Ireland's position among the world's greatest golf destinations is not a matter of debate. By the measure of every significant ranking system, Ireland produces more world-class links courses per square mile than any other country. At Garmany, we have spent years bringing Guests to Ireland's finest courses, building the relationships and knowledge that allow us to place golfers on tees at courses that would be inaccessible or impossible to arrange independently. This guide covers every course we consider essential — with the detail and context that makes the difference between knowing a course exists and understanding why it belongs on your Bucket List.
The most celebrated golf course in Ireland and, by the measure of most significant ranking systems over the last decade, the finest course on the planet. Set at the foot of the Mourne Mountains with Dundrum Bay visible from multiple fairways, Royal County Down occupies a piece of land that was essentially perfect for golf before a single hole was ever cut. The closing stretch from the 13th through the 18th is a sustained argument for why links golf is the highest form of the game. Royal County Down is a private members club that accepts a limited number of visitor rounds on specific days. Garmany has the standing to arrange access.
Ranked No. 1 in the World
Royal Portrush hosted The Open Championship in 1951, making it the first and until 2019 the only course outside Great Britain to host the oldest major. The 2019 return produced one of the most emotionally charged finishes in The Open's history. The 2025 renewal added further chapters to a story already one of the richest in links golf. Calamity Corner, the par-3 16th, requires a tee shot across a deep natural ravine to a green perched on the far side. No margin for error. One of the most feared holes in links golf.
Open Championship 2019 & 2025 Host
Tom Watson's favorite. Ben Crenshaw's masterpiece. Tiger Woods played it before his first Masters. The Old Course at Ballybunion is a work of natural genius — shaped by the land and the Atlantic rather than by human design. The back nine along the Kerry cliffs is among the finest nine holes of golf available anywhere on earth. The round that Garmany Guests most consistently name as the finest they have ever played, anywhere in the world.
World Top Ten · Watson's Favorite
A kite-shaped peninsula jutting two miles into the Atlantic south of Kinsale. Waves crashing three hundred feet below the fairways. Lighthouses framing the clifftop holes. Old Head is not simply a great golf course. It is an experience unlike anything else the game can offer. Guests who have played Augusta, Pebble Beach and St Andrews consistently describe Old Head as the round hardest to explain to anyone who has not been there.
Most Dramatic Setting in Golf
Tom Fazio's redesign has produced the finest parkland golf experience in Ireland and a course hosting the 2027 Ryder Cup. The estate grounds, the River Maigue, the ancient trees and the Fazio routing create a course of the highest possible standard. The accommodation in the manor, the dining and the spa deliver everything that should surround a round of world-class golf.
Ryder Cup 2027 · Tom Fazio Design
Alister MacKenzie revised the Old Tom Morris original in 1927 and created one of the most beloved and unusual links courses in golf. Goats, the Klondyke blind par-5, the Dell blind par-3 and the extraordinary natural terrain of the County Clare coast combine to create a round unlike any other available in Ireland.
World Top 50 · MacKenzie Design
One of the great traditional links courses in the world. Portmarnock's championship pedigree, outstanding conditioning and the quality of its routing on the Dublin peninsula make it the finest links experience within reach of an Irish capital city and one that belongs on every serious golfer's Ireland itinerary.
World Top 50 · Irish Open Host
Tom Doak's extraordinary design in the Sheephaven Bay dunes is already regarded as one of the great links of the modern era. The natural terrain — one of the finest available to any golf course architect in the world — has been used with the restraint and intelligence that characterises Doak's finest work.
Tom Doak Design · Sheephaven Bay
The romance of Waterville, the exceptional greens, the extraordinary setting between the Atlantic and Lough Currane, and the history of the course as the pre-Masters retreat of some of the game's greatest players make it an essential component of any southwest Ireland Garmany Experience.
World Top 100 · Ring of Kerry
Benbulben Mountain, Sligo Bay, a championship links of genuine quality and a setting that W.B. Yeats spent his career trying to describe. County Sligo Golf Club is the cornerstone of any northwest Ireland Experience focused on Sligo and the southern Donegal coast.
World Top 100 · Benbulben Backdrop
Championship quality in an extraordinarily exposed setting at the tip of the Inishowen Peninsula. The 2018 Irish Open confirmed what those who had been playing Glashedy already knew. One of the finest courses in the northwest and a natural complement to St. Patrick's Links at Rosapenna.
Irish Open 2018 Host
Massive Atlantic dunes, spectacular Clare coastline and Greg Norman's design making full use of one of the most extraordinary natural links sites in Ireland. The lodge accommodation on property makes Doonbeg a natural base for multi-day Clare itineraries.
Greg Norman Design · Atlantic CoastlineRoyal County Down in Newcastle, Northern Ireland is consistently ranked the number one golf course in Ireland and among the top two or three courses in the world by every major ranking system. The course is a private members club that accepts visitor play on designated days with handicap documentation. Garmany arranges access for all Ireland Experience Guests wishing to play Royal County Down.
Ireland consistently places between six and ten courses in the world's top one hundred — more per head of population than any other country. Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Ballybunion, Portmarnock and Lahinch feature regularly, with Old Head, Waterville, County Sligo and Rosapenna receiving growing recognition in recent rankings.
Links golf is played on natural coastal terrain featuring fast firm fairways, no trees, significant wind and undulating ground shaped by centuries of geological activity. Parkland golf is played on inland terrain with more lush, tree-lined fairways. The vast majority of Ireland's world-renowned courses are links. Adare Manor is the finest parkland exception. Garmany builds itineraries that explain this distinction through experience.
The majority of Ireland's top private clubs require handicap documentation. Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Portmarnock, Ballybunion, Ballyliffin and Lahinch all have handicap requirements. Your Garmany Concierge Team provides specific guidance and handles all documentation on your behalf.
Yes. Ireland's great links courses are designed to be played and enjoyed at every level of the game. The challenge scales naturally with ability. Garmany's Concierge Team assesses the group's composition and recommends courses that challenge without frustrating every member of the group.
