The gorgeous but underrated Cashen Course at Ballybunion is one of many great layouts you will learn more about if you keep reading.
Loyal readers know I love golf in Ireland above almost all other things, and am a life member at the fine Ballyliffin Golf Club, boasting 36 exceptional holes of true links golf.
I could wax poetic about Irish golf courses for hours, and fill endless pages with my thoughts on this course or that.
Or I could give you this link.
At the other end of the electronic thread, you will find a map of Irish and Northern Irish golf clubs on the site of Haversham & Baker Golfing Expeditions, one of the best known and best regarded golf tour operators in this country. The interactive map includes 25 great clubs, all but a handful on the coast, and ranging from the best known (Lahinch, Ballybunion, Royal County Down) to some hidden gems, like Dooks and County Sligo.
Click on any club and you get a description of the course(s) and its history, and there is also a nice general overview of Irish golf. Since you can clearly see where all the courses are in relationship to one another, this is a great tool for starting to plan a trip, whether with Haversham & Baker or on your own.
It’s sort of like the Idiot’s Guide to Irish Golf, only for smart people.
Of course, 25 clubs (many have multiple courses) can hardly be a complete overview of Irish golf, but it includes just about everyone you are likely to play as a first, second or third time Irish visitors, with one disappointing omission, my favorite hidden gem on earth, Ardglass, which is not on the list, but hey, you can’t have everything.
In the meantime, Sam Baker is offering you a quick and free education about the perfect Irish golf trip.
Doonbeg is another of the many dramatic coastal courses in Ireland.
