Ireland & Britain Golf Courses Guide

Adare Manor is the host venue for the 2027 Ryder Cup - a fact that places it firmly at the top of any serious golfer's list of Irish must-plays. The course was completely redesigned and rebuilt by celebrated American architect Tom Fazio between 2016 and 2017, set within the parkland estate of one of Europe's finest manor house hotels on the banks of the River Maigue. Golf photographer and writer Kevin Markham describes it as "Ireland's most manicured" course, and praises its exceptional playability: "You've got plenty of fairway, you've got massive greens - anybody can go and play it." Whether you're a low handicapper chasing a challenge or a casual golfer wanting a world-class experience, the layout is designed to be enjoyed at every level.

Please note: The golf course at Adare Manor is exclusively available to hotel residents. You must be a guest at Adare Manor to secure a tee time - it is not open to visitors arriving independently.

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 • 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.

Set on the remote Mullet Peninsula in north-west Mayo, Carne Golf Links is one of Ireland's finest and most underrated courses - and the outright favourite of golf photographer and writer Kevin Markham. "It's my favourite course in Ireland. And anybody asks me that question, that's the one I give them. It's too good to be a hidden gem." The course is defined by its immense dunes - among the biggest in Ireland or Europe - and a playing experience that combines raw, natural challenge with spectacular Atlantic views. What makes Carne special, Kevin says, is not just the golf. "Somewhere like Carne or Enniscrone, it's like - we are so happy to have you here." That warmth and ease is something many visiting golfers find unforgettable. If you're building an Irish golf trip and want to venture beyond the famous names, Carne belongs near the top of your list.

Par 72 • 6,870 yards

Set against the famously rocky and windswept Co. Galway landscape, the fabulously remote Connemara Golf Club offers great rewards to visitors who are prepared to travel this far west. It is made up of three loops of nine holes, with the A and B loops making up the Championship course. Playing this traditional combination, expect a front nine that is gentle, open and forgiving. From the tenth tee onwards, prepare for a punishing back nine that is among the most challenging you will find anywhere. If you can shoot to your handicap on the back nine, then you have earned your reward in the clubhouse.

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 73 • 7,033 yards

Stretching to the distant reaches of the Bartragh Peninsula, Enniscrone (also spelled Inishcrone) is notorious for its dramatic coastal dunes and treacherous rough. As with most links courses in this part of the world, wind is also a factor on even the calmest of days. So this is a course which rewards cautious, considered play. When contemplating a daring shot, risk-reward players may want to think carefully about the risks before they covet the rewards. This is a deservedly popular course attracting players from across the globe, and summer bookings are advised well in advance.

Enniscrone has a devoted following among Irish golfers who return year after year - drawn not just by the course's fierce challenge but by the unpretentious, unhurried character of the club itself. It is a place that takes the game seriously without taking itself too seriously, and that combination is rarer than it sounds.

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 71 • 5,861 yards

Founded in 1907 and extended to 18 holes by legendary architect Alister MacKenzie in 1924, Muskerry Golf Club is a parkland gem tucked into the Cork countryside - and one of Kevin Markham's most fondly cited surprise discoveries. "For me it was the perfect golf course where you turn up, you don't have any expectations and just get blown away by it. It's not big or complicated, it's not a fancy golf course - it's just very enjoyable, very exciting to play when you've never heard of it and never seen it." The course has an unusual character: crossover holes at both the par-three 6th and the par-four 18th require shots to carry across the River Shournagh - a quirky, memorable feature that sets Muskerry apart. With 23 holes on the property allowing various combinations, there is always something new to explore.

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 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 • 7,118 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 73 • 7,186 yards

Although the course will be busy in summer, the blooming heather and gorse during the peak season make Royal County Down one of the most beautiful places to play golf anywhere on the Island of Ireland. Old Tom Morris was paid four gold guineas to build the original course in 1889 before Harry Vardon, two decades later, established what golfers enjoy today. With such a vintage, this is unsurprisingly a very traditional links with natural bunkers, blind tee shots and obscured holes on approach. That might not be to everyone's taste. But visitors from across the pond have plenty of modern courses to choose from at home in the USA. Those travelling to Ireland to experience the traditional game of the Old World should certainly make the trip to this fine example of just that.

