Help Me Plan My Ireland Golf Trip For 2027

[EmperorPenguin]

As you may already know, I have done two trips to Scotland, one in 2019 and the other in 2023.  I have done well enough financially to decide on another golf trip for myself and three guests for 2027, but this time I want to try Ireland instead of Scotland.  I have never played golf in Ireland before, but so far this is what I know: golf is generally a bit cheaper, but the courses are more remote.  This implies more hotel changes and longer commutes.  I know there are many good golf courses in Ireland, but so far, based on what I've heard and seen online, these courses are the ones that for now interest me: Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Portmarnock, St. Patrick's Links (Rosapenna), Old Head, Tralee, Waterville, Ballybunion and Lahinch.  This rotation involves circling the entire island, and I reckon I will need at least two and a half weeks to complete, maybe three weeks.  I am thinking of doing just one trip to Ireland, so for now the idea is to play just the main ones.  Because I will be circling the island, I fear that this may be a logistical nightmare.  I have a guy who is in the golf-planning business and he tells me that a trip around the island will take about three weeks.  I suppose that in the worst case, I might have to break Ireland into two trips.  There are some other courses I am curious about: The Island, County Sligo, Enniscrone, Adare Manor, among others.  Maybe I should split those courses into two separate trips?  Whichever courses I choose, there are two simple criteria: must be very scenic, and must have a caddie program.  I greatly appreciate all your feedback from the past two threads, and I will appreciate equally the suggestions and advice you will offer in this thread, because I know I can count on you to help me plan wonderful golf trips for me and my guests.  Let me know what you guys think.

[Chanceman]

EP,

Our 3 week anti clockwise itinerary was

Portmarnock

Royal County Down

Ardglass

Royal Portrush

Castlerock

Ballyliffin / Donegal

County Sligo / Connemara 

Lahinch

Ballybunion

Tralee

Waterville

European Club

Druids Glen

plus a few others.

It was a memorable trip. 

My fervent advice is to include Carne on your list. I played it on a separate trip and it is sublime.

Also you say St Patrick’s and Old Head, fair enough. Both are in demand. St P would be the better golf course. OH the scenic hit.

You may like to stay at Slievemore in Newcastle, Bushmills Inn near Portrush, and the Smugglers inn at Waterville. All are pricey but good. Otherwise book well in advance as courses and accommodation will fill up pretty quickly.

As you go to Waterville, the classic tip is to go clockwise around the Ring of Kerry from Killarney. It’s magical. 
Also I recommend going through Cashel to visit the Rock. 

[st1800e]

In 21 days how many days do you plan on golfing?  

[jvincent]

3 hours ago, EmperorPenguin said:

 these courses are the ones that for now interest me: Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Portmarnock, St. Patrick's Links (Rosapenna), Old Head, Tralee, Waterville, Ballybunion and Lahinch.  This rotation involves circling the entire island, and I reckon I will need at least two and a half weeks to complete, maybe three weeks. 

 

You will indeed be circling the island with that itinerary.  I assume you'll be getting a van/driver to drive you around. My advice if you want to do it in one trip is to break it into 4 or 5 stops. Spend a few days at each and play the courses in that area from a home base. I've been to Ireland several times and can give you some advice on grouping.

 

3 hours ago, EmperorPenguin said:

The Island, County Sligo, Enniscrone, Adare Manor, among others.  Maybe I should split those courses into two separate trips?

 

Specific comments on the courses above. The Island is very good. Sligo is spectacular. Of the courses I have played, it's #2 on my list after Lahinch. Note that I haven't played the NI courses yet, that's my 2026 trip. Adare Manor is parkland so personally I'd pass on that. Add Ballyliffin to your list along with Baltray (aka County Louth). As mentioned before, also add Carne.

 

As a rough guide, here's some ideas on places to use as home base and the associated courses:

 

Dublin area: Portmarnock, The Island, Baltray.

Tralee: Ballybunion, Lahinch, Waterville, Tralee

Letterkenny: St Patricks, Narin & Portnoo, Ballyliffin, Portsalon

Balina: Carne, Sligo, Enniscrone

Belfast-ish: Portrush, Royal County Down, Portstewart, Ardglass.

