Ireland Golf Course Trips & Packages

Ireland Golf Trip Packages — The Emerald Isle Awaits

Custom-designed tours to Ballybunion, Royal County Down, Lahinch, Waterville, Royal Portrush & 30+ of the world’s finest links. Operated by North America’s most trusted golf travel specialists since 1988.

Ireland — A Quarter of the World’s Natural Links Courses on One Island

There are those who say God created Ireland just for golfers. Whether you believe it or not, the numbers are hard to argue with. Ireland — the Republic and Northern Ireland combined — is home to a quarter of the world’s natural links courses. Nowhere else on earth concentrates this much elite golf in such a compact, navigable space.

Unlike Scotland, where the great courses are spread across hundreds of miles, Ireland’s finest are clustered along dramatic Atlantic and Irish Sea coastlines. A well-designed Ireland golf package can deliver five or six world-ranked courses in seven days, each one distinct in character, each one set against scenery that stops you mid-backswing.

Since 1988, Golf International has been building custom Ireland golf trip packages for American golfers who take their game seriously. We cover the full island — the Southwest Kerry circuit, the West Coast, Dublin and the East, Donegal in the far Northwest, and Northern Ireland’s Royal duo. Tell us your courses and we will handle everything else.

Ireland’s Greatest: Courses We Know and Play

Golf International offers access to more than 30 courses across Ireland and Northern Ireland. Here are the ones every serious golfer needs to know.

Ballybunion Old Course — The Pilgrimage of the Southwest

Tom Watson called Ballybunion the greatest course he had ever seen. Ranked among the top 10 courses in the world by Golfweek, the Old Course sits on the edge of the Atlantic in County Kerry, where the dunes rise to 60 feet and every hole plays differently depending on the wind. This is links golf at its most elemental and its most beautiful.

Golf International pairs Ballybunion with nearby Lahinch, Waterville, and Tralee to create the definitive Southwest Ireland golf circuit — arguably the most satisfying week of golf available anywhere in the world.

Royal County Down — The Greatest Course in the World

Ranked No. 1 in the world by Golfweek and a perennial top-5 finisher across every major ranking, Royal County Down at Newcastle is, for many golfers, the pinnacle. Blind shots over heather-covered dunes, jagged mountain peaks rising behind the greens, the Irish Sea shimmering in the distance. It has never hosted The Open Championship — only because the logistics make it nearly impossible — but that exclusivity makes playing it feel even more special.

We pair Royal County Down with Royal Portrush and Portstewart for the definitive Northern Ireland golf itinerary.

Royal Portrush (Dunluce Course) — The Open Returns

Host of The Open Championship in 2019 — the first time in 68 years — Royal Portrush is Northern Ireland’s most famous course and one of the most spectacular links experiences in golf. The Dunluce Course hugs the clifftops of the Causeway Coast, with the ruins of Dunluce Castle visible in the distance and the sea crashing below. Golf International can arrange guaranteed tee times at Royal Portrush as part of a bespoke Northern Ireland package.

Lahinch Old Course — The St Andrews of Ireland

Founded in 1894, Lahinch is the oldest and most storied links in the Southwest. Redesigned by Alister MacKenzie — the architect behind Augusta National — it has been ranked as high as 4th in the world by Golfweek. Like St Andrews, Lahinch is a golf town in the truest sense: the entire village revolves around the course. The goats on the property, famously used as a weather barometer, have been a fixture for generations.

Waterville — The Wild Atlantic Gem

Set on the Ring of Kerry, Waterville Golf Links was Payne Stewart’s beloved retreat — he visited every year and the club erected a statue in his memory following his death in 1999. Ranked 7th in the world by Golfweek, Waterville plays along the Inny Estuary and the Atlantic Ocean with mountain views inland. It is demanding, beautiful, and completely unlike anywhere else you will ever play.

Old Head Golf Links — Golf on a Cliff

Old Head, near Kinsale in County Cork, is the most dramatically situated golf course in Ireland. Built on a 220-acre headland jutting into the Atlantic, with sheer 300-foot cliffs on three sides, it is golf on a stage unlike any other. Six of the holes play along cliff edges where an errant shot disappears into the sea. Ranked 6th in the world by Golfweek.

Portmarnock Championship — Dublin’s Links Classic

Founded in 1894, Portmarnock is one of Ireland’s most revered championship courses and a perennial host of the Irish Open. Located on a sliver of peninsula north of Dublin, it offers the full classic links experience — wind, firm turf, and no trees — within easy reach of the city. Ranked 8th in the world by Golfweek. Ideal for clients who want to extend a Dublin city break with elite links golf.

