Waterville Golf Links plays on a promontory surrounded by the sea. It’s a stunning, remote location...
Waterville Golf Links plays on a promontory surrounded by the sea. It’s a stunning, remote location...
5
If you are looking for high-quality pure Irish links, look no further than Waterville.
Overall Thoughts
When we arrived in Waterville, we stayed at the Smugglers Inn, just a stones throw from Waterville golf links. We arrived a day early, so we spent 24 hours salivating as we saw the golf course peaking out behind the dunes. As a major Eddie Hackett fan from playing his previous work (Carne and Enniscrone), I knew we were in for an absolute treat at Waterville.
On the West coast of Ireland you hear about Lahinch, Ballybunion and Tralee. But not as often do you hear about Waterville golf links. In recent years it is starting to get some attention, and rightly so. It felt like one of the purist Irish links I have ever played. There is no golf tour bus in the parking lot, there is not a tee sheet packed with visitors. Nope, we got paired with two members, and they were ready to play in 3.5 hours and enjoy a quality round of golf.
There is something authentic about Waterville that places like Ballybunion and Tralee. For some reason, you get a greater sense of history. Maybe it was the 'mass hole' where the local community used to celebrate mass when the British barred Catholicism or maybe it was just how engrained in the landscape the golf course felt. As if it had been there for hundreds of years. Either way, you truly feel like a local when you play Waterville.
The course itself and the design is exactly what you want from an Irish links layout. Set on a small peninsula of dunes, the course offers views of both the Atlantic ocean and the surrounding hills. The way Hackett (and Fazio) build the holes to leverage the dunes was sublime. The greens sites not only leveraged the dunes as backstops and sideboards, but also the dunes seeped into the undulation of the green. Somehow, you feel like through the course of the round, the wind follows you and is constantly in your face. I might of had 18 tee shots into the wind, or so I thought. The dunes play tricks on you with the wind.
I must mention as I do think it is very important when playing links golf, the course conditions were perfect. Not perfect in the sense it was green, but in the sense the fairway were slightly brown, the balls were bouncing, the landing spots had to be controlled, and the course played exactly how I imagine Hackett intended.
Favorite Holes
Like many, I did love the par-3 12th hole, the 'mass hole'. The history of the hole makes that an extremely special shot for any golfer. And until you see the crater in front of the green, you will not be able to understand just how big that hole is and how many people they probably could have fit in there.
But, above the 12th, I absolutely adored the par-5 11th and the par-3 17th. The 11th is a relatively short par 5, but you quickly realize it is not an easy hole as you sail between a chute of dunes to a heavily protected green. With a false front and right side, the green is by no means an easy approach. I was happy to walk away with par.
The par-3 17th hole is just links golf at its finest. A mid-long iron into a plateau green that sits above the Atlantic ocean. Probably one of the higher points on the course, so the wind is most impactful. I remember starting a 5 iron about 25 yards right of the green, over the ocean, for the wind to push it back to the center of the green. What a beauty.
Small Details that make a difference
What I assume is a new clubhouse, the upstairs dining room and patio is awesome.
The starter and the staff are lovely people, paired us with a great local twosome and off we went.
Pace of play was 3.5 hours. Just how golf was intended.
Golf Course Review
Layout + Design: 8/10
Condition: 8.5/10
Scenery/Aesthetics: 8/10
Difficulty: 8/10
Facilities: 7/10
Customer Service: 8/10
Pace of Play: 9/10
Value: 8/10
Overall Takeaways
One of the purist Irish links I have played in my many rounds in Ireland. This is a must play for anyone booking a golf trip to Ireland. The layout and design is awesome, the history is everywhere and the people are amazing. This is a course you want a little bit of wind, it adds to the overall experience!
Expect to see this one continue to get more and more love over the years.