 

If you plan carefully some of these can be played when you are travelling between stops but any way you slice it, it's a big undertaking, especially since for some of the courses you need to work around member days.

 

 

 

[EmperorPenguin]

14 hours ago, st1800e said:

In 21 days how many days do you plan on golfing?  

I have yet to decide.  I am thinking of ten rounds, so I want the ten best courses.  For now, the idea is to go to Ireland one time, but based on what I've read so far, I think at least two trips will be necessary.

[tad950]

I’ve only been to Ireland, Northern Ireland twice. And I think you would be hard pressed to keep your playlist to only 10 courses. We did southwest Ireland one trip, and Dublin/ Belfast Northern Ireland the other. No knock on Scotland, but it seemed like the Emerald Isle in general was more scenic than the courses in Scotland. But just by a smidge. 

[st1800e]

6 hours ago, EmperorPenguin said:

I have yet to decide.  I am thinking of ten rounds, so I want the ten best courses.  For now, the idea is to go to Ireland one time, but based on what I've read so far, I think at least two trips will be necessary.

I’ve been 3 times, first time played 7 courses in 7 days, the second we played 18 games, 10 courses in 10days, and the last 14 courses in 12 days.  I’ve played “most” of the great courses. There was a bit of overlap in courses on each trip.  
 

I agree you’re going to need to do 2 trips, one north/northwest, and the other southwest.  

One recommendation I have is to pass on the parkland courses, for me it was a shame to go all that way and play a parkland course vs true links.   I play mostly parkland courses on this side of the pond.  
 

Apparently only 58 true links courses in Ireland, out of some 450 courses.   
 

https://migrantgolfer.com/the-true-links-courses-of-the-world/

[Chanceman]

If it’s the ten best in Ireland that’s one thing or the ten best in each of NI and the Republic is another. 
Here’s my take:

ireland as a whole-

County Down

Portrush

Carne

St Patricks

Lahinch 

Ballybunion

Waterville

Tralee

Portmarnock

European Club

As you can see it’s about 50/50 so to do both N and S is a lot of road time in 3 weeks although quite possible. 
Two trips would be great ie

 

North

County Down

Ardglass

Portrush (2)

Portstewart

Castlerock

Ballyliffin (2)

St Patrick’s 

Sligo

Enniscrone

Carne

 

Or South

Lahinch

Ballybunion

Tralee

Dooks

Waterville

Old Head

European Club

Portmarnock

The Island

Baltray

 

I think that would cover most but definitely not all the major courses.

Those left out include Portsalon, Donegal, Connemara, Doonbeg, Dingle, Dooks plus quite a few others.

it will be a juggling act whatever you decide and outside factors may intrude eg tee time restrictions, course maintenance, tournaments, hotel availability etc

Good luck!

 

 

[EmperorPenguin]

3 hours ago, Chanceman said:

If it’s the ten best in Ireland that’s one thing or the ten best in each of NI and the Republic is another. 
Here’s my take:

ireland as a whole-

County Down

Portrush

Carne

St Patricks

Lahinch 

Ballybunion

Waterville

Tralee

Portmarnock

European Club

As you can see it’s about 50/50 so to do both N and S is a lot of road time in 3 weeks although quite possible. 
Two trips would be great ie

 

North

County Down

Ardglass

Portrush (2)

Portstewart

Castlerock

Ballyliffin (2)

St Patrick’s 

Sligo

Enniscrone

Carne

 

Or South

Lahinch

Ballybunion

Tralee

Dooks

Waterville

Old Head

European Club

Portmarnock

The Island

Baltray

 

I think that would cover most but definitely not all the major courses.

Those left out include Portsalon, Donegal, Connemara, Doonbeg, Dingle, Dooks plus quite a few others.

it will be a juggling act whatever you decide and outside factors may intrude eg tee time restrictions, course maintenance, tournaments, hotel availability etc

Good luck!

These lists are quite impressive.  So the whole Island I can do in three weeks, I reckon.  If I choose to do northern half of the island, I suppose I can do it in two weeks.  For the southern half, I suppose I can do it in a little less time since there are two fewer courses in your must-play list.  Are there two other courses in the southern half you can recommend?  What I may also consider is that, if playing the southern half of the island, play one of the courses in the northern half near Dublin before proceeding to the south.  That way, Ireland I will have eleven courses and Ireland II will also have eleven.  Maybe I can play Ireland in two consecutive years, or in two legs within one year, say north half in June, come home, rest up, and come back two months later in August to play the south half?  This so far seems like a good option, but with two trips I reckon this will cost at least $80,000.

