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
Western Horizons & Eastern Promise
Golfers seeking to combine the tranquillity of rolling west Ireland with heritage and majesty of St Andrews is quite a popular Irish / Scottish request.
West Ireland belies little of the country’s turbulent history. Fields of green, and coastal coves and magnificent sea cliffs face the Atlantic. Rural roads slowly wind their way towards their destinations. The pace of life is comparatively gentle and everyone you meet seems to have a story to tell. There is something quintessentially ‘oyrish’ about the wild west.
St Andrews by contrast has the history, the aura, and an overpowering sense of being special place that you revere. The ‘auld grey toon’ has a spellbindingly magical quality of its own that you immediately sense from the moment of arrival
Yet, the West Ireland, with St Andrews Golf Vacation is often a tantalisingly difficult combination to lay on (probably the hardest of the lot). Visitor restriction days allied with an infrequent and unpredictable airline schedule often works against us, but the reward is worth it (even if we have to criss-cross the country to Dublin to do it now and then)
To view Itinerary Summary arrow right or swipe left >>>>>>>>
The Itinerary
Wednesday – St Andrews Castle Course
Thursday – Dumbarnie (Edinburgh)
Friday – Kingsbarns (Falkland Palace & East Neuk)
Saturday – St Andrews Old / New Course (St Andrews town)
Sunday – Carnoustie (Glamis Castle & Scone Palace)
Monday – Old Head (Cork)
Tuesday – Waterville (Ring of Kerry)
Wednesday – Ballybunion (Dingle)
Thursday – Tralee (Killarney)
Friday – Lahinch (Cliffs of Moher)
Important note – We will contest St Andrews Old Course ballots for the Weds, Thurs, Fri, & Sat. You can read these days as XYZ / St Andrews Old Course. We should also be able to contest three singles ballots for play on Thurs, Fri & Sat
Wednesday - St Andrews Castle Course
‘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.
Thursday - Dumbarnie
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.
Friday - Kingsbarns
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.
Saturday - St Andrews Old Course
There is little point writing about the St Andrews Old Course as you’ll pretty well know about it. Instead we’ll focus on how it ‘fits in’
We’ll contest Old Course ballots across various days when we’re able to do so dependent on availability and our proximity to play it. This means its fluid as to where it drops in. If we have to play it on another day, then we’ll look to rearrange which ever course was affected by this for Saturday and remove the unpaid New Course (we don’t have to prebook and prepay the New Course).
For the purposes of this presentation, the Old Course is something of a placeholder to help reassure you its there, but it could appear anywhere dependent on how the ballot behaves
If we completely fail with the Old Course, then the New Course will slot in just to ensure we aren’t left empty handed
Saturday - St Andrews New Course (alternative)
“New” in the context of St Andrews means 1895!
The course is often said to be the town’s favourite. It’s a tighter and more defined course than its regal neighbour, and aided by yellow gorse bushes, it tends to be more aesthetic too. The ‘New’ runs adjacent to the Old course and as a consequence has similar characteristics. The fairways are undulating but not as dipped as the Old course, leading to fewer hanging lies. A traditional out and back nine, only the 3rd and 15th share a green. The burn wends its way through a low dune system and features some particularly charismatic holes. The 464yd tenth is often cited as the pick. Think about it logically. It’s likely that the newer course that was designed for purpose, would be the better golf course than the ancient artefact. The good folk of St Andrews know!
Sunday - Carnoustie
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
Monday - Old Head
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
Tuesday - Waterville
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
Wednesday - Ballybunion
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!”
Thursday - Tralee
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.
Friday - Lahinch
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
Non Golf Options
CLICK, button below to view non-golfers Edinburgh
CLICK, button below to view non-golfers St Andrews
CLICK, button below to view non-golfers Scotland (general)
CLICK, button below to view non-golfers Ireland & Scotland (general)
Featured Group
What's Involved?
The Scottish leg follows a daily back-to-base model based around St Andrews. The Irish leg follows a point-to-point itinerary as e seek circulate around the south and south west. 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.
