Planning golf trip to Western Ireland - input appreciated

[Søren Rye]

Our 4-ball is going to the Western part of Ireland for the bi-yearly golfing trip.

So far, the plan looks like this, were we are working our way down along the coast:

Day 1: fly in, play Lahinch afternoon, drive to Doonbeg
Day 2: play Doonbeg, drive to Ballybunion
Day 3: play Ballybunion Old, drive to Tralee and play an afternoon round there
Day 4: drive to Waterville, play, drive to Kinsale,
Day 5: play Old Head and fly back out of Cork Airport

Are we missing anything, should we skip something? Thanks in advance.

Søren

[Sean Walsh]

Soren,

Doonbeg has a few good holes and is on some wonderful land but is nowhere near as good a course as Lahinch and Ballybunion. I would play one of them twice in preference to playing Doonbeg (my choice would be Lahinch but to each their own). Especially if it is still more expensive than them. I haven't played the Cashen course so others here could provide better advice on the merits of choosing it over Doonbeg.

On the way to Waterville if you wanted to add a round to your trip I'd consider dropping into Dooks. It probably sits about equal to Tralee as a course.

[Adam Lawrence]

Doonbeg has only recently reopened after extensive reworking, so unless anyone has seen it in the last couple of months, then the opinions you'll get on here are only of limited relevance.


Some friends of mine were at Ballybunion a few weeks ago and reported that the new greens are settling in pretty well.

[cary lichtenstein]

I thought the Cashen Course at Ballybunion was worth playing, way better than Doonbeg

[Thomas Dai]

Don't miss Dooks 😊
Atb

[Matt Dawson]

As Adam says, Doonbeg has been revamped I believe.

However on a slightly OT but useful tangent, if you haven't sorted out where to stay yet, Doonbeg's on-site cottages provide very comfortable accommodation for groups. Certainly rates were very reasonable for stay plus golf when I visited, so it was a no-brainer to play there. It made a useful base for the drive to Lahinch. Decent food and drink in the hotel/clubhouse was convenient to minimise faffing about and any potential drink-drive issues

Lahinch itself is a pleasant little town with a laid-back surfer vibe. I'm quite sure you won't, but don't bother with the Aquarium in Lahinch. Sent the wife & kids there while I went out to play golf. They came to find me halfway down the 2nd fairway having seen all there was to see...

[Keith Phillips]

I did a similar trip with my boys last spring - my quick tips, starting from the north:
1. 10 minutes north of Lahinch sit the Cliffs of Moher, an absolutely spectacular sight if you can fit it in.
2. Lahinch is fabulous and we preferred the town of Lahinch to the town of Ballybunion - far more restaurants and bars open, at least in late-May.
3. We played Doonbeg mid-construction at a discounted rate - I expect it's worth a play and is on the way to Ballybunion via the ferry...in any 'first trip' I do I'd rather see more courses once, though on a subsequent trip I could certainly see settling in to a town like Lahinch.
4. Ballybunion is all-world and I think the Cashen is worth a play, though only with a fore-caddie...the terrain there is spectacular but there are some spots where the tee shot lines aren't obvious and balls can be easily lost.
5. Tralee was terrific.
6. Dooks and Waterville were both great...I view Dooks as the equal of all of the above in terms of the overall golf experience.
7. We passed on Old Head based on travel times, etc. but I'd like to get there eventually.
Good luck!

[Chris_Hufnagel]

For what it's worth...


1. Skip Tralee and play 36 at Ballybunion Old.
2. Try to fit in Dooks.
3. Take 30m to see the Cliffs of Moher.

[Ed Brzezowski]

Don't trust the GPS on the way to Waterville. Take the ring road our GPS from Ballybunion to Waterville took us over some godforsaken road. One guy got carsick, stick to the mail road. The drive down is annoying but the course is great.

We had a good time at Dooks too. Nice course, great people.

[Mark Smolens]

Rumor has it that you can no longer sit on the edge of the Cliffs of Moher. Went to a fraternity brother's wedding in Mullingar in '83 and spent an awesome week driving around playing links golf. Side trip to the Cliffs was amazing. We hit 6 irons off the cliff that took what seemed like minutes to fall to the sea... a busload of Japanese tourists were documenting our lunacy. Even tho I was six or eight feet from the edge, I was squeezing that club as hard as possible, afraid it was going to slip out of my hands.

County Sligo wasn't that far north of Lahinch. That was on our trip and we all loved it...

[Kevin Markham]

You're coming to Ireland to play amazing golf experiences... right... and all of the courses you list are going to give you that. Ballybunion Cashen and Dooks are both worthy additions so if you can play them, so much the better. The Cashen course is an interesting and under-appreciated course. If you can't play 18, play the back 9.


The new Trump Doonbeg has received plenty of praise. I'd agree that it is not Lahinch or Ballybunion and the few weak holes let it down... but the good holes are really good and the new greens are excellent. If you want to see photos of the 'new' course: [size=78%]https://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinmarkham/albums/72157667270998604[/size]


As a matter of interest, where are you flying in to? Cork? If Lahinch is your first course you're going to have a long drive to get there.

[Jim Tang]

Soren -

Are you driving yourself or have you hired someone to do the driving for you?  I did a self drive trip some years ago and was very glad I did my driving in daylight hours.  I can't imagine drive the wild roads of western Ireland at night.


