Links golf on the Irish coast in low evening light

The Golf Week

The Ultimate Ireland Golf Trip

Seven nights, seven championship rounds, five bases. One round a day, in the order we would play them.

Dublin first, then the Mournes and the Causeway coast, west into the dunes at Belmullet, and down through Kerry and Clare to finish. Every round played, every clubhouse bar properly tested.

Portmarnock · Royal Dublin · Royal County Down · Royal Portrush · Carne · Ballybunion · Lahinch

Start at Day OneWhat to book first

The briefing

Seven nights, seven championship rounds, and five bases. Dublin first while your eyes are still clear, then north to the Mournes and the Causeway coast, west into the dunes at Belmullet, and down through Kerry and Clare to finish. Every round below has been played, and every clubhouse bar properly tested.

The pacing is the point. No more than one round in a day, one full rest evening after Royal County Down, and no 36-hole heroics on a course that deserves your whole attention. Three optional extras sit on the route for groups with legs left: the Kilmore nine at Carne, Tralee or Waterville on the Kerry afternoon, and the Fazio course at Adare Manor before you fly.

Green fees, visitor days and booking windows on this page come from the clubs' own published information, with the check date and the source listed beside each course below.

A note from Deborah. Read her editorial perspective

The Route

Five bases, one round a day

DublinNights 1 to 2NewcastleNights 3 to 4PortrushDay 4 roundBelmulletDay 5 roundCongNight 5BallybunionDay 6 roundKenmareNights 6 to 7LahinchDay 7 roundAdareDay 7 finish
Filled markers are the nights. Open markers are the rounds. The line is the drive, not a suggestion of a loop.
Shape
Dublin, the Mournes, the Causeway coast, Belmullet, Kerry, Clare
Five bases across seven nights, and no base held for a single night except Cong.
Rounds
Seven championship rounds, three optional extras
Portmarnock, Royal Dublin, Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Carne, Ballybunion Old, Lahinch Old.
Flights
In and out of Dublin
The route finishes inland at Adare, which sits between Shannon and Dublin. Shannon out works if the fares are kinder.
Getting around
A private driver, or a seven-seater you drive yourselves
We recommend the driver for this route and explain why below. Self drive is a legitimate alternative, and we do not mix the two sets of instructions.
Best months
May, June and September
Long evenings, firm links ground, and the visitor windows at the northern clubs still open.
Book by
Nine to twelve months out
Royal County Down first, then Royal Portrush and Ballybunion. The hotels follow the tee times, never the other way around.

The driver, the caddies, the handicap rules and every published green fee follow the seven days below.

Day One

Portmarnock, On Arrival Legs

Twenty-five minutes from the centre of Dublin to the high cathedral of Irish links. One round, a long clubhouse lunch, and nothing else asked of you.

The round

Portmarnock Old Course

Tee off by 9am

How we play itFees, visitor days and how to book
The links at Portmarnock on the peninsula north of Dublin
Portmarnock, on the peninsula north of Dublin. The harder of the two Dublin rounds, which is why it goes first.

  1. Morning

    The first tee at nine

    Tee off at Portmarnock by 9am, twenty-five minutes from The Merrion. The high cathedral of Irish links and the harder of the two Dublin rounds. Play it on fresh legs, not after a layover.

  2. Afternoon

    Do nothing, deliberately

    Rest, the range, and a hotel sauna. Do not book a second eighteen on arrival day no matter what the rest of the group says. The Dublin leg is the warm-up, not the trip.

  3. Evening

    Chapter One at half past seven

    The celebratory opening meal. Banquette on the right wall, the tasting menu, the Champagne pairing. Book it the day you book the trip.

In the clubhouse

Lunch in the Portmarnock clubhouse. The fish chowder and brown bread is the right pace. Forty-five minutes, then back to the hotel.

What groups get wrong

Booking Royal Dublin first instead of Portmarnock. Royal Dublin is the kinder course and the better post-jet-lag round. The reverse order ruins the harder course.

Our take

Book Portmarnock as the first round, not Royal Dublin. The Old Course is the harder of the two and you want fresh legs and clear eyes for it.

Where we sleep

The Merrion

A city base twenty-five minutes from both Dublin courses, with the best service in the city. Two nights, no moving.

Check availability at The Merrion →

The first walk-up to the Portmarnock first tee at 9am with the wind off the estuary. Irish links golf, finally, after months of imagining it.

Day Two

Royal Dublin, Then North

Bull Island in the morning, the members' fish pie afterwards, and the transfer to the Mournes in the afternoon so that Day Three starts on foot.

