter to help you home in on an area.
Further research will reveal plenty of less well-known courses that perfectly complement those in the Golf Monthly Top 100 and Next 100.
The warmth of the welcome, and the scenery, are also a complete draw in their own right.
Ireland is a perfect destination for golfing holidays of any duration.
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