The Island, Ballinakill,
nr Waterford, Co. Waterford
Office
+353 (0)51 871 633Pro shop
+353 (0)51 871 633Fax
+353 (0)51 871 634Website
Visit websiteThe Course:
18 holes. Tree-lined and open parkland. Gently undulating terrain - easy to walk.
Surroundings:
Riverside (River Suir) and woodland.
Designer:
Des Smyth & Declan Brannigan
52.253284
-7.059188
3 km E of Waterford
Heading south-east from Waterford on the main Waterford to Dunmore road (R683), just after the Waterford Regional Hospital, turn left into Island Lane, direction ferry crossing to the Island and Waterford Castle.
Waterford Castle
Waterford Castle Golf Club Resort is home to Ireland's only true "island" golf resort, detached from the mainland and accessed via a private ferry. In addition to being surrounded by the River Suir, the relatively open parkland golf course also contains an additional four internal water features which come into play on several holes. Substantial good quality bunkering also plays its part.
This Des Smyth and Declan Brannigan design includes several challenging dog-leg holes, not least the 456-yard par-4 12th, where distance as well as accuracy is required off the tee. With some lovely views from the course and a luxury hotel on-site, Waterford Castle is one of the best Stay&Play locations in the south of Ireland.
Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.
Must book in advance.
Soft spikes only. Players generally walk this course. Golf carts available for hire.
Good
The Island, home to Waterford Castle Resort and Golf Club, was once home to a monastic settlement in the sixth and eighth centuries. Maurice Fitzgerald, cousin of the English Earl of Pembroke (known as "Strongbow"), landed in Waterford during the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1160.
During a battle Fitzgerald was taken prisoner by Osserman of Waterford and held on the Island until he was rescued. Together with other Norman Lords, he was awarded large tracts of land in Ireland, including The Island, where he decided to make his home. For the next eight centuries, The Island was home to the the Earls of Kildare and Ormond and the Knights of Glin and Kerry, in one of the longest unbroken stewardship’s on record in Ireland.
Eddie Kearns, who bought The Island in 1987, both preserved its past and secured its future by opening the Castle and the Island to visitors by developing the present luxury hotel and golf course.
The Island, Co. Waterford.
+353 (0)51 878 203
Visit websiteWaterford Castle Hotel is based on a tastefully restored 15th century castle, and represents one of the most impressive castle hotels in Ireland. The resort combines gracious living with every modern comfort a resort guest could wish for.
Waterford Castle
Faithlegg; Waterford
Tramore
Chevron Championship: Carlton Woods near Houston in Texas provides the stage for the first women’s major championship of 2025, where Nelly Korda defends her title. (April 24-27).
Soudal Open: successor to the Belgian Open, the Soudal Open takes place on the quiet, wooded North course of Rinkven Golfclub. Belgian stars Thomas Pieters and Nicolas Colsaerts will be vying for top honours. (May 22-25).
Rory McIlroy: with his 2025 win in The Masters, Rory joined the pantheon of golfing greats who have achieved a career Grand Slam of men’s majors ... Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods are the only others in this select band.
Bernhard Langer: he may have played in his last Masters Tournament, but the 67-year-old German will be trying to extend his own record, and win a 13th senior major title at the 36th Regions Tradition. (May 15-18).
Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.
Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.
Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.
Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available
You can subscribe to the Where2Golf channel on YT if you like to see more video content. You'll find a "Subscribe" button on any of our YouTube videos. Or if you want a quick and direct access subscribe here. Once done, any new published videos will show up in your Subscriptions feed.
