Top 100 Golf Courses in Ireland 2011
With around 400 golf courses in the Republic of Ireland, there’s certainly no shortage of choice. Many of the country’s greatest courses are dotted around the long coastline and Ireland has more than its fair share of the world’s best links courses. Most golfers visiting Ireland head off in search of the famous seaside names but there’s an excellent selection of inland courses to savour too.
We’ve ranked the Top 100 golf courses in Ireland for a number of years and we’re continuing to perfect the process. Our latest list shows little change at the top of the rankings but we have eight new entries and plenty of ups and downs throughout the Top 100.
Killeen Castle, host to the revived Ladies Irish Open in 2010 and the 2011 Solheim Cup venue, is our highest new entry, straight in at 33rd. Nick, our Ireland Correspondent, was very impressed when he played the Jack Nicklaus-designed Killeen Castle: “From the moment you set foot on the property to the very second you leave you are pampered and looked after with a level of service that I have only encountered at very few places the world over.”
Narin & Portnoo is the highest climber in our rankings – up a whopping 35 places. According to Jim, our Scotland Correspondent: “If only a golfing millionaire could invest in a new clubhouse and tweak one or two of the opening holes then this club would be raved about.” The International Association of Golf Tour Operators recently awarded North West Ireland “European Golf Destination of the Year 2011”. Venues such as County Sligo, Enniscrone, Ballyliffin, Rosapenna, Carne, Donegal, Portsalon, Connemara and Narin & Portnoo are among the veritable smörgåsbord of golf courses in this affordable, wild and dramatic area.
Click here to review our new Ireland Top 100 in detail.
| Pos | Course | Move |
| 1 | Ballybunion (Old) | No change |
| 2 | Portmarnock (Old) | Up 2 |
| 3 | European Club | No change |
| 4 | Lahinch (Old) | Down 2 |
| 5 | Waterville | No change |
| 6 | County Louth | Up 7 |
| 7 | Tralee | Up 1 |
| 8 | Doonbeg | Up 1 |
| 9 | County Sligo (Championship) | Up 9 |
| 10 | Enniscrone (Dunes) | Up 2 |
| 11 | Mount Juliet | Up 5 |
| 12 | Ballyliffin (Glashedy) | Down 1 |
| 13 | Adare Manor | Up 6 |
| 14 | Rosapenna (Sandy Hills) | Down 4 |
| 15 | Carne | Down 8 |
| 16 | Old Head | Down 10 |
| 17 | Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links | Up 11 |
| 18 | Donegal | Up 4 |
| 19 | K Club (Palmer) | Down 2 |
| 20 | Island | Down 5 |
| 21 | Druids Glen | Down 7 |
| 22 | Carton House (Montgomerie) | Down 2 |
| 23 | Royal Dublin | Up 7 |
| 24 | Ballyliffin (Old) | Down 1 |
| 25 | Killarney (Killeen) | Down 4 |
| 26 | Portsalon | Up 10 |
| 27 | Dooks | Up 6 |
| 28 | K Club (Smurfit) | Down 1 |
| 29 | Palmerstown House | Down 5 |
| 30 | Headfort (New) | Down 5 |
| 31 | Fota Island (Deerpark) | No change |
| 32 | Carlow (Deerpark) | Down 3 |
| 33 | Killeen Castle | NEW |
| 34 | Connemara | Up 1 |
| 35 | Seapoint | Up 5 |
| 36 | Heritage | Down 10 |
| 37 | Slieve Russell | Down 3 |
| 38 | Cork | No change |
| 39 | Druids Heath | Up 30 |
| 40 | Carton House (O'Meara) | Up 7 |
| 41 | Rathsallagh | Up 2 |
| 42 | Concra Wood | NEW |
| 43 | Rosapenna (Old Tom Morris) | Up 27 |
| 44 | Narin & Portnoo | Up 35 |
| 45 | Tullamore | Up 17 |
| 46 | Ballybunion (Cashen) | Up 3 |
| 47 | Westport | Down 6 |
| 48 | Dingle | Up 23 |
| 49 | Powerscourt (West) | Up 4 |
| 50 | Mullingar | Down 8 |
| 51 | Killarney (Mahoney's Point) | Down 14 |
| 52 | Skellig Bay | Up 3 |
| 53 | Rosslare (Old) | Up 5 |
| 54 | Grange | Up 3 |
| 55 | Luttrellstown Castle | Up 4 |
| 56 | Hermitage | Down 8 |
| 57 | Dromoland Castle | Down 3 |
| 58 | Mount Wolseley | Down 12 |
| 59 | Rathcore | Down 3 |
| 60 | Tramore | Down 10 |
| 61 | Castle | No change |
| 62 | Woodenbridge | Down 11 |
| 63 | Curragh | Up 12 |
| 64 | Tulfarris | Down 12 |
| 65 | Ashford Castle | Down 2 |
| 66 | Roganstown | Up 1 |
| 67 | Woodbrook | Down 23 |
| 68 | Glasson | Down 29 |
| 69 | Powerscourt (East) | Down 24 |
| 70 | Galway Bay | NEW |
| 71 | Ring of Kerry | Up 5 |
| 72 | Castleknock | Down 7 |
| 73 | Birr | Down 41 |
| 74 | Galway | Up 6 |
| 75 | Dundalk | Down 7 |
| 76 | New Forest | Down 2 |
| 77 | St Margaret's | Down 11 |
| 78 | Bunclody | NEW |
| 79 | Moyvalley | Up 20 |
| 80 | Arklow | Up 2 |
| 81 | Athlone | Up 4 |
| 82 | Knightsbrook | Down 22 |
| 83 | Naas | Up 10 |
| 84 | Connemara Isles | Down 20 |
| 85 | Gowran Park | Down 13 |
| 86 | Greenore | Up 6 |
| 87 | Waterford Castle | Down 10 |
| 88 | Cruit Island | Up 12 |
| 89 | Killarney (Lackabane) | NEW |
| 90 | Faithlegg | Up 1 |
| 91 | Dundrum | Down 18 |
| 92 | Castle Dargan | Down 6 |
| 93 | Courtown | NEW |
| 94 | Strandhill | NEW |
| 95 | Bearna | NEW |
| 96 | Laytown & Bettystown | Up 2 |
| 97 | Limerick County | Down 16 |
| 98 | South County | Down 15 |
| 99 | Malahide | Down 11 |
| 100 | Esker Hills | Down 16 |