Welcome to Talking Golf Travel No. 24.
September proved that golfers shouldn’t mourn the end of summer.
This month, the legendary links of Ireland and Scotland inspired incredible tournament action, must-read stories, and remarkable travel experiences.
Enjoy our handpicked highlights.
This is why Scotland is a singular golfing pilgrimage.
In 1860, eight professionals assembled at Old Tom Morris’ wonderfully quirky little layout for the maiden Open Championship.
What was it like to play on that fateful day in Ayrshire?
You’re about to see.
To celebrate its 175th anniversary, Prestwick Golf Club has restored the original 12-hole routing where Willie Park Snr. made history.
Watch Cookie Jar Golf retrace his footsteps.
This month, 146 years after that seminal event at Prestwick, Shane Lowry produced a performance that will also echo through the ages.
Lowry’s record 11-shot victory at the Irish Open was a work of art.
With its undulating terrain, mammoth dunes, velvety greens, and Atlantic backdrops, Trump International Doonbeg provided the perfect canvas for his masterpiece.
Naturally, we recommend this stunning modern-day marvel for your Southwest itinerary.
So does Timmy Jordan.
Not every golfer in your travel party – teenagers or latecomers – will be a lifelong hacker.
Thankfully, plenty of Scottish layouts delight low handicappers and beginners alike.
In East Lothian, you’ve got the quirky Gullane No. 3, the breathtaking Glen, and the joyous Dunbar.
Meanwhile, in the soul-stirring Highlands, Brora offers novices a pure links experience few championship venues can match.
Learn more in Top 100 Golf Courses here.
Did you see that unbelievable comeback?! The Irish Open wasn’t the only box-office event to hit County Clare in September.
Only days before, Great Britain & Ireland won the Walker Cup at a raucous Lahinch Golf Club.
Ahead of the Match, GB&I’s Niall Sheils Donegan took Golf Channel around its infamous 5th hole, Dell, an outrageous blind par 3.
Once again, step into the beautiful mind of Old Tom Morris.
The usual suspects dominate the latest top 100 ranking.
What’s interesting is the six spots awarded to a region that many visitors never even consider.
Northwest Ireland (a recurring theme in this issue) serves up rugged, rip-roaring fun links golf unlike anywhere else.
Ballyliffin and Sligo provide picture-postcard championship tests.
Carne and Enniscrone deliver windblown, dune-laden drama.
Stay-and-play Rosapenna features two majestic modern crackers.
Learn more in Today’s Golfer here.
Why did golfers finally take notice of Northwest Ireland? Ironically, its latest addition revealed what purists had always known.
St Patrick’s Links at Rosapenna Golf Resort opened to universal acclaim in 2021.
Nestled on a vast expanse of jaw-dropping duneland, where Sheephaven Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean, Golf Digest already ranks Tom Doak’s magical design No. 58 in the world.
Experience this game-changing creation in wild, wonderful Donegal with LinksLand.
Somehow, this is the first time we’ve featured Ross McGuire’s wonderful podcast.
To mark its 100th episode, Ross speaks to his maiden guest, the new Director of Golf at the aforementioned Brora Golf Club.
With passion only a local could muster, Gary Dingwall, who also spent 23 years at Royal Dornoch, shares what makes the Scottish Highlands such an extraordinary golf destination
8 golfers | 6 rounds | 9 nights
The best of the Southwest. An iconic Ryder Cup venue. Finally, the world’s No.1 course.
Discover a Golfer Journeys classic.
First, our Cowart group experienced Wild Atlantic Way showstoppers, from the majestic linksland of Tralee, Ballybunion, and Waterville to the soaring clifftops of Old Head.
Next, they played the plush Palmer North parkland at The K Club.
Then it was on to Royal County Down for that mystical golfing odyssey.
Ryder Cup player. Beloved BBC commentator. Acclaimed course architect. Clive Clark has enjoyed a glittering, multifaceted golf career.
In 2020, at 75 years young, Clark unveiled what many believe is his greatest achievement.
Dumbarnie Links, nestled within the enchanting Balcarres Estate on the scenic shores of Fife, proved an overnight sensation.
Why? According to Clive, it was designed for your playing pleasure.
Listen to the NCG Top 100s Podcast here.
Another glistening Northwest jewel for your must-play Ireland itinerary.
County Sligo Golf Club, or Rosses Point, has long been a crucible for future Irish greats.
Routed through rollercoaster terrain, its revered Colt Championship Links offers you a relentless, all-consuming strategic test that matches the astounding ocean and mountain vistas.
Needless to say, breaking the course record of 62 (-9) would be no mean feat.
Can the Golf Bros do it?
Around an hour south of Rosses Point, along the ravishing Killala Bay in County Sligo, you’ll find the aptly named Dunes at Enniscrone Golf Club.
This is an exhilarating links layout of uncommon grandeur, scale and beauty.
Akin to a beachside safari, Enniscrone unfurls through sky-scraping sandhills and bamboozles you with intriguing, all-or-nothing holes. It’s as thrilling to play as it is to behold.
Learn more in Golf Monthly here.
Speaking of wow-factor courses.
Just 20 miles from Royal County Down, the absolutely breathtaking, though often overlooked, Ardglass Golf Club awaits on craggy cliffs.
Expect wild elevation changes, swirling winds, heart-stopping shots, and incredible Irish Sea vistas from every hole.
Consider this story a twofer.
Firstly, it takes you behind the scenes at one of the most naturally stunning, not to mention wonderfully quirky, links courses on the Emerald Isle.
And that’s Dooks Golf Club in Glenbeigh, County Kerry.
Secondly, your expert guide, Peter Sparks from Easiest Swing, has helped countless golfers transform their game.
Join Peter for a round framed by sapphire Atlantic waters and the magnificent MacGillycuddy’s Reeks.
After recent events at Lahinch and Doonbeg, this seemed like a fitting choice.
Your Course of the Month was the first venue in Ireland to stage the Walker Cup and has hosted a record 19 Irish Opens.
Portmarnock Golf Club, that grand old coliseum on the picturesque Dublin coastline, is a classic links test of Open Championship calibre.
Here, you play in the shadow of Arnold, Seve, Pádraig, and Tiger.
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Author: Tom Rooney