West Ireland has an international airport (Shannon) with three direct daily routes to the US (New York, Boston and Chicago). What it doesn’t have are a reliable routes to Scotland (three flights to Edinburgh a week). These Scottish flights tend to appear on different days for different months of the year, and at different times on different days (often inconvenient ones). Flight schedules are only confirmed later than the likes of Ballybunion, Lahinch and Tralee need booking. The previous seasons schedules rarely prove reliable for the following season. It’s all a bit hazardous
There are however one or two flights from Edinburgh to Cork each day, even if the time(s) move around schedule quite alarmingly day to day. This often means we can utilise Cork, and start something off using Old Head
The optimal way of doing this would be as a ‘Scottish sandwich’, which is St Andrews in the middle, bookended by two Irish legs. The first of these would be the incoming section where we’d look to play north of the River Shannon (Lahinch and maybe Doonbeg) before flying from Shannon Airport to Edinburgh (if such a flight exists). The return leg would be fly Edinburgh to Cork, and then play Old Head, Waterville, Tralee and Ballybunion in sequence (provided we can navigate Tralee’s visitor restrictions) which will bring us back to Shannon Airport and the return fare home (which is often less expensive than the Edinburgh return fare)
It’s quite rare that we can make this work however, and it’s not unheard of for us to need to criss-cross the country and use Dublin to link all this up for what often looks like a clumsy solution (but at least it works). Unless we can fly back ‘open jaw’ without penalty, we could easily discover we need to try and get a connecting flight to Edinburgh or add significant mileage and use Dublin as our hub
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) , staying at:
- St Andrews – (5 nights)
- Cork – (1 night)
- Tralee or Killarney (2 nights)
- Limerick – (2 nights)
The final sequencing is however vulnerable to airline schedules which will typically only be confirmed at a point later in the booking cycle. We might need to shuffle the deck a little
The West Ireland with St Andrews Golf Vacation is one of the most fluid we run in terms of it’s architecture. This is due to a combination of some quite rigid visitor restrictions that operate in west Ireland and flight schedules between Shannon and Scotland which are wildly erratic (and late to publish).
Structurally we want to aim Weds to Sat at St Andrews to give ourselves the best chance on the Old Course ballot. What this means is every course is offering us permutations of Mon and Tues or Thurs and Fri, and its difficult to fit 10 courses into the same six days
The structure, and routing we have to use therefore can alter quite dramatically, (especially if we’ve had to utilise Dublin to make up for the limitations at Shannon)
As its laid out in the website, this is a medium mileage tour and medium intensity.
We estimate a total of 625 miles and approximately 19 hrs 30 mins, which is an average of just under 2hrs each day (largely the result of the Scottish leg)
The Scottish leg easier and could conceivably be ‘done’ using a hired driver if we preferred. We wouldn’t advise or encourage anyone to attempt the Irish leg using a hired driver. Not only will this become expensive, it could leave us horribly exposed in the event of a failure
The West Ireland with St Andrews Golf Vacation probably doesn’t have the depth of luxury offer in west Ireland without going a little bit out of our way to consistently offer this travel class across the board. Having said that, Adare Manor would certainly fit the description of luxury, albeit we might categorise that as ‘uber-luxury’
The more likely offer is going to be Premier and Affordable options
As ever, the scale of non-golf activity depends on whether we’re adding extra value for golfers, or building a stand alone proposal for non-golfers to run alongside a golf programme. The West Ireland with St Andrews Golf Vacation exhibits a fairly strong correlation between golf and non-golf, with many genuine points of interest co-existing, although we should acknowledge that the Irish leg is a bit weaker
- Edinburgh with Dumbarnie
- Glamis Castle & Scone Palace with Carnoustie
- The East Neuk of Fife with Kingsbarns
- St Andrews is a legitimate destination regardless
- The Cliffs of Moher with Lahinch
- Dingle with Ballybunion
- Cork with Old Head
- Killarney with Tralee
- ‘Ring of Kerry’ involves driving it to get to Waterville
The following courses operate the following handicap thresholds for gentlemen and ladies respectively
- Carnoustie (28 & 36)
- St Andrews (36)
- Ballybunion (24 & 36)
- Lahinch (24 & 36)
- Old Head (24 & 36)
- Tralee (28 & 36)
Unlike some courses who needn’t be rigid in enforcing their handicap thresholds, the St Andrews Links Trust will do. Failure to provide evidence will result in a refusal to allow us to play
The Old Course diary is available on-line to consult for availability and is dynamic in so much as it changes every season, although there are some known block outs that occur every year, notably the first week of May, the first week of June, and a run from early/ mid September to early/ mid October
There is no play on the Old Course on Sunday
Carnoustie, whilst usually being open 7 days of the week, will allocate visitors to afternoon tee-times at the weekend
Ballybunion doesn’t permit visitor play at weekends or afternoons
Lahinch doesn’t permit visitor play at weekends
Tralee only permits visitor play Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri
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.