 

When is the best time to go for weather?  I am hearing horror stories of rain coming down sideways even in the middle of the summer over there.  I suppose it is no different than Scotland?  For my Scotland I trip (2019), we had good weather except maybe one day, and for Scotland II (2023) we had no bad weather on any day, and Scotland II was from west to east, and supposedly the west coast of Scotland is purported to be generally worse than the Lothians.  When we played Western Gailes, there were no gailes, about seventy degrees, and not a cloud in the sky.  The caddies told us that they get this weather only ten days a year, so we were lucky.

Edited December 2, 2024 by EmperorPenguin

[EmperorPenguin]

8 hours ago, tad950 said:

I’ve only been to Ireland, Northern Ireland twice. And I think you would be hard pressed to keep your playlist to only 10 courses. We did southwest Ireland one trip, and Dublin/ Belfast Northern Ireland the other. No knock on Scotland, but it seemed like the Emerald Isle in general was more scenic than the courses in Scotland. But just by a smidge. 

It is hard to beat this hole.  I have not been to Ireland yet, but to me this is the prettiest hole I have ever seen.  I spent a half hour deciding which hole is prettier: this one, or the 18th at Pebble Beach.  I gave this hole the win.

[El Gringo]

As always, I strongly encourage folks to get off the tourist merry go round and see some of Ireland’s smaller courses …especially if there for more than handful of days. 

[st1800e]

1 hour ago, EmperorPenguin said:

It is hard to beat this hole.  I have not been to Ireland yet, but to me this is the prettiest hole I have ever seen.  I spent a half hour deciding which hole is prettier: this one, or the 18th at Pebble Beach.  I gave this hole the win.

Yes looks grand! Which hole is it? 

[Chanceman]

As El Gringo says there are dozens of solid but relatively unknown courses all over Ireland. But I guess the EP wants to hit the big names as well as some others. On our trip we played  Murvagh (north) and Connemara, Dooks and Macreddin (south) as our lesser lights - all great by the way. 
He could do the southern half with these or Cork or Kilkee or Arklow to make up a two week trip. 
Then head north and include Murvagh and/or a number of the courses around Rosapenna in the NW zone. 
And yes the courses around Dublin can go in either a north or south rota.

Basically you can’t go very far wrong whatever is decided. So you may as well play wherever it suits your travel best.

But don’t miss Carne!

[jvincent]

8 hours ago, EmperorPenguin said:

When is the best time to go for weather?  I am hearing horror stories of rain coming down sideways even in the middle of the summer over there.  I suppose it is no different than Scotland? 

 

There is no guaranteed time for good weather. I have first hand confirmation of this from this year.

 

I was there for a week in April and had two days where it was 24C and 26C respectively and never had a drop of rain the entire week.

 

I was there again in August and we had one day of sideways rain and 50kmh winds (at Carne unfortunately) and on two of the other days we had 3 or 4 holes where rain squalls rolled over the course. 

 

So, just like Scotland, bring the rain gear and cross your fingers. 

[EmperorPenguin]

9 hours ago, st1800e said:

Yes looks grand! Which hole is it? 

The ninth tee at the Ailsa course, Turnberry.  Glad I got that one in because in 2025 the greens fee will be £1000!

[puttnforthe8]

12 hours ago, EmperorPenguin said:

These lists are quite impressive.  So the whole Island I can do in three weeks, I reckon.  If I choose to do northern half of the island, I suppose I can do it in two weeks.  For the southern half, I suppose I can do it in a little less time since there are two fewer courses in your must-play list.  Are there two other courses in the southern half you can recommend?  What I may also consider is that, if playing the southern half of the island, play one of the courses in the northern half near Dublin before proceeding to the south.  That way, Ireland I will have eleven courses and Ireland II will also have eleven.  Maybe I can play Ireland in two consecutive years, or in two legs within one year, say north half in June, come home, rest up, and come back two months later in August to play the south half?  This so far seems like a good option, but with two trips I reckon this will cost at least $80,000.