The round

The Royal Dublin Golf Club

Tee time at 10am

The Royal Dublin links on Bull Island in Dublin Bay
Royal Dublin, on Bull Island in the bay. The kinder of the two Dublin courses, and the better second morning.

The drive

Dublin to Newcastle, County Down. Leave after lunch and give the transfer the whole afternoon rather than driving it at dawn on Day Three. Royal County Down is a course you want to arrive at rested, and the walk from the hotel to the first tee is the reason to sleep in Newcastle.

  1. Morning

    Ten o'clock on Bull Island

    Royal Dublin at 10am. The back nine hugs the coast and the wind is a different player than yesterday's. Fifteen minutes from the hotel door.

  2. Afternoon

    The transfer north

    Out of Dublin after lunch and up to Newcastle, at the foot of the Mourne Mountains. Nothing on the schedule but the drive.

  3. Evening

    Slieve Donard, early

    Dinner in the hotel and an early night. Tomorrow is the round the trip is built around, and it starts with a walk rather than a drive.

In the clubhouse

The members' fish pie in the Royal Dublin clubhouse with a half-pint of Guinness. Forty-five minutes. The pie is a Dublin institution.

What groups get wrong

Treating the transfer as dead time and stacking a second round on top of it. Two rounds and a cross-border drive in one day is how the middle of the trip falls apart.

Our take

Move north on Day Two, not at dawn on Day Three. Groups who hold the Dublin hotel an extra night end up leaving at five in the morning and standing on the hardest first tee in Ireland with cold hands.

Where we sleep

Slieve Donard, Newcastle

Book this for the walk to the Royal County Down first tee. That walk is the whole argument for the hotel.

Check availability at Slieve Donard, Newcastle →

The Mournes coming up out of the windscreen on the road into Newcastle, with tomorrow's course lying along the shore beneath them.

Day Three

Royal County Down, And Nothing Else

The most beautiful ground in world golf, and one of the hardest. One round, a long lunch, and a quiet evening. This is the day we protect most fiercely.

The round

Royal County Down, Championship Links

Walk to the first tee for 8:30am

How we play itFees, visitor days and how to book
The Championship links at Royal County Down beneath the Mourne Mountains
Royal County Down, Newcastle. The Mournes behind, Dundrum Bay below, and blind tee shots in both directions.

  1. Morning

    Half past eight, on foot

    Walk from the hotel to the Royal County Down first tee. World-ranked number one, with the Mourne Mountains as backdrop and the wind off Dundrum Bay. Take the caddie's line on every shot you cannot see land.

  2. Afternoon

    The promenade, and a sauna

    Walk the Newcastle promenade. Do not pick up a club. The course punishes 36-hole groups and the back nine has already taken more out of you than the scorecard shows.

  3. Evening

    The rest evening

    A quiet dinner in the hotel dining room. Lobster, a glass of Sancerre, in bed by ten. Day Four at Portrush is too important to play hung over. This is the one rest evening on the route and it is not negotiable.

In the clubhouse

A long lunch in the Royal County Down clubhouse. A bowl of chowder, a half-pint, and the rest of the afternoon for the back-nine post-mortem.

What groups get wrong

Adding an afternoon eighteen to maximise the trip. It is the single most common mistake American groups make on this route.

Our take

Do not book a second round today. A 36-hole day here ends with a bad score on a great course and a wrecked round tomorrow. One round, a long lunch, and a quiet dinner is how you actually honour both.

Where we sleep

Slieve Donard, Newcastle

Second of two nights. Ask for a room on the sea side, and keep the evening in the hotel.

Check availability at Slieve Donard, Newcastle →

Standing on the ninth tee at Royal County Down with the Mournes behind you and the bay below. The course you will tell your sons about for the rest of your life.

Day Four

Royal Portrush, Then The Causeway

The Open's home course in the morning, ninety minutes on the basalt columns in the afternoon, and the trip's first proper drinking night.

The round

Royal Portrush, Dunluce Links

Tee off at 9am

How we play itFees, visitor days and how to book
The Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush on the Antrim coast
The Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush. Calamity, White Rocks, and the only Open venue on the island.

The drive

Newcastle to Portrush and back, with the Coastal Causeway Route on the return leg. A long day in the car by the standards of this trip, and the reason we keep the evening loose.

  1. Morning

    Nine o'clock on the Dunluce

    Leave Newcastle at 6:30am for the drive to Royal Portrush. Tee off the Dunluce at 9am, The Open's home course, with Calamity waiting on the back nine.

