Ballybunion Green Fees and Tee Times

The short answer

Ballybunion is a premium round, and the fee reflects a links routinely placed among the very best in the world. For 2026, the visitor green fee on the famous Old Course is about 400 euros in the mid season of mid to late April, rising to about 450 euros in the high season from the start of May to early October. There is a two course offer that pairs a round on the Old with a round on the wilder Cashen for about 575 euros per person in late summer, which is the value play if you have two days. Caddies, well worth taking for the lines and the local knowledge, are extra and arranged separately.

The harder part is the tee sheet, not the fee. Ballybunion is one of the most in demand links anywhere, and prime summer times are claimed many months ahead, so book early. Visitor tee times run Monday to Friday mornings from mid April to early October, excluding bank holiday Mondays, and a valid handicap certificate from your home club is required. Decide whether you want the bucket list Old Course, both courses across two days, or the Old as part of a wider southwest Ireland trip, then reserve as far ahead as you can.

How to book, step by step

Book Ballybunion directly with the golf club by phone or email, and book early. The Old Course is one of the most sought after links in the world, so prime summer tee times are reserved many months ahead, and the earlier you commit the better your choice of day and time. Visitor times run Monday to Friday mornings from mid April to early October, excluding bank holiday Mondays, and you will need a valid handicap certificate from your home club, so carry proof. The Old Course is a walking links, and a caddie is well worth taking for the blind shots, the lines off the tee and the run of the greens, booked separately and paid on the day. If two days are possible, the two course offer pairing the Old with the Cashen is the smart way to see both.

For a single visitor without a confirmed group, the club can sometimes pair you into an available time, but a booked tee time well ahead is the dependable plan. Many southwest Ireland golf tours pre book Ballybunion as the centrepiece of a Kerry and Clare links trip, which guarantees the time and threads it into a wider itinerary. Decide whether Ballybunion is a day trip or the heart of a links tour, then build the rest around it.

When to go, and what to expect

The Ballybunion season for visitors runs from about mid April to early October, with high summer the warmest, busiest and most expensive window and the spring and early autumn shoulders offering a touch more room and the mid season fee. The links plays year round for members, but the Atlantic weather is the great variable, and a calm, dry day here is precious while a windy one is a test of every shot. Expect the Old Course to play as a par 71 of about 6,802 yards through some of the largest, most dramatic dunes in golf, with blind drives, tumbling fairways and greens perched above the sea, the course Tom Watson loved and helped restore. It is a roller coaster of a links and, for many, the round of a lifetime.