One third of all the links courses in the world are in Ireland. We will help you to explore the finest fairways and most glorious greens in the world. This is one of our tried and tested itineraries that takes in some of the finest golf courses in the country, and combines them with memorable hotels and great food, with a bit of sightseeing thrown in for good luck. But this itinerary is only one sample of the many vacations we can offer.  This tour includes four rounds of golf - at which courses they are played depends firstly on your preference and secondly on tee time availability.

Day 1
Arrive Shannon Airport where your driver will be awaiting you.  Transfer to a lovely hotel on the wild Atlantic coast close to the golfing village of Lahinch.  Hit the ground running and play Lahinch or Doonbeg this afternoon, to blow away those transatlantic cobwebs.

Golf has been played at Lahinch since 1892 when officers of a Scottish Army Regiment based at nearby Limerick, happened upon the vast expanse of sand dunes that is Lahinch Golf Club. Of interest to golf historians is that the Lahinch golf course was originally designed by the legendary 'Old' Tom Morris of St. Andrews.  Lahinch is actually two courses. The Old Course, lying between the road and the sea, is one of the superior sites in all of golf. The Castle Course is a flatter links named for the ruins of a nearby castle tower that stands to the northern end of the property.  Old Course Length: 6194m, Par: 72  Architect: Old Tom Morris, later Alister McKenzie, modernised in 1999 by Martin Hawtree.
Doonbeg Golf Course, designed by Greg Norman, is a wonderful Links Course that plays along 1.5 miles of beach and dune. The ocean is visible from the green, fairway, or tee of 16 of the 18 holes.     Championship Tees:   18 holes, 6885 yards, Par 72    Middle Tees:              18 holes, 6407 yards, Par 72     Forward Tees:            18 holes, 5894 yards, Par 72

Day 2

Transfer to an excellent hotel in Ballybunion with the most famous course in Ireland on your door step.  This will be your home for two nights, so explore the villages many hostelries, the golfing antique shops or just stroll along the cliffs past ancient castle ruins and archaeological sites.  Today play one of the top Irish Courses - Adare, Tralee or Ballybunion.

Ballybunion Golf Club actually boasts two separate courses:
18 holes 6542 yards Par 71 - Old Course
18 holes 6477 yards Par 72 - Cashen Course

The undisputed king of all is the Old course, and is regarded as the ultimate test in links golf. No golf course could be closer to the sea. The sheer size of the spectacular dunes is totally intimidating and when the wind blows in from the Atlantic, this is no course for the faint hearted. The Old Course, is consistently ranked as one of the world's top ten courses. The Cashen Course is nearly as impressive and arguably tougher. Together with its succession of formidable par five's and breathtaking beauty, it amply qualifies as one of the world's masterpieces

Opened in October 1984 Tralee Golf Course was the first European golf course designed by Arnold Palmer. When he had first seen the area upon which his company was to build Tralee golf links, he was ecstatic about the possibilities. "I have never come across a piece of land so ideally suited for the building of a golf course" he said.  So it was that Palmer's chief designer, Ed Seay, used imagination and skill to deliver a world-class layout. Probably his greatest achievement was in creating a varied and challenging front nine on what was originally fairly featureless terrain. Combining pastureland, duneland and rugged cliffs, the scenically-stunning location was used extensively by British director David Lean in the making of the movie "Ryan's Daughter".   On the homeward journey which is pure links, visitors refer almost invariably to the wickedly difficult par-four 12th where it seems that the only place to land challenging approach shot, is on the green. The short 16th, deep in the dunes, is also a marvellous test.  

The Adare Golf Club, an 18 hole championship course on the 840 acre estate of Adare Manor, was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. Mr. Jones is one of the most respected and best known golf course architects in the world. From his first impression of Adare Manor as having all the flavor of Augusta, he has created an Irish masterpiece to match the challenge of champions.  The Adare Golf Club measures 7,138 yards and uses 230 acres of lush countryside. The Maigue River comes into play on three holes with a dramatic finish at the 18th hole. Having designed 45 of the top 100 golf courses worldwide, Mr. Jones foresees the 18th hole to be possibly the best par 5 in the world.   The exquisite parkland atmosphere of the demesne has been preserved and the course is set amid magnificent mature trees. The course has three lakes, including a 14 acre lake anchoring the front nine. The Maigue River meanders through the back nine creating a sense of beauty and challenge, particularly on the 11th par 3 and the 18th par 5 finishing hole.  The course has four tees on every hole with a championship yardage of 7,138 declining to 5,082 yards.

