The links land at Ballybunion is home to two tremendous courses, and while the Cashen Course is a cracking challenge in its own right, it's the Old Course that has turned heads around the golfing world since it became an 18-hole championship test in 1926. For many golfers, the name Ballybunion instantly brings to mind a wild, natural links shaped by wind, sand and time, and it absolutely lives up to the billing.
This is a proper links test, the sort of layout that reminds you why Irish golf commands such respect. The Old Course runs along towering dunes and clifftops on the edge of the Atlantic, with fairways that tumble through natural corridors of marram grass and greens that can turn benign one day and brutal the next depending on the breeze. You'll face blind tee shots, approach play where you often need to land short and let the ball release, and putting surfaces that demand respect when the wind gets up.
What sets Ballybunion apart is the sheer variety. Many golfers pick out the one-shotters as the standouts, with the 7th and 15th playing across deep valleys to greens framed by dunes. The par fours range from driveable risk-reward tests to long, grinding two-shotters where positioning off the tee is everything. And the closing stretch, from the 15th onwards, is as dramatic and demanding as any finish in links golf.
The Cashen Course, designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., offers a contrasting but equally compelling challenge. It's more exposed, more modern in its bunkering and green complexes, and arguably tougher when the wind gets up. Playing both courses in a single trip gives you the full Ballybunion experience.
Location matters here. Ballybunion sits on the Wild Atlantic Way in County Kerry, within easy reach of other bucket-list venues like Lahinch, Tralee and Dooks. The town itself is small but welcoming, with a handful of pubs, guesthouses and hotels that cater well to visiting golfers. It's an ideal inclusion on any golf tour of South West Ireland, particularly if you're building an itinerary around bona fide links classics.
Who is this for?
Golfers planning a South West Ireland tour who want a headline links day, plus the option to add a second course on site. Brilliant for groups and societies who want atmosphere in town afterwards and a course everyone will talk about in the bar.
Who is it best for?
Players who enjoy traditional links golf, aren't fazed by the odd blind shot and can keep it in play when the wind turns up. Mid to low handicappers will get the most from the strategy, but any golfer chasing a true Top 100 experience will love it.
