Lahinch on the sea
Lahinch by the sea
 
GOLF TOUR OF SOUTH WEST IRELAND
Play Ireland's famous links courses
11 nights/9 Courses
 
Ireland is famous for its magnificent links courses and Irish hospitality.
On this trip we combine stunning links golf with the best sightseeing in Ireland's south west.
 
TO BE SURE, this is golf travel at its very BEST.
 
This tour is suitable for independant travellers, and as a Travelling Golfer Escorted Tour
(no escorted tour currently scheduled)

 

TOUR INCLUDES



 

 



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TOUR OVERVIEW

 

The tour begins in Dublin with players checking into the Portmarnock Links Hotel for three nights and playing Portmarnock Links - recently rated as the 16th best course in Ireland. The course has an interesting history, and is a a classic links course. Portmarnock Links Hotel will be full of golfers from all over the world so you can look forward to some entertaining coversations in the bar and over dinner that night.
(Those coming in on long flights straight to the tour, may choose to arrive a day earlier and stay an extra night at the Portmarnock Links Hotel. However those already in Europe, need only fly in that morning as the course is close to Dublin airport.)
On day 2 the golf is just minutes from the hotel at the world famous Portmarnock Old Course, host of countless tournaments and regarded as one of the best links in Ireland. After golf you may choose to venture into Dublin city where the pubs and music are very popular.

 

Portmarnock Links- hole 18Portmarnock Links- hole 18

 

On Day 3 the group travel 15 minutes to the wonderful links at The Island GC
Day 4 is a travel day, so those that have partied the night before can gently ease themselves into the day, perhaps with a nap on the bus.
Heading for the west coast you can expect the route to involve stops at distillieries, and the famous Cliffs of Moher before reaching Lahinch for a 2 night stay.
 
Day 5 centres on golf at Lahinch, one of our very favourite Irish links and with some quirky, unforgettable holes originally designed by Old Tom Morris
 
We pick up the pace on Day 6 departing Lahinch for the short drive to Doonbeg Golf Course. The course has recently been renovated and is looking great. The clubhouse at Doonbeg has to be seen to be believed- it is fabulous!
After golf the group board the bus and head for the Shannon River where the car ferry carries the group closer to your next amazing golfing destination - Ballybunion GC.
Accommodation for the next two nights is at Teach de Broc, a guest house right outside the gates of Ballybunion.  
Ballybunion's Old Course is regarded as one of the top 100 courses in the world and has real character at every turn. There will be time to explore the town of Ballybunion in the afternoon, or the keen golfer can play a round of golf at Ballybunions's Cashen Course (not included in package)- it is a tight tricky course but some people absolutely love it.

 

Ballybunion Old CourseBallybunion Old Course

Portmarnock Links- hole 18 & clubhousePortmarnock  GC- hole 18 & clubhouse

 

On day 7 the group departs Ballybunion for a short drive to beautiful Tralee. Tralee is located on dramatic coastline made famous in the movie Ryan's daughter. Arnold Palmer has sculpted a very dramatic links course in this setting. If you are fortunate to play on a sunny day you may well be overwhelmed by the experience!
 
After the game at Tralee the group travels a short distance south to the ‘very Irish’ town of Killarney for a 3 night stay.
Killarney is our favourite Irish town- the pubs, the music, and the sights are a wonderful introduction to the Irish people..
 
On Day 8 there is time for a rest day and sightseeing in Killarney. Some may wish to jounrey to Skellig Michael for a truly amazing expereince with the puffin birds
 
On Day 9, golf is at Waterville GC,  located on the famous Ring of Kerry
The final day of the tour involves a drive to spectacular Old Head Golf Links, where the group will play along the clifftops, totally exposed to the elements...
 
There will be plenty to reflect on at dinner that night looking over the course- Old Head is one the most spectacular courses in the world, located on the cliffs of a dramatic peninsula. It is a memory that will stay with you for all your days, and a grand way to finish the tour.

 In the morning the group transfer to Dublin airport for their onward journeys.

 

 

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WANT TO KNOW MORE?

 

Please contact us if you have an interest in finding out more about this tour and would like us to send you the full itinerary.