  2. Afternoon

    The Giant's Causeway, briefly

    Drive back via the Coastal Causeway Route. Ninety minutes on the basalt columns is enough. Photograph the Organ pipes and turn back. This is the one cultural stop on the whole route.

  3. Evening

    Seafood, then pints

    The hotel restaurant or a seafood bar in town, then pints later in the pub. The trip's first proper drinking night, because tomorrow starts with a drive and not a tee time you have to respect.

In the clubhouse

Lunch in the Portrush clubhouse after the round. Crab claws, a Guinness, and the seventh-hole stories.

What groups get wrong

Trying to add the Valley course the same afternoon. The Dunluce and the coast road fill the day honestly. Two rounds turns the best day on the northern coast into a march.

Our take

Sleep in Newcastle rather than moving the hotel north for one night. The drive is long, but a single-night hotel change in the middle of a golf trip costs more in packing and check-ins than the ninety minutes it saves.

Where we sleep

Slieve Donard, Newcastle

Still your base. Nothing to pack, nothing to check into, and the bar is yours when you get back.

Check availability at Slieve Donard, Newcastle →

Standing on the tee at Calamity with the whole Antrim coast in the frame and no sensible place to miss.

Day Five

Carne, In The Empty Dunes

Eddie Hackett's masterpiece in Europe's largest sand dunes, on a morning when you will see one other group all day. Then the reset night at Ashford Castle.

The round

Carne Golf Links

Eleven o'clock tee, not nine

The dunes at Carne Golf Links near Belmullet in County Mayo
Carne, at Belmullet. A routing carved into the land rather than imposed on it, and almost nobody on it.

The drive

Newcastle to Belmullet in the morning, then Belmullet to Cong in the evening. Two long legs in one day, which is exactly why the eleven o'clock tee time matters and why the evening ends at a table rather than a bar.

  1. Morning

    Out at seven, coffee once

    Leave Newcastle at 7am. The drive across through the Sperrins and Donegal is the emptiest of the trip. Stop once for coffee. Arrive at Carne with time to change your shoes and nothing more.

  2. Midday

    Eighteen holes, alone

    Eighteen holes through Europe's largest sand dunes with Eddie Hackett's routing following the ground rather than fighting it. You will see one other group all day.

  3. Evening

    Ashford Castle, jacket required

    Ninety minutes south to Cong and into Ashford Castle by seven. Dinner in the George V Room at eight. Round table by the lake-view window, the tasting menu, the sommelier pairing. The painted ceiling and the candlelight are the trip's reset moment between two long driving days.

In the clubhouse

Lunch in the Carne clubhouse after the round. Seafood chowder, brown bread, a pint of Smithwick's, and no hurry at all.

What groups get wrong

Stopping for sightseeing on the Mayo leg. The reset evening is the point of this day, and every photograph stop on the bog road eats into it.

If the legs are still there

Optional: the Kilmore nine at Carne if the legs are still there. Most groups skip it after the dune work, and they are right to.

Our take

Book the eleven o'clock tee time, not the morning slot. A 9am tee means leaving Newcastle at four in the morning. Eleven leaves at seven, lands you fresh, and still gets you to Cong for a proper dinner.

Where we sleep

Ashford Castle, Cong

The trip's reset night between two long driving days. One night, and the only single-night stay we allow on the route.

Check availability at Ashford Castle, Cong →

The walk down the seventeenth at Carne with the Atlantic on your left, the dunes higher than the flag, and not a single other golfer on the horizon.

Day Six

Ballybunion Old, And Kerry

The round Tom Watson said he would travel the world to play, then the quietest finish in the southwest at Sheen Falls.

The round

Ballybunion Old Course

Half past eleven, after the drive south

How we play itFees, visitor days and how to book
The Old Course at Ballybunion above the Atlantic in County Kerry
Ballybunion Old. The back nine runs along the cliff edge and never quite lets you settle.

The drive

Cong to Ballybunion in the morning, then on to Kenmare in the evening. The M18 through Limerick does most of the work, which is why this leg feels shorter than it reads.

  1. Morning

    South at seven

    Leave Cong at 7am and drive south through Limerick into Kerry. Arrive at Ballybunion with thirty minutes to spare on the range.

  2. Midday

    The cliff nine

    Ballybunion Old at 11:30am. The back nine on the Atlantic cliffs is the finest stretch of links golf on earth, and the front nine exists to make you believe you are ready for it.

