How to Plan a Golf Vacation in Ireland

By Bill Herrfeldt

As they say in Ireland, "The worst time you'll have on a golf trip to our country will be filled with wonderment and joy." The countryside is spectacular and Irish golf courses provide golfers with variety that only a trip to this country can provide. There are more than 200 golf courses in Ireland, most of which can challenge the even the most adept player. The four courses chosen are located on the east coast of the country, all within an hour of Dublin.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Step 1

Tee it up first at The Island Golf Club that first opened in 1888 and was designed by Fred Hawtree. This links course was accessible only by boat before the causeway was built. The golf course features sand dunes that are more often found on other Irish coastal areas, and it has the feel of of a typical links course with heather and gorse to be dealt with should you stray from the fairways. Though it is less than 6,600 yards, it will be a serious challenge to the most talented golfer.

Step 2

Head next for The European Club which by Irish standards is relatively new having opened in 1987. It was designed by noted golf architect Pat Ruddy, is almost 7,000 yards long, and it is a par 71. The European Club has landed on many lists of top 100 courses in the world. Recently, three of its holes were chosen among the world's top 500 by "Golf" magazine. You will face deep sand bunkers, undisturbed sand dunes, a constant breeze of the Irish Sea and well-manicured greens with an amazing amount of undulation. By the way, even if you land on the beach running parallel to the Irish Sea, it will be playable. That is, of course, if the tide happens to be out.

Step 3

Plan on playing one of Ireland's newest and most challenging layouts, Druids Glen Golf Club, that was opened in 1995 and was the site of the Irish Open from 1996 to 1999. Many players agree that it is Ireland's finest inland golf course. You may want to return someday to Druid Glen if for no other reason than to best the thirteenth hole called "The Snake" where you drive from an elevated tee to a fairway in the gorge below. The second shot will be to a green that is guarded by a sizable lake in front. On the previous hole, you will see a stone altar where pre-Christians once worshiped.

Step 4

End your Irish golfing holiday at Dublin's Portmarnock Golf Club, that some golfers argue is the finest links course in Ireland. Portmarnock is unique in that no two successive holes go in the same direction. Since there always seems to be a wind blowing, it puts a premium on your ability to judge distance and direction. Portmarnock has hosted more world-class tournaments than any other course in Ireland. Included among them are the Canada and Walker Cups and the British Amateur. But the winners of the Irish Open like Ben Crenshaw and Bernhard Langer had to play some magnificent golf to emerge victorious.