Photo: Old Head Golf Links via Google.
Old Head Green Fees and Tee Times
Old Head of Kinsale is one of the most spectacular rounds in the world, a clifftop links reaching two miles into the Atlantic, and it carries a green fee to match. Here is exactly what it costs to play in 2026, when the course is open, what the caddie and cart extras run to, and how to get on.
The short answer
Old Head Golf Links publishes a 2026 green fee of around €500 for 18 holes in high season and around €250 in low season. High season runs from 22 April to 11 October 2026, and the short low season from 12 October to 31 October, after which the course closes for the winter. These are the resort's own published rates rather than a market estimate, but golf fees move, so always confirm the current price directly with Old Head before booking. There is no twilight or nine hole rate published; the headland is set up for a single, unhurried round of eighteen.
What you are paying for is one of the genuinely unrepeatable experiences in golf: a links laid out across the Old Head of Kinsale, a narrow promontory that juts roughly two miles into the Atlantic, with nine holes running along clifftops that fall two hundred feet to the sea. It is more expensive than almost any links in Ireland, but it sits in a category of its own for sheer drama. Most visitors fold the round into a wider south west Ireland golf trip, pairing it with the great Cork and Kerry links rather than travelling for Old Head alone.
Old Head green fees and extras, 2026
| Item | When it applies | 2026 rate |
|---|---|---|
| 18 holes, high season | 22 April to 11 October 2026 | Around €500 per person |
| 18 holes, low season | 12 October to 31 October 2026 | Around €250 per person |
| Senior caddie | Single bag, or per bag for a double | Around €90 single, €70 per bag double |
| Fore caddie | One player up to a group of four | Around €80 for one, down to €30 per group of four |
| Golf cart | Per cart, where permitted | Around €60 |
| Club rental | Titleist, Callaway or TaylorMade sets | Around €60 |
| Push trolley | Per trolley | Around €10 |
Rates published by Old Head Golf Links for the 2026 season and verified in June 2026. Caddies are independent contractors and their availability cannot be guaranteed even when requested in advance. All figures are for guidance only and subject to change; always confirm current fees directly with Old Head before booking. Check tee time availability.
How the Old Head fee structure works
The pricing at Old Head is simple by the standards of the world's marquee courses: one high season rate, one low season rate, and a short calendar. The difference between the two is stark, with the late October low season round at around €250 costing roughly half the high season fee of around €500. The catch is the weather. The low season window is narrow and falls late in autumn, when the Atlantic headland can be wild and exposed; for some the conditions add to the romance, while for others they argue strongly for paying the high season premium and playing in the settled summer months. There is no resort guest discount in the way Turnberry or Pebble Beach structure their pricing, because Old Head is first and foremost a members' and visitors' links rather than a hotel golf operation, though it now offers a small number of luxury suites on the headland.
Beyond the green fee, the extras add up quickly, and most visitors take them. A caddie is close to essential on a course this dramatic and this exposed: the lines off the clifftop tees are not obvious, the wind is a constant factor and a good looper turns a nervous round into a memorable one. Budget around €90 for a senior caddie on a single bag, plus a customary tip. A cart at around €60 is worth considering for anyone who would rather save their legs for the views, though walking with a caddie or a trolley is the classic way to take in the headland. Factor these into the real cost of the day before you travel.
When to play and how to save
The single biggest saving at Old Head is the low season rate, but it comes at the cost of the weather and a much shorter window. If you are flexible and hardy, the second half of October offers the headland at around half price, and there is a real argument that a stormy day two hundred feet above the Atlantic is the truest way to experience the place. For most visitors, though, the value calculation runs the other way: the high season from late April to early October delivers the longest days, the firmest turf and the best chance of the clear conditions that make the clifftop holes unforgettable, and it is worth the premium on a once in a lifetime round. The shoulder weeks of late April and early October sit inside high season but tend to be quieter, with easier tee time availability than the July and August peak.
The other way to control the cost is to build Old Head into a wider trip rather than treating it as a standalone splurge. Paired with the great links of Ireland across Cork and Kerry, the round becomes the centrepiece of a tour rather than a single expensive day, and a planned itinerary often secures tee times and accommodation more efficiently than booking each piece alone. For the wider picture on what links golf costs across the island, our guide to Ireland's green fees covers the rest of the marquee names.