  3. Evening

    Sheen Falls, and a waterfall

    Into Kenmare and Sheen Falls Lodge. Sauna, a river-view balcony, a Dingle gin. Dinner overlooking the cascade at eight, Kerry lamb, a single glass of red, in bed by half past ten. Day Seven needs a clean swing.

In the clubhouse

A long Guinness in the Ballybunion clubhouse while the front-nine stories settle and somebody counts their lost balls out loud.

What groups get wrong

Insisting on Tralee or Waterville the same afternoon whatever the morning did to you. Groups grind through 36 holes in the wind and end the day too tired to enjoy Kerry at all.

If the legs are still there

Optional: Tralee or Waterville in the afternoon, and only if Ballybunion came in under four hours thirty with the swing still crisp.

Our take

Skip the second round if Ballybunion takes more than four hours thirty. One transcendent round and a long Sheen Falls dinner is the better day, every time.

Where we sleep

Sheen Falls Lodge, Kenmare

Ask for a river-view room. The quietest finish to the southwest, and the right hotel to be tired in.

Check availability at Sheen Falls Lodge, Kenmare →

The eleventh tee at Ballybunion. The Atlantic falling away on the right, the dunes climbing on the left, and the weight of every great links round you have ever read about settling into your stance.

Day Seven

Lahinch, Finishing At Adare

One last links morning in Clare, then inland to Adare for the spa, the Fazio course if you have it in you, and a whiskey that closes the week.

The round

Lahinch Old Course

Half past ten

How we play itFees, visitor days and how to book
The Old Course at Lahinch in County Clare
Lahinch Old. The Klondyke, the Dell, the goats, and the design that makes you want a second round.

The drive

Kenmare to Lahinch in the morning, then across to Adare. If you are flying out of Shannon, Adare puts you twenty-five minutes from the terminal and saves the drive back east.

  1. Morning

    Out at seven, north to Clare

    Leave Kenmare at 7am for Lahinch. Arrive with twenty minutes for the range, and tee off at 10:30am.

  2. Midday

    Blind shots and goats

    Lahinch is the classic links finish: the Klondyke, the Dell, the seventh-hole roll-out, and greens that ask you to think backwards from the flag. Clubhouse lunch afterwards.

  3. Afternoon

    Adare, spa or Fazio

    Across to Adare. The Fazio course if the energy is there, otherwise the spa, a steam, and the proper finish that most groups actually want by now.

  4. Evening

    The closing whiskey

    Two glasses, not four. Seven Irish rounds behind you and the next trip already half-booked in your head.

In the clubhouse

Lunch in the Lahinch clubhouse with the village outside the window and the Atlantic three hundred yards away.

What groups get wrong

Booking the Fazio round at Adare before you know how the week has gone. Leave it as an option you can decline at breakfast without losing money.

If the legs are still there

Optional: eighteen on the Tom Fazio course at Adare Manor in the afternoon, or Old Head of Kinsale instead of Lahinch if the group wants the theatrical finish rather than the classic one.

Our take

Pick Lahinch over Old Head if you have never played either. Old Head is the photograph and an extraordinary one-time experience. Lahinch is the course you will want to play again.

Where we sleep

Adare Manor

The right last night if you want the Fazio course, the spa and a short run to Shannon in the morning.

Check availability at Adare Manor →

The last putt at Lahinch dropping, and the walk off the green with nothing left to book and nothing left to prove.

The Tom Fazio course at Adare Manor in County Limerick
Adare Manor. The finish, the spa, and the optional eighteen you should only book on the morning you want it.

What we would book first

Three tee times decide this trip

Book in this order and the route holds together. Book the hotels first and you will end up rebuilding the week around a tee time you could not get.

  1. 1

    Royal County Down, first and before anything else.

    It books out further ahead than any other course on the island and it only takes visitors on certain days. Everything else on the route bends around the day you are given.

    How to book it

  2. 2

    Royal Portrush, Dunluce, second.

    The Open venue, with published visitor windows that rule out whole days of the week. Fix it as soon as Royal County Down is confirmed.

    How to book it

  3. 3

    Ballybunion Old, third.

    Without a morning here the Kerry leg has no anchor and the drive south stops making sense.

    How to book it

  4. 4

    Portmarnock and Lahinch, fourth.

    Both have visitor seasons and preferred visitor days. Neither is as hard to land as the three above, and both are easier to move if the northern dates shift.

    How to book it

  5. 5

    The hotels, last.