The European Club — The Modern Irish Classic

Pat Ruddy’s masterpiece in Brittas Bay, County Wicklow, opened in 1992 and has quickly earned its place among Ireland’s elite. One of the few privately owned championship links in Ireland, it plays along a full mile of Atlantic coast and is widely regarded as the finest links built in Ireland in the 20th century. Ranked 10th in the world by Golfweek.

Trump Doonbeg — Luxury on the Wild Atlantic Way

Set on the Clare coast along the Wild Atlantic Way, Doonbeg is one of Ireland’s most prestigious golf resorts. Greg Norman’s layout weaves through a protected dune system with views that rival anything in Irish golf. The five-star lodge makes it a natural centerpiece for clients who want to combine elite golf with genuine luxury accommodation.

The Rest of Our Ireland Portfolio

Southwest & West

• Tralee Golf Club — Arnold Palmer’s only Irish design, views of the Wild Atlantic
• Dooks Golf Links — underrated Kerry gem, extraordinary ocean views, exceptional value
• Adare Manor — newly redesigned course, 2027 Ryder Cup host
• Carne (Wild Atlantic Dunes) — remote Belmullet links, one of the great undiscovered courses in Ireland
• Connemara Golf Club — wild Connemara landscape, one of the most scenic in the country
• Rosses Point (County Sligo) — one of Ireland’s finest, consistently ranked in the top 10
• Enniscrone — Atlantic links in Sligo, superb value

Northwest & Donegal

• Donegal Golf Club (Murvagh) — dramatic links on Donegal Bay
• Portsalon — Lough Swilly gem, consistently ranked in Ireland’s top 25
• Rosapenna (St Patrick’s Links) — Tom Doak design, ranked 5th in Ireland by Golfweek

Dublin & East

• The Island Golf Club — spectacular Dublin Bay links, one of Ireland’s best-kept secrets
• County Louth (Baltray) — links classic, consistently in Ireland’s top 20
• The K Club (Palmer Course) — 2006 Ryder Cup host, Kildare luxury
• Druids Glen — “The Augusta of Europe,” Wicklow
• Fota Island — Cork’s top resort course

Northern Ireland

• Royal County Down — No. 1 in the world (Golfweek), Mountains of Mourne backdrop
• Royal Portrush (Dunluce) — Open Championship venue, Causeway Coast
• Portstewart (Strand Course) — consistently underrated, spectacular ocean views

Browse all Ireland courses

How We Build Your Ireland Golf Package

Every Golf International Ireland itinerary is designed from scratch around your courses, your schedule, and your group. There is no shelf package. When you call our New York office, you speak directly with a golfer who has played these fairways and knows exactly what makes a Southwest Kerry circuit different from a Northern Ireland Royal tour.

We handle:

• Guaranteed tee times at courses where access is competitive — including Royal County Down and Royal Portrush
• Hotels and lodges from five-star resort properties to historic country houses
• Transportation — self-drive, private chauffeur, or group coach
• Airport arrival service — a Golf International staff member meets you when you land
• Group sizes from 2 to 100 — full flexibility for couples, foursomes, and corporate groups

The Southwest Kerry circuit (Ballybunion, Lahinch, Waterville, Tralee) is our most popular Ireland itinerary. The Northern Ireland Royal double (Royal County Down + Royal Portrush) is the fastest-growing. Many clients combine both into a 10–14 day full-island tour.

Why Choose Golf International for Ireland

• 35+ years operating Ireland golf tours — we knew these courses before most of our competitors existed
• Only American company to receive the Icons of Scotland Award — our credibility extends across the whole island of Ireland
• Founding member of the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO)
• Recognized by Tourism Ireland as an approved golf travel company
• Access that independent travelers cannot get — guaranteed tee times at sold-out courses, rooms at courses without public availability
• On-the-ground staff who meet you at the airport and are reachable throughout your trip
• 80%+ post-trip evaluation return rate — our clients respond because they want to say it was the best trip of their lives

When to Go to Ireland

Ireland is playable year-round, but the best conditions run May through September. June and July offer the longest daylight hours — up to 17 hours of light in midsummer, meaning it is perfectly feasible to play 36 holes in a day. September is a favorite of experienced Ireland visitors: quieter, still dry, and with the golden light of early autumn on the links.

Start Planning Your Ireland Golf Trip

Tell us which courses are on your bucket list and we will design the rest. Whether it is a week on the Kerry coast or a two-week full-island tour from Waterville to Royal County Down, Golf International will build an itinerary you will be talking about for years.

Our recommended courses on the Emerald Isle include both the Republic of Ireland and the tiny British territory of Northern Ireland where excellent golf reigns supreme. The 11 courses marked with a flag – 6 in the South/Southwest plus Dublin area’s European Club, and Portmarnock Championship Course and 3 in Northern Ireland – denote those selected for Golf Digest’s prestigious 2020 listing of The World’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses.

Click on the course name in the list below for Irish course details and suggested itineraries: