10 Day Ireland Coastal Golf Itinerary
Ten days, ten links, one continuous coast road. This is the great Irish road trip, following the Wild Atlantic Way north from Cork to Donegal and stitching together the richest run of links golf on earth: the clifftop drama of Old Head, the Kerry giants Waterville, Ballybunion and Tralee, Clare's Lahinch and Doonbeg, and the wild, empty, value rich north west. Here is the route, day by day, with indicative 2026 green fees and drive times.
Photograph: Ballybunion Golf Club, via Google
Who this trip suits
This is the full Irish links pilgrimage, built for the golfer who wants the lot: the famous names, the hidden north west gems, and the coast road that ties them together. It is a touring trip rather than a single base, so you move every night or two, drive some of the most beautiful roads in Europe between rounds, and let the golf unspool from the grand clifftop opening at Old Head to the quiet majesty of Donegal. It suits a committed group or a couple who treat the journey as part of the holiday, and it flexes: drop a round and spend a day on the Ring of Kerry, or swap a marquee fee for a value gem in the north west.
The two decisions that shape the trip are direction and season. South to north builds best, growing from the big Kerry and Clare names into the wild, cheaper links beyond, while May to September gives the firmest turf and the longest evenings. Get those right, plan the drives so no hop is punishing, and ten days on this coast become the trip of a golfing lifetime.
The 10 day plan
Old Head of Kinsale
Begin with the most dramatic opening tee shot in Ireland, on a promontory that juts two miles into the Atlantic with the ocean on three sides and cliffs falling 300 feet to the water. Old Head is spectacle as much as golf, and at an indicative 500 euro it is among the most expensive rounds in the country, but nobody forgets it. A short drive from Cork airport, it makes the perfect grand overture before the trip heads north and west.
Waterville Golf Links
On the Ring of Kerry at the head of Ballinskelligs Bay, Waterville is a links of huge dunes, long carries and one of the great finishing stretches in the game, beloved of Payne Stewart and the touring pros who tune up here before the Open. An Eddie Hackett classic later restored by Tom Fazio, it is pure, big scale links at an indicative 425 euro. About an hour and a half from Old Head through some of Kerry's finest scenery.
Ballybunion, Old Course
The course Tom Watson called the finest he had ever seen, a tumbling masterpiece where the dunes run right to the Atlantic and the cliffs frame the back nine. Refined by Tom Simpson in the 1930s and revered ever since, Ballybunion's Old Course is the spiritual heart of any Irish links trip. At an indicative 450 euro it sits among the marquee names, and rightly so. About an hour north of Waterville along the Kerry coast.
Tralee Golf Club
Arnold Palmer's first European design, on the Barrow peninsula above a curve of white sand, where a benign opening nine gives way to a back nine carved through towering dunes that ranks among the most thrilling in Ireland. Palmer famously said he designed the front and the Lord designed the back. At an indicative 280 euro it is fine value beside its Kerry neighbours, and just over half an hour from Ballybunion.
Lahinch Golf Club, Old Course
Cross the Shannon into Clare for the St Andrews of Ireland, laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1892 and reshaped by Alister MacKenzie, with the quirky Klondyke and Dell holes that no modern architect would dare build. Lively, characterful and right in the heart of its seaside town, Lahinch is a joy at an indicative 450 euro. Reach it by the Killimer car ferry across the Shannon estuary, a scenic shortcut from Kerry.
Trump International Golf Links, Doonbeg
A Greg Norman links from 2002, draped along a crescent of dunes and beach on the Clare coast, with a famous short par three set hard against the Atlantic and greens tucked among some of the tallest dunes in Irish golf. Now part of the Trump resort and a fine stay and play base, it is an indicative 350 euro and a natural pairing with Lahinch just up the road, about 40 minutes away.
Carne Golf Links, Belmullet
The drive north into Mayo is long but the reward is one of the most remote and thrilling links in the world, Eddie Hackett's final masterpiece laid through gigantic, untamed dunes at the very end of the Belmullet peninsula. Raw, natural and gloriously good value at an indicative 110 euro, Carne is where the trip leaves the crowds behind for good. Stay nearby and let the wild Atlantic light do its work.
Enniscrone Golf Club
On the way back east toward Sligo, Enniscrone is a hidden gem of soaring dunes and rumpled fairways above Killala Bay, an Eddie Hackett layout later extended by Donald Steel that punches far above its modest fee. At an indicative 110 euro it is one of the best value rounds of the entire trip, and a perfect bridge between the wild Mayo coast and the classic links around Sligo town. About an hour from Carne.
