Private tours of Ireland with Golf

Par 72 • 6,839 Yards

One of Ireland's most famous and prestigious golf courses, Portmarnock is also among its most expensive. Having hosted an impressive back catalogue of major tournaments, this picturesque course enjoys a global reputation for relatively open and surprisingly forgiving links golf. Avid fans may recognise the distinctive dogleg-left 14th hole (par 4) with a raised green which, at least visually, is perhaps the highlight of the course.

Par 72 • 7,277 Yards

Visitors from the United States will find the parkland golf on offer at The K Club very familiar. The club has two courses; the flagship Palmer North has hosted The Ryder Cup in 2006 and multiple Irish Opens - most recently in 2023 and 2025, when Rory McIlroy claimed victory, with another edition scheduled for 2027. With Pinehurst, Sawgrass and Doral all much closer to home, many US tourists may choose to stay away in favour of courses which showcase the links golf which makes the Irish game so different. But those who bypass this iconic club will be missing out on meticulous course maintenance, flawless greens and top-class amenities.

Par 72 • 7,130 yards

Calling on designers and collaborators from a diverse range of golfing fields and relying on the stunning setting presented by Mother Nature, the Old Head Of Kinsale has grown to become one of the planet's most sought after golfing days out. Built on a 220-acre headland that reaches out over two miles into the Atlantic Ocean, with a lighthouse at its peak and the ocean surrounding you at all sides, it really is a golfing experience like no other. The par 72, 18 holes are broken down into five Par 5s, five Par 3s and eight Par 4s, nine of which play along the cliff tops. Enjoy oak-lined locker rooms, a warm-up range, a putting green and an area to practice your short game. There's also an executive helicopter service, should the mood take you.

Par 71 • 6,738 yards

Until the 1980s, when Tom Watson declared it one of the world's finest golf courses, Ballybunion was largely unknown to the outside world. Since that time, however, its car park has been full of coaches and limousines as golf fans from all backgrounds pay tribute to a links course that truly sets the standard. Summer visitors should expect to book up to a full year in advance.

Golf photographer and writer Kevin Markham names Ballybunion a non-negotiable on any Irish golf trip: "Obviously Ballybunion and Waterville - play those, that's great."

Par 72 • 6,950 yards

Welcome to one of the most debated, eulogized and generally talked-about courses in all of golf. The Lahinch Old Course bears the fingerprints of no fewer than three architects, with Old Tom Morris putting in the original groundwork (1894) and Martin Hawtree making modern-day refinements to a course whose best features are largely credited to Alister MacKenzie and his 1920s redesign. Perhaps the most notable challenge on this course is one for which no mortal designer can take credit: the wind and weather at Lahinch are hugely unpredictable, affecting play enormously. Discussion in the clubhouse will likely centre around the two most famous holes, the fourth and fifth - known as 'The Klondyke' and 'The Dell' respectively. Here, steep hills and blind shots will give visitors much to talk about and much to blame.

Par 72 • 6,889 yards

Greg Norman's first links course is a testament to how skilfully he transitioned from player to parkland architect and then to links designer. In a setting which closely resembles Lahinch just 20 minutes up the coast, Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Doonbeg (locally known as Doonbeg Golf Club) offers stunning ocean views on no fewer than 16 holes, 6 of which lead right to the water's edge. Every hole has its own unique character here, with the par threes and short par fours being particularly memorable. Encouragingly wide fairways make the course quite forgiving but, with thick rough growing to knee length, be warned any shot straying beyond the primary cut will be gone forever.

Par 72 • 7,220 yards

Ireland's northernmost golf course, the Old Links at Ballyliffin was declared by Nick Faldo to be the most natural links he had ever seen. This may go some way in explaining why the course is affectionately known as 'The Mounds'. Here, the challenging topography includes a litany of moguls, basins, bunkers, boulders, sandhills and thick rough grass which is all but inescapable. Exposed to the capricious North Atlantic, the weather here is windy and unpredictable. When you make it to the greens, your worries are not over: frequently, they are turtlebacked and hard to approach. So, a test awaits any golfer who ventures this far north. However, for those who do make the trip and stay long enough to enjoy the Old Links and its younger sibling, Glashedy Links, a magnificent 36-hole experience awaits.

Par 72 • 7,118 yards

One of three fine courses at Portstewart, The Strand course offers one of the most spectacular opening nines in world golf. The course was originally built by Willie Park Jr in 1894. Much of what is played today is credited to the 1990 addition of a new seven-hole loop, designed by local schoolteacher Des Giffin - after whom the par-3 6th hole is now named. The results are a Mecca for serious golfers looking to test their links game and, for any visiting player, a serious challenge awaits.

Par 72 • 7,319 yards

Golf has been played at Royal Portrush since 1888, but it was in 1947 that Harry Colt's 18-hole masterpiece was unveiled. It has been known ever since as the Dunluce Links. Like all great links courses, the Dunluce takes masterful advantage of an undulating coastal landscape with well-placed bunkers and merciless rough. The greens, among the best in the world, permit no lapses in concentration. Also, typical of links courses is the wind and unpredictable weather. But Royal Portrush remains a fair test of the game for mid-level golfers to world-class pros. The recent addition of two new holes (7th and 8th) has taken the Dunluce to the next level and was rewarded with The Open returning in 2019 and again in 2025. The Dunluce's sister-course, The Valley Course, would rank as a top-flight championship course if it were situated anywhere in the world but immediately next to the Dunluce.