West Ireland with St Andrews Golf Vacation
Includes - St Andrews, Carnoustie, Kingsbarns, Dumbarnie, St Andrews New and Castle Courses, with Ballybunion, Lahinch, Waterville, Tralee and Old Head
The Character
The Irish leg follows a point-to-point itinerary as we seek circulate around the south and south west. The Scottish leg follows a daily back-to-base model based around St Andrews. The key to the West Ireland with St Andrews Golf Vacation however are the flight schedules. This determines the structure we might need to adopt and the order we have to do things in.
A typical West Ireland with St Andrews Golf Vacation is laid out as a ten night duration that observes a mixture of a point-to-point itinerary (Ireland) and back-to-base (Scotland).
It’s a medium mileage, and medium intensity transport burden, that can support the use of a hired driver in St Andrews if we prefer (not advised for west Ireland though)
Structurally we want to aim Weds to Sat at St Andrews to give ourselves the best chance on the Old Course ballot, but this often means squeezing up the Mon and Tues as we start to run into days of the week where visitor play isn’t permitted in Ireland
This is quite a popular combo and golfers seeking to combine the tranquillity of rolling west Ireland with the heritage and majesty of St Andrews are rewarded provided they can stretch around what are often sub-optimal flight schedules linking the two regions
Itinerary
‘The Castle’ is the newest addition to the clan St Andrews (if we require the qualification to be a new build – the Craigtoun Course was added in 2025 but was technically a management arrangement as the Trust took over the old Dukes Course from the hotel).
Set atop cliffs it’s perhaps more Pebble Beach, than Scotland, yet the course has successfully cultivated a links character. The elevation provides stunning vistas of the bay and town below, making it one of the most photogenic courses in the country. You won’t be the first person to pause and smile as you look down into the town of St Andrews itself with all the historic landmarks on the skyline and simply think Wow! The course is really quite dramatic as the sea can usually be relied on to put up a display of raw energy. The eighth and and the par 3, seventeenth, ‘the Braes’ are particularly awesome.
Dumbarnie opened in 2020, and looks to have replicated the Kingsbarns design with 14 of the 18 holes having unencumbered views of the sea due to it playing on a natural escarpment with 80ft of elevation on the site. A number of high tees are used to provide the drama of hitting drives out to the ocean. Unusually for a links, water has also been introduced, albeit mainly confined to burns rather than lakes. The fairways are wide and forgiving with driveable risk and reward par 4’s a particular feature of the lay-out. The fifteenth looks remarkably similar to the 7th at Valhalla.
The philosophy behind it is aimed challenging the thinking golfer rather than humiliating them through penalty; as course designer Clive Clark remarked
“I have yet to hear a golfer come in from his round and declare: I really enjoyed a great round of golf today – I only lost 6 balls and 3-putted five greens!”
In 2021 Dumbarnie was named the world’s best new golf course at the international world golf awards which you have to imagine will go some way towards securing its top-100 position as it begins to bed down and evolve.
World top 75 ranked
There are records of golf being played at Kingsbarns from 1793, but the modern course opened in 2000, and is set on three-tiered levels, sloping towards the coast. Nearly every hole has stunning views of the North Sea.
Kingsbarns quickly racked up rave reviews and earned a world ranking of about #50, a position which it’s held more or less since.
The par 5, twelfth hole that plays along the arching shoreline to an exposed green, and the par 3, fifteenth, which involves playing a tee-shot across the waves, are often considered to the courses signature assignments. It was the fourth and fifth that caught Tom Doak’s eye when he described as Kingsbarns
“as piece of construction work, Kingsbarns is one of the best projects I’ve ever seen. I wouldn’t have believed it, if I hadn’t seen it for myself”
Perhaps of greatest significance is the number of times it beats more illustrious neighbours in surveys amongst visiting Americans since its always immaculately presented.
Kingsbarns completes the trio of East Coast giants that host the European Tour’s Dunhill links challenge each year alongside Carnoustie and the Old Course.
World top-10 ranked & Open Championship venue
The precise identity of the St Andrews Course we play will depend on the outcome of the ‘open’ ballots and the singles ballots (no one is going to sell a ‘guaranteed’ package for such a short duration)
With all the usual disclaimers of a lottery being random, and there being no such thing as a certainty etc plus the variable factor of availability for the specific week chosen, our prospects of winning a ballot on this programme would otherwise be considered as good (if we sought to use every opportunity to do so).
