Best golf courses: Ireland - East

Ireland East boasts a staggering series of excellent golf courses. The creation of the EuroRoute 1 Motorway down Ireland’s east coast makes this as one of the world’s great golf destinations with some of the World’s Top-100 Golf Courses. 

Make the most out of your golf trip to the east of Ireland. Look up the location of the golf courses on the map; it will help you with your planning to play the best during your holidays. To each golf course visited we have applied a rating. The scale, 5 (highest) to 2 (lowest), attempts to provide an indication of the golfing experience you can expect at each rated course. Hover your on-screen mouse pointer above the rating key hereafter to read our definitions.

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Dundalk
Ruddy & Craddock

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Dundalk

Designer

Pat Ruddy & Tom Craddock

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Kilkenny
Barcroft, Cecil

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Kilkenny

Designer

Original design by Cecil Barcroft (1899). Later modifications to greens and bunkering by Tom Simpson & Molly Gourlay (1937).

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Dundalk
Simpson, Tom

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Dundalk

Designer

Current layout by Cecil Barcroft (1914); substantially modified by Tom Simpson & Molly Gourlay (1938).

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Limerick
Walton, Philip

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Limerick

Designer

Philip Walton

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Waterford
Five Enterprises

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Waterford

Designer

Five Enterprises (Dublin)

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
(Closed in 2019)
Dublin
Flanagan, Mel

Visitors?

(Closed in 2019)

Nearest city

Dublin

Designer

Mel Flanagan

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Athlone
O'Connor Jr, Christy

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Athlone

Designer

Christy O'Connor Jr.

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Dublin
Ruddy, Pat

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Dublin

Designer

Pat Ruddy

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Waterford
Merrigan, Patrick

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Waterford

Designer

Patrick J. Merrigan

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Athlone
O'Connor Jr, Christy

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Athlone

Designer

Christy O'Connor Jr.

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Waterford
Fives, Maurice

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Waterford

Designer

Original nine hole layout from 1939. Extended to a full 18 by Maurice Fives (1997).

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Dundalk
O'Connor Jr, Christy

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Dundalk

Designer

New course designed by Christy O'Connor Jr (2000). The original nine holes of the Old course date from 1930; it was extended to 18 holes in 1956.

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Dublin
Ballesteros & Howes

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Dublin

Designer

Seve Ballesteros & Jeff Howes

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Kilkenny
McDaid & Cassidy

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Kilkenny

Designer

Jack McDaid and Jim Cassidy

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Kilkenny
Nicklaus, Jack

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Kilkenny

Designer

Jack Nicklaus

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Athlone
Dolan, Michael

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Athlone

Designer

Michael Dolan

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Athlone
McEvoy, Peter

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Athlone

Designer

Peter McEvoy

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Dublin
O'Connor Jr. & McEvoy

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Dublin

Designer

Christy O'Connor Jnr & Peter McEvoy

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Wexford
Hawtree, Fred

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Wexford

Designer

Fred Hawtree and J.H. Taylor

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
(Closed in 2017)
Wexford
McEvoy, Peter

Visitors?

(Closed in 2017)

Nearest city

Wexford

Designer

Peter McEvoy

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Wkends restrictd
Dundalk
Smyth, Des

Visitors?

Wkends restrictd

Nearest city

Dundalk

Designer

Des Smyth & Declan Branigan

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Wexford
Walton, Philip

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Wexford

Designer

Philip Walton's debut course as a golf designer.

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Waterford
Tippet, Capt. H.C.

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Waterford

Designer

Capt. H.C. Tippet

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Waterford
Braid, James

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Waterford

Designer

Original nine-holes designed by Willie Park Jr. Redesigned and extended to 18-holes by James Braid (1934).

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Waterford
Smyth, Des

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Waterford

Designer

Des Smyth & Declan Brannigan

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Waterford
Hackett, Eddie

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Waterford

Designer

Eddie Hackett

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Wkends restrictd
Dublin
Merrigan, Patrick

Visitors?

Wkends restrictd

Nearest city

Dublin

Designer

Paddy Merrigan designed subtantial revisions to the course in 1993.

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Tournaments

124th US Open: the No.2 Course at Pinehurst once again plays host to this most illustrious championship (June 13-16). Wyndham Clark defends his title, having won at Los Angeles CC in 2023.

79th Women’s US Open: the second women’s major championship of the season gets underway at Lancaster CC in Pennsylvania. It’s the second time the championship has been held here.
(May 30-June 2).

Who's Who

Nelly Korda: won the Mizuho Americas Open (May 16-19) at Liberty National GC, continuing her extraordinary form in LPGA events. This was her sixth win in seven starts in 2024.

Xander Schauffele: recorded his first major championship win, and second record-equalling low score of 62 in a major. Only he, Branden Grace, Rickie Fowler and Shane Lowry have achieved this feat in a men’s major championship.

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.

Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.

Prince's Golf Club, Kent (UK)

Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.

Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available

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