The perfect St. Patrick's Day: Four days in Dublin, Ireland, playing golf

The ultimate St. Patrick’s Day for golfers has to be playing golf in Ireland, right? Well, here’s your opportunity.

It’s called the St. Patrick’s Day Pro Am, and it takes place in and around the best city in the world for having a pint or two on St. Paddy’s Day – Dublin. The event will be March 16-20 on four different great golf courses with more than $10,000 in prizes. And the deadline for entry is just a little over a month away – Jan. 15. Just get together with a pro, bring a couple of friends and pay your entry fees (pros are free when they bring three guests) and you’re all set.

Each package, which is run by Carr Golf Travel, includes four night’s accommodation at Portmarnock Hotel, a full Irish breakfast each morning, a welcome reception and buffet dinner, two practice rounds and two tournament rounds, lunches, a tournament gift, airport and local transportation and a gala dinner at Portmarnock Golf Club.

And here are the courses: the K-Club’s Palmer Course, Royal Dublin Golf Club, The European Club and Portmarnock Golf Links.

The Palmer Course at the K-Club is a beautiful parkland course and, if you recall, was the site of the 2006 Ryder Cup. Royal Dublin is the closest links course to the city of Dublin, located on an island nature preserve in Dublin Bay. The European Club, though young, has already earned a reputation as a must-play with its rugged dunes, deep bunkers, large undulating greens and ocean views on just about every hole.

Portmarnock Golf Links, which overlooks the sea and islands of Lambay and Ireland’s Eye, is the original home of the Jameson Family (of Irish whiskey fame). The house at Portmarnock was transformed into a hotel, while the land was crafted into a terrific links golf course designed by Bernard Langer, who used part of the 150-year-old original course that was once there in the design.

And if you’re wondering what the weather will be like in mid-March, there are no guarantees, but it’s often as good as or better than it is in the summer. Of course, even if it’s cool, there’s plenty of ways to keep warm in Ireland, if you catch my drift.

The package runs around $2,600, another $650 for single occupancy. You can book it through Carr Golf Travel. For more information, click here.