Ireland Trip Planner

Ireland travel content

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4:07

Matt Ginella considers Northern Ireland one of the best links golf trips you can experience. He shares his tips for the perfect Northern Ireland golf trip, from courses to play to off-course excursions and sight-seeing.

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3 Min Read

Paradise found: Ireland's best parkland playgrounds

Links golf steals the show for many foreigners golfers when they visit Ireland, but it's probably wise to sprinkle in a parkland course or two just to mix things up a bit. Some of Ireland's best parkland playgrounds are connected to lavish resorts that you just don't want to miss. Jason Scott Deegan offers up 10 parkland golf courses to consider on your next trip to the Emerald Isle.

By Jason Scott Deegan

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1 Min Read

The Top 5 courses in Northern Ireland

Here are the courses that Golf Channel travel expert Matt Ginella says are the five best in Rory McIlroy's home country of Northern Ireland.

By Matt Ginella , Brandon Tucker

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7 Min Read

Ultimate Itinerary: Southwest Ireland

Of all the great golf destinations in Ireland, the southwest stands supreme

By Golf Odyssey

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3 Min Read

Ireland's southwest links vs. Northern Ireland: Which golf tour is right for your group?

So your golf group has finally decided on Ireland for your golf trip next year. Now the real fun begins, deciding between Ireland's top two pockets of links courses: southwest Ireland or Northern Ireland. Both region's top five are as good as you'll find in the British Isles and Ireland. I've done the tour of both now in the last couple years, and the golf experience for the visitor in each is spectacular but a bit different for a variety of reasons.

By Brandon Tucker

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1 Min Read

Ginella on where you should you play golf in Ireland

Golf Channel travel expert Matt Ginella didn't hesitate when a viewer inquired about where to play golf in Ireland. He directed golfers to the famed southwest coast, home to many of the prized Irish links.

By Jason Scott Deegan

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22:36

Golf Advisor Round Trip: Ireland

Matt Ginella ventures across the pond to explore the culture of golf in Ireland. After discussing the updated Adare Manor Golf Club with Andy McMahon, Ginella heads to town to listen to some traditional Irish music at Aunty Lena’s. The tour of Ireland continues with a visit to Waterville Golf Links and Ardglass Golf Club. Amidst teeing it up along the coast, Ginella makes time to try Bushmills Whiskey and visit Lahinch Golf Club, home of the 2019 Irish Open. The round trip ends with a visit to Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland to play a round with John Bamber. (Originally aired 2018)

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3 Min Read

Travel-planning tips for your Ireland golf vacation

If the British Open didn't get your motor running for a golf vacation, maybe the Irish Open will. There is still plenty of time left this summer to plan a golf trip to Ireland. If you looked at Ireland golf vacation prices a few years ago, it's time to look again. Here are some tips to help get your trip started.

By Brandon Tucker

Old Course at Ballybunion Golf Club - hole 8

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4 Min Read

Ten things you should know about golf in Ireland

The images of Irish golf are unmistakable: towering dunes, wispy grasses and flags snapping in the wind. To those who have never set foot on a true links course, the game can look entirely different in Ireland. Brandon Tucker offers up 10 things you should know to help you make a plan for a golf vacation to Ireland's west side.

By Brandon Tucker

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4 Min Read

Discover rugged, beautiful golf links in Northwest Ireland

Northwest Ireland -- a beautiful and unspoiled region of Ireland -- is home to one-sixth of the world's links courses. They're spread out like outposts along the coast, often with an hour or more of driving between them. Golfers heading to Ireland have always hit the Southwest first, mainly to check off top-100 courses. That mindset is slowly changing. What the Northwest lacks in ranking star-power, it makes up for in value and charm.

By Jason Scott Deegan

Royal Portrush Golf Club - Dunluce Links - hole 5

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4 Min Read

The 10 best golf courses in Ireland

Jason Scott Deegan ranks his 10 favorite courses in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

By Jason Scott Deegan

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3 Min Read

Rest your head in these comfy beds during a golf tour of northwest Ireland

There are so many different types of accommodations in northwest Ireland -- from a luxury lodge to a hip surfer's retreat, a traditional golf resort and even a chic modern European hotel -- that it's difficult to know where to stay on your golf trip. Jason Scott Deegan offers some suggestions.

