A golf weekend in the South East

This is the golf weekend for people who do not want a five-hour drive or a soaking. The southeast is the driest, mildest corner of Ireland, an easy ninety minutes from Dublin or Cork, and it is mostly parkland — so it holds up when the links coasts are getting hammered by an Atlantic front. Base yourself around Kilkenny, one of the best small cities in the country for an evening out, and you can pair a championship round with an affordable one without much time in the car.

Mount Julietis Jack Nicklaus's only design in Ireland, opened in 1991 with an exhibition match between Nicklaus and Christy O'Connor Snr. It has the pedigree to match: it hosted three Irish Opens and, in 2002, the WGC-American Express Championship, where Tiger Woods won by one and set the tournament scoring record at 25 under par. It is a manicured, American-style parkland on a grand Kilkenny estate, with a fine hotel on site — the obvious marquee Saturday, and a good place to make a night of it.

For another championship parkland, Druids Glenup in Wicklow — a Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddock design nicknamed the “Augusta of Europe” that hosted four straight Irish Opens in the late nineties — is a spectacular, water-lined test on the way back toward Dublin. For links golf instead, Rosslare (about €60) in Wexford is a fine, old-fashioned course that has quietly kept its value for over a century. And if you just want a cheap, cheerful extra round, Gowran Park (about €25), beside the racecourse, is one of the best-value tickets in the country.

Kilkenny is the base — medieval streets, a castle, and a genuinely good night out ten minutes from Mount Juliet. If the coast and Rosslare are your priority, stay in Rosslare instead. Our parkland golf guide has more inland options, and the planner will build the weekend around your dates.