The Old Course at Ballybunion emerged as an icon in 1957 when it hosted the Irish Professional Championship and remains a necessarily pilgrimage spot for throngs of links enthusiasts. The links are maintained firm and fast and the green complexes - full of humps, dips and pot bunkers - especially shine, Brandon Tucker writes. It's the kind of course, in fact, on which you'd be happy to play your last round.
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One of the newest links to come to southwest Ireland is Doonbeg Golf Club, home to a spectacular new onsite lodge as well as an 18-hole links designed by two-time Open Championship winner Greg Norman. Though a new links that debuted in 2002, the golf course philosophy was decidedly old school.
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Southwest Ireland's two most famous 19th-century links, Ballybunion and Lahinch, hold tight as the region's top draws. But closely behind stands Tralee Golf Club, which holds the distinction as a 19th-century club with a relatively new location outside of town. And it boasts as many "wow" moments as its nearby rivals, if not more, Brandon Tucker writes.
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Gleneagles does not have the best golf of any resort in Scotland (that would be Turnberry). It DOES have the best of everything else, so much so that there is no competition for its other facilities in Scotland - or anyplace on earth. Here is what I mean, and why Gleneagles warrants a visit so you can go Beyond the Course ...
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The history of Royal Dublin Golf Club, the second-oldest links course in Ireland, reveals a dedicated membership that always remains loyal to its links. Surviving a World War and a major fire, the club hosted the European Tour's Irish Open from 1983-85, Royal Dublin is now bigger and better than ever. Jason Scott Deegan describes plenty of reasons why this historic and conveniently located links course makes an ideal place to begin your golf trip to the Emerald Isle.
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The golf courses of southwest counties Clare and Kerry make for Ireland's most popular golf tour and with good reason. Visitors receive a warm, Irish welcome no matter which little seaside village or town they're in, and some of the world's most coveted links land at your disposal. Among these links is a mix of old and new, Brandon Tucker writes.
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