When I first visited Ireland in 2017, I had not stepped foot onto an authentic links course in my entire life. That first journey to Ireland changed the way that I looked at golf courses and would have a huge impact on my career as a golf course photographer. So when the opportunity came to return to Ireland and capture another lineup of world class links courses, I jumped at the opportunity. Experience Ireland Golf & Travel had arranged a tour of Northern Ireland with several spectacular hotels and some of the finest golf in the entire world.
If you have not been to Ireland and you are a golfer, I can confidently say that a trip like this will change your life. I let Experience Ireland Golf & Travel folks take the wheel and I recommend that you do as well. My particular lineup was very golf heavy but they can customize your adventure to make sure that you get exactly what you are looking for.
County Louth Golf Club
Lots of Americans like to book a driver so they don’t have to worry about driving on the wrong side of the road. I am not that guy. In my opinion, the confusing nature of driving in Ireland is all part of the experience. Assuming that you can survive the airport roundabout on the wrong side of the road, County Louth is just a short drive from the Dublin airport. Most Americans often overlook County Louth Golf Club but this is foolish. The course is an excellent introduction to Irish golf. Portmarnock and The Island are other good options for an opening round in the Dublin area.
Hotel Tip: When heading north, The Hillyard House Hotel is the perfect spot to begin your adventure. Pro tip: Don’t get a flat tire on your way to the hotel.
Unfortunately, I would go against my own advice and I blew out my left front tire after driving over an unusually large pothole. The good news is that the folks in Ireland are more than friendly and two jolly irishmen pulled over to help me fix the tire almost immediately. I was as good as new and on my way in a matter of moments.
Ardglass Golf Club
During my visit to Ireland, I only visited two golf courses that I had previously played. Ardglass was one of the 2 golf courses worthy of another visit. Many changes had taken place since my last visit in 2017. Greens had been relocated, bunkers had been renovated and entire holes had been created. Every one of these changes has made the golf course more enjoyable.
There is a new selfie stone at @ArdglassGolf and I took full advantage. Some spectacular changes since my last visit in 2017. Any Ireland trip should include this gem. @EIGTravel pic.twitter.com/U1RepbtfKX
— Patrick Koenig (@patrickjkoenig) June 10, 2025
Portstewart Golf Club - Strand Course
Similar to Tralee, The Strand course at Portstewart is a tale of two nines. While the back nine at Tralee sparkles, the front nine at Portstewart will similarly delight the golfer’s soul. Big beautiful dunes immediately greet the visiting golfer and by the time you reach the 5th hole, you will be certain that you have arrived in golf heaven.
The late afternoon storm clouds give way to glorious beams of light over Portstewart’s 6th hole.
The opening hole at Portstewart
The 2nd hole at Portstewart
Royal Portrush
With just several months between my visit and the start of The Open, I was in the unique position to unofficially approve the golf course for Open play. I took the task very seriously. The stands were up and I was one of the fortunate few that had a tee time to experience Royal Portrush in Open conditions. One of the best parts about golf in Ireland is that the very best golf courses are all open to the public and Royal Portrush is no exception. As one might expect, this was the second golf course that I returned to after my initial visit in 2017.
For the most part, Royal Portrush got the better of me. Many golf courses in Ireland will give you plenty of room for error, but Portrush makes you pay for your mistakes… and I made plenty. While the course is one of the most difficult in the country there isn’t a moment where one might deem it unfair. It’s just a beautiful championship test of golf and I happily approved it for championship play.
Hotel Tip: The Golf Links Hotel Portrush is an absolutely ideal place to stay. Unbeknownst to me, the pothole that I ran over the previous day had also given my back left tire a slow leak. I would not realize this until I pulled into the parking lot of the Golf Links Hotel. Roadside assistance wasn’t able to get the parking lot until the next afternoon, but it mattered little, I was able to simply walk over to the golf course from the hotel.
Ballyliffin Golf Club
There is a sign inside of the clubhouse at Ballyliffin featuring golf’s latest grand slam winner. It tells you everything that you need to know about Ballyliffin.
“Ballyliffin’s two courses are a must play on any golf trip to Ireland”
Maybe it doesn’t tell you everyting that you need to know, because you should also play the little par 3 course called Pollan Links. The most notable course at Ballyliffin is the Glashedy LInks course and it represents the most robust offering of the 3 courses. Glashedy Links is a Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddock design winding its way through the incredible dunes of Ballyliffin. The Old Links course was most recently upgraded by Nick Faldo in 2006 and takes advantage of some great oceanside terrain.