Callahan laforty
The latest ranking of the Top 100 Golf Courses in the World serves as the ultimate global golf bucket list. Most members of our World Top 100 Panel are seasoned golfers, each playing 20-30 of these courses annually while travelling extensively over decades to form their opinions on others. We recognise that opinions vary—even among our panel members. Rankings are subjective, and there are undoubtedly 50 or more courses in the UK and USA alone that could easily fit onto this list. Links Golf Pilgrimages The rankings
California, United States
New Jersey, United States
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
New York, United States
New York, United States
For golfers planning their first serious links trip, the choice often comes down to two destinations: Scotland or Ireland. Both offer some of the finest links courses in the world, dramatic coastal landscapes, historic clubs and enough quality to fill several days without playing the same type of golf twice. Scotland has the strongest claim to being the home of the game, with St Andrews, Muirfield, Carnoustie and Royal Dornoch among its headline acts. Ireland, meanwhile, can counter with Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Ballybunion, Lahinch and Rosapenna. There is no wrong answer. But if you only have one major links trip to make, which country should come first? The Headline Courses Scotland has an almost unfair collection of famous links. The Old Course at St Andrews remains the obvious pilgrimage, while Muirfield, Turnberry Ailsa, Royal Dornoch and Carnoustie provide four very different reasons to keep travelling beyond the Home of Golf. North Berwick and Kingsbarns add further depth, and there is no shortage of excellent options once you move away from the biggest names. Ireland has an equally compelling collection. Royal County Down’s Championship course currently sits at No.1 in the Top100 GB&I ranking, with Royal Portrush at No.3, Ballybunion, Lahinch and Rosapenna Golf Resort’s St Patrick's Links adding further heavyweight options. That means neither country is short of a bucket-list course. Scotland perhaps has the deeper bench of instantly recognisable names, but Ireland can comfortably match it at the very top. Winner: Scotland The Links Experience The character of the golf is one of the biggest differences between the two destinations. Scotland gives you an extraordinary range of links experiences. The Old Course at St Andrews is steeped in history, Carnoustie has its fearsome reputation, Royal Dornoch delivers a more remote Highland setting, while North Berwick and Turnberry offer their own very different takes on seaside golf. Ireland's great strength is the way its links interact with the landscape. At Royal County Down, the Mountains of Mourne provide a spectacular backdrop. Royal Portrush winds through some of the biggest dunes in the British Isles, while Ballybunion, Lahinch and Rosapenna put the Atlantic firmly into the equation. That doesn't necessarily make Ireland's golf better, but it does give many of its standout courses a particularly strong sense of place. The landscape is part of the experience of playing the course. For golfers looking for variety, Scotland has the edge. For those who want their links golf to feel wild and dramatic, Ireland takes the cake. Winner: Ireland Building The Perfect Itinerary For the travelling golfer, the quality of individual courses is only half the equation. The other question is how easily you can string them together. This is one of Scotland's greatest strengths. A St Andrews trip can be built around the Old Course and supplemented by the six other courses at the St Andrews Links complex (New, Jubilee, Castle, Eden, Balgove, and Strathtyrum), alongside Kingsbarns Golf Links and Crail Golfing Society. An East Lothian trip can combine Muirfield with North Berwick, Gullane and Dunbar. Further west, the Ayrshire coast offers Turnberry, Royal Troon, Prestwick and Western Gailes. Then there is the Highlands, where Royal Dornoch, Castle Stuart and Nairn provide the foundations for another outstanding trip. Ireland has excellent clusters of its own. Dublin and the east coast provide several strong options, while the southwest combines Ballybunion, Lahinch and Waterville. Further north, Royal County Down and Royal Portrush provide the kind of double act that could justify an entire trip. But Scotland gives you more ways to construct the itinerary. You can build a four-day trip around one region or spend a week travelling between some of the game's most