 



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THE COURSES

 

Old Head Golf LInks

 

Old Head Golf Links- hole 17Old Head Golf Links- hole 17

 

Old Head GC comprises five Par 5's, five Par 3's and eight Par 4's stretching to over 7,200 yards.

There are six tees per hole. Nine holes play along the cliff tops, and all eighteen holes provide stunning ocean views.
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. The links and practice area occupy 180 acres and the remaining 40 acres of unspoilt cliff (rising in places to over 300 feet) frame the course.

 

Ballybunion Old Course

 

Ballybunion GC- Old Course: hole 16Ballybunion GC- Old Course: hole 16

 

Blessed with the most formidable dune structure in Ireland, golf was introduced to the small Kerry town of Ballybunion in 1893. The present Ballybunion Golf Club was not formed until 1906, when prominent town folk commissioned local golf writer Lionel Hewson to design them a new nine-hole course on their spectacular coastal links-land. By 1927 the links had been extended to eighteen holes and in 1936 the club employed Tom Simpson to make further revisions and help shape a great piece of land into a great golf course.



Lahinch Golf Club

 

Lahinch GC- 'The Dell'Lahinch GC- 'The Dell'

 

Overlooking the stunning County Clare coastline, Lahinch Golf Club first plays along the sea toward an estuary that dissects the site, before heading back along the main coastal road into town. After a solid opening the first hint of brilliance comes at the 3rd, an awesome driving hole over a large dune slope that turns seaward and follows a succession of humps and hollows into a clever plateau green. Next are Klondyke and Dell, unmistakably "Lahinch", these two Old Tom originals are amongst the most famous holes in Irish golf.



Tralee Golf Links

 

Tralee GC- hole 8Tralee GC- hole 8

 

Although first formed within the town of Tralee in 1896, the Tralee Golf Club now plays on a course built in 1984 and situated along the Kerry coastline at nearby Barrow.

Designed by Arnold Palmer and partner Ed Seay, the front nine at Tralee touches an ocean inlet and rocky shore while the back is carved from an immense dune ridge that tumbles down toward the area's spectacular beach.

 

The Island

 

The Island GCThe Island GC

 

The Island is a pure links course located on the outskirts of Dublin. With only a tiny sliver of land connecting the property to the mainland the golf course is surrounded by water. Blessed with a magnificent dunescape The Island is one of our favourite links courses in Ireland

 

Trump International Golf Links Doonbeg

 

Doonbeg- hole 18 green clubhouse & beachDoonbeg- hole 18 green clubhouse & beach

 

Doonbeg is a Greg Norman design on the west coast of Ireland near Lahinch.

When the course first opened it was voted best new course in the world.

However it proved too challenging for many, and it was only when Martin Hawtree softened the courses a little that Doonbeg was able to really impress.

It is now one of the great links courses of the world! (and it has an amazing clubhouse)

 




Waterville Golf Club

 

Waterville Golf Links- 7th holeWaterville Golf Links- 7th hole

 

Located along the Atlantic Ocean, on a peninsula of land bordered by an estuary of the Inny River, the Hackett design included a front side built over less exposed terrain away from the coastal dunes and a back nine that occupied rugged sandhills and touched both the mouth of the Estuary and the Atlantic's shoreline. Opening in 1973, the original Hackett course was the longest in Ireland but oozed old-world charm. It amassed itself quite a devoted and loyal following until sold in 1987 to a small group of Irish Americans who later embarked on what seemed a radical renovation program with architect Tom Fazio.



Portmarnock Golf Club (Old)- (see pic mid page)

Portmarnock is arguably the best Championship Course in Ireland. It has hosted all of Irelands major championships from the Irish Ladies to the Irish Open and also some of the world's biggest events including the Canada Cup( now the World Cup), and the Walker Cup.
Amongst the winners of nineteen Irish Open Championships were Bobby Locke, Sam Torrance, Seve Ballesteros, Ian Woosnam, Bernhard Langer, Jose Maria Olazabal, Ben Crenshaw, Hubert Green, John O'Leary, Mark James, Ken Brown and Michael Campbell.




  "Our tours are known for the fabulous golf courses we can access, high quality accommodation, and variety of experiences that a particular destination can provide. Golf is the common theme, we have fun together and lasting friendships are made.

Peter Wood... The Travelling Golfer"