36 holes, The Old Course 71 par, 6,802 yards

The town of Ballybunion was named after the Bunion family, who owned the local 15th century castle. For many people, the name conjures up a vivid image of a wild links golf course on the edge of the Atlantic with fairways set amongst the gigantic dunelands. Herbert Warren Wind, the distinguished American golf author, described Ballybunion as “nothing less than the finest seaside course I have ever seen”.

Originally founded in 1893 as a 12-hole course, Ballybunion struggled financially at this time and then folded in 1898. The course was re-established in 1906 as a 9 hole facility, designed by the prominent Irish golf journalist Lionel Hewson. It was then extended to 18-holes in 1926. The Old Ballybunion course remained relatively anonymous until it hosted the Irish Championship in 1937. Little has changed since.

Ballybunion is a thrilling challenge and a supreme test of golf. There are so many excellent holes on the Old course at Ballybunion that it is impossible to single out one, so let’s look at two of them. The 2nd ("Kennells") is a long 445-yard par four, the line for the tee shot a narrow gap between two towering sand dunes. A good drive leaves a long approach shot to a raised plateau green. The 7th ("Castle Green") is another tough par four measuring 432 yards with its tee perched on the cliffs edge overlooking the coast and waters below.

Tom Watson fell in love with Ballybunion and agreed to write an introduction for the course guide. He writes: "After playing Ballybunion for the first time, a man would think that the game of golf originated here. There is a wild look to the place, the long grass covering the dunes that pitch and roll throughout the course making it very intimidating... in short, it is a course on which many golf architects should live and play before they build golf courses. I consider it a true test of golf."

18 holes, 72 par, 6,290 yards

If the Cashen Course at Ballybunion were situated anywhere else rather than adjacent to the world-famous Old Course, it would attract far more attention, fans and plaudits than it does.

Although built on similar, stirring terrain to the Old Course in the 1980s, this Robert Trent Jones course is more irascible, more spectacular, more brutal and more unforgiving than its older, more celebrated sibling.

Visitors can expect an eventful round, with testing crosswinds, formidable bunkers & hollows, tall sand dunes, thick grassy dunes, rolling greens & stunning views of the Atlantic. If you can appreciate the game of yesteryear then the Cashen Course is a place you will embrace with passion.

18 holes, 72 par, 6,975 yards

“I have never come across a piece of land so ideally suited for the building of a golf course," said Arnold Palmer. Tralee Golf Club was his first Irish endeavor opening in 1984. It’s a rugged and exhilarating creation and a must play.

Palmer has designed a course that will stimulate the senses every bit as much as the enchanting and breathtaking scenery. According to folklore, Palmer created the first nine and Mother Nature did the rest. The front nine at Tralee Golf Club plays across fairly level links land, but the majority of the holes hug the coastline and the ground is elevated, affording magnificent views from the cliff top across Tralee Bay to the Atlantic Ocean beyond. The back nine plays through mountainous dunes with fearsome carries across ravines to plateau greens.

The combination and variety of the holes make the entire experience captivating and exciting. There are only a few courses that grab your attention from the first tee shot, keeping hold of it until the very last putt drops. The links at Tralee is one of those few captivating courses.

There are so many great holes that it is almost impossible to single one out, although the 3rd, called “The Castle”, is considered to be the signature hole, a par three measuring almost 200 yards from the back tees. Scenically, it is glorious and reminiscent of the 7th at Pebble Beach. Take a line on the ruined castle which stands sentry to the left and behind the green – anything hit to the right of this green will be eaten by the rocks and the sea.

The 17th is called “Ryan’s Daughter” because the landscape was dramatically filmed in the award-winning movie and the hole will stick in the memory for a very long time; an elevated tee shot on this 355-yard par four must carry across a ravine to a craggy fairway, leaving an approach shot to a tiny raised tabletop green.

We think the measure of a great golf course is the number of holes that stay in the memory forever. If that’s the case, Tralee is both a great course and a memorable one.

18 holes, 72 par, 7,378/6,810 yards

The town of Waterville is a famous fishing center, located on a strip of land that separates the Atlantic Ocean from one of the most beautiful lakes in Ireland, Lough Currane.

Golf at Waterville started around 1889 with a modest 9-hole course, laid out on the eastern section of the present course. In the 1950’s, the club closed until Jack Mulcahy (an Irish American) bought the links in the late 1960’s. Mulcahy commissioned Claude Harmon, his friend and the 1948 Masters champion and Eddie Hackett, Ireland’s most prolific architect, to design a new course. In 1973, the “beautiful monster” course at Waterville opened for play.

Waterville plays on a promontory surrounded by the sea. It’s a stunning, remote location with views to the northeast of the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks mountain range and to the southwest across the beautiful Ballinskelligs Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The fairways are gently undulating, the front nine plays across relatively flat ground whilst the back nine weaves its way through avenues of tall dunes. The view from the elevated 17th tee, an excellent par 3 called “Mulcahy’s Peak” after the founder Jack Mulcahy, is simply breathtaking.