famous courses without running out of options. Winner: Scotland The Scenery and Atmosphere Both countries offer more than enough scenery to make the journey worthwhile, but they create very different kinds of golf trips. Scotland has the history and sense of occasion. A day at St Andrews can feel like a pilgrimage, while travelling through East Lothian or Ayrshire takes you between courses that have been part of the game for generations. Ireland's appeal is slightly less about pilgrimage and more about exploration. The best trips often involve following the coastline, travelling between small towns and remote clubs, and arriving at courses where the dunes and sea dominate the view. The golf can feel like part of a wider road trip, with the day's round followed by a trip to the pub to dissect it. Scotland has the stronger sense of golfing history, but Ireland arguably offers the more rounded sense of adventure. Winner: Ireland Value for Money Neither Scotland nor Ireland is a destination for the golfer looking for a bargain-basement holiday. The headline courses can command substantial visitor fees, particularly during the summer, but neither country requires you to play the most expensive courses every day. Scotland's depth is particularly useful, with an enormous range of courses allowing you to mix marquee names with excellent, less expensive links. That depth also means you can build an itinerary around value rather than simply ticking off the most famous names. Ireland competes strongly, particularly if you are prepared to venture beyond its biggest tourist destinations. But Scotland's sheer number of quality options makes it easier to put together a varied trip without paying a premium every day. Winner: Scotland The Verdict For your first links trip, choose Scotland. It has the history, depth, variety and concentration of world-class courses to make almost any itinerary work. The Old Course alone is enough to justify the journey, but Scotland's greatest strength is what comes after it. There are enough outstanding links to turn one trip into several without simply repeating the same experience. Ireland is the destination to choose when you want something a little more adventurous. Its great links are often dramatic, windswept and surrounded by scenery that can be as memorable as the golf itself. Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Ballybunion, Lahinch and Rosapenna form an extraordinary collection, and the wider experience of travelling around the island only adds to the appeal. So Scotland wins the first-trip argument. But once you've made the journey, Ireland won't be far behind on the list.
Write a Review Competition Enter the Top 100 Golf Courses 'write a review competition', and the best 5 reviews will win a fantastic prize We have five amazing prizes to give away in our first 2010 quarterly competition and we’re giving them away because we value your golf course reviews. We value them so much that we’d like to encourage you to post some more. To win one of these amazing prizes (worth around £400 each on average) all you need to do is to post an online course review (click on the "write a review" tab on any of our golf course pages) between 1st January and 31st March 2010. You can post multiple course reviews and they will all be considered but you can only win one of the five prizes. Please remember our simple rules for posting golf course reviews – you MUST have played the course first. Please also ensure you correctly enter your email address, as email is the way we’ll contact each of the five winners. Rankings are key to what we do here at Top 100 Golf Courses therefore the winning course reviewer will have the luxury of first choice from all five prizes. The second placed reviewer will have four prizes from which to choose and so on. Naturally, the 5th placed reviewer will have to settle for whichever prize is left. We'll notify the winners and publish all five winning reviews online during April 2010. The best course reviews, in our opinion, are those that are objective, unbiased and written from the heart. We love to read all course reviews and we’re always thrilled to read course reviews for those courses that have fewer reviews already posted. To give you an idea, here is one of our favourite reviews posted in September 2009: “The Oxfordshire isn’t easy to love. I don’t really think I’d want to be a member here. But who could fail to have fun? It’s a riot, really… This sounds quite contradictory and ill thought out. I guess the bottom line for me is that here’s a course