World-class links on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way
Traverse a dramatic landscape shaped by the Atlantic ocean, while taking in six of Ireland’s most spectacular courses, including the acclaimed Ballybunion.
Curling around Ireland’s west coast from Derry in the north to Cork in the south, the Wild Atlantic Way is high on the list of everyone’s road trip bucket-list, but add in six of the country’s top golf courses and it’s impossible to resist.
From Old Head, south of Kinsale, where you’re almost playing in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by the Atlantic, on a headline stretching two miles; west to Waterville where you’re teeing off between a stunning lake and the big blue; then to Arnold Palmer’s first European course Tralee; Ireland’s No.1 Ballybunion; future Ryder Cup host Adare Manor; and Lahinch, which has been touched by the golf architect genius of not only Old Tom Morris, but Alister McKenzie too. It’s the perfect triumvirate of iconic courses and an iconic road trip in the most hospitable country in the world.
Sample Itinerary:
Day One - Check-in to Adare Manor ***** (3 Nights) / Day Two - Golf at Adare Manor / Day Three - Golf at Lahinch / Day Four - Checkout Adare Manor, Golf at Ballybunion, Check into Killarney Park Hotel ***** (4 nights) / Day Five - Golf at Old Head / Day Six - Waterville Links / Day Seven - Golf at Tralee / Day Eight - Check-out and Departures
£ price on application £
Inclusions
7 Nights - Adare Manor ***** (3 Nights), Killarney Park Hotel ***** (4 nights)
Green fees at the Adare Manor, Old Head, Waterville Links, Ballybunion, Tralee & Lahinch
Private ground transfers throughout
Additional activities such as sightseeing can be arranged on request.
The Golf
ADARE MANOR
Robert Trent Jones Snr designed the original course that opened in 1995, and it hosted the Irish Open in 2007 and 2008, among other professional events. The purchase of the manor by JP McManus in 2015 has seen the redevelopment by Tom Fazio and subsequent award of the Ryder Cup for 2027.
OLD HEAD
On a piece of diamond-shaped headland, linked by the thinnest of strips to the mainland, this is where Iron age celts once roamed, and now you must do battle against the weather with the ocean and 40 acres of cliff framing the course. An unforgettable experience, even if your scores are not.
WATERVILLE GOLF LINKS
Set on dune land, Waterville is bordered by both river and ocean, it’s as much an oasis for wildlife as it is Championship-standard golf design. The original nine holes date back to 1880s, but were later reworked and expanded by Eddie Hackett and then Tom Fazio. Stretches from 5,370 to 7,350 yards depending on your tee.
Ballybunion
Generally considered the Republic of Ireland’s best course. Tom Watson wrote of the course: ‘After playing Ballybunion for the first time, a man would think that the game of golf originated here’. Probably, enough said.
Tralee
Arnold Palmer said he’d ‘never come across a piece of land so ideally suited for the building of a golf course’ as he created his first European course at Tralee, which previously had just nine holes, dating back the 1800s.
Lahinch
A links course that was initially laid out by local golfers, then later redesigned by Old Tom Morris, the man behind the Old Course at St Andrews, who described it as ‘the finest natural course he had ever seen’.
The Hotels
killarney park hotel *****
One of the best hotels in Ireland on the edge of the 25,000-acre Killarney National Park, in the south-west corner of the Wild Atlantic Way.
adare manor *****
A perfect five-star stay: Limerick’s first Michelin-starred restaurant and a golf course set to host the 2027 Ryder Cup.
The Must Do
Seafood on the Wild Atlantic Way is the stuff of legend, home to the plumpest, freshest and tastiest shellfish, famed for its oysters, mussels, and crabs. Seeking a locals favourite such as Out of the Blue at Dingle, where chalkboard menus list the catch of the day, and serve them simply, bringing the natural flavours to the fore.