Dromoland Castle is a five-star hotel in a baronial castle near Newmarket-on-Fergus in County Clare, about 15 minutes from Shannon Airport. Its 18-hole course winds through 450 acres of woodland, open pasture, lakes and streams on the estate, with the castle in view for much of the round. It is a parkland course, not a links, which makes it a useful first or last round on a west of Ireland trip: close to the airport, open all year, and sheltered by trees when the coast is wild.
Dromoland Castle Golf Club green fees and tee times.
Tee times are booked through the “Book my Tee Time” link on the Dromoland golf pages, or by contacting the golf shop on +353 61 368444 or golf@dromoland.ie. Hotel guests pay a resident rate that is lower than the public fee, so book your room and golf together if you are staying. Groups from four to 140 players can arrange society or corporate days with the golf team, including nine-hole events and barbecues. The site does not publish a handicap limit or booking window. Reserve buggies, clubs and electric trolleys when you book your tee time, as the club advises.
INDICATIVE GREEN FEE · CHECKED NOVEMBER 2026From €90
18-hole non-resident rate, midweek, low season (1 November to 31 March, 2026 rate card). High season (1 April to 31 October) €225 any day. Hotel residents €80–€185.
Non-resident, midweek, 1 Nov–31 Mar
€90
Non-resident, weekend, 1 Nov–31 Mar
€110
Non-resident, 1 Apr–31 Oct
€225
Non-resident, 9 holes, 1 Apr–31 Oct
€125
Resident, midweek, 1 Nov–31 Mar
€80
Resident, 1 Apr–31 Oct
€185
Prices change by season and booking route, so confirm the current rate with the operator. Official rates ↗
The round, in perspective.
The present design dates from 2003, when Ron Kirby and J.B. Carr redesigned the estate course after their success together at the Old Head of Kinsale. From the back tees it measures about 6,824 yards, par 72; the forward tees play at about 5,242 yards. The routing uses the estate’s mature trees and its water, including Dromoland Lake, which the golf shop overlooks along with the 1st, 10th and 18th holes. The castle itself, a 15th-century baronial seat, presides over the estate. The club’s brochure describes the course as a blend of distance, accuracy, risk and reward, and the estate’s feral lakes and streams bring water into play.
Know before you go.
GPS buggy
€60 per 18 holes
Titleist rental clubs
€60
Electric trolley
€25
Golf club hours
07:00–20:00 May–September; 07:00–19:00 April and October; 08:00–18:00 November–March
Groups
4 to 140 golfers
Make the trip work.
Because Shannon is so close, Dromoland works well on arrival day: land in the morning, check in, then take an afternoon tee time once the jet lag eases. A nine-hole fee is available too, €50 midweek in winter and €125 in summer. The academy has a nine-bay range with a Trackman screen in each bay, chipping and bunker greens, and a riveted bunker modelled on the Road Hole bunker at St Andrews. Lessons with the resident PGA professional start at €40 for 30 minutes. The clubhouse has a pool, gym, sauna and steam room, and the Fig Tree Restaurant.
Shannon Airport is about 15 minutes’ drive. The estate is just off the M18 motorway, which links Limerick, about half an hour south, with Galway, about an hour north. The address is Newmarket-on-Fergus, V95 ATD3. Ennis, the county town, is the nearest railway station with services to Limerick.
Dromoland Castle itself is the obvious choice, with rooms in the castle and dining in the Earl of Thomond restaurant. The Inn at Dromoland, also on the estate, is a less formal hotel, and the golf club’s brochure offers stay-and-play at both. Ennis has a range of town hotels about 15 minutes north, and Bunratty, a few minutes towards Limerick, has guesthouses near the castle and folk park.
Make a trip of it.
Dromoland makes a central base for the west coast. Lahinch is about 45 minutes north-west and Doonbeg about an hour west on the Atlantic. Adare Manor, host of the 2027 Ryder Cup, is under an hour south past Limerick. Ballybunion and Tralee are longer drives into north Kerry. Away from golf, Bunratty Castle and Folk Park is close by, and the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren are an easy day out.
Find your season.
The club describes the course as playable all year, and the 2026 rates split at 31 October: low season runs from 1 November to 31 March. Opening hours stretch from 8am to 6pm in winter to 7am to 8pm from May to September. In the weeks around the 2027 Ryder Cup at nearby Adare Manor, expect hotels in the area to fill early.
Yes. The course is open to the public as well as to hotel guests. Non-residents pay a separate rate, €90 midweek in winter and €225 in summer for 2026, and book through the golf pages or the golf shop.
How far is Dromoland Castle from Shannon Airport?
About 15 minutes by car. That makes it one of the easiest courses in Ireland to play on the day you land or the day you fly home, and the golf shop rents Titleist clubs if you would rather not travel with your own.
Who designed the Dromoland Castle golf course?
Ron Kirby and J.B. Carr redesigned it in 2003, after working together on the Old Head of Kinsale. The greens are Penn A4/G6 creeping bent, the same grass used on the academy’s short-game greens.
Is Dromoland Castle golf course a links?
No. It is a parkland course through woodland, pasture and lakes on a 450-acre inland estate. Pair it with Lahinch or Doonbeg on the coast if you want links golf on the same trip.
Last checked 10 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
