To get 2025 underway, we launched the Course of the Month series to inspire our guests and Talking Golf Travel subscribers.
It’s been a hole-in-one!
Throughout the year, the honour was evenly divided among the glorious links courses of Ireland and Scotland on our golf tour itineraries.
Now you can explore all 12 winners in a single, breathtaking round.
So take notes for your next golfing getaway to the glimmering Emerald Isle or the hallowed Birthplace of the Game.
Est: 1892 | Par: 72 | Length: 6,950 yards
A new series for a new year.
And what better place to choose our first-ever Course of the Month from than the golfer’s paradise of Southwest Ireland?
Specifically, the legendary Lahinch Golf Club.
Designed by Old Tom Morris.
Refined by Alister MacKenzie.
Chosen to host the 2026 Walker Cup by The R&A and USGA.
You could wax lyrical about Lahinch all day.
But the majestic Old Course is even better to play.
Explore this classic along the Wild Atlantic Way.
Est: 1895 | Par: 69 | Length: 5,992 yards
From County Clare to Fife – and another Old Tom Morris creation.
Three years after finishing Lahinch, he unveiled Balcomie Links at the historic Crail Golfing Society.
Talk about productive.
Your February Course of the Month is a short, sweet, scenic layout rife with quirky features that challenge, surprise and delight.
Prepare for stonewalls, natural hollows, shared greens, and bunkers clad in railway sleepers.
Meanwhile, the opening five holes – which hug the bracing North Sea shoreline – are absolutely mesmerising.
Est: 1894 | Par: 72 | Length: 7,369 yards
Unofficially, the Irish golf season begins with April’s West of Ireland Amateur Championship.
Ahead of the 2025 edition, we selected its spiritual home as Course of the Month.
The scenery alone is worth the journey to County Sligo Golf Club.
Panoramic vistas across the Atlantic Ocean to the brooding Benbulben and Knocknarea Mountains take your breath away.
The Colt Championship Links is equally joyous to play.
Eccentric routing, wild undulations, and a wonderful array of unique holes deliver non-stop entertainment.
Est: 1878 | Par: 71 | Length: 7,208 yards
Rory McIlroy’s long-awaited Grand Slam at the Masters got this year’s Majors off to an unforgettable start.
And we needed a Course of the Month with a pedigree to match Augusta.
Enter the Old Course at Royal Troon.
Est: 1995 | Par: 72 | Length: 6,439 yards
Just north of Dublin, where the River Boyne meets the Irish Sea, sits a magical stretch of linksland many visiting golfers overlook.
You’ll find beautiful Baltray, Ireland’s perennial No.1 hidden gem course.
And Seapoint Golf Links, where Stuart Grehan won a nail-biting Irish Men’s Amateur Open in May.
Seapoint is a championship venue on the rise.
The seaside stunner in County Louth also staged back-to-back OFX Irish Legends (2023 & 2024).
Discover this modern marvel with a killer back nine.
Est: 1842 | Par: 70 | Length: 6,589 yards
This close to The 153rd Open, you probably expected to see Royal Portrush.
Instead, we chose a venue near Fife with a more storied Championship history for Course of the Month.
Behold Carnoustie Golf Links.
Arguably, the Championship Course at Carnoustie is golf’s toughest test, particularly that daunting, burn-laden back nine.
But with all those tight fairways, sneaky streams, cavernous bunkers, and mammoth greens, it’s actually a crucible from start to finish!
Think you can handle this big, bracing seaside brute?
Est: 1888 | Par: 71 | Length: 7,337 yards
Usually, the population of Portrush, a pretty village on the Causeway Coast of Antrim, is around 7,000.
But during five unforgettable days in July, it skyrocketed by 278,000.
Fans flocked to Northern Ireland to witness Scottie Scheffler become Champion Golfer of the Year at Royal Portrush.
His masterful performance was only matched by the irresistible Dunluce links.
Like 2019, the now three-time Open Championship arena captivated the world with its epic scenery, majestic turf, towering dunes, and signature holes.
Unbeatable!
Est: 2012 | Par: 72 | Length: 7,201 yards
In August, a momentous trilogy unfolded on the windswept shores of Aberdeenshire.
At Trump International, Scotland, our Course of the Month hosted back-to-back premier tournaments.
First, Martin Hawtree’s contemporary classic along the North Sea welcomed the Staysure PGA Senior Championship.
Second, the Nexo Championship came for an action-packed weekend across this beautifully carved layout through mountainous dunes.
Third, its much-anticipated baby sister finally arrived. Now, you can play both on your Scotland golf tour.
Start by exploring the Old Course.
Est: 1894 | Par: 71 | Length: 7,118 yards
In the final days of the season, among the soaring sand hills of Thirsty Hollow, a journeyman made history.
His achievement eluded Harrington, McIlroy and Lowry.
At Portstewart Golf Club, Caolan Rafferty won the North of Ireland Amateur Open to complete the first-ever provincial Grand Slam.
He had a fitting venue for the occasion…
The Strand Course is a rugged, rolling, exhilarating championship links with soul-stirring vistas across the Atlantic waves.
Jon Rahm won the Irish Open on this cracker.
Est: 2000 | Par: 72 | Length: 7,589 yards
It’s the benchmark for all modern golf courses.
It’s the Scottish links with an American twist.
And it’s where hometown hero Robert McIntyre shot 66 on his way to a historic victory at October’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
As such, Kingsbarns Golf Links was a no-brainer for Course of the Month.
For you, this is a sumptuous stretch of golfing terrain that unrolls along the North Sea with picture-postcard views at every turn.
Plus, it perfectly complements Fife’s ancient layouts.
Est: 1890 | Par: 72 | Length: 7,264 yards
Now, picture 18 sensational championship holes that weave above, through and to the edge of this wonderland.
Sound like your kind of round?
Journey to The Island Golf Club – our penultimate Course of the Month.
Est: 2026 | Par: 71 | Length: 7,075 yards
Trump International wasn’t the only Scottish golf resort to become a 36-hole experience in August.
Further north, in the vast, untamed Highlands, the latest Tom Doak design joined Castle Stuart on an enchanting 420-acre estate.
Old Petty at Cabot Highlands previewed to universal acclaim.
Expect your last Course of the Month of 2025 to make waves from Spring 2026.
Sure, it’s got that classic rough-and-ready links look.
But Doak’s signature quirky routing through the ancient turf sets Old Petty apart.
Whether those glistening coasts of Ireland or the ancient landscapes of Scotland, there’s nothing quite like finally teeing off on the majestic courses you’ve admired from afar.
Enter Irish Golf Tours.
We’ll craft your dream itinerary with bucket-list tee times, luxury accommodations, daily transportation, and immersive local experiences.
Book a call with our Travel Planners to get your golfing adventure underway.
Author: Tom Rooney
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