The best golf courses in Ireland

Ballybunion Old CourseCo. Kerry · Book direct

The one that makes golfers emotional. The Atlantic has carved the north Kerry dunes over thousands of years into something no architect could have designed — massive ridges, clifftop fairways, and a routing that builds to a genuinely extraordinary finish. Tom Watson called it his favourite course in the world and returned every year. Book direct through the club well in advance; it fills from May to September without needing to advertise. See the Kerry guide for everything around it.

Royal County DownNewcastle, Co. Down · Book direct

Consistently ranked the greatest golf course in the world. Old Tom Morris was paid four pounds in 1889 to extend and advise on the layout — one of golf's most famous bargains. What stands today is the result of over a century of careful refinement. The Mourne Mountains rise directly behind the course, Dundrum Bay opens in front, and the links itself — purple heather, marram grass dunes, and sea on three sides — is as close to perfection as golf gets. See the Northern Ireland guide.

Royal Portrush — Dunluce LinksCo. Antrim · Book direct

Three-time host of The Open Championship (1951, 2019, 2025), Royal Portrush is one of the great courses in the world. H.S. Colt's routing along the Antrim cliffs is relentless — fast, firm links turf, constant wind exposure, and a challenge that demands every shot. Calamity Corner, the par 3 16th, is one of the most famous holes in golf. Book months in advance; demand far exceeds availability.

Waterville Golf LinksCo. Kerry · Book direct

Spectacular and far less crowded than it deserves to be. Waterville sits on a narrow strip of land between the Atlantic and Ballinskelligs Bay on the Ring of Kerry. Payne Stewart accepted the honorary captaincy in 1999 — he died that October, and the club has honoured his memory ever since. Stay in the village. See the Kerry guide.

Lahinch Old CourseCo. Clare · Book direct

Alister MacKenzie revised Old Tom Morris's original 1894 design in 1927 and the course has barely changed since. Blind shots, dunes, a herd of goats used as a traditional weather barometer, and a layout that plays completely differently in every wind direction. The most fun of the top-tier Irish links — quirky and brilliant, with a village wrapped around three sides of it. Five minutes from a good pub.

Portmarnock Golf ClubCo. Dublin · Book direct

One of the most celebrated links in the world, host to numerous Irish Opens and the Walker Cup, twenty minutes from Dublin Airport. A flat, exposed peninsula links where the wind arrives from every direction depending on the day — there are no gimmicks and no weakness in the course. Wind is everything here, and that is entirely the point.

The Island Golf ClubCo. Fingal · Book direct

Sits on a sand spit north of Dublin that was reachable only by boat until a causeway was built in the 1970s. That isolation preserved it — The Island is a genuine old-school links routed through duneland with no concessions to modern design. Host of major amateur championships, consistently flagged by golf media as one of the most underrated courses in Ireland. Most international visitors never find it.

Enniscrone Golf ClubCo. Sligo · Book direct

Enniscrone is the most criminally underrated links in Ireland. It plays along Killala Bay through dunes of extraordinary scale, on a course that serious golf media has flagged as one of the great unknowns on the island. Green fees are modest, crowds are non-existent by west coast standards, and the golf is world class. It belongs on every Irish golf itinerary.

Carne Golf LinksBelmullet, Co. Mayo

Carne is Eddie Hackett's final masterpiece — completed shortly before his death in 1996 on the remote Erris Peninsula in Mayo, through dune terrain of extraordinary scale. Community-owned, modestly priced, and rising steadily in international profile. Ninety minutes from anywhere, remote on purpose. The drive is part of the point.

County Sligo Golf Club — Rosses PointBook direct

Has hosted the West of Ireland Amateur Championship for over a century. Looks out across Sligo Bay to Benbulben mountain — one of the finest inland mountain backdrops in Irish golf. Honest links with no gimmicks, consistent conditioning, and a club that takes its golf seriously. Book direct.

Ballyliffin — Glashedy LinksCo. Donegal · Book direct

Ireland's most northerly links, on the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal. The Glashedy course — designed by Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddock and host of the 2018 Irish Open — is the stronger of the two layouts: savage, beautiful, and constantly tested by Atlantic weather. The effort of getting here is the point. Worth every kilometre of the drive.

The European ClubCo. Wicklow · Book direct

Pat Ruddy designed, funded and built this course himself on the Wicklow coast — which tells you something about the level of commitment behind it. A proper links built into natural duneland beside the Irish Sea, consistently overlooked because Wicklow is not a famous golf region. That is your advantage.

Old Head Golf LinksKinsale, Co. Cork · Book direct

Old Head sits on a narrow headland south of Kinsale, 100 metres above the Atlantic on three sides. Several holes hang directly over the sea. There is nowhere in Ireland — and very few places in the world — where the drama of the setting so completely overwhelms the golf itself. Expensive. Worth it once. See the Cork guide.

Doonbeg Golf ClubCo. Clare · Book direct

Greg Norman built Doonbeg into a natural Atlantic-facing amphitheatre of duneland on the Clare coast — a horseshoe of links ground between the ocean and a freshwater lagoon that created some of the most remarkable natural terrain available to any golf architect. Premium resort, immaculate conditioning, genuinely bucket-list. See the Wild Atlantic Way guide.

Killarney — Killeen & Mahony's PointCo. Kerry

Killeen is the championship layout — a former Irish Open host inside Killarney National Park, with the MacGillycuddy's Reeks rising behind the treeline. The sister course, Mahony's Point, finishes with a par 3 above Lough Leane that ranks among the most photographed finishing holes in Irish golf. Two days at Killarney is not excessive.

Mount JulietCo. Kilkenny · Book direct

A Jack Nicklaus design set in the Kilkenny countryside, five-time Irish Open host. Mature parkland with exceptional conditioning, a strong resort hotel, and the kind of course management challenge that rewards experienced golfers. Widely regarded as the finest parkland course in the country.

Fota Island ResortCo. Cork

Fota Island offers 54 holes on a real island in Cork Harbour — the main course is a multiple Irish Open host, Cork Airport is twenty minutes away, and Fota Wildlife Park is on the same island. Practical and high-quality, with enough golf for two full days without moving bases.

K Club — Ryder Cup CourseCo. Kildare · Book direct

Hosted the 2006 Ryder Cup. A mature parkland layout along the River Liffey, one of the most famous courses in Ireland for anyone who follows professional golf. Expensive, well-maintained, and genuinely historic.