Golf in Ireland West has been described by Tourism Ireland as 'warm, wild and wonderful'. This part of Ireland offers fabulous links and parkland courses with varied heritage and beautiful scenery. It is one of our preferred golfing destinations. The links golf courses are world renowned and open for visitors to play.
Make the most out of your golf trip to the west of Ireland. Look up the location of the golf courses on the map; it will help you with your planning to play the best during your holidays. To each golf course visited we have applied a rating. The scale, 5 (highest) to 2 (lowest), attempts to provide an indication of the golfing experience you can expect at each rated course. Hover your on-screen mouse pointer above the rating key hereafter to read our definitions.
Visitors welcome
Limerick
Original design by Robert Trent Jones Sr (1995); significantly revamped by Tom Fazio (2017).
Visitors welcome
Athlone
J. McAllister
Wkends restrictd
Killarney
Robert Trent Jones Sr.
Wkends restrictd
Killarney
Original layout by club professional James McKenna. After 8 yrs of closure, a new 9-hole layout was designed by Lionel Hewson (1906), and extended to 18-holes in 1926. Additional modifications made by Tom Simpson (1937) and Tom Watson (1995).
Visitors welcome
Limerick
Des Smyth & Declan Branigan
Visitors welcome
Galway
Robert J. "Bobby" Brown
Visitors welcome
Killarney
Original design by Arthur Spring (1994). Course redesigned by Tom Mackenzie of Mackenzie & Ebert Golf Course Architects (2007).
Visitors welcome
Sligo
Eddie Hackett
Visitors welcome
Killarney
Dr Arthur Spring
Visitors welcome
Galway
Eddie Hackett
Visitors welcome
Cork
Dr Alister MacKenzie redesigned the course, extending it to 18-holes in 1927.
Visitors welcome
Killarney
Eddie Hackett & Christy O'Connor Jr.
Visitors welcome
Killarney
Original layout designed by the club members, with several subsequent makeovers. Substantial redesign by Martin Hawtree (2005).
Visitors welcome
Limerick
Original layout designed by American course architect Brook L. Wigginton (1961). Significant improvements made by Ron Kirby and Joe Carr (2003).
Visitors welcome
Cork
Original Deerpark course designed by Christy O'Connor Jr & Peter McEvoy; modified by Jeff Howes (1999). Howes also designed Fota Island's nine new holes (2006).
Visitors welcome
Galway
Christy O'Connor Jr.
Wkends restrictd
Galway
Dr Alister MacKenzie laid out the current course in the early-1920s.
Visitors welcome
Killarney
Robert Trent Jones Jr.
Visitors welcome
Killarney
Original design by Dr William (Billy) O'Sullivan & Fred Hawtree, with a subsequent redesign by Tom MacKenzie (2006).
Visitors welcome
Killarney
Donald Steel
Visitors welcome
Killarney
Sir Guy Campbell & Henry Longhurst
Visitors welcome
Limerick
Redesigned by Dr Arthur Spring in 1994.
Visitors welcome
Limerick
Original layout by Old Tom Morris. Significant later modifications by Dr Alister MacKenzie (1920s); MacKenzie left untouched Morris's best holes (e.g. par-5 4th, par-3 5th). Further enhancements by Martin Hawtree (2003).
Visitors welcome
Galway
Unknown
Visitors welcome
Cork
A collaborative design involving Ron Kirby, Paddy Merrigan, Liam Higgins, Eddie Hackett and Dr. Joe Carr.
Visitors welcome
Killarney
Eddie Hackett
Not Sundays
Killarney
Arnold Palmer designed the course at Tralee's current Barrow location (1984).
Visitors welcome
Limerick
Greg Norman
Visitors welcome
Killarney
Eddie Hackett & Claude Harmon designed the current layout (early 1970s). Significant changes made by Tom Fazio (2006/7).
Visitors welcome
Galway
Fred Hawtree
Tournaments:
Women’s major championships: the month of June sees two women’s majors: the US Women’s Open (June 3-6), with A Lim Kim defending, and the Women’s PGA Championship (June 24-27), with Sei Young Kim defending.
Senior PGA Championship: the revered Southern Hills in Oklahoma hosts the 81st staging of this event (May 27-30); Ken Tanigawa holds the title from its last playing in 2019.
Who's Who:
Phil Mickelson: in winning the 2021 PGA Championship, the world’s most famous “leftie” became the oldest winner of a golf major championship.
Hideki Matsuyama: became the first Japanese professional to win a men’s major championship, when he triumphed in this year’s Masters Tournament.
New 27-hole golf complex to be built in southern Belgium
A new golf complex in southern Belgium, close to the border with Luxembourg, will start construction in June 2021.
American Dunes opens for play following Nicklaus transformation
Nicklaus Design has transformed the former Grand Haven Golf Club in Michigan into the American Dunes Golf Club, a new public course that is now open for play
New course opens for play at Barnbougle
Bill Coore designs 14-hole layout with “sporty” holes on dune ridge above Lost Farm (golf carts allowed).
Gamble Sands opens short course:
David McLay Kidd’s 14-hole QuickSands short course has opened for play at Gamble Sands in Brewster, Washington.
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