What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Ireland and Northern Ireland? The green waves of Emerald Isle? An ice-cold pint of Guinness? Rory McIlroy?
One thing that should not go overlooked is the beauty of both Irish and Northern Irish golf.
The Éire boasts some of the most breathtaking golf courses in the world, and Golfweek has compiled a ranking so you know exactly which courses you need to hit on your next golf vacation.
More U.K. course rankings: 10 best courses in Scotland | 10 Best courses in England
This ranking comes directly from the hundreds of Golfweek’s Best Raters for 2021 who continually evaluate courses and rate them based on our 10 criteria. They also file a single, overall rating on each course on a points basis of 1-10. Those overall ratings on each course are averaged to produce a final rating for each course. Only a handful of courses in the world achieve a rating above 9, and any course rated 7 or above presents a can’t-miss opportunity.
For more of Golfweek’s Best course lists, check out the most recent selection of course rankings:
- State-by-state rankings for public-access layouts
- State-by-state rankings of private courses
- Top 100 U.S. public-access courses ranked
We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Golfweek operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
1
Royal Country Down (Championship)
Location: Newcastle, Northern Ireland
Course Founded: 1889
Designers: George L. Baillie, Old Tom Morris, George Combe, Harry S. Colt, Donald Steel
Golfweek’s Best rating: 8.95
Book your round at Royal County Down today
2
Royal Portrush (Dunluce)
Location: Portrush, Northern Ireland
Course Founded: 1929
Designers: Harry S. Colt, Martin Ebert
Golfweek’s Best rating: 8.53
Book your round at Royal Portrush today
3
Ballybunion (Old)
Location: Ballybunion, Ireland
Course Founded: 1893
Designers: Lionel Hewson, Tom Simpson
Golfweek’s Best rating: 8.33
Book your round at Ballybunion today
4
Lahinch (Old)
Location: Lahinch, Ireland
Course Founded: 1894
Designers: Old Tom Morris, Charles Gibson, Alister MacKenzie, Martin Hawtree
Golfweek’s Best rating: 7.89
Book your round at Lahinch today
5
Waterville
Location: Waterville, Ireland
Course Founded: 1973
Designer: Eddie Hackett
Golfweek’s Best rating: 7.53
Book your round at Waterville today
6
Portmarnock (Old)
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Course Founded: 1894
Designers: Mungo Park, W.C. Pickeman
Golfweek’s Best rating: 7.42
Book your round at Portmarnock today
7
Old Head of Kinsale
Location: Kinsale, Ireland
Course Founded: 1997
Designers: Eddie Hackett, Joe Carr, Ron Kirby, Paddy Merrigan, Liam Higgins
Golfweek’s Best rating: 7.41
Book your round at Old Head of Kinsale today
8
Hogs Head
Location: Waterville, Ireland
Course Founded: 2018
Designer: Robert Trent Jones Jr.
Golfweek’s Best rating: 7.19
9
The European Club
Location: Brittas Bay, Ireland
Course Founded: 1992
Designer: Pat Ruddy
Golfweek’s Best rating: 7.18
Book your round at The European Club today
10
Tralee
Location: Tralee, Ireland
Course Founded: 1984
Designers: Arnold Palmer
Golfweek’s Best rating: 7.01
Book your round at Tralee today
11
The Island Golf Club
Location: Donabate, Ireland
Course Founded: 1890
Designers: Fred Hawtree, Eddie Hackett
Golfweek’s Best rating: 6.92
Book your round at The Island Golf Club today
12
Enniscrone
Location: Enniscrone, Ireland
Course Founded: 1974
Designers: Eddie Hackett, Donald Steel
Golfweek’s Best rating: 6.90
Book your round at Enniscrone today
13
Honorable Mention: County Louth (Baltray), Carne, and Trump International Golf Links Doonbeg
A trio of Irish courses JUST missed out on cracking our top-10 list. The Baltray course at County Louth, originally designed by Tom Simpson and opened in 1982, hosted the Irish Open in 2004 and 2009.
Designed by Eddit Hackett and opened in 1992, Carne in Bellamut, Ireland should not be forgotten. Carne also finished at T-13 on Golfweek’s Best Modern courses in Great Britain.
Tied with Carne is Trump International Golf Links Doonbeg. Designed by Greg Norman and Martin Hawtree and opened in 2002, Doonbeg is the second newest course on this list, behind only Hogs Head.
Finally, we’d be remiss not to mention the St. Patricks Links at Rosapenna. The new course is sure to be a fan favorite and will likely make future versions of this list for years to come.
Book your round at County Louth today Book your round at Carne today Book your round at Trump International Golf Links Doonbeg today
