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 be 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 UK 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 continuously 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 US public-access courses ranked
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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