The first provincial rankings of Ireland are a unique way to see the golf courses outside of the traditional county rankings. Not intended to be controversial, it does allow one to consider the best golf courses consolidated in the Republic of Ireland and the country of Northern Ireland.
The province of Leinster lends 38 golf courses to the ranking with Portmarnock leading the charge in 1st place.
The province of Ulster follows next, adding 28 courses - it is probably the strongest in top-end quality, with three of the four world Top 100 entries making up the Top 3. They are Royal County Down first, Royal Portrush Dunluce second, and Rosapenna St Patrick's third.
Munster is the third province with 16 courses ranked and perhaps the most surprising, with some of the best links in the world contrasting with a premier parkland in Adare Manor.
Connacht is the smallest contributor and has 8 courses with some of the island's most rugged yet playable links. An excellent set, it might not contain the highest highs but it also doesn't have some of the lower lows...
It is the province of Ulster that is the most interesting as it includes counties in Northern Ireland and the Republic. The only real question is - did we get it right?
Perhaps overdue, the time was right to try to see how the golf courses on the Island of Ireland stacked up - the GB&I ranking provided the basis and the derivatives were quite easy to establish once the two countries were updated too.