 

When is the best time to go for weather?  I am hearing horror stories of rain coming down sideways even in the middle of the summer over there.  I suppose it is no different than Scotland?  For my Scotland I trip (2019), we had good weather except maybe one day, and for Scotland II (2023) we had no bad weather on any day, and Scotland II was from west to east, and supposedly the west coast of Scotland is purported to be generally worse than the Lothians.  When we played Western Gailes, there were no gailes, about seventy degrees, and not a cloud in the sky.  The caddies told us that they get this weather only ten days a year, so we were lucky.

 

This statement is not totally accurate:  First, While you could get around in that time, it certainly would not be enjoyable.   Second, There are definitely not "fewer must play courses in the South".  

 

Best time overall, imo is Sept.  Having lived here for some time, it is always the most consistent for the weather.  Outside if he absolute prime months.

 

just my opinion - but 2 trips would be best so the areas can be lumped together as noted above and you could actually enjoy yourself.  Sure you could do 36 holes a day and get everything in, but to me that would be a disservice both personally and financially.

 

 

 

 

[EmperorPenguin]

On 11/30/2024 at 4:41 PM, Chanceman said:

EP,

Our 3 week anti clockwise itinerary was

Portmarnock

Royal County Down

Ardglass

Royal Portrush

Castlerock

Ballyliffin / Donegal

County Sligo / Connemara 

Lahinch

Ballybunion

Tralee

Waterville

European Club

Druids Glen

plus a few others.

It was a memorable trip. 

My fervent advice is to include Carne on your list. I played it on a separate trip and it is sublime.

Also you say St Patrick’s and Old Head, fair enough. Both are in demand. St P would be the better golf course. OH the scenic hit.

You may like to stay at Slievemore in Newcastle, Bushmills Inn near Portrush, and the Smugglers inn at Waterville. All are pricey but good. Otherwise book well in advance as courses and accommodation will fill up pretty quickly.

As you go to Waterville, the classic tip is to go clockwise around the Ring of Kerry from Killarney. It’s magical. 
Also I recommend going through Cashel to visit the Rock. 

How many hotels did you stay at during this full-island vacation?

[Chanceman]

3 minutes ago, EmperorPenguin said:

How many hotels did you stay at during this full-island vacation?

If I recall it was roughly 11:

Rostrevor (2 nights), Belfast (1), Bushmills(2), Ballyliffin(1), Sligo(2), Enniscrone(1), Lahinch(2), Dooks (3),  Cashel(1), Macreddin(1), Dublin (4).

 

Basically a case of drive an hour or two, play golf, drink, eat, sleep, and repeat.

 

Our longest day was Lahinch to Dooks via the ferry & Ballybunion. One place I would stay at if I went again would be the Bushmills inn. The others were your basic pub/b&b. 

 

[EmperorPenguin]

Bed & Breakfast?  I prefer nice hotels, like the Balmoral in Edinburgh.  I guess there are not too many of them in the itinerary?  I would like to stay in a major hub city and travel from there.  I have never stayed at a B&B before.  Isn't that essentially staying at some dude's house?

[jvincent]

5 hours ago, EmperorPenguin said:

Bed & Breakfast?  I prefer nice hotels, like the Balmoral in Edinburgh.  I guess there are not too many of them in the itinerary?  I would like to stay in a major hub city and travel from there.  I have never stayed at a B&B before.  Isn't that essentially staying at some dude's house?

 

Depends on what type of AirBnB you get. They can vary quite a bit in terms of amenities.

 

When we were in Ireland in April we had a 4-bed  / 3-bath house/cottage to ourselves. It's a vacation rental. We generally ate breakfast at "home" and went into town for dinner. We had a balcony we could sit on for drinks, as well as a separate living room and TV area. AirBnBs are better for socializing with the group than a hotel IMHO.

 

You just need to get the right one.

[El Gringo]

5 hours ago, EmperorPenguin said:

Bed & Breakfast?  I prefer nice hotels, like the Balmoral in Edinburgh.  I guess there are not too many of them in the itinerary?  I would like to stay in a major hub city and travel from there.  I have never stayed at a B&B before.  Isn't that essentially staying at some dude's house?