We should be able to contest four open ballots (Weds, Thurs, Fri & Sat) and at least three ‘singles’ ballot (Thurs, Fri for Sat). This means we could contest a total of seven ballots, which would make our chances quite good on a 4/3 distribution of open and singles ballots
If we fail, then we’ll look to use the St Andrews New Course as compensation under the present-pay-and-play-on-the-day protocol that exists
World top-50 ranked & Open Championship venue
Dubbed ‘Car-Nasty’, Carnoustie is considered by many to be the most difficult links in the Open Championship rotation
In recent years it has seen some dramatic finishes, none more so than in 1999 when Jean van de Velde took an eight at the 72nd hole to throw away the claret jug. Iconic images of him paddling in the notorious ‘Barry Burn’ have entered golfing legend. The final four holes are the hardest finish on the rotation. After the carnage of 1999 (6 over won) Sport Illustrated described it as
“a nasty antique that was brought down from the attic after 24 years …the rough was deeper; and the R&A made the fairways as narrow as an eel’s appendix scar”.
Whereas the eighteenth is the hole that has often generated the most drama. The par 3 sixteenth has the highest average scoring par 3 on the Open Championship rotation as indeed the closing four are the hardest. The Par 5, sixth ‘Hogan’s Alley’, is another famous hole with a punitive out of bounds fence running down it’s left
1999 Carnoustie reduced Sergio Garcia to tears after successive scores of 89 and 83
Old Head Golf Links is built on a 220-acre diamond of land jutting out over two miles into the Atlantic Ocean. The promontory is almost an island with numerous caves running beneath your feet as you play the course.
It is a piece of golf real estate like no other, that causes many a golfer to pinch themselves as they drive with the crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean some 300 feet below on both sides, with a vista framed by the iconic lighthouse that stands guard on the tip of the headland. The course is set up on a daily basis depending on the prevailing weather conditions.
It undoubtedly possesses nine stunning cliff-top holes, and these will be the ones that leave the impression on you. It’s the ‘other nine’ that seemingly prevents it from making the top-100 lists, but it nearly always makes an indelible impression on visiting overseas golfers who are invariably wowed by its spectacle and drama
Occasionally ranks on World top-100 lists
The earliest records of a formal golf course existing at Waterville dates to 1889, (Scottish workers laying Atlantic cables) but it was only in the 1970’s that it really began to reach its potential. Under the vision of “Jack” Mulcahy, a collaboration between Eddie Hackett, and Claude Harmon was forged to build the most testing golf links in the world.
The terrain was ideal, a peninsula of pristine links land jutting into an estuary on an arching sandy beach. Their new creation opened in 1973 to wide acclaim. The next step came with the four year ‘Fazio project’. This set out to harmonise the topography, particularly the less arresting inland sections, while enhancing the challenge and beauty.
Waterville continues to go from strength to strength as more people discover it. The late Payne Stewart in particular fell in love with it and has a statue on the course in his honour
On being asked to make the dream come true for Tralee, Arnold Palmer observed “I have never come across a piece of land more ideally suited for building a golf course”.
The front nine plays across slightly folding, flatish, links land that hugs the coast and makes more use of the raised shoreline. In essence its closer to the traditional links experience.
The back nine by contrast plays through mountainous dunes with fearsome carries across ravines to plateau greens. It’s an altogether much more crazy experience and probably more fun for the challenges it keeps throwing at you.
The sheer variety of holes will keep you honest from the first all the way round. The par 3 third is probably the highlight, similar in challenge to Pebble Beach’s fabled 7th.
World Top-25 ranked
Located on the north west coast of County Kerry, on the Atlantic coast of south west of Ireland, Ballybunion is usually regarded as the best links in the Republic, and typically ranks in the world’s top 20.
Beautifully contoured fairways that tumble through a blanket of grassy dunes lead you on a journey of rarely equalled bliss. The secret to Ballybunion seems to lie in accepting that nature has already done the design work, and all that was required were finishing touches.
It was probably Tom Watson’s eulogy from 1982 that made people really sit up though and begin to realise just what the Irish had at Ballybunion. “Nobody can call himself a golfer until he has played at Ballybunion; you would think the game originated there!”
