Welcome to Talking Golf Travel: April 2025.
Right now, the new season’s first wave of travelling golfers are having the time of their lives across Ireland and Scotland.
Don’t be jealous.
This jam-packed edition takes you (digitally, at least) to many of the same golfing hotspots.
Let’s hit the links.
Click any headline to get Issue #7 of Talking Golf Travel underway:
The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush was already a historic event for golf in Northern Ireland.
Now it’s official.
The R&A confirmed that a record 278,000 fans will descend on the Dunluce Links this July to witness the battle for the Claret Jug.
It’s the largest attendance for a Championship staged outside of St Andrews. And it beats the 2019 event held at the same venue by 40,000.
Imagine the McIlroy Mania if he wins a Major on home soil?
You’ve got another pitstop in Northern Ireland.
This time, World’s Best Golf Destinations brings you for an exhilarating round on its ‘sleeping giant’.
Your guide is Jim Callaghan.
And he reckons the opening stretch at Portstewart Golf Club is the best in the business.
But you don’t have to take his word for it.
Decide for yourself in 2026.
Visitor tee times are now available for the region’s top courses, including the two Royals.
Explore our Northern Ireland golf tour.
Over 10,000 golfers from 57 countries applied for a rare opportunity at The Home of Golf.
172 got a spot.
In case you missed it, earlier this month, St Andrews Links staged the second Old Course in Reverse event.
The six-day affair let participants play the ultimate golf mecca in its historic clockwise direction.
Plus, rounds on the current layout allowed them to experience and compare both routings.
So lucky!
From the oldest course in the world to the soon-to-be newest course in Ireland.
Talking Golf Travel readers will know that Curracloe Links opens for preview play in County Wexford late next year.
Located in the impressive Ravenport Resort, the much-anticipated course is designed by American architects Dana Fry and Jason Straka.
Recently, Straka provided Golf Travel Wire with a positive progress report on their creation along the Southeast coast.
In March, Top 100 Golf Courses updated their Irish rankings.
In April, they turned their attention to the golf courses of Scotland.
Needless to say, links layouts dominated the leaderboard for the birthplace of the game.
You probably won’t be too surprised by the absolutely incredible top 7:
‘One of my favourite golf courses in the world.’
Coming from Darren Clarke, a Major winner, that’s quite the endorsement for Donegal Golf Club.
So it’ll be interesting to see how he assesses this awe-inspiring links once his old friend finishes its wholesale renovation.
Paul McGinley just completed the second of a five-phase revamp at Donegal.
Golf Course Architecture has the inside scoop on the next stage of his masterplan.
Your Scotland golf tour is about, well, golf.
However, this enchanting country offers much more than bucket-list tee times.
VisitAberdeenshire handpicked 10 relaxing ways to discover the region’s historic landmarks and natural wonders.
Elsewhere, The Scottish Sun found outdoor saunas, craft distilleries, white-sand beaches, and charming pubs in Fife.
And off the Ayrshire coast – as The Scotsman reports – the Isle of Arran has been granted UNESCO Global Geopark Status.
The ceremony might not be until November, but you can already cast your vote for the 2025 World Golf Awards.
So, who are the notable nominations?
Scotland has two contenders in the World’s Best Golf Course category:
Castle Stuart at Cabot Highlands and The Ailsa at Trump Turnberry.
Meanwhile, you’ll find some iconic and lesser-known venues in the running for Ireland’s Best Golf Course, including Ballybunion, Old Head and Enniscrone.
If these links could talk …
Royal Dornoch, the jewel in the crown of the Scottish Highlands, celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2027.
Can you imagine the extraordinary stories from times gone by?
Thankfully, you don’t have to.
Because the club has launched a commemorative video series featuring the recollections of long-time members.
Willie Skinner, the resident professional for 25 years, is the first guest on the weekly Oral Memories.
April 18th is World Heritage Day.
It’s an international celebration of monuments and sites with a UNESCO designation.
Why are we telling you this?
Because you can visit many of these natural and cultural wonders on your Irish golf tour.
For example, you’ll find Skellig Michael in Kerry, the Giant’s Causeway on the coast of Antrim, and the Book of Kells in Dublin.
Visit Irish Central for the full list.
Make no mistake:
Curracloe Links has a tough act to follow.
It’ll need to be flawless to dethrone St Patrick’s Links as Ireland’s best new course.
Still, what else would you expect from the modern master?
Tom Doak unveiled his creation at Rosapenna in 2021. It became an instant classic – beloved by casuals and connoisseurs alike.
Join The Golfer’s Journal for 18 holes among the tumbling dunes of Donegal.
Rory’s Grand Slam at the Masters means April 2025 will live forever in golf folklore.
So it was only right to choose a Course of the Month with a Major pedigree to match Augusta.
You’ll find this icon in Southwest Scotland.
You play in the shadow of 10 Open Championship winners on the Old Course at Royal Troon.
Locke, Palmer, Watson – to name a few.
It’s one of the great experiences in world golf.
And it’s waiting for you.
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