There are few courses that can boast such a fine collection of unique and great golf holes. Waterville has three outstanding par threes and three excellent par fives, the par fours are pretty good too. The 11th is a short par five with a rippling fairway protected on both flanks by towering dunes. The 366-yard par four 16th was once called “Round the Bend” because it follows the natural curvature of the Atlantic coastline. It was here that Liam Higgins, the local pro, had a hole-in-one on his way to setting a course record of 65. Fittingly, the hole is now called “Liam’s Ace”.

The remote location of the Waterville links has precluded it from hosting any big competitions, but many famous golfers find their way here and they all leave with the feeling that Waterville is a very special place.

Payne Stewart was due to be Honorary Captain of Waterville in 2000. Tragically, in October 1999 he died when his private jet crashed in South Dakota. A bronze statue pays tribute to him and his affiliation with Waterville.

18 holes, 72 par, 6,793 yards

Old Head Golf Links has to be one of the world’s most exhilarating sites upon which golf is played. You feel as though you are on the edge of the world there and if you suffer from vertigo, some of the tees definitely present a problem. You’re constantly three hundred feet above the Atlantic as you play the course. As your gaze goes over the edge of the cliffs to the rocks and water below, it literally takes your breath away.

A number of people were involved in the creation of Old Head Golf Links: Dr Joe Carr, Paddy Merrigan, Ron Kirby, the late Eddie Hackett, Liam Higgins and Haulie O'Shea. The course opened for play in 1997 and it's laid out on a narrow headland, jutting out for two miles into the Atlantic Ocean.

There is little margin for error along the edges of the holes bordering the cliff-tops. The signs should be adhered to, they warn you to not look for lost balls for obvious reasons! Take note of the marker posts, or should we say “Stones of Accord” (the club’s logo), as they give you the right line for your tee shot.

Old Head is a very special place indeed. There are many memorable holes, none more so than the 17th, called “Lighthouse”. It's a long par five requiring a bold second shot to the right-hand side of the fairway as anything left will leave a blind approach to a green nestled in a punchbowl on the edge of the cliffs. The 18th is a dramatic closing hole that should be played from the high back tee for maximum drama. It’s unlikely you will play a more dramatic golf course anywhere in the world.

18 holes, 71 par, 6,785 yards

The name Doonbeg is derived from 'Dun Beag', which roughly translated means small fort. So it's no surprise that this pretty seaside village grew up beside a castle, which was built in the 16th century for the Earl of Thomond. You'll find Doonbeg 40 minutes or so due west of Shannon airport. Just keep going until you reach the Atlantic Ocean. The course was designed by Greg Norman, his one and only architectural ensemble in the entire British Isles.

Norman made over 20 visits to this amazing piece of links-land, which curves and tumbles for a mile and a half around the crescent-shaped Doughmore Bay. Norman's design is totally in tune with nature - 14 greens and 12 fairways were simply mown - not much earth moved for Greg here at Doonbeg. The look and feel of the layout is old-fashioned and the routing follows an out-and-back style, synonymous with traditional links architecture.

According to legend, officers of the Scottish Black Watch Regiment planned to turn these dunes into a golf course in the early 1890’s, but they settled on Lahinch because it's located closer to the railway station. When Norman got his hands on this land a century or so later, he said: "I'm not going to Americanize this golf course, not one single foreign blade of grass". Norman remained true to his word, but the club is American-owned and their membership philosophy is that Doonbeg is the ultimate home club for the discriminating international golfer.

The layout is unusual in that it has a combination of five par 3s and five par 5s - the par 72 course measures 6,885 yards from the back tees. The signature hole is the 14th, a par three and one of the most sensational short holes all in Ireland. The 14th measures a mere 111 yards, but hitting the green is easier said than done because of the many distractions... the Atlantic stretches out beyond the green and the wind will dictate your club selection. Expect to take anything from a sand wedge to a hybrid depending on the wind.

The Doonbeg project is believed to be the largest single investment in this part of Ireland and this amazing golf course has a magnetic appeal for thousands of golfers. Doonbeg is a priceless jewel between Lahinch and Ballybunion and one that simply must be played.

18 holes, 72 par, 6950 yards

Golf at Lahinch dates back to 1892. Three local Limerick golfers laid out an 18-hole course, assisted by officers of the Scottish “Black Watch” regiment who were stationed in Limerick at that time. In 1894, Old Tom Morris was commissioned to make improvements to the layout and he made excellent use of the natural terrain, especially the giant sand dunes. Old Tom believed that Lahinch was the finest natural course that he had seen.

In the mid 1890’s, the West Clare Railway made the town more accessible and consequently, people flocked to Lahinch to stay at the new Golf Links Hotel. The whole town lives and breathes golf. In 1927, Dr Alister MacKenzie redesigned the course, relocating a number of holes closer to the bay. The redesign work took one year to complete and featured undulating triple tiered greens. MacKenzie was pleased with his work and said: “It will make the finest and most popular course that I, or I believe anyone else, ever constructed”.