Green fees need paying in advance and are always non-refundable against a certain timeline
Green fees need paying in advance and are always non-refundable against a certain timeline
A St Andrews Old Course ballot is drawn 48 hrs before play, and we can safely assume that this is outside any refund window! Any win in the ballot therefore will send us into a clash with which ever course we had booked that day, and we’ll a loss of the green fee unless we can get the tee-time rearranged. For this reason we don’t necessarily want to fill every day of the week up with a paid green fee and golf course. That would be designing a forfeit (we are after all setting up to win a ballot and play the Old Course)
Luckily the St Andrews New Course can’t be prebooked, and every other tee-time after 09.00 is offered present-pay-and-play-on-the-day. This is a great way of putting a placeholder into the itinerary without taking on the liability of a prepaid green fee
We try to schedule the New Course in any St Andrews swing to max out this position. If we win a ballot on the day we were going to try and play the New Course, we simply play the Old Course instead. If we win a ballot on another day, then we look to reschedule the affected course onto the day we had the New Course inked in and avoid a forfeit that way. We’ll usually try and put the New Course last in an itinerary then to give ourselves the maximum length of runway onto which we might land the rearranged round
Perversely perhaps, we’re actually hoping not to play the New Course. The reason we wouldn’t play it, is because we’ve won a ballot and are playing the Old Course instead
Adding Non Golf Value
Edinburgh
Few trips to Scotland could really be considered complete without the Scottish capital. Edinburgh is frequently regarded as one of the UK’s most charismatic cities. Most visitors prioritise the castle, Greyfriars Bobby, Holyrood Palace, the various galleries, and increasingly its Harry Potter connection
St Andrews
St Andrews is a legitimate visitor draw regardless of golf. The town is home to the third oldest university in the western world, ensuring it has a lot more life than you might expect. The ruined old castle and cathedral lend it historical relevance. Above all though, it’s a charismatic town with a sense of aura and place
East Neuk of Fife
The picturesque fishing villages of the East Neuk are atmospheric, with local histories, rather than being of national significance. These villages are an integral part of the fabric of Fife and easily overlooked, but fishing has played an historically important role.
Falkland Palace
Falkland Palace is a medieval ‘pleasure palace’ and one-time home to Mary Queen of Scots. More recently it’s become a film location for the fictional time travel series ‘Outlander’, which might have been set in the highlands, but was largely filmed in Fife.
Cork
Originally sitting on an island in a river before its expansion, Cork is Ireland’s second city and historically known as ‘rebel country’ due to the opposition that the creation of Irish ‘free state’ treaty received here (they wanted full independence). The locals would argue that they more typically represent Ireland than the more corporate facing Dublin. They’d probably be right.
Killarney
Killarney is a charismatic walking town, similar to somewhere like Windermere in England’s ‘Lake District’. Every trail is a history lesson in Ireland’s first national park, 26,000 acres of woodlands, sandstone mountains and low-lying lakes. Perhaps visit Ross Castle (built around 1420) too, from where you can take a boat trip onto the lakes of Killarney
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