Adare Manor has quickly risen onto many golfers’ must play lists since being awarded the 2027 Ryder Cup, and it is easy to see why. In a country famed for its links, Adare stands apart as Ireland’s highest ranked parkland course, offering a test that feels both refined and exacting. When JP McManus acquired the estate, he commissioned Tom Fazio to comprehensively rework the existing Rees Jones layout. The result is a course unlike anything else in Ireland.

Wide fairways and an absence of traditional rough give a sense of generosity from the tee, but the challenge sharpens dramatically around the greens. Sweeping run offs, tightly cut surrounds and intricately contoured putting surfaces demand precision and imagination, often turning a small miss into a searching recovery. Maintained to an extraordinary standard, with a large greenkeeping team ensuring immaculate presentation, Adare Manor delivers championship golf on a truly grand scale. The Ryder Cup in 2027 will simply confirm what many already know.

Ballybunion is defined not simply by its dramatic dunes and ocean views, but by the imagination with which that land is used. While many courses enjoy spectacular settings, few integrate their dunes with such variety and intent. Some holes run boldly along the dune tops with expansive views, others slip through sheltered valleys, while greens are alternately perched high on ridges or set deep at the base of towering slopes. Each green complex presents its own demands, placing a real emphasis on touch and short game skill.

The result is a course where every hole feels distinct and purposeful. There is a constant sense of movement and discovery throughout the round, creating an experience that is engaging, memorable and richly rewarding from start to finish.

Dooks Golf Links is one of Ireland’s most welcoming and characterful seaside courses, set on a quiet stretch of the Glenbeigh coastline with sweeping views across Dingle Bay to the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks. The setting is striking, yet the golf remains the focus, with the course laid out across gently rumpled linksland that encourages a traditional, ground based approach.

At just over 6,500 yards, Dooks relies on judgement and creativity rather than length. The ever present wind, subtle slopes and intelligently positioned greens shape the challenge, asking players to control trajectory and use the contours to their advantage. The routing flows naturally, with holes that vary in direction and demand, creating an engaging and thoroughly enjoyable links experience.
Practice facilities: short game area and putting green
Clubhouse dress code: golf attire or smart casual

The Killeen Course at Killarney Golf & Fishing Club is a championship parkland layout set beside Lough Leane, within the beauty of Killarney National Park. With the mountains rising in the distance and water shimmering alongside several holes, it is widely regarded as one of the most picturesque inland settings in Ireland.

The course’s history is impressive. Designed by Eddie Hackett and Billy O’Sullivan in the early 1970s, Killeen went on to host the Irish Open on four occasions. Nick Faldo was a champion here, and the course also staged the Curtis Cup in 1996, a clear reflection of its standing in Irish golf.

A major redesign in 2006, led by Donald Steel alongside Mackenzie and Ebert, refined the layout with updated greens, bunkering and extended tees. The opening stretch along the lakeshore is particularly memorable, with water and mature trees framing a series of beautifully balanced holes.

The Killeen Course combines elegance with challenge and scenery with strategy, and remains one of Ireland’s most admired inland golf experiences.

Lahinch Golf Club sits on a remarkable stretch of Ireland’s Atlantic coastline, where rolling dunes and open horizons create an atmosphere that is both absorbing and quietly uplifting. From the opening tee shot, its heritage is unmistakable. First laid out by Old Tom Morris and later influenced by Alister MacKenzie, the course has retained its raw, natural character while gaining layers of thoughtful design. Its selection as host of the 2026 Walker Cup reflects its standing among the world’s great championship links.

Lahinch is famed for two of the most distinctive holes in golf. The par five fourth, the Klondyke, demands a blind drive and a blind second played over a towering dune, guided by a spotter who signals when the landing area is clear. The following hole, the Dell, is a short par three to a green completely hidden between dunes, with only an aiming stone for reference. These moments define Lahinch. Playful, authentic and full of soul, it is a course that lingers long after the round is complete.

Old Head Golf Links is carved across a remarkable headland that juts deep into the Atlantic near Kinsale, creating one of the most dramatic settings in world golf. The course rolls across exposed clifftop terrain with ocean views from almost every hole, nine of them playing directly along edges that plunge hundreds of feet to the sea below. Elevated tees, bold contours and constant movement in the land ensure every shot feels distinct. Standout holes such as the twelfth and thirteenth cling spectacularly to the cliffs, combining real challenge with unforgettable theatre.

Few courses are photographed as often as Old Head, and with good reason. It is thrilling, scenic and richly memorable, delivering a round defined as much by its setting as by the golf itself.

Tralee is a dramatic and memorable links where the Atlantic coastline meets Arnold Palmer’s bold design vision. Set on rugged land with constant sea views, it is widely regarded as one of Ireland’s finest and most visually striking courses. The opening stretch plays across lower, classic links ground beside the beach, with early highlights including the par three third, Castle, framed by the sea and a watchtower behind the green.

Palmer famously remarked that he designed the front nine and that God designed the back, and the landscape soon proves his point. The inward holes surge into towering dunes, with fairways rising and falling naturally through the terrain. The course builds in drama all the way to a stirring finish, delivering a round that feels authentic, challenging and unforgettable.

Doonbeg sits along one of the most dramatic stretches of Ireland’s west coast, where sweeping dunes meet the Atlantic. Originally designed by Greg Norman and redesigned by Martin Hawtree in 2016, the course retains its beautifully natural look, with thoughtful bunkering and flowing greens that sit seamlessly within the dunes.

The opening hole sets the tone perfectly. The par-five first is one of the great starts in Irish golf, as you drive down an inviting fairway toward a towering dune.

Variety defines the round. You’ll find short, tempting par-fours, par-threes that range from delicate to demanding, and par-fives that offer real scoring chances. With generous fairways and plenty of room to play, Doonbeg lets you enjoy the landscape without fear.

It’s a course to savour; it’s fun, dramatic, and full of character, played across a gorgeous stretch of Ireland’s Atlantic coast.

Waterville is a classic links laid across outstanding coastal ground, with sweeping views over the Atlantic Ocean and Ballinskelligs Bay shaping both the scenery and the play. Originally designed by Eddie Hackett and later refined by Tom Fazio in a rare international commission, the course blends traditional Irish links character with carefully considered modern touches.

Strong holes appear throughout, but the round reaches another level as you enter the dunes at the eleventh. This stretch includes the celebrated Mass Hole twelfth, where local parishioners once gathered in secret for worship during periods of religious prohibition. From here, the course builds beautifully toward a memorable finish. Balanced, atmospheric and richly engaging, Waterville delivers a round that rewards thoughtful play and lingers long after the final putt.