which looks hopelessly artificial, entirely out of place and where the clubhouse and associated ambiance is a grim corporate affair. Yet, this is a course which demands the golfer thinks tactically, which asks him to be honest with himself about what he might achieve and what he can realistically achieve with each shot (and I’m not just talking about the 17th which is, I admit, excellent). Basically, it’s long and tough but if you want to shoot your handicap and take easy options then it can be done. Having said that, I suspect most visitors would want to get their money’s worth and go for it, taking their chances. Quite right too…” The Prizes: Golf for 4 people (mid week) at Cruden Bay Golf for 4 people at Finca Cortesin Golf & overnight stay for 2 people at Hanbury Manor Golf for 4 people at Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links Golf for 4 people at Waterville Competition Rules specific to this competition 1. First prize is a choice of one of these prizes, 2nd prize is choice of one of the remaining prizes and so on. 2. If a potential winner cannot be contacted by us within 7 days, the prizes will be given to the next best entrant. 3. There is no cash alternative to any prize. 4. Travel, food, accommodation (except Hanbury Manor accommodation - see below) are not included, and are completely at the winner's expense. 5. The prize will be in the form of a voucher, which will expire on 31st December 2010 (except Hanbury Manor - see below), and will be for a named individual & guests, proof of identity will be required on arrival at the golf course. 6. The Hanbury Manor prize entitles you and a guest to an overnight stay in deluxe accommodation including full English Breakfast at Hanbury Manor and 18 holes of golf per person. Your stay includes complimentary use of the Health Club but excludes treatments. Incidental charges must be settled upon departure. The voucher is Valid until 24th August 2010 and subject to availability. 7. All prizes are subject to availablity of tee times at the individual golf courses. 8. The prizes will be awarded for the best 5 reviews received on Top 100 Golf Courses website until 31st March, the results and winners name will be published on the website soon after. 9. The judge of the best reviews will be the site editor, Keith Baxter. His opinion will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. 10. Although only one prize will be allowed per entrant, multiple entries are allowed. General Terms of using the site and entering the competition many be found here
Munster is where the golf pilgrimage begins. Ireland's southernmost province spans six counties from the wild Atlantic cliffs of Kerry and Clare through to the parkland grandeur of Limerick and the sheltered harbours of Cork. Munster contains a concentration of world-class golf courses that rivals almost anywhere on the planet. Two courses here regularly appear in the World Top 100 rankings. The 2027 Ryder Cup is also coming to Adare Manor. Add in the Wild Atlantic Way, Ring of Kerry, and Killarney National Park mean non-golfing partners are never short of things to do. 🎯 Seven must-play courses within a few hours of Shannon Airport, with some solid options as B sides 🌊 Links, clifftop and parkland golf - a diverse itinerary 🏌️ The 2027 Ryder Cup will put Munster on the global stage ☀️ Year-round playability thanks to the mild Gulf Stream climate 🍺 Unmatched scenery, warm Irish hospitality and outstanding post-round pub culture Munster's Championship Courses 🥇 All seven courses are visitor-friendly, though planning of six to twelve months is essential for peak season. Green fees below are approximate peak-season figures. 1. Ballybunion Golf Club (Old Course) — County Kerry 🌊 Ballybunion Old Course is the defining Irish links experience. Tom Watson visited in 1981 and declared it the best course in the world — and the reputation has never dimmed. The first six holes are entertaining, but from the 7th tee above the Atlantic shore, the course reveals its full ferocity: towering dunes, fairways carved from cliff-edge land and demanding elevated greens perch in precarious positions. 📅 Visitor access: Weekdays only, April–October. Book 12 months ahead for summer. 