I suggest playing either Lahinch or Ballybunion, twice.  Lahinch is magic, as is the whole of Ireland.

[Mark Chaplin]

Soren I was in that area a couple of weeks ago. Ballybunnion was very slow, allow north of 4.5 hours for your round plus at least an hour to get to Tralee, check in, etc. Having to pay in advance makes for an expensive mistake if you run out of time.

All the courses were rammed, at BB there were 10 bus loads of Americans each day. When we finished at Lahinch (in 3.30 but a members time) there were 30 people on the first tee.

We liked all of the courses we played BB both, Tralee and Lahinch. I'd certainly play 2 rounds at Lahinch if I had the opportunity.

[Keith Grande]

I would agree that trying to fit Ballybunnion - Tralee  in the same day is problematic.  You're really trying to shoehorn in these rounds...I'd try to take out maybe Doonbeg or extend stay by one day if you want to get in both (both terrific).  Are you taking the redeye into Shannon?  If you are you can get in 27-36 at Lahinch and then head on to Bally day 2, then Tralee 3, Waterville 4 and Old Head day 5.  Ballybunnion's Cashen is a unique course, and included in your round with the Old course. 


Most courses are pretty reasonable for a second nine or 18 in the afternoon, with the exception of Old Head.  They were steep on the replays, and it felt we were playing let's make a deal, so we opted to lounge on the beautiful deck for an afternoon scotch and cigar. 

[Garland Bayley]

Tom Coyne in A Course Called  Ireland would put Carne only second to Ballybunion. I certainly enjoyed Carne.

[Jerry Kluger]

We played Tralee in the afternoon recently and it took more than 5 hours.  You really need to enjoy these great courses and not be so hung up on seeing as many as you can. 

[Mark Chaplin]

Garland how do you enjoy the 4.5 hour drive from Balmullet to Ballybunion. The world is full of great courses but they aren't always practical to play.

[Kevin_D]

Soren,


I did a similar trip recently (Ballybunion Old 2x, Lahinch 2x, Tralee, Doonbeg). First - you will have an amazing time no matter how your itinerary shapes up. It was an amazing experience.


As to the golf, Lahinch was my favorite (and that was consensus among my group). Just an amazing mix of interesting and fun golf holes. Just to warn you, don't be surprised if you are practically ignored by the starter before you tee off. Once you get out on the course it's all good. I would also recommend checking out the Cliffs of Moher while you are there.


Ballybunion was a close 2nd though. Just FYI, the greens are new there so very slow currently. I really liked our hotel across the street from the course (Teach de Broc). I would definitely recommend playing BB and Lahinch 2x if you can. I did not play the Cashen course at BB since I heard mixed things, though I would probably give that a go next time.


I would put Tralee a notch down below those two, but it's still worth a play. The front nine is fairly open, while the back is quite dramatic, playing up through the dunes. Not as pure as BB or Lahinch, but still a cool place.


Doonbeg would be my last of the ones we played. It's worth a play if you have time, but your life is quite complete if you don't. Feels more American than the others - pristine but less interesting. That said, there are some good holes and nice views.


I did not make it down to Dooks, Waterville or Old Head. Next time!


Kevin


PS - don't ditch the rain gear if it's sunny when you tee off. It can go from sunny to heavy rain/wind to sunny again in an hour.

[Martin Toal]

I have never played Old Head, although I have walked around the cliff top walk around it. But I kinda object to it, as a non-authentic Irish golf experience with people arriving in helicopters, playing the course then drinking hideously expensive wines in the clubhouse after. It is a fair trek from the other good stuff, so I would probably tend to leave it out.

[Garland Bayley]

Garland how do you enjoy the 4.5 hour drive from Balmullet to Ballybunion. The world is full of great courses but they aren't always practical to play.

It's closer than County Sligo that Mark Smolens suggested. Without his suggestion, I wouldn't have suggested Carne.


Any reason you didn't call him out?


EDIT: looking at the map, it seems they are about the same distance even though Sligo is farther north, but being farther east helps.

[Frank M]

I think you have everything pretty much spot on but I would 100% recommend you find a way to play Dooks. It's just one of the best experiences anywhere.

[Thomas Dai]

Dooks is so delightful it's worth playing twice.
And the Cashen at Ballybunion is much better than it's often made out to be (use a buggy when playing the Cashen though, your knees will thank you for it afterwards!).
Atb

[Tom_Doak]

Don't try to do Ballybunion and Tralee in the same day.  If you want to play a second course that day, play the other one at Ballybunion, though I do not think it's as good as some here.


If you want to make a day for Tralee, then skip Old Head or Waterville, which are the least authentic.  Or skip both and play Dooks, and save yourself 100 Euros to pay a couple of bar tabs.

[Tim Pitner]

I suggest playing either Lahinch or Ballybunion, twice.  Lahinch is magic, as is the whole of Ireland.

Concur with the above. Lahinch also happens to be a cool town, which is not the case with Ballybunion, at least when I visited several years ago.

[George Freeman]

Great info everyone.

A little OT, but when are the best shoulder season months to visit Ireland for golf?  I'm planning a trip with my father for fall 2017, likely mid September. 

Any thoughts would be appreciated!