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.

Wedged between the Atlantic and the great limestone mass of Knocknarea mountain, Strandhill Golf Club is a compact and characterful links course in County Sligo that Christy O'Connor Senior famously called "the hidden jewel of the West." Founded in 1931 and designed by Eddie Hackett, the 6,243-yard course packs a great deal of interest into its clifftop site between Strandhill Beach to the north and Culleenamore Strand to the south. Golf photographer and writer Kevin Markham names Strandhill alongside Carne as one of those off-the-beaten-track Irish discoveries - a course that hasn't had the widespread coverage it deserves, but rewards anyone who makes the journey to find it.

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 • 6,870 yards

Visiting Tralee's rugged coastline before he began work on what would be his first and perhaps his finest European course, architect Arnold Palmer observed that he had never seen a more perfect place to build a golf course. A windswept links course with a fairly flat front nine, Tralee always holds the threat of challenging weather which can disappear as quickly as it emerges from the brooding Atlantic. According to Tom Clarke, The back nine is the more dramatic overall, although the 2nd and 3rd ensure it doesn't have it all its own way – first an awe-inspiring 600-yarder doglegging round the cliffs, then a daunting par 3 on the very edge of the rocky shoreline.

Par 72 • 7,347 yards

Designed by Eddie Hackett and opened in 1972, Waterville was later upgraded by Tom Fazio and is widely regarded as one of the most perfectly shaped and aesthetically pleasing links courses in the world. Waterville is famous for its gruelling, unforgiving length. But those who travel here to experience the punishment for themselves may be disappointed. The competition tees (7,378 yards) are more than 500 yards longer than the white tees and are usually off-limits to non-competitive players. This makes Waterville actually shorter than several of Ireland's top-name courses. Still, the disappointment will not last long and this traditional Irish links offers a great afternoon's golf to all who make the trip.

Par 75 • 7,464 yards

Known as "Golf's Greatest Test" due to its complex layout and deceptive features, Carnoustie Golf Links was officially opened in 1842 - although golf is said to have been played here as far back as the 1500s. Once you arrive in the town of Carnoustie, located on Scotland's south east coast, you'll instantly see what the main focus is, it's golf! Carnoustie is among the ten oldest surviving golf clubs on the planet, and its rich history is felt throughout the area. The world's first inter club golf match was played between Carnoustie and St Andrews in 1873.

Allan Robertson and Old Tom Morris in the 1850s designed the course layout as it is still played today - expanding the then 10 hole course to 18. Carnoustie is open to the public every day of the year, but booking well in advance is advisable.

Par 72 • 7,531 yards

Muirfield Golf Course, located in Gullane, Scotland, was first opened in 1891 on a 16-hole course designed by Old Tom Morris. It is home to The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, the world's first organised golf club - with roots dating back to 1744. Known for its unique layout featuring two loops of nine holes in opposing directions, Muirfield demands concentration across its 7,531 yards of narrow fairways, deceptive bunkers, and fast greens. It has hosted The Open Championship 16 times - most recently in 2013 - as well as other famous tournaments like the Ryder Cup, the Walker Cup, and the Curtis Cup.

Muirfield is known for its stringent membership rules. While visitors can play on designated days, booking well in advance is a must. Muirfield is celebrated for its clever design and flawless upkeep. With a deep respect for golfing tradition, Muirfield is a true golfer's pilgrimage.

Par 72 • 7,319 yards

Hidden away in the town of Dornoch, in the Scottish Highlands, the Royal Dornoch Golf Club can trace its roots back to 1616. There is written evidence from this time of Sir Robert Gordon claiming expenses of £10 and £12 for clubs and balls during his time here. Officially founded in 1877, and designed as we see it today by the ever-present Old Tom Morris - who extended it from 9 holes to 18 in 1886. As well as the links Championship Course, there is the lesser-known Struie Course, also 18 holes and ranked as one of best links courses in Scotland.

Although Royal Dornoch has yet to host a major golf championship, it has hosted numerous amateur men's and women's events including The British Amateur Championship in 1985. Visitors are welcome to play both courses, but this is subject to availability and booking well in advance is a must.

