The Top Irish Golf Links | Irish Golf Vacations

Doonbeg Golf Course | Golf Travel Ireland

Next on your Irish Golf Tour is the Doonbeg Golf Course designed Greg Norman, the two-time British Open Champion. The course is pretty unique as it forms a crescent shape along 1.5 miles of beach and sand dunes, while playing a round you are treated by views of the Atlantic. Doonbeg was officially opened in 2002, and was awarded European Golf Resort of the Year by the IAGTO, as well as Golf Digest’s ‘Best New International Course’, in 2010. Doonbeg Golf Club was purchased by Donald Trump in 2014 for an estimated €15 million. He aimed to turn Doonbeg into a “truly iconic” golfing resort and changed the name of the links to Trump International Golf Links and Hotel Doonbeg, Ireland.

Ballybunion | Golfing in Ireland

Ballybunion Golf Club was founded 1893. It is home to two uniquely and challenging links courses the Old Course and The Cashen Course. Ballybunion has enjoyed welcoming international visitors to the Club for many decades, not only for the high quality of both courses but also for the club’s facilities. The Old Course in recent years has emerged as the country’s most coveted golf venue, by professionals and celebrities. The Old Course is the original course at Ballybunion Golf Club and is classed as one of the best golf courses in the world. The first seven holes are a gentle learning curve, (then the layout can be quite challenging) it features narrow, contoured fairways that can be almost claustrophobic play on to the ninth, it becomes obvious why it is a luxury golf vacation spot and why it is ranked as one of the best in the world.

The Old Head Golf Links near Kinsale is one of the world’s most unique and dramatic courses, built by Ron Kirby, Paddy Merrigan, J. B. Carr and the late Eddie Hackett, in 1977. It sits on a 216-acre headland jutting out more than 2 miles into the Atlantic Ocean. The entire course stretches for more than 7,000 yd, nine holes of play along the cliff-tops and all 18 holes give you an unmatchable view of the ocean.

Portmarnock | Irish Golf Trips

Portmarnock is one of Ireland’s classic Golf Clubs founded in 1894 and, as testament to the quality of the design, the first ever Irish Open Amateur Championships was held here in 1896, just two years after it was opened. Almost a hundred years later, the Walker Cup was hosted by the Portmarnock Golf Club in 1991. In 2005, the club received news that the internationally syndicated Golf Digest ranked it number 30 in the world’s greatest 100 links.

The Royal County Down is a rugged, wind-blown, challenging play, with snarling bunkers edged by marram grass that runs along the Irish coastline. On any given clear day, visitors will be treated to vistas like no other place on earth. Imagine looking east to see the beautiful bay of Dundrum, busy with the hustle and bustle of fishing boats, then to the south you behold the gorse-covered Mountains of Mourne; with its dense marram grasses and impenetrable clumps of heather. There really is in my opinion no place more exquisite to play a round of fantastic golf on your Irish golf tour.