2. Lahinch Golf Club (Old Course) — County Clare 🏌️ Lahinch Golf Club is Ireland's most beloved tournament links — Irish Open host in 2019, Walker Cup venue in 2026. Originally laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1892 and redesigned by Alister MacKenzie in 1927, it is rugged, quirky and endlessly entertaining. The blind par-3 Dell (5th) and eccentric Klondyke par-5 (4th) are original Old Tom holes left untouched since the 19th century. MacKenzie's triple-tiered greens, restored by Martin Hawtree in 1999, demand precision and reward intelligent play. The village of Lahinch is a delight — one main street of bars, restaurants and surf shops buzzing with golfing energy. 📅 Avoid: Last week of July (South of Ireland Championship — very busy) 3. Trump International Golf Links — Doonbeg, County Clare Trump International Golf Links Doonbeg is the only course in Ireland whose designer said he was the luckiest man alive just to receive the commission. Greg Norman made 23 visits before laying a single fairway, and the result is a links where 14 greens and 12 fairways were simply mown from the natural dunes — minimal earthmoving, maximum nature. The 1.5-mile crescent of Doughmore Bay curves around the entire layout, with Atlantic views from 16 of 18 holes. Originally opened in 2002 and refined by Martin Hawtree after Trump's acquisition in 2014, Doonbeg has been elevated firmly into the top tier of Irish links golf. The routing is delightfully unusual — five par-3s and five par-5s on a par-72 — giving the round a rhythm unlike any of its neighbours. The par-3 14th, just 111 yards playing toward a green wrapped by duneland and sea, is one of the most dramatic short holes in Ireland. The DP World Tour has confirmed Doonbeg will host the 2026 Irish Open. The five-star resort makes Doonbeg the most complete stay-and-play destination in Munster. Twilight rates offer genuine savings in the shoulder season. 🏨 Stay & Play: The on-site resort is one of the finest in Ireland 4. Waterville Golf Links — County Kerry 🏔️ Waterville Golf Links occupies a spectacular promontory on the Ring of Kerry, surrounded by water on three sides. Payne Stewart, honoured with a bronze statue at the 18th, called it home in his heart — and many share his view that it has the best back nine in Ireland. The course plays at over 7,300 yards from the championship tees, with raised undulating greens that demand precise approach play. The drive to Waterville along the Ring of Kerry is an event in itself. Budget the full day for this one — the scenery demands stops. 📅 Best combined with: Ring of Kerry scenic drive — do the full loop 5. Tralee Golf Club — County Kerry 🌅 Tralee Golf Club was Arnold Palmer's only Irish design, and he was characteristically frank: "I designed the first nine, but surely God designed the back nine." The back nine climbs into the high dunes with sweeping views of the Dingle Peninsula and the Atlantic. The club offers one of the most genuinely warm welcomes in Kerry, and the scoring opportunity on the front nine makes the back nine drama feel all the more earned. 🏆 Don't miss: The 14th tee view — arguably the finest panorama in Irish links golf 6. Old Head Golf Links — County Cork 🤩 Old Head is not a traditional links — it is a clifftop course unlike anything else on earth. Built on a 200-acre peninsula near Kinsale with 100-metre cliffs dropping to the Celtic Sea on all sides, it has been called one of the most spectacular golf courses in the world. It may not be one of the very best golf courses in the world, but it may be one of the very best places in the world to play golf. A caddie is mandatory. 📅 Book: 6–12 months in advance — visitor numbers are deliberately limited 🌙 Worth knowing: Overnight accommodation in the lighthouse keeper's cottage is a once-in-a-lifetime sleep-where-you-played experience 7. The Golf Course at Adare Manor — County Limerick 🏰 Adare Manor Golf Club is Munster's world-class parkland alternative to the coastal links. Redesigned by Tom Fazio and reopened in 2018 within 800 acres of formal gardens alongside the River Maigue, it will host the 2027 Ryder Cup. The bent grass greens are famously immaculate; the riverside holes in the final third of the round are genuinely dramatic. Shannon Airport is just 25 minutes away — making Adare a logical first or last stop on any Munster trip. The manor house hotel is one of the finest in Europe. 📅 Closed: Mondays (excluding bank holidays). Reserved for resort guests and hotel residents. Factor in the cost to stay in with the green fee… Hidden Gems Worth the Detour 💎 Not every great Munster course costs the equivalent of a short-haul flight. These four are amongst our favourites. If you can’t get on one or two of the big 7 above, these will more than make up for it! Dooks Golf Club — County Kerry Dooks Golf Club is one of the best-kept secrets in Irish golf and has become a cult favourite. Established in 1889 on the shores of Dingle Bay, it offers panoramic views of the Reeks and the Dingle mountains from almost every hole. Barely 6,500 yards, but the natural terrain stretches every club in the bag. A rare Natterjack Toad population lives in the dunes — and yes, they feature on the club crest. 