    Five bases, and each one is chosen for how close it sits to the next first tee. Hotels follow tee times. It never works the other way around.

The driver

Why we put a driver on this route

Six of the seven days here are driven, two of them for four hours or more, and the roads that matter are the small ones: the coast road back from Portrush, the bog road into Belmullet, the lanes around Ballybunion. None of that is difficult in a car you know. All of it is harder on the left, in a wide vehicle, with four sets of clubs in the back and somebody reading the yardage book out loud.

The other reason is the clubhouse bar. A links round in Ireland finishes at a table, and the day is better when nobody at that table is counting pints against a drive. A driver who knows the clubs also knows which gate to use, where the bag drop is, and how long the caddie master actually needs you.

Self drive is a legitimate alternative and plenty of groups prefer it. A seven-seater with room for clubs is the standard choice for a foursome, and an automatic is worth the upgrade if nobody in the group drives a manual at home. We do not mix the two sets of instructions: pick one and let the schedule follow it.

Caddies

Book the caddie with the tee time, not on the day

On the courses with blind shots, and that is most of them on this route, a caddie is the difference between a round you enjoy and a round you survive. Royal County Down is the clearest case: the line on several tee shots is a mark on a dune, and the caddie owns that mark.

Caddies are arranged through the club when you book the tee time, not at the starter's hut on the morning. Some clubs publish a caddie fee and some offer a group forecaddie instead of one bag each. The course-by-course notes below carry whichever the club itself publishes, with the date we checked it.

Bring cash in the local currency for the tip. Sterling in the north, euro in the republic, and the northern clubs will charge the green fee in sterling too, so travel with a card that has no foreign transaction fee.

Handicaps and etiquette

What the starter will actually ask you for

Several of the championship courses ask visitors for a handicap certificate or an index, and the request comes at the desk rather than by email. Travel with a printed or screenshot copy of your index. It takes ten seconds to show and it is an uncomfortable conversation to have without it.

Plan to walk. Buggies are limited or unavailable on a number of the links courses on this route, and where they exist they are often restricted to medical need. Trolleys are usually fine.

Visitor days are real and they are narrow. Some clubs do not take visitor bookings on certain days at all. That is the single most common reason a golf itinerary has to be rebuilt late, and it is why the booking order below matters more than the hotels.

Course by course

Green fees, visitor days and the rules that catch Americans out

Every line below comes from the club's own published information, with the date we last checked it and the pages we checked it against. Tee times are booked with the clubs. We do not hold them.

Portmarnock Green Fees 2027, Tee Times And The Visitor Season

Budget 530 euro for eighteen Championship holes in 2027, lunch included, and know that the visitor season runs 1 April to 30 September only. Ask for a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday window, because Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and bank holidays are members only. Contact the visitor office nine to twelve months out with your group and handicaps, pay the euro deposit the day the invoice arrives, and book a caddie for every player. Bring euro in cash for caddie fees and tips. Sleep at the Shelbourne or the Merrion and hold the round-night dinner the same day the room is confirmed.

Book today

  • Portmarnock visitor tee time via the club office, nine to twelve months out.
  • A Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday window inside the 1 April to 30 September visitor season.
  • One caddie per player at the same time, paid in cash on the day.
  • Three nights at the Shelbourne or the Merrion in Dublin city centre.
  • The round-night dinner at Chapter One, Bastible, or Etto.

What we would skip

  • Any third-party broker offering to secure the tee time for a fee.
  • The back tees on a first play unless your index is under six.
  • A Wednesday, Friday, Saturday or bank holiday request. Those are members only.
  • Any date between 1 October 2027 and 31 March 2028. The club is closed to visitors.
  • Paying the caddie by card at the end of the round.

Verified 27 September 2026 against the Portmarnock Golf Club published visitor information page, including the 2027 green fee table and 2027 visitor times.

The full booking chapter

How To Book Royal County Down: The 2027 Green Fees And Rules

Send the club's booking enquiry form as soon as your dates are real, offering two or three visitor days (Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri or Sun). Expect to pay £495 in full, in sterling, at booking for 2027, non-refundable unless the club cancels for weather. Pre-book a caddie, bring cash for them, and plan to walk: there are no buggies.

Book today

  • Send the enquiry form with two or three acceptable visitor days.
  • Pre-book a £75 single caddie per player, or accept the group forecaddie.
  • Pay on a card with no foreign transaction fee.
  • Hold Slieve Donard only after the round is confirmed.