To one degree or another you are always staying in someone’s house. 😎

[buckI]

Ireland is difficult in that the courses are fairly spread out and a number of the best are not in larger populated areas such as Ballybunion.   Yet u could look at staying at places like Adare Manor and spending hours driving if not a B&B person.   To me, some of the B&B’s have been great and the people running them have been wonderful.

 

If you are willing to pay $80k (think that was the number you mentioned in an earlier post), might be better to get with a good tour operator and tell them what you wan5 and let them put it together.

 

Scotland in my opinion was easier to have fewer base locations with less driving.  You have Dublin, Belfast and maybe Limerick area but definitely a lot more distance between the top courses.
 

 

[cardoustie]

I just circled the island clockwise starting in Dublin .. 23 days 13 rounds .. I have a thread

 

if it was me I’d focus on going directly across to the middle West and hit Tralee, Lahinch, Waterville, Ballybunion etc … I didn’t do the big names in this area but will on a return trip

 

after that I would head north and clockwise … here are the courses I loved

 

Enniscrone, Carne, Cruit Island, Portsalon, Royal Portrush, Ardglass… there is some funkiness with Cruit and Ardglass but sometimes that’s the magic 

 

I would not miss Enniscrone and Carne and Royal Portrush, they are must plays 

 

 

[Schley]

Maybe I missed this, but are you going alone?  Driving yourself?

 

For 80k that sounds awfully high so assume you are talking a group.

[st1800e]

On 12/1/2024 at 9:36 PM, EmperorPenguin said:

with two trips I reckon this will cost at least $80,000.

My last trip in 2023 , with bus and driver , 14 courses in 12 days, 3 and 4 star hotels was under 20k CAD, all in.  
 

On 12/1/2024 at 9:36 PM, EmperorPenguin said:

When is the best time to go for weather?

First trip was in July , cool and intermittent rain. Second and third in June, warm and sunny, only had rain gear on for part of 2 rounds on the second. Warm and sunny the entire trip on the third, but a week after we left Ireland had periods of heavy rain and wind.  As others have said it’s luck of the draw for weather, however June is historically the driest month of the year.   

 

[EmperorPenguin]

19 hours ago, Schley said:

Maybe I missed this, but are you going alone?  Driving yourself?

 

For 80k that sounds awfully high so assume you are talking a group.

I will be hosting three guests to come with me, all expenses paid except dinners and hotel incidentals.  I fear left-lane driving, so I want a driver and a suitable van.  This is the one we used for our Scotland II trip last year.  It seats eight comfortably, and comes with a refrigerator, snacks and WiFi.

Edited December 7, 2024 by EmperorPenguin

[EmperorPenguin]

I am looking for things to do outside of golf.  I am curious about Northern Ireland, specifically Giants Causeway.  Is one of the great Northern Irelend courses nearby, or is the Causeway on the way between two of them?  I would like to stop by and visit there, assuming it is not too far out of the way.

[buckI]

Royal Portrush and Royal Portstewart are close.     Cliffs of Moher for example are close to Lahinch.    Might be good to identify the items you want to do outside of golf then you can use Google maps to see what courses are nearby that you are interested in.    Courses near Dublin should not be any issue but if you want to go to Ring of Kerry or Dingle Peninsula you can see what is near.

[hammergolf]

31 minutes ago, EmperorPenguin said:

I am looking for things to do outside of golf.  I am curious about Northern Ireland, specifically Giants Causeway.  Is one of the great Northern Irelend courses nearby, or is the Causeway on the way between two of them?  I would like to stop by and visit there, assuming it is not too far out of the way.

Giants Causeway is a 15min drive from Portrush. You’ve also got Carrick- a-rede, The Dark Hedges, and Bushmills distillery all within a 15 to 25 minute drive from Portrush 

[El Gringo]

6 hours ago, EmperorPenguin said:

I am looking for things to do outside of golf.  I am curious about Northern Ireland, specifically Giants Causeway.  Is one of the great Northern Irelend courses nearby, or is the Causeway on the way between two of them?  I would like to stop by and visit there, assuming it is not too far out of the way.

If you are in that area Dunluce Castle is very cool. When near Dublin make time for Newgrange.