What are the best golf courses in Ireland?
Besides the scenery and the "forty shades of green", there are over 300 golf courses on the island of Ireland. Out of these 300 ireland golf courses, we have picked the best 80 and divided them into six regions. For each selected course we have information about the character of the course, green fees, important facts our own rating and importantly our recommended accommodation …
What is the most famous golf course in Ireland?
There are approximately 350 18-hole golf courses in Ireland, with new courses such as Hogs Head currently being built. Along with 9-hole courses, the total breaks the 400 mark which is very substantial for a country the size of Ireland.
How many golf courses are there in Ireland?
5 rows · Nov 19, 2020 · In 2018, there were 394 official golf courses in Ireland. Read more Number of official golf ...
What are the best courses in Ireland?
Old Course 6,046 yards - SSS 71, Glashedy Links 6,494 yards - SSS 72. Two outstanding, contrasting links courses and 36 wonderful holes make up Ballyliffin Golf Club. Discover More. Featured Golf Courses. Rosapenna Golf Club. 18 holes - 6,254 yards - SSS 71.
How many golf courses are there in the UK and Ireland?
Golf is one of the more popular sports across the United Kingdom (UK). In all of Europe, England has the highest number of registered golf courses as of 2017 by far, with a total of 1,872, followed by Germany with 731, not even half that number. Scotland hosts 560 courses, Ireland has 405 and Wales has 145 courses.
How many golf courses are there?
Golf is available around the globe. As of year-end 2018, there were 38,864 golf courses in 209 of the world's 249 countries. That's an 84% diffusion rate of the sport globally.
How many golf courses are there in Dublin County?
A third of Leinster's 168 golf clubs are located in County Dublin with Portmarnock and Royal Dublin standing head and shoulders above all the others in seniority, as both have been hosting national and international competitions for over a hundred years.
What is the oldest golf club in Ireland?
The Curragh Golf ClubThe Oldest Club – Members of The Curragh Golf Club play their golf over the Oldest Golf Course in Ireland, dating from 1852, when a course was laid out “on the links near Donnelly's Hollow” by David Ritchie, from Edinburgh.
How many golfers are in Ireland?
Ireland is home to over 400 golf clubs, including a third of the world's natural links courses, and a selection of exceptional championship courses in amazing locations, so it's no wonder that every year over 240,000 golfers from all over the world come to the island of Ireland's greens to experience the impressive but ...
What country has most golf courses?
Scotland has one golf hole for every 568 people which is approximately one 18-hole golf course for every 10,000 inhabitants....How many Golf Holes are there in the World? Answer 576,534.18 countries with most coursesScotlandApprox Population5,327,700Golf Holes9,384Golf Facilities552Population per golf hole56818 more columns•Apr 18, 2015
Did the Irish invent golf?
Although most historians agree that the birthplace of golf occurred in Scotland, the sport has a rich and colorful history in Ireland. Golf in Ireland dates back to the mid-1800s. One of the fascinating aspects of Ireland's golf history is that many of its oldest courses are still around today.Feb 4, 2019
How many 18 hole golf courses are in Ireland?
350 18There are approximately 350 18-hole golf courses in Ireland, with new courses such as Hogs Head currently being built.
Why is golf popular in Ireland?
This gives Ireland the advantage over Scotland and England, where many courses are private. Therefore, it is cheap to take up golf as a hobby. There is something to suit every budget. This is why it is popular around Ireland.Jul 13, 2012
How many golf courses are there in Ireland?
According to the R&A's Golf Around the World 2019 report, there are 494 golf courses across the entire island ...
When did golf start in Ireland?
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s.
What is Ballyliffin Golf Club?
Ballyliffin Golf Club is often described as “the Ballybunion of the North” or “the Dornoch of Ireland” and the reason is simple; all the aforementioned are set amidst towering natural sand dunes.
How many courses are there in Northern Ireland?
We believe there are approximately 100 courses in Northern Ireland, therefore the Republic of Ireland may lay claim to around 400 courses (give or take) which are scatted far and wide across the Emerald Isle.
When was Curragh Golf Club founded?
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Where is the European Club?
The European Club is located in the garden of Ireland, between the coastal towns of Wicklow and Arklow, about 30 miles south of Dublin. Read More >>.
Who built the Trump International Golf Links?
Trump International Golf Links - Ireland. Doonbeg is the course that Greg Norman built, but it was redesigned by Martin Hawtree over a two-year period after the property was acquired in 2014 by Donald Trump and renamed Trump International Golf Links.
What type of golf course is played in Ireland?
Around the entire coast of Ireland are links-style golf courses, played on sandy soils with firm conditions, often with views of the sea while inland there is a wide variety of parkland courses more usually containing trees and water hazards.
