11 Beautiful Golf Courses To Play In Ireland

With nearly 300 different golf courses – including 22 that made in into the newly released Golf Monthly UK and Ireland top 100 list for 2017/18 – lovers of this sport are spoilt for choice on the island of Ireland. But if you’re choosing based on the view, here are the most beautiful.

Royal County Down Golf Club

Founded in 1889, the Royal County Down Golf Club is one of Ireland’s oldest. The brainchild of a group of wealthy businessmen from Belfast, it was most likely chosen for its proximity to that city and its stunning vistas – it flanks the Irish sea and the beautiful Mourne mountain range, home to the highest peaks in Northern Ireland. This club has placed at number one in Golf Digest’s top 100 world rankings for the past two years running.
Royal County Down Golf Club, 36 Golf Links Roadd, Newcastle, UK +44 (0) 28 4372 3314

The European Club

The European Club golf links can be found next to Brittas Bay – a four-kilometre stretch of Blue Flag Beach and dunes just south of Dublin. Any closer to the water and golfers would be in the surf – the course boasts ‘sweeping sea views from nineteen of twenty holes.’
The European Club, Brittas, Brittas Bay, County Wicklow, Ireland +353 404 47415

Dooks Golf Club

County Kerry’s Dooks Golf Club is of the same fine vintage as the previous two, also originally established in 1889. Situated on the Iveragh Peninsula that is home to the spectacularly scenic Ring of Kerry driving route, the surroundings are reliably picturesque, but its relatively sheltered position close to Castlemaine Harbour provides some welcome wind cover.

The County Sligo Golf Club

The 17th hole at County Sligo Golf Club | Courtesy of County Sligo Golf Club

Based on the Rosses point peninsula in Sligo, the County Sligo Golf Club is encircled by the same lush landscapes that inspired both William and Jack Yeats in their art, with the Atlantic Ocean stretching out ahead of it, and the Ben Bulben rock formation behind. Now a 27-hole complex, this club has hosted the annual West of Ireland Amateur Open championship since 1923.

Royal Portrush Golf Club

Sports Center

Northern Ireland’s beautiful Royal Portrush Golf Club benefits from a position on the Antrim coast, not far from the Giant’s Causeway area of ancient stone columns formed by volcanic eruption. It is nestled on a triangle of sand-hills, looking across the North Atlantic to Scotland’s Isle of Islay. One of the two courses at Royal Portrush is named for the 13th century Dunluce Castle ruins which overlook it.

Ballybunion Golf Club

County Kerry is the site of some of Ireland’s most striking scenery, so it is fitting that another Kerry course should make the list – that of Ballybunion. This seaside holiday village has a golf club which runs along an undisturbed stretch of Atlantic shoreline just south of the Shannon Estuary. It has attracted golfers like American pro Tom Watson, and even warranted a visit from Bill Clinton while he was President of the United States.

Glen Of The Downs Golf Club

Glen of the Downs golf course | © Coilin/Pixabay

The Glen of the Downs golf club can be found in County Wicklow, also known as ‘the garden of Ireland’ for its abundant natural beauty. Designed by the renowned course designer Peter McEvoy, it has a panoramic view of the Wicklow Mountains and the Irish Sea.
Glen of the Downs Golf Club, Coolnaskeagh, Delgany, County Wicklow, Ireland +353 1 287 6240

Old Head Golf Links

Located along the Wild Atlantic Way tourist trail that traces the entire west coast, the Old Head Golf Linksis set on a diamond of land extending two miles out into the Atlantic Ocean. The 18-hole course here is surrounded by dramatic cliffs that rise as high as 300 feet in some places, with the distinctive black and white lighthouse visible in background.

Lahinch Golf Club

When speaking about the small town of Lahinch on Liscannor Bay, minds tend to instantly jump to sports of the water variety, but the dunes of Lahinch have been home to a world-class golf club since 1892. Not far from the Cliffs of Moher – one of Ireland’s biggest natural attractions – the course was first designed by the famous Scottish golfer Old Tom Morris.

Portmarnock Golf Club

The north Dublin coastal suburb of Portmarnock is the site of another Irish club ranked in the world’s top 100 by Golf Digest, one rightly proud of the fact that World Golf Hall of Fame member Bernard Darwin is quoted as saying ‘I know of no greater finish in the world than that of the last five holes at Portmarnock.’ The club’s location on a sandy peninsula south of the village means that it is bounded by beach on all sides. Unfortunately, it is also one of only two top golf clubs in Ireland to continue to prohibit women from becoming members.

Lough Erne Resort & Golf Club

Resort

Lough Erne is is the name given to two large connected lakes in the Northern Ireland county of Fermanagh. The Lough Erne Resort and golf club overlooks Castle Hume Lough, a few miles from an expansive area of woodland known as Ely Lodge Forest, and both of Lough Erne’s two championship golf courses enjoy enviable surroundings.

About the author

Kate Phelan

From Irish cuisine to the best gallery shows, Kate covers everything Ireland has to offer. She has bylines in numerous publications including IMAGE Interiors & Living.