Lahinch is an enchanting place to play golf. It’s rugged, distinctive, unusually varied and immensely entertaining. It’s a traditional out and back layout, situated next to the lovely beach of Liscannor Bay. Views across the bay from the 3rd are uplifting. This 446-yard par four, has a blind drive to a hidden fairway and the approach to the green is obscured by a hill on the right. The 4th is a short par five named Klondyke. It's one of the most unusual holes in golf and an Old Tom Morris specialty. The tee shot needs to find a narrow fairway in a valley between dunes. A blind second shot then has to negotiate Klondyke, a towering sand dune that straddles the fairway some 200 yards away from the green. It's certainly a quirky hole but it's also very memorable.

Left untouched since Old Tom Morris first fashioned it over a century ago, Dell is the renowned blind par three 5th, its green nestling between towering sand hills that surround the narrow green on all sides. A stone on top of one of the dunes indicates the hole location from the tee so golfers are advised to factor in the wind direction, pick the right club for the yardage then take aim for the hidden flag.

The Old course at Lahinch is a gem and will host the Irish Open for the first time in 2019.

Dingle Golf Links is known locally as “Ceann Sibeal”, which literally translates to Sybil Point, the location the course is built upon.

It sits at the edge of the spectacular Dingle Peninsula where Irish is still the language of choice. Dingle Golf Links is the westernmost course not only in Ireland but all of Europe. What awaits at “Ceann Sibeal” once you have navigated the dangerous and gorgeous coastal road is a gloriously natural golf course, entirely cunning, with a devious little burn that lurks seemingly everywhere throughout the round. As you play the course, the whole panorama of the Dingle Peninsula is revealed... hidden bays with fishing villages, glorious hills and mountains and the Blasket Islands out in the wild Atlantic.

Dingle town itself is a great place to visit for a bite to eat and a pint. Perhaps the most memorable part of a visit to Dingle Golf Links is the fact that out here, you escape many of the other tourists who flock to the more well known courses of southwest Ireland. At “Ceann Sibeal”, you have the opportunity to experience Irish golf in a much more relaxed and quiet way.

18 holes, 71 par, 6586 yards

Environmentally, Dooks Golf Club is one of the most natural golf courses in the world. Everything is in harmony with its surroundings – it’s a beautiful place for golf. The course is enchantingly located on a promontory on the southern side of Dingle Bay. The MacGillycuddy’s Reeks Mountains stand to the southeast and stretched out in the foreground to the north and west are the sandy peninsulas of Rossbehy and Inch Point. The vista is simply breathtaking.

Officers from the Royal Horse Artillery laid out a short nine-hole course in 1889 and they introduced the local gentry to the game of golf. This establishes Dooks as Kerry’s oldest golf course. Around 1900, the course was extended to 18 holes, but due to escalating costs, the club soon reverted back to nine holes.

In September 1970, against all odds, and inside a meagre £3000 budget, a newly extended 18-hole Dooks opened for play – designed and built by the members. The outcome is fantastic, the new holes blend perfectly with the old.

Dooks Golf Club is a tranquil, engaging and fun golf course. It also provides a true and traditional links experience. The course is not of championship length, measuring just over 6,000 yards, but don’t let this put you off. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable challenge. There are numerous memorable holes, but the 13th will remain etched in the mind for a very long time. Many of the greens are undulating, but the green of the par three 13th is the big dipper in roller-coaster terms. Dooks is certainly an inspirational golf course, a very special place. Additionally, it is one of the most sociable and friendly golf clubs you’ll ever visit, with a genuinely warm Irish welcome awaiting all.

54 holes, Killeen (Championship) 72 par, 6,590 yards

There are three courses at the Killarney Golf & Fishing Club and the Killeen golf course is considered to be the best. Killarney is set in its own National Park within the famous Ring of Kerry. Here is some of the most magical and enchanting scenery in Ireland, the Killeen course being set on the banks of Lough Leane, the largest freshwater lake in the southwest. The backcloth is the majestic Carrauntoohil, the highest mountain in Ireland, one of the many peaks of the Macgillycuddy's Reeks, and this is the most mountainous region in the Emerald Isle.

Golf at Killarney dates back to 1891, but the Killeen course is relatively young, opening for play in 1972. Eddie Hackett and Billy O’Sullivan originally designed the Killeen. It was a complicated project which involved splitting the original Mahoney’s Point course in half and building nine holes on newly purchased land. David Jones updated the Killeen course ahead of the 1991 Irish Open, which was won by Nick Faldo. The Irish Open returned to the Killarney’s Killeen course in 1992 and once again Faldo triumphed.

Despite the proximity of the mountains, the Killeen golf course is set on relatively flat ground. The lake comes into play immediately and remains a hazard until the 5th hole, which turns inland. The course then plays in more traditional parkland surroundings until the 7th hole, which once again plays alongside the lake.

The experience you’ll have at Killarney is fantastic and comes from many factors... the setting and views are breathtaking, the conditioning of the course is first class, the holes are varied and challenging and, last but not least, the Irish welcome is warm and friendly. Surely there can be no prettier place in the whole of Ireland to play inland golf.