Destination Guide
Golf Trips to Ireland
The best collection of links golf in the world, an hour's flight from almost anywhere in the UK.
Ireland's case is simple: nowhere else has this many great links courses this close together, and none of them are far from a UK airport. Ballybunion, Waterville and Tralee in the south west. Portmarnock, The Island and Baltray around Dublin. Royal County Down and Royal Portrush on the Causeway Coast, forty minutes apart and both routinely in the world's top ten. Lahinch and Doonbeg in Clare. Enniscrone, Carne and Rosapenna in the west, where the dunes are enormous and the tee sheet is empty.
What has changed is the price. Green fees at the top end have risen hard for 2026 and again for 2027 — Lahinch went up 20% in a year, Royal County Down sold its 2027 visitor allocation in seven hours. The premium rounds are now a genuine budget decision rather than an assumption. The good news is the second tier is superb and a fraction of the cost, and a well-built itinerary mixes the two.
The one Tom Watson called the finest seaside course he'd seen. A caddie or fore-caddie is required with every group, and there's a handicap limit of 24 for men, 36 for ladies.
Green fee: €400 (caddie €70–€160 extra)
The end of the Ring of Kerry, and the back nine along the dunes is as good as links golf gets. Caddies around €100, not guaranteed — book them.
Green fee: €400–€425
Arnold Palmer's first European design, on a stretch of coast used in Ryan's Daughter. The shoulder-season rate is one of the best deals in Irish golf.
Green fee: €250 shoulder / €450 high season
Old Tom Morris and Alister MacKenzie, and the famous blind par-3 Dell. Up 20% for 2026, which tells you how much demand there is.
Green fee: €450
Enormous dunes and a resort attached, with the widest seasonal price range on this list — the low-season rate is under half the summer weekend one.
Green fee: €250–€525 by season and day
The classic Dublin members' links and one of the great flat-out tests of ball-striking. Buggies need a medical certificate. Lunch included in the fee.
Green fee: Around €530 including lunch
An hour north of the city and a genuine connoisseur's course — less famous than Portmarnock, no less good, considerably cheaper.
Green fee: €365
Regularly ranked the best course in the world. Championship links on select weekdays, April to October; the tee sheet opens once a year and vanishes.
Green fee: £450 (caddie £75–£110, cash)
2025 Open venue, and busier than ever because of it. The Valley Links next door is a fine course in its own right at less than half the price.
Green fee: £420 (Valley £200)
The front nine through the dunes is worth the trip on its own. The winter rate on mats is the cheapest serious links golf in Ireland.
Green fee: £70 winter / £195 shoulder / £335 summer
The west — Enniscrone, Carne at Belmullet, Rosapenna and Ballyliffin — is where the value is, with big dune golf and quiet tee sheets. Rates there move around and we couldn't confirm current figures for all of them, so ring the club; you'll usually be pleasantly surprised.
On the prices: these are indicative 2026 visitor rates gathered from course and operator listings, shown to help you budget. Green fees change with season, day of the week and where you're staying — always confirm direct with the course before you commit a group to it.
| Months | Typical daytime | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| April–May | 12–15°C | Long days, shoulder pricing at several clubs, courses firming up. Around 75mm of rain in May — which for Ireland is a good month. |
| June | 18–19°C | The pick of the year. Longest daylight, fewer rain days than August, and conditions at their best. Book it early. |
| July–August | 18–19°C | Warmest and busiest, and August is the wettest of the summer months despite carrying high-season prices. School holidays push demand everywhere. |
| September | 13–15°C | Shoulder rates return, conditions still excellent, and the tee sheets loosen. The value month if June is gone. |
| Airports | Dublin (DUB) for the east; Kerry (KIR) and Shannon (SNN) for the south west; Belfast (BFS/BHD) for the Causeway Coast; Knock (NOC) for the west |
| Direct from | Dublin: twenty-plus UK airports. Kerry: Luton, Stansted, Manchester. Shannon: Heathrow, Stansted, Manchester and more. Belfast: most of the UK |
| Flight time | About an hour to Dublin or Belfast, 1h15–1h35 to Kerry or Shannon |
| By ferry | Holyhead–Dublin is about 3h15; Cairnryan–Belfast about 2h15. Worth it for a group driving with clubs and trolleys — car and passengers typically £125–£400 depending on sailing |
| Driving between regions | Dublin to Killarney about 3h30; Dublin to Portrush about 3h. Don't try to combine Kerry and the Causeway Coast in one short trip |
| Currency | Euro in the Republic, sterling in Northern Ireland. A Portrush-and-Portmarnock itinerary needs both |
The south west base. Ballybunion, Waterville, Tralee and Dooks all reachable, plus enough pubs and restaurants to keep a society occupied for a week.
The Causeway Coast. Royal Portrush, Portstewart and Castlerock on the doorstep and Royal County Down about ninety minutes away. Sterling, so easy for a UK group.
For Portmarnock, The Island and Baltray, with a city on the doorstep. The easiest Irish trip to organise and the best for non-golfing evenings.
Clare. Small, golf-obsessed towns where the course is the centre of things. Shannon is under an hour away.
| Tier | Per person | What that buys |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | £700–£950 | Flights or ferry, guesthouse or budget hotel, three rounds on the strong second tier — The Island, Baltray, Enniscrone, Portstewart shoulder rate. |
| Mid-range | £1,400–£1,900 | One bucket-list round — Ballybunion, Lahinch or Portrush — plus two good seconds, a 3 or 4-star base, and a caddie for the big day. |
| Luxury | £3,000–£4,500+ | Royal County Down and Royal Portrush plus a Portmarnock or Adare-tier third, caddies every round, 5-star accommodation. The green fees alone are £1,300–£1,500. |
Indicative planning ranges built from current green fees and typical accommodation rates — not quotes. Exchange rates, season and how far ahead you book will all move these. Use them to set expectations with the group, then price the real thing.
Tell us your departure airports, group size, budget and dates. You'll get three complete itineraries — budget, mid-range and luxury — with courses, hotels, flights and booking links, in about a minute.