What we would skip

  • Anything claiming to sell you a Royal County Down ballot place. There is no ballot.
  • A Wednesday or Saturday plan for the Championship Links. Those are not visitor days.
  • Arriving the morning of the round from Dublin or Belfast. Sleep in Newcastle the night before.

Verified 25 September 2026 against Royal County Down's own enquiry page and visitor information page.

The full booking chapter

Royal Portrush Green Fees, Tee Times And The Visitor Timetable

Budget 420 pounds per person on the Dunluce and 200 pounds on the Valley, the club's published 2026 rates for 1 April to 31 October, and know the whole fee is payable on booking and non-refundable. Target a Tuesday or Thursday between 9.40am and 11.52am, because Wednesday has no visitor bookings at all and Friday has no afternoon. Ask about the Golf Ireland rate if you are a fourball. Hold three nights at the Bushmills Inn before the card clears, and use a card without a foreign-transaction fee because Portrush prices in sterling.

Book today

  • A Tuesday or Thursday Dunluce tee time in the published 9.40am to 11.52am window.
  • Ask the club about the Golf Ireland rate for groups of four. It is available on request.
  • A caddie, booked with the tee time through the tee reservations department.
  • Hold three nights at the Bushmills Inn before the green fee is paid.
  • Use a credit card without a foreign-transaction fee. The fee is charged in sterling.

What we would skip

  • Do not plan a Wednesday. The club takes no visitor bookings on the Dunluce or the Valley all day.
  • Do not plan a Friday afternoon or a Saturday morning. Neither is open to visitors.
  • Do not assume a refund. The green fee is payable in full on booking and non-refundable.
  • Do not sleep in Belfast for this round. The morning drive erodes the round.
  • Do not skip the caddie. Portrush hides its greens on the second shot, not the first.
  • Do not pack blue denim or a collarless shirt. Neither is permitted on the links or in the clubhouse.

Verified 27 September 2026 against the Royal Portrush Golf Club visitor page, including the published 2026 green fees, visitor tee time windows, cart policy and dress code.

The full booking chapter

How To Book A Tee Time At Ballybunion Golf Club

Open the Ballybunion visitor booking page nine to twelve months out, target a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday morning on the Old Course in May, June, or September, and hold your accommodation at Adare Manor or in Listowel before the euro deposit clears. Book off the white tees with caddies, treat the Cashen as an optional add rather than a substitute, and use a specialist agent only inside a four-month window or for groups of eight and up.

Book today

  • Open the Ballybunion visitor booking page nine to twelve months out.
  • Target a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday morning on the Old Course in May, June, or September.
  • Hold a room at Adare Manor or in Listowel before the deposit clears.
  • Use a credit card without a foreign-transaction fee. The deposit clears in euro.
  • Book off the white tees and add caddies at the point of booking.

What we would skip

  • Do not book the Cashen instead of the Old Course. It is a second round, not a substitute.
  • Do not sleep in Ballybunion town for three nights. Sleep in Adare or Listowel.
  • Do not select the championship tees on the Old Course. The whites are the honest round.
  • Do not play the round as a day trip out of Killarney. Give Kerry two nights around it.
  • Do not pay a specialist agent for a booking a nine-month lead time will make for free.

Checked 27 September 2026. The Ballybunion Golf Club website was unreachable to us at that check, so no green fee or caddie figure is quoted here. Confirm current rates with the club directly.

The full booking chapter

How To Book A Tee Time At Lahinch Golf Club

Open the Lahinch visitor page nine to twelve months before the trip and book the Old Course on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday morning in June or September. The published 2026 green fee is 450 euro on the Old Course and 60 euro on the Castle, at least one caddie per group is compulsory on the Old Course, senior caddies are 100 euro a bag, and there are no buggies on either course. Hold your accommodation in the village or at Trump International Doonbeg before you release the euro deposit.

Book today

  • Open the Lahinch visitor booking page nine to twelve months out.
  • Target a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday morning on the Old Course in June or September.
  • Confirm how many caddies you want in writing, or the club reserves one per golfer.
  • Hold the room in Lahinch village or at Trump International Doonbeg before the deposit clears.
  • Pre-book a battery trolley at 30 euro if nobody in the group wants to carry.

What we would skip

  • Booking the Castle Course by accident when you meant the Old.
  • Planning on a buggy. There are none on either course.
  • Assuming a 2027 green fee. The club has not published one yet.
  • A walk-up attempt on a June or July morning.

Verified 27 September 2026 against the Lahinch Golf Club published green fee and caddie pages.

The full booking chapter

Common questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Before You Play

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