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Even Ireland’s most prestigious golf courses welcome visitors.
So you don’t have to be a VIP to tee off at celebrated championship links often seen on the DP World Tour.
It’s one of countless reasons 250,000+ golfers travel to the Emerald Isle every year.
Let’s look at 9 Irish Open venues you can play on a golf trip.
Golfers adore Dublin and Ireland’s Ancient East.
The picturesque region offers world-class golf, seaside adventure, rich history, and cosmopolitan charm.
Your East Coast Golf Tour features 6 championship links.
You’ll find a trio of Irish Open venues on this 8-day itinerary.
There’s a pair of iconic courses within a putting green of Dublin Airport.
Plus, only an hour north, a hidden gem nestled on quilted linksland.
Portmarnock Golf Club
Portmarnock Golf Club has staged the Irish Open a record 19 times.
This includes an unforgettable five-year run between 1986 and 1990 that produced four big-name winners:
The legendary layout on the outskirts of Dublin City counts Tiger Woods among its admiriers.
Portmarnock Golf Club sits on a narrow strip of wind-whipped duneland.
And it’s a beautifully natural links.
You can expect a joyous but challenging round along the stunning shores of the bracing Irish Sea.
County Louth Golf Club features the greatest Irish golf course you’ve never heard about.
But experts rank the beautiful Baltray links alongside the very best on the island.
County Louth Golf Club – a venue with no weak holes – has twice hosted the Irish Open.
The second time, in 2009, an unknown amateur made history.
However, being a pro, the runner-up took home the prize money.
Of course, 10 years later, Lowry made history again at Royal Portrush.
The late, great Seve Ballesteros landed his three Irish Opens in the nation’s capital city.
He won the first two, in 1983 and 1985, at Royal Dublin Golf Club.
The venue is a six-time host of the Irish Open.
You’ll immediately understand why.
Harry Colt designed Royal Dublin in the mould of a classic out-and-back Scottish links.
The course runs through tremendous golfing terrain on Bull Island.
It’s a privilege to play.
But be ready for wicked winds whipping in from Dublin Bay.
Championship courses produce champion golfers.
And Northern Ireland boasts plenty of both.
You can’t help thinking that Mother Nature had elite links golf in mind when designing its epic landscapes.
Here’s the good news:
You’ll get to play three astounding Irish Open venues on your Northern Ireland golf trip.
We guarantee two are on your bucket list.
First, we go to the Greatest Golf Course in the World.
Few places capture the imagination like Royal County Down.
But It more than justifies the hype.
The Championship Links, where Rasmus Højgaard pipped hometown hero Rory McIlroy to win the 2024 Amgen Irish Open, is the greatest venue to never stage a Major.
Royal County Down offers an uncommon combination of wild beauty and eccentric design.
Always expect the unexpected on this tumbling, windblown terrain beneath the majestic Mountains of Mourne.
Tight, ribboning fairways meander through imposing dunes – with stealthy bunkers and startling elevation changes leaving you never quite sure where your shot will land.
It’s heart-stopping stuff.
But Royal County Down is an inspiring experience set against a delightful backdrop of Dundrum Bay and the Irish Sea.
Unmissable.
Royal Portrush holds the distinction of being the only golf club outside mainland Britain to host The Open Championship.
In 2025, golf’s oldest tournament returns to the sublime Dunluce Links for the third time.
This iconic course on the North Atlantic coast has also been the venue for the Irish Open on four occasions.
Though a tough nut to crack, especially when the wind is up, Portrush is a pleasure to play.
You’ll discover the quintessential seaside links experience on the shores of County Antrim.
Everything from rolling fairways to massive dunes, endless rough and stunning vistas await you at Royal Portush.
You’re in for a real treat.
Jon Rahm won the first of his two Irish Opens at Portstewart Golf Club.
It was 2017.
And Rahm described the Strand Course as ‘one of the most beautiful courses I have ever seen.’
Few would disagree.
But Portstewart could be the toughest test on your Northern Ireland golfing adventure.
Don’t count on a gentle start on this ‘sleeping giant’.
Portstewart features arguably the best opening hole on the planet.
The 425-yard par-4 plunges downhill and doglegs right towards the thrashing Atlantic.
It’s a breathless beginning to a round you’ll never forget.
Welcome to what is quite possibly the most stunning links golf region on earth.
Ireland’s sublime Southwest shores have long been a mecca for golfers.
Here, on the heavenly Wild Atlantic Way, you tee off at six majestic links.
Two of them, located in Clare and Kerry, staged the Irish Open.
We’re back to Jon Rahm.
The Spaniard clinched his second Irish Open – in 2019 – at Lahinch Golf Club.
And like Portstewart, Lahinch is a thrilling course to play.
But what else would you expect from a rugged links designed by Old Tom Morris?
The sheer variety of holes at Lahinch guarantees non-stop entertainment.
You must navigate an untamed landscape peppered with gigantic dunes.
Sometimes, you’ll even need to account for the native goats that roam the course!
It’s all part of the fun on this out-and-back layout set against beautiful Liscannor Bay.
Tom Watson loves Ballybunion Golf Club.
In fact, back in 1985, the eight-time major winner remodelled the championship Old Course.
And that’s where Patrik Sjoland won the 2000 Irish Open.
Ballybunion is as exhilarating as it is challenging – wait until you see the dunes.
Spoiler alert: They’re huge!
Such is the all-round quality of the course, It would be wrong to single out any one hole at Ballybunion.
But the 11th – called Watsons – is an absolute showstopper.
It’s a 430-yard tightrope with the Atlantic abyss to your right and deep rough and hungry bunkers to your left.
Needless to say, Ballybunion is a must-play on your Southwest golf tour.
Somehow, Northwest Ireland flies under the radar of many golf enthusiasts.
Sure, it’s a little off the beaten track.
But this charming region is a hotbed of spectacular seaside links courses.
And that’s before we mention the world-class golf resorts and hotels.
More on that later.
Let’s get to the final Irish Open Venue you can play on a golf trip to Ireland.
On Inishowen Peninsula, right at the edge of the Atlantic, you’ll discover Ballyliffin Golf Club.
And this, dear golfer, is one of three remarkable links venues on the agenda for your six-night stay in wild, wonderful Donegal.
Ballyliffin is home to two exceptional courses.
You get to play both.
The Glashedy – a favourite of Graeme McDowell – staged the unforgettable Irish Open in 2018.
Russel Knox sunk a 40-foot putt to birdie the 72nd hole and take it to a playoff.
He repeated that feat in sudden death to claim a victory for the ages.
We can’t promise you that level of excitement at Ballyliffin.
But we can promise you a thoroughly enjoyable 18 holes along 400 acres of exquisite linksland.
It’s never too early to start planning your group golf trip to Ireland, particularly if you want to play these iconic Irish Open venues.
Enter Irish Golf Tours.
Our expert travel team do everything but pack your bags and book your flights.
We take care of itineraries, tee times, accommodation and transportation.
All you have to do is pick your perfect Ireland golf package and contact us.
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