The south-west links road trip, planned honestly.
A practical route through Old Head, Waterville, Ballybunion, Adare Manor and Lahinch: realistic driving times, visitor rules, which tee times to book first and where to base yourself.
Distances look short. Allow for slower roads.
On a map, Kinsale to Lahinch looks like a comfortable day. On Irish roads it is not. Waterville is about 90 minutes from Kerry Airport, Old Head is two hours from Shannon, and the drive round the Ring of Kerry is slow by design. The Killimer–Tarbert ferry saves time between Kerry and Clare, but only if you time it well. Plan on one course per day and no more than two hotel changes, and the trip will feel like a holiday rather than a relay.
Book the hardest tee times first.
Two courses set the shape of this route. Ballybunion’s Old Course takes visitors only on weekday mornings in the main season, from mid-April to early October, and every group must take at least one caddie or forecaddie. Lahinch takes full payment at the time of booking and offers only a 50% refund on cancellations made 60 days or more ahead. Secure those two, then fit Old Head and Waterville around them. Waterville welcomes visitors every day, including weekends, which makes it the most flexible piece of the puzzle.
Old Head: start or finish in Cork.
Old Head works best at one end of the trip, flying in or out of Cork, about 45 minutes away. There is no open online tee sheet: you email or call reservations, supply each player’s name, home club and handicap (limits are 24 for men and 36 for women in 2026), and prepay in full before the time is confirmed. Green fees run from €250 in late October to €500 in high season. Kinsale, 20 to 25 minutes away, is the natural base, with harbour walks and a well-known food scene.
Waterville and the Ring of Kerry.
Waterville sits at the far end of the Iveragh peninsula, on Ballinskelligs Bay. Visitor green fees for 2026 start at €400 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and the club offers golf carts for €50, unusual among Ireland’s top links and useful for anyone who cannot walk a long course. Payment is taken in full at booking and is non-refundable, so be sure of your dates. If the sea allows, boats to Skellig Michael leave from Portmagee in summer. Dooks, one of Ireland’s oldest clubs, is an hour back towards Killorglin.
Ballybunion and Adare: the hinge between Kerry and Clare.
Ballybunion is about 50 minutes from Kerry Airport, with no useful rail link, so a hire car or driver is essential. The Old Course costs €450 from May to early October; the Cashen, at €65, makes a strong second round the same day. Adare Manor, 35 minutes from Shannon, is a different proposition: for 2026 the course is for resort residents, closed on Mondays, with every golfer using the resort’s caddie programme. If you want to play it, book a stay and your tee time together, and ask early about 2027, when Ryder Cup preparations will shape access.
Lahinch to finish.
Lahinch is 50 minutes from Shannon, which makes it a natural final round before flying home. Book through the club’s online system with full payment; the maximum Handicap Index is 24 for men and 36 for women, and the Old Course plays in fourballs, so smaller groups will be paired. The Old Course costs €450 from late April to mid-October, and the Castle Course, at €60, suits an arrival day. The Cliffs of Moher are next door, and the Burren is a short drive north.
A shape that works.
For a seven-night trip, fly into Cork and out of Shannon. Spend two nights in Kinsale for Old Head, two in the Waterville or Kenmare area, one near Ballybunion or Adare, and two in Lahinch. That gives you five rounds, three hotel changes and one spare day for weather. If your group would rather unpack once, choose either Kerry or Clare and use the guides to fill the week locally.