The course: what you are paying for
Old Head Golf Links opened in 1997, the realisation of a vision by brothers John and Patrick O'Connor to build a course on one of the most extraordinary sites imaginable. The design was a collaboration between several hands, including the American architect Ron Kirby, the Irish amateur legend Joe Carr, the revered Irish course architect Eddie Hackett, Paddy Merrigan and Liam Higgins. The result is a par 72 of around 7,200 yards from the tips, laid out across the Old Head of Kinsale, a slender promontory that reaches roughly two miles out into the Atlantic and is all but surrounded by ocean.
Nine of the holes run along clifftops that fall as much as two hundred feet to the sea, and the routing uses the full drama of the headland, with tee shots played out over the Atlantic and greens perched above the surf. A ruined lighthouse and a sixth century promontory fort sit on the land, adding to the sense of a place apart. It is regularly named among the most scenic courses in the world, and while the green fee is among the highest in Ireland, few who play it argue that the experience does not justify the outlay. For golfers building a bucket list of the world's great clifftop rounds, Old Head sits alongside Pebble Beach and Cape Wickham as a course defined by the edge of the land.
How to book a tee time at Old Head
Old Head does not offer open online tee time booking. Reservations are made directly with the club through a reservation enquiry on its website, by emailing [email protected] or [email protected], or by calling +353 21 4778444. The headland takes a limited number of groups each day to preserve the experience, and the marquee summer dates fill well in advance, so early contact is essential, particularly for the July and August peak and for larger groups. The club also offers a small number of luxury suites on the headland for those who want to stay on site, booked separately from the golf.
For most visitors, the simplest route is to fold Old Head into an organised south west Ireland golf trip. A planned itinerary can secure the Old Head tee time alongside rounds at the other great Cork and Kerry links, arrange the accommodation and transfers, and take the uncertainty out of booking each element separately. The enquiry form below is the fastest way to get current availability and a costed plan in one conversation, with no obligation.
Plan an Old Head golf trip
We work with specialist operators to match your dates, your courses and your accommodation across south west Ireland in one package. Tell us when you want to go and how many are travelling, and we will come back with a costed itinerary, no obligation.
Old Head green fee questions
How much are Old Head green fees in 2026?
Old Head Golf Links publishes a 2026 green fee of around €500 for 18 holes in high season and around €250 in low season. High season runs from 22 April to 11 October 2026, and low season from 12 October to 31 October 2026, after which the course closes for winter. Caddies, carts and club rental are additional. These are the resort's published rates and are subject to change, so always confirm current fees directly with Old Head before booking.
When is Old Head Golf Links open?
Old Head operates a seasonal calendar. For 2026 the high season runs from 22 April to 11 October and the low season from 12 October to 31 October. The course is closed for the winter from 1 November 2025 to 21 April 2026 inclusive. The exposed Atlantic headland means weather can affect play at the edges of the season, so it is worth confirming conditions directly when booking shoulder dates.
Do you need a caddie at Old Head?
A caddie is not mandatory at Old Head, but most visitors take one given the drama and exposure of the clifftop layout. The 2026 rates list a senior caddie at around €90 for a single bag and €70 per bag for a double, and a fore caddie from around €30 to €80 depending on the size of the group. Caddies are independent contractors and availability cannot be guaranteed even when requested in advance, so book early. A golf cart is around €60 and a push trolley around €10.
How do I book a tee time at Old Head?
Old Head does not offer open online booking; tee times are arranged directly with the club through a reservation enquiry, by emailing [email protected] or [email protected], or by calling +353 21 4778444. Tee times for the marquee summer dates are limited and book up well in advance, so early contact is essential. Many visitors play Old Head as part of a south west Ireland golf trip that bundles the round with accommodation and other Cork and Kerry links.
Who designed Old Head Golf Links and when did it open?
Old Head Golf Links opened in 1997 and was the work of a collaborative design team that included Ron Kirby, the Irish amateur great Joe Carr, the revered Irish architect Eddie Hackett, Paddy Merrigan and Liam Higgins. It occupies a dramatic headland, the Old Head of Kinsale, that reaches roughly two miles out into the Atlantic, with several holes routed along the clifftops two hundred feet above the ocean.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Green fees taken from Old Head Golf Links published 2026 rates and verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.