Pro tip: When visiting Ballyliffin be sure to stay at the Ballyliffin Townhouse & Spa. The food is top notch and the rooms are luxurious and surprisingly spacious.
North West Golf Club
Similar to my first visit to the emerald isle, I would only get completely soaked one time. It was Lahinch back in 2017 and it was North West Golf Club in 2025 that soaked me good. I didn’t mind one bit as the rain scared everyone off of the golf course.
Before the rain began to flow from the heavens, I had several playing partners with me that brought me up to speed on the history of the club. North West Golf Club was one of nine founder members of the Golf Union of Ireland in 1891 when it became the first club association in the world. Over the years, the golf club has fought against coastal erosion and according to my playing partner, it has roughly 1/3 the amount of land that it used to have. Large Rocks have now been placed onto the edge of the course to prevent further loss of precious golf land. North West Golf Club also features one of the coolest crests in the game. Is that a skeleton pondering the triple bogey he just made on the previous hole?? So awesome.
Rosapenna Golf Resort
If I were to award a destination highlight for this trip, Rosapenna Golf Resort would take the honors. I would travel to Ireland just for the golf at Rosapenna alone. In addition to the golf, the hotel is first class with large spacious suites that will make you feel like a king. Opening in 1893, Old Tom Morris LInks was the first of the resort’s 3 courses. With the hotel opening soon afterwards, Rosapenna is the very first golf resort in the entire freakin’ world. In 2003, Pat Ruddy added the Sandy Hills LInks and in 2021, Tom Doak added the critically acclaimed St Patricks Links.
Old Tom Morris Links
The spirit of Old Tom lives on in the ancient links of Ireland. His presence is most notably with the golfer on the back nine at Old Tom Links as it touches the Atlantic and whips through the bold dunes.
Sandy Hills Links
Perhaps the most accurately named golf course in all of Ireland, Sandy Hills Links plays through a number of large sandy hills. This Pat Ruddy design winds its way in and around the wind swept dunes to near perfection. Each hole requires some thought and strategy and there isn’t a single let down throughout the entire round.
St Patricks Golf Links
Very few golf courses are able to debut inside of the Top 100 golf courses in the world, so the expectations when I visited St Patricks were through the roof. Fortunately, St Patricks did not let me down. The use of the given land is exceptional, not a single hole feels mundane and there are a handful of holes that are straight up spectacular.
The 14th hole stands out as one of the most unique ocean side holes that I have played. Even without the pin flag in sight, the view from the tee is downright stunning. Like many holes at St Patricks, the difficulty of your second shot is entirely dependent on the decisions that you make on the tee box. This combination of beauty and thoughtful golf is what makes St Patricks such an exceptionally good golf course.
The business end of the 14th hole.
The 8th hole was one of my favorites
The glorious 15th is an uphill ocean side splendor.
Portsalon Golf Club
When I stepped onto the tee box of the 2nd hole at Portsalon, I received the biggest surprise of the trip when I was mauled by a giant Grizzly bear and lost both my arms. SIKE! I was not attacked by a bear, but simply blown away by the golf hole that lay before me. I immediately stated the following sentence.
“This is one of the best golf holes that I have ever seen.”
After I played the golf hole, I was convinced. The 2nd hole at Portsalon Golf Club is one of the best golf holes in the world. The aesthetics, shot options, challenge and fun of the golf hole are all at near maximum levels. Any golf trip to Northern Ireland is simply not complete without this golf hole.
The rest of Portsalon is also of high quality with the back nine offering some fun and quirky golf holes. The Portsalon logo is also straight hot fire.
Narin & Portnoo Golf Club
I did not have the pleasure of visiting Narin & Portnoo before Gil Hanse’s transformation in but it would have been very interesting to see all of the changes that were made. I had a brief conversation with a lovely woman in the golf shop and she relayed the story of the first time that Gil Hanse came to visit.
“It was storming something awful that morning. But when they showed up, they didn’t mind one bit, they got on those trucks immediately and began working on the golf course right away. You could tell how much they loved it.”
“…this is our first chance to focus on a piece of ground that was created by nature. We are fortunate to work on some of the top golf courses around the world but there is something romantic about this.”