🐸 📍 Location: 35 minutes west of Killarney on the Iveragh Peninsula Cork Golf Club — Little Island Cork Golf Club is an Alister MacKenzie gem that deserves far more attention. Redesigned in 1925 and built on a peninsula in Cork Harbour, it is one of only a handful of MacKenzie courses in Ireland. The heathland-style turf, strategic bunkering and undulating greens are immediately recognisable to anyone familiar with the MacKenzie signature. Ceann Sibéal (Dingle Golf Links) — County Kerry As the westernmost golf course in Europe, Ceann Sibéal occupies a position entirely its own. Set on the Dingle Peninsula with the Blasket Islands visible from several tees, a meandering stream comes into play on 13 of 18 holes, and the fescue greens reward the ground game. The town of Dingle — pubs, seafood restaurants and warm chaos — is 8km away and makes a memorable overnight base. Killarney Golf & Fishing Club — County Kerry For golfers who want a day off from links golf (or travelling with non-golfers), Killarney's championship Killeen Course offers parkland golf set within the National Park beside Lough Leane is a six-times Irish Open host with Carrauntoohil rising dramatically behind the treeline. Getting There and Getting About ✈️🚗 Airports: Shannon is the primary gateway — 25 min from Adare, 90 min from Killarney and Ballybunion. Cork Airport (90 min from Killarney, 20 min from Kinsale) is ideal for itineraries ending at Old Head. Kerry Airport handles limited routes from Dublin and Frankfurt. Driving: A hire car is essential — there is no practical public transport between courses. Weather: Frequent wind and unpredictable rain. Waterproofs are non-negotiable. The peak season runs from April through October. Ferry: The Tarbert–Killimer car ferry crosses the Shannon Estuary in 20 minutes, saving 85km of driving between Lahinch and Kerry. Most GPS systems miss it, and if timed right, it can save you up to 45 minutes or more. Where to Stay 🏨 Killarney is the most popular base — within range of Tralee, Waterville, Dooks and Ballybunion. Ballybunion itself is worth one night for the Old Course. Guesthouses here cater specifically for golfers, and the atmosphere is terrific. Lahinch is ideal for those prioritising the Old Course. Kinsale is the natural base for Old Head, and one of the finest towns in Munster — beautiful harbour, excellent restaurants, and a relaxed atmosphere that invites longer stays. Booking Strategy 📅 Book early. For peak summer months (June–August) at Ballybunion, Lahinch and Old Head, a twelve-month lead time is realistic. May and October offer substantially better availability at lower green fees and are consistently some of the best months for a Munster golf trip. Beyond Golf 🗺️ Ring of Kerry — the scenic coastal road around the Iveragh Peninsula is among the most beautiful drives in Europe. Drive anti-clockwise to avoid tour buses. Skellig Islands — UNESCO World Heritage Site off the Waterville coast. 6th-century monastic settlement on Skellig Michael; accessible by boat in calm weather. Iconic. Cliffs of Moher — 8km from Lahinch. Visit in the evening when the tour buses have gone. Killarney National Park — cycling, boat trips on Lough Leane, jaunting car rides through the Gap of Dunloe, hiking to Torc Waterfall. Dingle Peninsula — arguably more beautiful than the Ring of Kerry and far less visited. The Slea Head Drive is exceptional. Cork City — Ireland's second city, two hours south of Killarney. The 18th-century English Market is unmissable. Insider Tips From Those Who Know Munster Golf 🎯 🗺️ Plan the routing honestly. Lahinch to Waterville is 2 hrs 45 min; Ballybunion to Old Head is 3+ hours. Six great rounds with proper logistics beat nine rushed ones. ⏰ Book early morning tee times. After American tour groups arrive, the pace can slow… 🚶 Always walk. Every serious Munster golf links is a walking course. Waterproof trousers and broken-in waterproof shoes are essential. ⛴️ Take the Tarbert–Killimer ferry. 20 minutes across the Shannon Estuary saves 85km of driving. Plan Your Munster Golf Trip 📋 Plan carefully, book early, take a caddie, walk every step, and arrive without fixed ideas about scoring — and Munster will give you a golf trip you return to in memory for years. 🍀