Day 3

Explore The Dingle Peninsula - a tour of one of the famous Rings of  Kerry. Return to Ballybunion.

Day 4

Full Irish breakfast in the hotel before leaving for County Cork by way of the Lakes of Killarney. Lunch at leisure in Blarney. In the afternoon visit Blarney Castle, a 15th century castle, famed for its magical stone. Dinner and overnight on the banks of  Cork Harbour.

Day 5

Play one of the great local courses - Fota, Water Rock, Little Island, or Kinsale.  This afternoon explore Cork.
You could spend a week exploring the Cork area and still not have seen all the highlights. The bells of Shandon, The English Market, St Finbarre's Cathedral & The Crawford Gallery are a few of the highlights of the city. The town of Kinsale, gourmet capital of Ireland, is a place to spend a day.

   

Overnight Cork

Day 6

Full Irish breakfast at the hotel. 

 

Follow the main road to Waterford to see the fabulous work of the crystal cutters.  Lunch at the Club House of the Jack Nicklaus Mount Juliet Golf Course.  Spend the early afternoon exploring Kilkenny City.  Arrive at the 5* Heritage Hotel in time to play at least 9 holes  of  its par 72 championship golf course, designed by Seve Ballesteros and Jeff Howes,  set in the beautiful rolling countryside.

Day 7

Transfer to Dublin Airport.

Your tour includes 6 nights accommodation in very attractive 4* and 5* accommodations, including tax, service and a full Irish breakfast every day.  It also includes 4 rounds of golf at some of Ireland's top golf courses, your own driver guide with a sedan or a van, depending on numbers, and the hire of a set of Ping or Calloway Clubs.

Your  tour can be extended with additional nights in Dublin at a 4* hotel.  The additional cost is $100 per person sharing per night, including breakfast, tax and service.

 

Click here to see the accommodation where you will be staying

Tour Prices
Double Occupancy Per Person Price	Double Occupancy Per Person Price based on 4 people
$4950	$4590
Airfare is not included in the tour price. Notes : This is a sample itinerary and can be customized to fit your exact needs. Available anytime January through December. Non golfer deduction is $825 per person. Price is based on 2 people sharing escorted tours -- . Self drive tours are also available.

A few other of the 537 Irish courses that you might play

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Druid's Glen		The K Club - Ryder Cup Venue 2006
	Limerick
Luttrelstown		Old Head

 Some of our Dublin favourites

Royal Dublin Golf Club a replica of the Old Course design at Saint Andrews with nine holes out and nine holes straight back. With the Wicklow Hills and Dublin city as a backdrop, the area houses one of the richest bird sanctuaries in Europe.

Druids Glen

Druids Glen features prominently alongside the likes of the K Club, Mount Juliet, Carlow and Fota Island in every discussion of great inland golf courses. And while it's purely a matter of opinion as to which is best, the important thing to remember is that there's much more to Irish golf than its links courses. Druids Glen played host to the Irish Open Golf Championship from 1996 to 1999 and was voted European Golf Course of the year in 2000 at the prestigious Hertz International Travel Awards. It's said that every great course produces great champions and Druids Glen is no different, having produced winners of the calibre of Montgomery and Garcia.

The Island

The Island Golf Club is one of Ireland's premier links courses. A mere 15 minutes from Dublin Airport. This links course is located across the estuary from the quaint village of Malahide, just north of Portmarnock.   This beautiful links course, in splendid isolation, is surrounded by the Irish Sea, Donabate Beach and Broadmeadow Estuary. Nestling between the highest sand dunes of any links course in Ireland, it's rugged beauty cannot fail to impress. Once seen - Never forgotten...!!  IGTOA Golf Course of the Year.

The Hermitage

Hermitage Golf Club has been a feature of West Dublin since 1905,  just five miles (8 kms) from the city centre. It is bordered on one side by the arterial N4 national route and on the other by the meandering River Liffey.  This course of rolling parklands is within the part of the beautiful Liffey Valley known as the Strawberry Beds, a Dublin landmark made famous in song and story.  The gentle terrain of the front nine contrasts with the stern test that awaits many on the back nine.  So, follow in the footsteps of many famous people such as Bing Crosby, Prince Rainier, President Hillery, Seve Ballesteros, Colin Montegomerie, Ryder Cup Captain Ian Woosnam, and enjoy the test that is Hermitage.

 

Adams & Butler Ltd.,  Dublin 4, IRELAND
Tel (+353-1) 660 7975   From Canada & the US 1(800) 894 5712    Fax (+353-1) 668 6578

info@irishluxury.com