“We were caught off guard by how beautiful the countryside is and how it translates from mountain to peat to links – and the rocky coast – and the ocean. Everything about it has been a revelation to our eyes. ”
Donegal Golf Club
When visiting Donegal make sure to set up your home base at The Abbey Hotel in downtown Donegal. Set in the downtown triangle, this hotel was one of my all time favorites. There are plenty of shops, pubs and restaurants in the triangle and the atmosphere is downright joyous. During my visit, I was treated to an extra dose of enthusiasm as the local rugby team was in some sort of heated competition. Large boisterous Irish men were screaming loudly at televisions as the pubs pumped the broadcast into the streets. The Donegal team won that day and you could feel the happiness in the air.
Occupying the land upon the Murvagh Peninsula is Donegal Golf Club. It is a glorious setting for one of Ireland’s biggest links courses. Designed by links legend Eddie Hackett, this 7,450 yard monster monster will test your resolve even without a stiff breeze. Our group moved up several tee boxes and enjoyed the day.
After my visit to Donegal Golf Club, a local Irish hobo told me of a secret waterfall that could be accessed if I paid him $5 for a secret map. I caved immediately and purchased the map like I was Indiana Jones on a treasure hunt. Here are four photos to help you find your own way. Don’t let the hobo know, but I would have paid $20 for that map.
Cruit Island Golf Club
There are very few golf courses left in the world that will truly make you feel like you discovered something wildly unique. Cruit Island, prounced “Critch” is one of those golf courses. There are only 2 golf holes on the entire golf course that do not start out with blind shots. But trust me, you will not mind one bit.
The property at Cruit makes you feel like you are filming some sort of Viking miniseries on Netflix. Cruit Island is a wild adventure and the golf course does everything in its power to match that energy. Blind shots are followed by quirky approaches with rocky outcroppings dotting the land. Once you do find the green, you are greeted with fuzzy greens that haven’t seen the blade of a mower in several days. All of this is part of the Cruit charm and by the time I reached the 6th hole, I was deeply in love with the golf course.
The 6th hole at Cruit plays over a dramatic canyon on the edge of the island. It is almost as beautiful as it is fun to play. Your shot into this 150 yard par 3 will undoubtedly be one of the highlights from your entire visit to Ireland. You would be foolish to not make the 1.5 hour drive from Donegal to experience the joy of Cruit Island Golf Club.
County Sligo Golf Club
County Sligo Golf Club started out with a nine-hole course, designed by George Combe and opened for play in 1894. At the turn of the 20th century Willie Campbell extended the course to 18 holes. The renowned team of Colt and Alison remodeled the course in 1927 and remodeled once again by Pat Ruddy in 2013.
Sligo’s table mountain looms in the distance.
“It was at Rosses Point that I fell seriously in love with golf. It was in the 1950s. I was but a boy. Ever since, as boy and man, I have dreamt of Rosses Point every day. Every day.”
Carne Golf Links
The Carne links at Belmullet sits in isolation on the Atlantic edge of County Mayo. The holes of Carne Golf Links are laid out on a peninsula amidst massive dunes with far-reaching vistas across Blacksod Bay and the islands of Inis Gloire and Geidhewild. These dunes are not only exceptional but they are some of the largest in Ireland. As you can see in the video below some of these monsters reach up to 150 meters above sea level. Eddie Hackett has taken advantage of this terrain and routed 18 splendid golf holes throughout the dunes. The result is a wildly unique golf course that keeps the golf engaged from start to finish.
Royal Dublin Golf Club
Located just east of Dublin and right next door to St Annes Golf Club is the meticulously maintained Royal Dublin Golf Club. I like to call it “Royal Dubs” or “R Dubs” if I am feeling particularly spicy.
Located on Bull Island, Royal Dublin Golf Club is just a 20 minute drive from the airport. After a pleasant little drive over a wooden bridge you will quickly find the gates of Royal D. The links were originally designed by HS Colt in the 1920’s and in the early 2000’s Martin Hawtree was commissioned to bring Colt’s designs up to modern standards. Today the course looms large as one of Ireland’s preeminent links designs.
Jameson Links
Located directly in between the Portmarnock Resort and Portmarnock Links is Jameson links. The pictures below should inform you that Jameson Links is not to be missed. The resort is a perfect beginning or end to any proper Irish golf excursion.
Jameson Links stands at a marvelous contrast to its neighbor, the historic Portmarnock links. The modern links design is set upon more dramatic land and provides the golfer with a lot of very scenic and enjoyable golf holes.
After a joyously crisp morning run around Jameson, I jumped in my rental car and drove on the wrong side of the road for the final time to the Dublin airport. The trip was a rousing success and a joy to experience. In my expert opinion, the only way to experience Ireland is with Experience Ireland Golf & Travel.