Best Golf Courses in Ireland: The Complete Island Guide
Ireland is one of the great golf destinations on earth. The island has more historic links courses per square mile than anywhere else in the world, a coastline that provides dramatic natural settings on almost every side, and a golf culture that predates the American game by generations. Planning an Irish golf trip requires making difficult choices: too many good courses, not enough days.
Here is where to start.
Old Head Golf Links — Kinsale, County Cork
Old Head Golf Links sits on a 220-acre headland that juts into the Atlantic 300 feet above the sea near Kinsale. Sixteen of the eighteen holes have ocean views. Several holes play with nothing between the green and a sheer cliff drop. It is among the most visually dramatic golf settings in the world, and it generates the kind of round that golfers talk about for the rest of their lives.
The course is private (limited public access with advance booking) and expensive, but the experience justifies both. Kinsale itself — one of Ireland's most picturesque harbour towns — makes the region worth visiting for non-golfers in the party as well.
Royal Portrush — Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Royal Portrush hosted the Open Championship in 1951 and returned in 2019 — the first Open held in Ireland in 68 years. Shane Lowry won in front of a home gallery that turned the event into something more than a golf tournament. The Dunluce Links, the primary course, plays along the Antrim coastline with views of the Giant's Causeway on clear days. It is consistently ranked among the top ten courses in the world.
Ballybunion Old Course — County Kerry
Tom Watson called Ballybunion the greatest links in the world. The Old Course at Ballybunion plays on the wild Atlantic coast of County Kerry, with dunes that rival anything in Scotland and a back nine that runs along cliffs above the sea. It is one of the most natural golf courses ever built — the land was simply used, not shaped. Watson's declaration has stood for decades because it is essentially correct.
Lahinch — County Clare
Lahinch Golf Club sits on the Atlantic coast in County Clare, not far from the Cliffs of Moher. The Old Course (redesigned by Alister MacKenzie in 1927) is one of the great strategic links tests in Ireland — a course that rewards local knowledge and creative shot-making over raw distance. The town of Lahinch has a surfing culture alongside its golf culture, giving it an unusually youthful energy for an Irish links village.
Waterville Golf Links — County Kerry
Waterville is one of the most remote significant links courses in Ireland — located on the Ring of Kerry in the southwest, accessible by a long drive from Cork or Killarney. It was a favorite of Payne Stewart, who visited annually. The course plays around the Iveragh Peninsula with the Atlantic on multiple sides, and its isolation gives it a quality of solitude that the more accessible courses cannot offer.
Planning an Irish Golf Trip
A two-week trip can cover one full coast without rushing. The southwest (Kerry, Clare, Limerick) is the most concentrated region for major links golf. The north (Antrim, Donegal) offers Royal Portrush plus Portstewart and the spectacular Royal County Down an hour south. The south (Cork, Waterford) is anchored by Old Head. Most international visitors fly into Dublin or Shannon and rent a car.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best golf course in Ireland?
Royal County Down in Newcastle, County Down is most frequently cited as Ireland's best course and one of the top five in the world. Royal Portrush, Ballybunion, and Old Head Golf Links all have strong cases depending on what criteria you prioritize.
Is golf in Ireland expensive?
The top Irish links courses — Old Head, Royal Portrush, Ballybunion — have green fees that reflect their global reputations, typically in the €150-€350 range. Many excellent lesser-known links courses are available for €30-€80, making Ireland one of the better value golf destinations for the overall quality level available.