What was the first golf club in Ireland?
The Royal Curragh Golf Club was the first golf club built in Ireland in 1853. Golf in Ireland continues to enjoy a healthy patronage rating fourth in the Top Ten Most Popular Sporting Activities of 2008. Also in 2008, membership in the Golfing Union of Ireland was at 166,419 and membership in the Irish Ladies Golf Union was 49,822, making them third and seventh in the Top Ten Sports by Club/Association Membership respectively. Golf ranks third in Euros spent on activities in Ireland by overseas travelers bringing 183m in 2012. In the same year, the game of golf contributed over 15b Euros to the total European economy. In 2007, Pádraig Harrington became the first golfer from the Republic of Ireland and the second player from the island to win The Open Championship, the oldest of the four Men's major championships .
What golf courses were established in the 19th century?
There are many clubs and courses that were established in the 19th-Century such as Lahinch in County Clare (1894) and the Royal Curragh Golf Club in Kildare (1858) that still receive great amounts of play and tourism. Below is a list of some of the notable courses in Ireland; The 7th hole at Ballybunion Golf Club.
How many members does the Golfing Union of Ireland have?
It was established to professionalise careers in golf and grow the golf community in Great Britain and Ireland. The Association initially included 70 members and has now grown to over 7,500. The Golfing Union of Ireland was established in 1891, making it the oldest national golfing union in the world.
Why did golf spread to Europe?
The game quickly spread throughout Europe due to the royal endorsement of King Charles I who brought the game to England. One of the oldest and most popular courses at the time was the Royal Curragh Golf Club, which opened in 1856. It quickly spread to Ireland from Scotland.
How many holes are in the Irish Senior Open?
The Irish Senior Open is a 54-hole stroke play event in the European Seniors Tour. It was established in 1997. The Volopa Irish Challenge was established in 2015 and is a tournament on the Challenge Tour .
How many counties are there in Ireland?
Aerial View of Portmarnock Golf Club and peninsula. Ireland has thirty-two different counties, twenty-six in the Republic of Ireland and six in Northern Ireland. There are around 300 different courses.
How many holes are there in Ballyliffin Golf Club?
Two outstanding, contrasting links courses and 36 wonderful holes make up Ballyliffin Golf Club. Rosapenna golf course is a superb championships links designed by Tom Morris of St Andrews in 1893 and redesigned by James Braid and Harry Vardon in 1906.
What is the most respected golf course in the world?
A tour including Doonbeg, Lahinch and Ballybunion... Lahinch Golf Club is one of the most respected links courses in the world. With its towering sand dunes, undulating fairways, rolling greens and fair share of blind shots, it is a true links in the traditional...
When was the old head of Kinsale opened?
Old Head of Kinsale. Although only opened in 1997, the Old Head of Kinsale Golf Links is quite simply one of the most remarkable developments ever conceived in the history of golf and already, should be on every golfers list...
Overview
- Golf in Ireland dates to at least the mid-19th century, with the Royal Curragh Golf Club being founded in 1858. The two "oldest governing bodies in world golf", the Golfing Union of Ireland and the Irish Ladies Golf Union, were formed in 1891 and 1893 respectively. By 2008, the GUI had 166,419 members and the ILGU had 49,822 members, making them th...
History of golf in Ireland
- Early development
Golf in the modern world originated from a game played on the eastern coast of Scotland during the 15th century. The game later spread throughout the British Empire, including to Ireland. While golf may have been played near Bray in County Wicklow during the 1760s, the game in Ir - Formation of amateur organisations
The Golfing Union of Ireland was established in 1891, making it the oldest national golfing union in the world. Based at Carton House, Maynooth, as of 2018, it represented 430 golf clubs and 170,000 members. The Irish Ladies' Golf Union was founded in 1893, just two years after t
Tournaments
- The Irish PGA Championship has been held annually at many of the nation's courses since its founding in 1907. It is the oldest tournament in Ireland. The Irish Open is a professional tournament established in 1927. It was revived in 1975 and is now on the European Tour and a qualifying event for the Open Championship. The Irish Amateur Open Championship is a 72-hol…
Notable courses
- There are around 300 different courses on the island of Ireland. Around the entire coast of Ireland are links-style golf courses, played on sandy soils with firm conditions, often with views of the sea while inland there is a wide variety of parkland courses more usually containing trees and water hazards.
Notable golfers
- Pádraig Harrington was the first golfer from Ireland to win The Open Championship. Shane Lowry won The Open Championship 2019 at Royal Portrush. Other notable Irish golfers include: Darren Clarke, Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Alexander William Shaw, Rhona Adair, Philomena Garvey, and Paddy Skerritt.