County Sligo Golf Club, Rosses Point
The great Harry Colt links of the north west, spread on a headland beneath the flat top of Ben Bulben in the land of W. B. Yeats, host of the West of Ireland Championship for over a century. Rosses Point is classic, windswept, strategic golf with sea views from almost every hole, an indicative 320 euro and a fitting grand round before the final push to Donegal. About 40 minutes from Enniscrone.
Donegal Golf Club, Murvagh
Finish on a vast, peaceful peninsula on Donegal Bay, an Eddie Hackett links of immense scale and big, bold holes set among dunes and pine, with the Bluestack Mountains as a backdrop. One of the longest and least crowded great links in Ireland, Murvagh is a serene, spacious close to the trip at an indicative 100 euro, the best value finale you could ask for. About an hour north of Sligo.
Green fees, drive times and logistics
| Round | Indicative 2026 fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Old Head of Kinsale | Around 500 euro | Short drive from Cork airport |
| Waterville | Around 425 euro | About 90 minutes from Old Head |
| Ballybunion, Old | Around 450 euro | About 1 hour north of Waterville |
| Tralee | Around 280 euro | About 35 minutes from Ballybunion |
| Lahinch, Old | Around 450 euro | Via the Killimer Shannon car ferry |
| Trump Doonbeg | Around 350 euro | About 40 minutes from Lahinch |
| Carne, Belmullet | Around 110 euro | A long but scenic drive north into Mayo |
| Enniscrone | Around 110 euro | About 1 hour from Carne toward Sligo |
| County Sligo, Rosses Point | Around 320 euro | About 40 minutes from Enniscrone |
| Donegal, Murvagh | Around 100 euro | About 1 hour north of Sligo |
Green fees and drive times verified indicatively in June 2026 from course and ranking listings; they vary by season and change without notice, so always confirm current rates and availability directly before booking. Find bases along the route.
When to go and where to stay
Play the trip between May and September for the firmest turf, the longest daylight and the best odds of dry links weather, accepting peak fees and busier sheets, with June often the driest month. Late April and late September are strong shoulder value, with quieter courses and lower rates, at the cost of a higher chance of Atlantic weather. Because this is a touring route, plan to change base several times: Kinsale or Killarney for the south, Lahinch or Doonbeg for Clare, then Belmullet, Sligo and Donegal town as you head north. A hire car is essential, the drives are part of the joy, and a driver lets the group enjoy the evenings in the pubs and seafood towns along the way. Always confirm rates and availability before booking.
Plan your 10 day Ireland coastal trip
We sequence the tee times the length of the Wild Atlantic Way, match your bases to each leg, sort the Shannon ferry and the long northern drives, and arrange caddies and transfers so the ten days flow. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling, and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Ireland coastal itinerary questions
What is the best 10 day coastal golf itinerary in Ireland?
A ten day coastal trip can follow the Wild Atlantic Way north from Cork to Donegal and take in the finest run of links in the world. Open at the clifftop Old Head of Kinsale, work up through Waterville, Ballybunion and Tralee in Kerry, cross to Lahinch and Trump Doonbeg in Clare, then push into the quieter north west for Carne, Enniscrone, County Sligo and Donegal at Murvagh. Ten rounds, one continuous coast road, no backtracking. Always confirm current tee times and fees directly before booking.
How much does a 10 day Ireland golf trip cost in green fees?
Ten rounds on this route add up to roughly 3,000 pounds, or about 3,500 euro, per golfer in peak 2026 green fees alone, weighted heavily toward the marquee Kerry and Clare links. The north west courses cut the average sharply: Carne, Enniscrone and Donegal are a fraction of the Kerry rates while ranking among the best value links anywhere. Travel in the shoulder season to lower the total further. These are indicative figures, so always confirm current fees directly before booking.
Should you drive the route south to north or north to south?
Either works, but south to north builds beautifully. Starting at Old Head near Cork airport and finishing in Donegal lets the trip grow from the grand clifftop opening through the great Kerry and Clare names into the wild, empty, value rich links of the north west, so the golf gets quieter and cheaper while the scenery only gets bigger. Fly out of a northern airport such as Knock or Belfast, or loop back for the southern return. A planner can sequence the drives to keep each hop short.
When is the best time for an Ireland links trip?
May to September gives the best chance of dry, firm links golf and the longest daylight, with June often the driest month, and this is also peak price and the busiest tee sheets. Late April and late September are excellent shoulder value, with lower fees and quieter courses, at the cost of a higher chance of weather. Whenever you go, pack for wind and rain, because the Atlantic coast can serve all four seasons in a round. Always confirm current rates and tee times before booking.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Indicative green fees and drive times verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.