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For concentration of world class links courses in a comparatively small area, Ireland is the only country that can rival Scotland. The Faraway Fairways Irish golf rover endeavours to do just that and sweep the ’emerald isle’ of her cream. Which ever way round we attempt it though, we will likely need to build a rest day into the itinerary. The various courses needn’t flow as well as Scotland’s and we need to complete a transfer between regions.
The Faraway Fairways full Irish golf tour begins on the Atlantic west coast and models an arrival at Shannon airport. Here we can pick up a trio of world-ranked courses at Lahinch, Waterville, and Ballybunion, the latter being the Irish Republic’s top-rated golf course. This is rural Ireland at its best and you’ll be able to complete the fabled ‘Ring of Kerry’ whilst travelling between the venues. We finish at either Tralee or Dooks before heading over to Dublin for a day-off and evening to remember before beginning the second leg with a push north
The following day sees us heading north where we tackle the world top-10 rated masterpiece at Royal County Down before moving onto Belfast. The next day sees us launching a snatch and grab raid against the host of the 2019 Irish Open course at Portstewart where we’ll also be able to weave in the non-golf attractions of the Antrim coast staying at Bushmills or Portrush. Naturally there’s a clue as to out next assignment in the previous sentence. The world top-20 ranked Dunluce links, and host of 2019 Open Championship awaits us at Royal Portrush, before returning to Belfast. From Belfast we have one last assignment as we head back south, the world top-100 rated Portmarnock golf course, which is widely regarded as one the fairest and truest tests of any links golfer on the planet.
An alternative itinerary can be built on a loop arriving and departing from Dublin. This would involve beginning at Portmarnock and converting the Dublin rest day into a travel day after having played the Antrim coast course and heading down the west coast from Portrush to Galway
9 Nights
Ireland
Transport
Self-drive option works best.Logistics
Point-to-point tour with multiple short stop-oversNon-Golf Offer
Strong - Dublin, Belfast, & the Causeway CoastMileage
High - Approx 1,000 miles Approximately 24 hoursTravel Class
Supports - Luxury, Premier, and Affordable
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Wednesday - 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. In 2019 it hosted the Irish Open, won by Jon Rahm
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Thursday - 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 about #25 in the world. 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!”
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Friday -Waterville
The earliest records of a formal golf course existing at Waterville dates to 1889, 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
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Saturday - 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.
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Sunday - Dublin
The distribution of Ireland’s premier golf courses means that we have to go to all points of the compass and consequently need a travel day to thread the pearls together
Dublin needn’t be a city that you tick off a list of landmarks. Indeed, it’s a little bit lacking. After years of dwelling on this we decided that Dublin isn’t a city, it’s a person! (or people’s to be more precise). Once you realise this, Dublin makes sense. It’s lively, charismatic, atmospheric and fun. It’s an ideal mid-point break
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Monday - Royal County Down
Royal County Down is the world’s highest rated golf course according to Golf Digest on their 2016 rankings. It is framed in one of the most stunningly natural links settings. The Murlough Nature Reserve provides the stage, the magnificent Mourne mountains the backdrop. The narrowest ribbons of fairways thread their way through as impressive a set of sand dunes as could be imagined. The fairways are surrounded by purple heather and golden gorse, so beautiful to look at, but so punishing for any who may stray from the prescribed path. The ‘bearded’ bunkers are world famous, featuring overhanging lips of marram, red fescue and heather. The greens are fast and many are domed, rejecting any shot lacking conviction.
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Tuesday - Portstewart
Portstewart is perhaps unfairly over-shadowed by the two Ulster Royals, Portrush and County Down. The brainchild of Willie Park Jr, it belongs on the elite level. A ‘true test is a much overused phrase, but here it’s a nod to the ingenuity of the shots required to get round this masterpiece. Undulating dunes, the run off bunkers, rolling fairways and tricky manicured greens combine in perfect harmony. The views from almost every hole are simply, magical. The Atlantic is never far away and the beauty of the course has to be seen to be believed. In 2017 Portstewart hosted the Irish Open, Jon Rahm, won but so too did the course: “the golf course is amazing. It’s probably one of the most beautiful golf courses I have ever seen, if not the most”.
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Wednesday - Royal Portrush
Portrush is constructed on an area of natural dune land framed by limestone cliffs. The Open was held here in 1951, and won by Max Faulkner. In 2019 it returned, Shane Lowry playing the elements best of all to prove a popular local(ish) winner. The fifth is an iconic short par 4, that taunts you into over clubbing. Get it wrong and you plunge down the cliff onto the beach below. The sixteenth is arguably even more famous, an intimidating par 3 that involves driving across a valley of no recovery onto a surface in another dune system that falls sharply away on all sides. With out of bounds down both sides, Rory McIlroy’s first hole quadruple has probably entered folklore too. It’s difficult to imagine that the Open has a tougher opening assignment
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Thursday - Portmarnock
With a rich history closely aligned to the progression of golf in Ireland, Portmarnock has hosted numerous Irish Open Championships, the Walker Cup, Irish Amateur Championships and the British Amateur Championship. From Sam Snead to Seve Ballesteros, some of golf’s best-known names have tested their skills against this majestic narrow tongue of shallow dunes-land, just north of Dublin. Considered by many as one of the fairest links courses in the world it delivers an incredible challenge and true test of golf. Perhaps five-time Open Championship winner Tom Watson summed up the links best during his visits saying, “There are no tricks or nasty surprises, only an honest, albeit searching test of shot making skills.”
Handicap requirements
Ballybunion - require a handicap of 24 for gentlemen and 36 for ladies
Tralee - require a handicap of 24 for gentlemen and 36 for ladies
Royal Portrush require a handicap of 18 for gentlemen and 24 for ladies
Things to be aware of - Planning
Royal County Down (RCD) normally open their diary in the third week of May for play the following year. Their popular tee-times sell-out within a week
Royal Portrush normally shadow RCD, although they can sometimes operate an advance 'wait list'. We tend to advise making an enquiry in February for play the following year
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