5 Day Dublin Links Itinerary
Few capital cities sit this close to great links golf. Within an hour of Dublin lie five of Ireland's finest, from the city course at Royal Dublin to the wild dunes of The Island, the classic championship turf of County Louth and Portmarnock, and Pat Ruddy's modern masterpiece, The European Club, down in Wicklow. One base, no long drives, and a week of the real thing. Here is the route, with indicative 2026 green fees and drive times.
Photograph: Portmarnock Golf Club, via Google
Who this trip suits
This is the easiest great links trip in Ireland to organise, built for the golfer who wants championship dunes golf without the long transfers of the south west or the north coast. Dublin gives you a city to stay in, an airport ten minutes from the first tee at Royal Dublin, and five proper links spread along a short stretch of coast. It suits a golf group, a couple or a buddies trip where the evenings call for a good city, and where nobody wants to spend the week in the car.
Two things shape the plan. The first is Portmarnock, whose visitor tee sheet fills a very long way out, so it must be booked early or swapped for the excellent Jameson Links nearby. The second is the season: the east coast sits in the rain shadow of the west and plays dry and firm from late spring to early autumn. Get those right and the rest of the week falls neatly into place around one base.
The 5 day plan
Royal Dublin Golf Club
Open ten minutes from the city centre on Bull Island, a traditional out and back links reshaped by Harry Colt, long associated with Christy O'Connor Senior and a fine, gentle introduction to Irish links golf. The closing stretch, with the dogleg eighteenth, gives the round its sting. Indicative 2026 green fees are around 230 euro in peak season. The most convenient first tee of any links trip in Ireland, and a relaxed start to the week.
The Island Golf Club
North to Donabate for one of the most natural dunes courses in the country, a tumbling links squeezed between the estuary and the sea, with some of the narrowest fairways and most dramatic dune corridors in Ireland. Long overlooked, now firmly in the top tier, it is a thrilling, old fashioned test. Indicative 2026 green fees are around 225 euro in peak season. About thirty minutes from the city; a genuine highlight of the trip.
County Louth Golf Club, Baltray
The marquee classic of the route, a Tom Simpson design from 1938 at Baltray that has hosted the Irish Open and is widely rated among the purest links in the world, prized for the subtlety of its greens and the lack of a weak hole. Quieter and less celebrated than it should be. Indicative 2026 green fees are around 225 euro in peak season. About fifty minutes north of Dublin; worth the run for the best set of greens on the trip.
Portmarnock Golf Club
The grand championship links of the east, a flat, exposed peninsula course dating to 1894 that has hosted the Irish Open many times and is regularly named among the finest links anywhere, defined by its run of testing par 4s and the wind off the bay. The visitor tee sheet fills a long way out, so book early. Indicative 2026 green fees are around 295 euro in peak season, the dearest of the trip. Twenty minutes from the city; the centrepiece round.
The European Club
Close the week south of the city at Pat Ruddy's modern links on the Wicklow coast, a big, bold, dune framed course that Ruddy built and still owns, famous for its long par 4s and the wall of dunes along the back nine. A different, contemporary flavour after the classics. Indicative 2026 green fees are around 250 euro in peak season. About an hour south of Dublin; a fitting, dramatic finish.
Green fees, drive times and logistics
| Round | Indicative 2026 fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Dublin | Around 230 euro | About 10 minutes; Bull Island, city course |
| The Island | Around 225 euro | About 30 minutes; natural dunes links |
| County Louth, Baltray | Around 225 euro | About 50 minutes north; Tom Simpson classic |
| Portmarnock | Around 295 euro | About 20 minutes; book a long way ahead |
| The European Club | Around 250 euro | About 1 hour south in Wicklow; modern links |
Green fees and drive times verified indicatively in June 2026 from course and booking listings; they vary by season and change without notice, so always confirm current rates and availability directly before booking. Find a Dublin base.
When to go and where to stay
Play the trip from May to September for firm, fast links and the long northern evenings that let you tee off late, accepting peak green fees, or take the April and October shoulders for lower rates and a quieter course, often dry on this drier eastern side of Ireland. Base yourself in or near Dublin, either in the city for the restaurants and the nightlife or out at Portmarnock and Malahide to sit closer to four of the five courses, with The European Club the one longer run south. A hire car makes the short hops simple and leaves the evenings free for the city. Book Portmarnock first, then build the week around it.
Plan your Dublin links week
We hold the tee times, secure the hard to book rounds like Portmarnock, match your base to the golf and the city, and arrange the transfers so the week runs smoothly. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling, and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Dublin links itinerary questions
What is the best 5 day golf itinerary around Dublin?
A five day trip based in or near Dublin can take in five genuine links without a long transfer. Open at Royal Dublin on Bull Island, then play The Island at Donabate and the classic County Louth at Baltray to the north, the championship links at Portmarnock, and finish at Pat Ruddy's The European Club down the coast in Wicklow. All five sit within about an hour of the city. Portmarnock has very limited visitor access, so book it far ahead. Always confirm current tee times and fees directly before booking.
How much does a 5 day Dublin links trip cost in green fees?
Five rounds on this route add up to roughly 1,200 to 1,300 euro per golfer in green fees alone in peak 2026 season, led by Portmarnock at an indicative 295 euro. Ireland's east coast links are a touch cheaper than the marquee names on the south west, and the value improves in the spring and autumn shoulders. These are indicative figures that move year to year, so always confirm current fees directly before booking.
Can you play Portmarnock as a visitor in 2026?
Portmarnock Golf Club is exceptionally popular and its visitor tee sheet fills a long way out. For 2026 the club has reported being fully booked for visitors through to the end of September, with the next visitor window opening for the 2027 season. If Portmarnock is a must, plan a long way ahead or build the trip around the other four links and a strong alternative such as the Jameson Links at the nearby Portmarnock Resort. Always confirm current availability directly before booking.
When is the best time for a Dublin links trip?
The prime months are May to September, when the east coast links are firm and fast and the long northern evenings allow late tee times, which is also peak price. The spring and autumn shoulders, April and October, are cheaper and quieter and often dry on this side of Ireland, which sits in the rain shadow of the west. Book a morning time for the calmest wind. Always confirm current seasonal rates and availability directly before booking.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Tee time releases, green fee changes and the booking windows that matter. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Indicative green fees and drive times verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.