Walker Cup 2026 at Lahinch
The 51st Walker Cup comes to Lahinch on September 5 to 6, 2026, the first of a new even year cycle, with Great Britain and Ireland out to avenge a Cypress Point rout.
Photo: Phil Lalonde via Google.
The match returns to the links
The 51st Walker Cup comes to Lahinch in County Clare on September 5 and 6, 2026, the leading men's amateur team match between Great Britain and Ireland and the United States returning to a great Irish links. It is the first Walker Cup of a new even year cycle, the biennial event having moved off odd years to avoid clashing with the World Amateur Team Championships and the Olympic Games. Dean Robertson leads a home Great Britain and Ireland side, reappointed after the last match, against a United States team again captained by Nathan Smith.
The Americans arrive as holders and heavy favourites. They won the 50th match 17 to 9 at Cypress Point in September 2025, a result flattered late by an 8 and a half to 1 and a half singles rout but emphatic all the same. Great Britain and Ireland will fancy home links and a partisan crowd to close that gap on the wild Atlantic coast of Clare.
Walker Cup 2026 at a glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Event | The 51st Walker Cup match |
| Venue | Lahinch Golf Club, the Old Course, County Clare, Ireland |
| Dates | September 5 to 6, 2026 |
| Great Britain and Ireland captain | Dean Robertson, reappointed |
| United States captain | Nathan Smith, retained |
| Last match | United States 17, Great Britain and Ireland 9, at Cypress Point in 2025 |
| Format | Amateur foursomes and singles over two days, no prize money |
The venue: Lahinch Old Course
Lahinch is one of the finest links in Ireland and an inspired Walker Cup stage. The Old Course traces its origins to Old Tom Morris, who laid out the first links in 1894, before Alister MacKenzie reworked it in 1927 and Martin Hawtree restored and refined it around 2003. It plays as a par 72 of roughly 6,950 yards over tumbling duneland beside the Atlantic, and it staged the Irish Open in 2019, won by Jon Rahm.
Two of its holes are pure links theatre and have survived essentially untouched for over a century. The Klondyke, a 475 yard par 5, demands a blind second over a towering dune, and the Dell, a 154 yard par 3, plays to a green hidden entirely between two sand hills. They are the kind of quirks the modern game rarely allows and exactly the kind of test that can level a match between the world's best amateurs.
What is at stake
For Great Britain and Ireland this is a home match on a course that rewards links craft, imagination and local knowledge, the very things that can blunt American length and depth. For the United States it is a chance to make it back to back wins and to prove the Cypress Point margin was no fluke. The new even year slot also gives the contest fresh prominence on the amateur calendar, clear of the events it used to share a year with.
It is worth remembering what the Walker Cup is and is not. There is no prize money and no appearance fee, only national pride and a place in the game's history, played by the leading amateurs on both sides. That is a large part of its charm, and why a links like Lahinch suits it so well.
Our take
Lahinch is a brilliant choice and a brilliant excuse to visit the west of Ireland. The Walker Cup is free or inexpensive to watch compared with the professional showpieces, the golf is played in the right spirit, and the surrounding coast of Clare and the wider south west links are among the best golf travel on earth. Pair the trip with our guide to golf in Ireland, our best courses in Ireland and the chance to play the host yourself at Lahinch Old Course.
For the professional counterpart and the other side of this rivalry, read our Ryder Cup 2025 review.
Build a west of Ireland links trip
Lahinch sits at the heart of one of the great links coasts. Tell us when you want to travel and we will build a County Clare and south west Ireland golf trip around it, costed to the head with no obligation.
Walker Cup 2026 questions
When is the 2026 Walker Cup?
The 51st Walker Cup is played on September 5 and 6, 2026. It is the first match of a new even year schedule, moved off odd years to avoid clashing with the World Amateur Team Championships and the Olympic Games.
Where is the 2026 Walker Cup being played?
The 2026 Walker Cup is at Lahinch Golf Club, on the Old Course, in County Clare on the west coast of Ireland. Lahinch is a classic links with origins under Old Tom Morris and a later redesign by Alister MacKenzie.
Who are the 2026 Walker Cup captains?
Dean Robertson captains Great Britain and Ireland, having been reappointed, and Nathan Smith captains the United States, who were retained after winning the 2025 match 17 to 9 at Cypress Point.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Tee time windows, course access changes and the trips worth taking. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Venue, dates, captains and last result verified June 2026 from the R&A, the USGA and official announcements. Last reviewed June 2026.