Ireland holds more great links than almost anywhere, and the hard part of a first trip is choosing. These are the eight courses to build that trip around, the unmissable links of the north and the southwest, ranked with our verdict on each and a clear steer on which region to pick first.
Photograph: Royal Portrush Golf Club, World Golf News, via Google
The single most useful decision is to pick a region rather than the whole island. Ireland's two great links clusters, the north around the Causeway Coast and the southwest across Kerry and Clare, sit a long drive apart, and trying to play both on a first visit means too many hours in the car. We have ranked the eight courses we would put at the heart of a first trip, weighting the quality of the golf, the strength of the welcome and how naturally each fits a sensible week. Most of these are walking links of the highest order, and the scenery is half the reason to come.
Every fact here was checked at the time of writing in June 2026 by the GolfForKings editorial desk. These are among the most sought after tee times in Irish golf, with green fees that run into the hundreds in high season and booking windows that open months ahead, so treat any figures as a guide and always confirm directly before booking. The verdicts are ours. If you want a first Irish trip routed properly, with the right tee times secured, that is exactly what our concierge does.
Regularly ranked the best course in the world and the one round no first trip should miss. Laid out beneath the Mountains of Mourne at Newcastle, with origins traced to Old Tom Morris, it tumbles through giant dunes with blind shots, bearded bunkers and a front nine many call the finest in golf. The setting, the mountains falling to the sea, is unmatched. It is a stern, beautiful test and the spiritual high point of golf in the north.
The only course in Ireland to host the Open, twice in recent memory, and a thrilling, modern championship links on the Antrim coast. The Harry Colt routing weaves along the dunes with famous holes like Calamity Corner, framed by the ruins of Dunluce Castle and the white cliffs of the Causeway Coast. It is more accessible in feel than County Down but no less serious, and pairing the two makes the strongest possible case for starting your Irish golf in the north.
As pure as links golf gets, set high above the Atlantic on the Kerry coast and famously named by Tom Watson as among his favourite courses anywhere. The towering dunes shape every shot, the cliffside holes on the back nine are unforgettable, and the raw, natural feel of the place is exactly what golfers cross oceans for. The anchor of any southwest trip and, for many, the single most enjoyable round in Ireland.
The St Andrews of Ireland, first laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1892 on the dunes above Liscannor Bay and reworked by Alister MacKenzie in 1927. The quirky old Klondyke and Dell holes survive as monuments to its origins, and the whole course is characterful, fun and full of charm, ringed by the famous weather forecasting goats. A short hop north of Kerry, it slots perfectly into a southwest trip and never fails to delight.
Out on the Ring of Kerry, Waterville flows through rumpled dunes with mountains on one side and the Atlantic on the other, a place of rugged beauty and strategic brilliance. Long a favourite practice ground for visiting tour professionals before the Open, it rewards good ball striking and rewards the eye at every turn. Remote, magnificent and a fixture of the great Kerry loop alongside Ballybunion and Tralee.
Arnold Palmer's first European design and a course he is said to have built the front nine while nature built the back. The opening holes run along a beach used in film, before the back nine plunges into wild, towering dunes high above the Atlantic. The views across the bay to the Slieve Mish mountains are among the most dramatic in Irish golf. A thrilling, scenic round and a natural third leg of a Kerry trip.
The great links of the Dublin coast, laid out on a peninsula just north of the city and long a host of the Irish Open and a fixture on lists of the best courses in the world. Flat by the standards of the Kerry giants but subtle and exacting, with the wind the chief defence and a run of par 4s as fine as any in Ireland. Its closeness to Dublin airport makes it the ideal opening or closing round, whichever region you build the trip around.
Not a true links but unlike anything else in golf, Old Head occupies a diamond shaped headland that juts more than two miles into the Atlantic off Kinsale, with nine holes playing along cliff edges hundreds of feet above the sea. It is pure spectacle, a bucket list experience more than a subtle test, and on a clear day there is no more photographed round in Ireland. A memorable add on near Cork and the gateway to the southwest.
Course facts verified June 2026 by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course profiles are added across the site as the directory grows. Always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
Six of these eight split into two natural trips. The north pairs Royal County Down and Royal Portrush along the Causeway Coast, easy from Belfast or Dublin and playable in a tight loop. The southwest strings Ballybunion, Waterville, Tralee and nearby Lahinch through Kerry and Clare, with Old Head near Kinsale and Portmarnock by Dublin as the standout extras at either end. For a first trip we would pick one cluster, play it without rushing, and save the other for next time. These are coveted tee times, so book well ahead and pack for wind and rain in any month.
| Item | Indicative 2026 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Green fee, the marquee links | Around 250 to 400 euro or pounds | Royal County Down and Portrush at the top end in peak summer |
| Green fee, the great Kerry and Clare links | Around 150 to 300 euro | Ballybunion, Waterville, Tralee and Lahinch |
| Booking window | Often several months ahead | Peak season May to September fills fastest, plan early |
Indicative third party figures for the 2026 season, shown to set expectations only. We are a guide, not an operator, and never quote our own pricing. Always confirm directly before booking.
Tell us roughly when and who is travelling, and whether the north or the southwest appeals. One concierge secures the tee times, routes the driving and books the bases, costs the whole trip to the head, and replies within one working day, with no obligation.
For a first trip, build around Royal County Down and Royal Portrush in the north, then the great Kerry and Clare links of the southwest, Ballybunion Old, Lahinch, Waterville and Tralee, with Portmarnock near Dublin and the clifftop Old Head near Kinsale as standout extras. Most first timers pick one region rather than crossing the whole island, since the north and southwest are a long drive apart.
Both are world class. The north pairs Royal County Down and Royal Portrush, two of the finest links on earth, with the Causeway Coast, and is easy from Belfast or Dublin. The southwest strings together Ballybunion, Waterville, Tralee and nearby Lahinch with stunning Kerry and Clare scenery. For a first visit, choose one region and play it well rather than racing between the two.
The marquee courses, especially Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Ballybunion, Lahinch and Old Head, fill quickly for the May to September peak, so aim to book several months ahead to secure preferred tee times. Green fees at the headline links run into the hundreds in 2026 high season. Always confirm current fees and tee times directly before booking.
Irish links, the booking windows that matter and where to play next. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.