Par 72 • 7,319 yards

The sport's most famous links, the Old Course runs dramatically along St Andrews' western edge. With a golfing heritage dating back to the 15th century, it is said to be the oldest course in the world, and is lovingly known as the Home of Golf. Famously, in 1457 visits to the golf course were becoming so popular that James II had to issue a ban to his troops, as it was impeding his troops' archery practice.

The Open has been hosted in St Andrews a record 30 times, with the first taking place in 1873. The course is notoriously difficult to master for golfers of all levels. And, despite its grand standing in the world of golf, it remains a public course, open to all. Applications for a guaranteed tee time to play must be made well in advance, alternatively, golfers can enter a ballot 48 hours ahead of play. There are guided walks available though, and you are also free to wander around the course on a Sunday when it is closed, or take a stroll along its footpaths leading along its outer edges.

Par 70 • 7,489 yards

Set along the spectacular coastline of Ayrshire, Scotland, the Ailsa course of the Trump Turnberry Resort was redeveloped by Donald Trump and course architect Martin Ebert, in June 2016. Most memorable for the four-day battle between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus during the 1977 Open Championship, the course has been in existence in one form or another since 1906. Closed down and used as a landing strip, serving as a training base for The Royal Flying Corps in both World Wars. The course opened again in 1951 and has hosted The Open four times: 1977, 1986, 1994, and 2009. Notable features of the Ailsa course include the halfway house, a converted lighthouse, and the thrilling 9th hole, a 248-yard par 3 over rocks. It is one of three courses on the resort - the others being the King Robert the Bruce course (18 holes), and the Arran course (9 holes).

Par 71 • 7,464 yards

Royal Birkdale Golf Club was established in 1889 and granted its "Royal" status in 1951 by King George VI. It is a prestigious links course located in Southport, England and its current layout was designed by Frederick G. Hawtree and J.H. Taylor. Played across 7,156 yards with a par of 72, it is renowned for its swelling fairways, cruel bunkers, and challenging greens. Royal Birkdale Golf Club has hosted The Open Championship ten times - most recently in 2017 - and the Ryder Cup twice - in 1965 and 1969 - and multiple Women's British Opens. Known for its stunning clubhouse, picturesque backdrops, and welcoming atmosphere, Royal Birkdale is consistently ranked among the top international golf courses.

Golf photographer and writer Kevin Markham, who considers Royal Birkdale among the toughest Open venues, advises visitors to play with restraint: "The course plays through tight corridors between the dunes - fairways aren't overly wide, and the greens tend to be slightly elevated and well protected by bunkers. Play for the middle of the green as opposed to going after pins, because if you miss, the penalties are severe."

Par 72 • 7,341 yards

Founded in 1869 on the former racecourse of the Liverpool Hunt Club, Royal Liverpool Golf Club - universally known as Hoylake - is one of the oldest and most historically significant links courses in England. It received its Royal designation in 1871 under the patronage of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, and was redesigned in the early twentieth century by the great Harry Colt. The course has hosted The Open Championship thirteen times, most recently in 2023 when American Brian Harman won by six strokes. Its Open roll of honour includes Bobby Jones (1930, the year he completed golf's Grand Slam), Tiger Woods (2006, a masterclass in restraint during which he used his driver only once), and Rory McIlroy (2014). The course is characteristically flat but demands precise positioning off every tee - out of bounds is an ever-present threat, and the deep pot bunkers punish anything less than careful, strategic play.

Par 71 • 7,548 yards

First established in 1887 by Dr William Laidlaw Purves, in Sandwich, England, Royal St. George's Golf Club was intended to become England's answer to St Andrew's in Scotland. It found fame when it became the first golf club outside Scotland to host The Open Championship (1894), and has gone on to host the competition a further 14 times - the most for a non-Scottish club. The club was renowned as one of the trickiest in all of Britain, as a multitude of blind or almost blind shots were dotted throughout the course. These have been reduced somewhat over the past 100 years with a number of redesigns of the course having taken place. The bunker on the 4th hole is said to be the deepest in championship golf.