A St. Patrick’s Dream: Constructing the perfect Irish golf course

On this St. Patrick’s Day, I’ve decided to step into an Irish dream. 

Any golfer from the United States yearns for a week-long trip across the pond to play the wonders of links golf. The debate is always whether to venture to Scotland for a trip back in time, or over to Ireland to experience the rugged natural beauty. 

For some reason, I’ve always been more attracted to the idea of an Irish getaway. I don’t have a great explanation, but after spending countless hours on the internet looking at courses, watching videos of the famous links tracks and calculating fake budgets in my head of an eventual trip, it is Ireland that steals my soul. 

And after all that research, my imagination is ready to run wild and create the perfect Irish golf course. I’ve compiled 18 holes from all over the country with just two ground rules: No golf course can be represented more than twice, and each hole must be its real-life number on the scorecard. (Hole 4 at Lahinch can’t be hole 6 on my imaginary course. It would have to be hole 4, and is therefore stunningly one of my biggest snubs)

Without further ado, let’s put our pegs in the grass and have a great round. 

Course Stats: Par 72, 6,958 Yards

Hole 1, Portstewart Golf Club (The Strand Course), Par 4, 427 Yards

Named Tubber Patrick, this is an absolutely stunning start to the round, with beaches to the golfer’s right and a view of the green from the elevated tee box. This is no cakewalk of a start, either, with a challenging dogleg right that requires a tee shot to the left side of the fairway for an optimal approach to the green.

Hole 2, Dooks Golf Club, Par 4, 316 Yards

There might not be a better view in all of Irish golf than standing atop this green and getting a panoramic view of all the beauty Dooks has to offer. The hole gradually rises up the hill before reaching its climax seemingly on top of the world. The drive must avoid bunkers on either side of the fairway, and watch out for the severe slope toward the back of the green on the approach shot. 

Hole 3, Tralee Golf Club, Par 3, 194 Yards

An 800-year-old tower serves as the backdrop to an immaculate tee shot bordered by the sea that spells out Southwest Ireland in all its beauty. If the wind is coming across from the right, brave golfers must start their tee shot over the water and pray as they watch it drift toward the green. 

Hole 4, Old Head, Par 4, 427 Yards

This time, the beach flanks our left, but the highlight of this hole is the green site surrounded by rocks and with a lighthouse in the background throughout your walk up the coast. A drive to the right will use natural slopes that bring the ball toward the middle of the fairway, setting up the postmark approach. 

Hole 5, Lahinch Golf Club, Par 3, 154 Yards

The Dell. It’s arguably the most iconic blind shot on the planet, hitting to a green completely hidden by massive Irish dunes. This is a hole that just simply doesn’t get approved in 2023, but the thrill of walking to the green with no idea where your shot finished is unmatched. As long as it was a good tee shot, of course. 

Hole 6, Lahinch Golf Club, Par 4, 424 Yards

Back-to-back holes from Lahinch? You bet. After a fun time at The Dell, work must be done to reach the astounding views at the 6th’s green, where you’ll find crashing waves and the Atlantic Ocean awaiting your arrival. It’s also a great test for longer hitters because too far of a drive will get swallowed by a massive dune. 

Hole 7, Narin & Portnoo, Par 4, 325 Yards

A short, downhill Par 4 gives us the chance at an eagle with a good drive at this rugged and tucked away course on the Northwest coast. The high tee shields your view into a green nestled behind the dune. 

Hole 8, Donegal Golf Club, Par 5, 549 Yards

Our first Par 5 is called Moyne Hill and starts with an elevated tee shot to a sloping fairway from right to left. Aiming toward the right, though, means aiming toward the ocean. The second shot is blind for all players and must aim left to avoid a treacherous chasm. The green is generous, but don’t be short. 

Hole 9, Royal County Down, Par 4, 486 Yards

The long Par 4 is one of the most photographed holes in all of golf. The tee shot must go over a ridge and stay left of a tall mound that protects the right side of the fairway. The second shot is slightly uphill, with views of the Mountains of Mourne, the Slieve Donard Hotel and the sea all available at the green. This could be the standout hole throughout the country. 

Hole 10, Enniscrone Golf Club, Par 4, 359 Yards

After a brute at Royal County Down, welcome to another short Par 4 with tons of character. The tee shot must stay between all of the mounds as you marvel at the Moy Estuary. The two-tiered green has two devilish bunkers in the front, so it’s much better to be long as Scurmore beach nestles to your left. 

Hole 11, Ballybunion Golf Club, Par 4, 473 Yards

Excuse my redundancy, but once again we are blessed with one of the best holes in all of golf. This Par 4 normally plays with a right-to-left win and the ocean sitting right of the fairway, teasing you into hitting your drive toward the Atlantic. Tom Watson called it his favourite hole on the entire course, and it’s an absolute beauty in the setting Irish sun. 

Hole 12, Old Head Golf Links, Par 5, 564 Yards 

Does the fairway even exist on this hole? Yes, but you won’t believe it standing on the elevated tee box and staring down one of the most intimidating shots on the planet. Strong winds will make this an even scarier nightmare, with the setting and beauty the only true remedies for such a difficult task managing a dogleg left around the cliffs. 

Hole 13, Royal County Down, Par 4, 446 Yards

Don’t let the picturesque setting fool you, there’s a huge trick to this hole with a massive hump in the middle of the green. A three-putt is always the biggest risk at this short Par 3 that requires deft skill to grind out a par in front of the Macgillycuddy Reeks mountains.

Hole 14, Co Louth Golf Club, Par 4, 322 Yards

One of the few holes on this list that plays directly away from the ocean provides a different kind of view, with fescue-lined dunes in the foreground and the industrial Dorgheda town in the background. The town disappears from sight as you approach a green with zero bunkers. It’s a great birdie opportunity, but a narrow fairway does provide some challenge. 

Hole 15, Adare Manor, Par 4, 347 Yards

It’s easy to imagine plenty of matches at the 2027 Ryder Cup coming down to this hole, which is another drivable Par 4 that carries so much risk. The serene River Maigue to the right and a severe bunker to the left will catch any wayward drives. It’s an amazing view too, preparing you for the brilliant finish on the horizon. 

Hole 16, Tralee Golf Club, Par 3, 199 yards

Another Par 3 at Tralee, this is the course’s most iconic hole. The green site next to Barrow Harbour looks as if it was destined for a golf course. Arnold Palmer famously said, ‘I may have designed the first nine, but surely God designed the back nine,’ and there is no doubt he had this hole in mind. But for all its beauty, ‘Shipwreck’ is an easy place to ruin a scorecard, as the downhill shot presents very few places to miss. 

Hole 17, Ballybunion Golf Club, Par 4, 398 yards

Golfers surely must savour this hole, as it’s the final peek at the ocean before turning home on one of the best tracks in the world. The Par 4 wraps around a giant dune on the left, with the beach waves crashing in to your right. Take dead aim toward the water, because a drive down the right side of the fairview gives the best angle toward the green. 

Hole 18, Adare Manor, Par 5, 548 Yards

Let’s pray all the 2027 Ryder Cup singles matches on Sunday reach this epic conclusion. With the stunning manor perched to the right of this green and the river running left, golfers will have to decide if they’re going for glory or laying up with their second shot. Bills must eventually be paid, as even a lay-up requires an incredibly precise third shot for a look at birdie. Regardless of score, one of the finest clubhouses, bars and restaurants in the country awaits us to discuss our legendary round of Irish golf.