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12 best golf courses in Ireland and Northern Ireland

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:

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)

Royal County Down Golf Club

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)

Royal Portrush Golf Club before the 2019 Open Championship. (Thomas J. Russo – USA TODAY Sports)

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)

The Old Course at Ballybunion (Getty Images)

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)

The Old Course at Lahinch Golf Club (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

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

Waterville Golf Club in Waterville, Republic of Ireland (David Cannon/Getty Images)

Location: Waterville, Ireland

Course Founded: 1973

Designer: Eddie Hackett

Golfweek’s Best rating: 7.53

Book your round at Waterville today

6
Portmarnock (Old)

The old course at Portmarnock.

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

Old Head of Kinsale Golf Links (David Cannon/Getty Images)

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

Hogs Head in Waterville, Ireland (Courtesy of Hogs Head/Evan Schiller)

Location: Waterville, Ireland

Course Founded: 2018

Designer: Robert Trent Jones Jr.

Golfweek’s Best rating: 7.19

9
The European Club

The European Golf Club in Brittas Bay, Ireland (David Cannon/Getty Images)

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

The 16th hole at Tralee Golf Club in Ireland (David Cannon/Getty Images)

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

The Island Golf Club in Donabate, County Dublin, Ireland (David Cannon/Getty Images)

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

Enniscrone (Courtesy of North & West Coast Links Golf Ireland)

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

The 14th hole at the County Louth Golf Club (Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images)

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
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