World Top-50 ranked
The DNA of Old Tom Morris (1894), Dr Alistair Mackenzie (1927) and more recently Martin Hawtree (1999) runs through the design of Lahinch.
The course has a bit from each of them. Lahinch is rugged and hugely entertaining facing out onto the exposed Atlantic coast. The traditional out and back nine are located adjacent to the beach after MacKenzie had moved holes nearer to the shoreline. Perhaps the pick is the fifth, an eccentric relic from the Morris era that has survived. A blind par 3, played to a narrow hidden green surrounded by towering sandhills. Good luck!
It was perhaps only when Hawtree had finished restoring many of MacKenzie’s tricky green complexes that the course really moved onto the top tier though, where it has remained ever since, widely recognised as Ireland’s second best course behind Ballybunion and holding a good world ranking between 25 and 50.
In 2019 it hosted the Irish Open, won by Jon Rahm
Testimonial
From BB Canada
“I told Alun the courses I was interested in playing and he prepared a stay and play package with 14 days of outstanding golf, but also tremendous site seeing opportunities for my wife.”
From JC Illinois
“His attention to detail is amazing--I think our travel plan booklet ran to forty-eight pages, with gorgeous descriptions of cities and sights, plus maps showing where to go to catch trains, or walk from trains to hotels, sights and golf courses, etc.”
From DF Alabama
“I will cherish the memories for a long time- especially the wonderful times spent on and off the golf course with two of my brothers and brother-in-law. None of the memories and golf would have been possible or enjoyed without your tremendous planning and logistical support.”
AS from Colorado
“Alun and Faraway Fairways created possibly the most memorable golf trip we have ever experienced. EPIC is the only word that comes to mind.”
AC, From Florida/ New York, 2025
“We were hopeful to secure a 4 ball at St. Andrews while avoiding the massive expense other operators had quoted. He was very clear about the plan for achieving a tee time at the Old Course through the ballot, including detailed instruction on how it could be done, and what our odds were. He suggested mid- to late April as the best chance of success and advised that this is also the least rainy part of the year. We took his advice and trusted the process. Well, he was right on all counts!”
From SB, Minnesota
“We wholeheartedly recommend Alun and Faraway Fairways if you’re looking for a golf trip that is effortless, enjoyable, and truly unforgettable—even for a non-golfer in the mix! My husband and I will be daydreaming about this trip for years to come. 5.5 stars!”
From JB, California
“The best part was that the service was surprisingly affordable. They were thousands of dollars below other quotes that I received, in fact the prices were very similar to what I would have paid if I would have booked everything on my own.”
From JCA, Maryland
“I would and will highly recommend your company to anyone looking to plan an unforgettable golf trip. Thank You for putting together a fantastic trip for J.C. and me”
From WF Connecticut
“I think all eight of us would agree that Alun at Faraway Fairways did an absolutely wonderful job of putting this “golf vacation of a lifetime” together for us. His focus on the details was extraordinary from the choice of courses and the timing of the tee times, the amazingly beautiful accommodations along with some excellent meal selections, and the transportation options he provided to get us from place to place.”
From DR South Carolina
“You are about to tee it up in your Major. Seek wisdom, integrity and professionalism. Alun Davies and Faraway Fairways will not disappoint you. They cannot assure a calm sunny day with temperatures in the 70’s on the Old Course.”
From MM, California
“One fantastic trip you organized, and more importantly took ownership of in terms of daily communication and stewardship during our 2+ weeks in Scotland and Ireland. The logistics were spotless…100% of the transports were on time and excellent, the lodging choices spectacular and the golf was off the charts in terms of quality and arrangements made”
DH from California
“You cannot go wrong with the support Faraway Fairways offered. I did this trip solo and all last minute but I have already begun to plan the next trip which will include my best golfing buddies.”
Enquiry
We don't need to make this an ordeal by 101 filtering questions! In reality there are probably little more than half a dozen things we need to know to build out a proposal. The guidance below might help you frame answers
Duration - usually best expressed as a range up to a maximum
Time of year - can be anything from a specific date range to a named season
Travel class - Faraway Fairways uses 'Luxury', 'Premier' or 'Affordable' for generic purposes. You might choose to reference the international 'star' rating system. We're only looking for something to help steer us into the right sector
Self drive or hired driver - In broad terms, self driving is normally less expensive, and much more flexible, but some folk just don't want to do it
Must play courses/ must do places - a few name checks is all that's needed