By Jason Scott Deegan

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4 Min Read

A Saint Patrick's Day toast to the Emerald Isle!

I'm not Irish, but I've been to the Emerald Isle so many times it feels like home. Here then are my 10 favorite places in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

By Jason Scott Deegan

Portmarnock Golf Links - hole 1 cemetery

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4 Min Read

Top 10 tips for first-time golfers traveling to Ireland

Jason Scott Deegan offers 10 tips for first-timers looking to make their Irish golf vacation a success.

By Jason Scott Deegan

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5 Min Read

Fantasy golf in southwest Ireland: 10 days, nine rounds, one premier vacation destination

The links golf is so good in the Emerald Isle it's hard to pick a favorite area. But we made Jason Scott Deegan pick one, and he chose southwest Ireland. Go inside to find out why and see his 10-day dream itinerary. It will make you want to start planning your own Irish golf getaway -- today.

By Jason Scott Deegan

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4 Min Read

Scotland & Ireland golf: Tour operator or self-plan?

The Open is over and now you want to play links golf overseas. But just how should you go about it?

By Brandon Tucker

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10 Min Read

Trip dispatch: the first of (hopefully) many trips to Southwest Ireland

I recently had the chance to spend a few days in Ireland’s storied southwest, a trip that introduced me not just to a sampling of splendid golf, but to a whole new perspective on the game. I didn’t think I could love golf any more than I already did, but Ireland deepened my love.

By Tim Gavrich

Royal County Down Championship Links - no. 1

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12 Min Read

Trip Dispatch: The joys of links golf in Northern Ireland

If you're looking for a week of great links golf, you can't go wrong in Northern Ireland and NW Ireland, Mike Bailey writes after a recent trip across the pond.

By Mike Bailey

More Ireland travel content

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5 Min Read

Ireland's best bargain links

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, we look forward to the days when Ireland's most affordable links are open to American visitors again.

By Jason Scott Deegan

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3 Min Read

How the pandemic is impacting 2021, 2022 golf travel to Great Britain & Ireland

The lack of inventory at famous links, a slow vaccine rollout and ongoing travel restrictions remain hurdles to a strong summer travel season.

By Jason Scott Deegan

Golf travel to Ireland in 2021: What you need to know

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1 Min Read

2021 golf travel to United Kingdom & Ireland: What you need to know

How has the coronavirus impacted golf travel to the isles? We checked in with a top tour operator for travel tips for 2021.

By Brandon Tucker

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8 Min Read

The best golf resorts in Ireland

The Emerald Isle might be known for its links, but there's plenty of special golf resorts, too.

By Jason Scott Deegan

Harvey Costs Seen Rising To $42 Billion As Flooding Intensifies

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3 Min Read

Golf's changing climate

An increase in extreme weather events is having an impact on golf courses all over the world, but there is no single way to adapt.

By Bradley S. Klein

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7 Min Read

Stray drives along the Wild Atlantic Way

The GolfChannel.com staff shares highlights from their summer trip to Ireland's northwest coast.

By Jay Coffin, Director GolfChannel.com

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3 Min Read

Ask Golf Advisor: How does my USGA handicap travel abroad?

Golf Advisor reader 'Frank' wrote to us and asked: "My US handicap index is 15, and my home course handicap is 17. What handicap do I use when playing in Ireland, where they do not have course ratings?"

By GolfPass Staff

Golf Advisor Round Trip: Ginella gets a history lesson at Lahinch

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4 Min Read

Where Lahinch ranks among Ireland's greatest golf courses

Matt Ginella's Top 10 Ireland and Northern Ireland courses you should play on your golf tour.

By Matt Ginella

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5 Min Read

Will golf be the next sport to require helmets?

Can you imagine wearing a helmet to play golf? That could be in your future, according to Protecting.co.uk, a British-based company that provides heath and safety advice and legal consultation.

By Bill Irwin

Articles

10 Min Read

Where golf meets the grave

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. - My golf ball has found many a dire lie.

By Jason Scott Deegan , GolfPass Staff

Ireland Trip Planner

Some things aren't best left to luck. Let our editorial team help plan your next golf trip to Ireland.