The links of Kerry and Clare are the classic Irish golf trip, and they are spread along more than 150 kilometres of Atlantic coast. Lahinch sits in Clare, an hour from Shannon. Ballybunion and Waterville are in Kerry, an hour and a half apart. Old Head is on its own headland near Kinsale in Cork, and Adare Manor, the 2027 Ryder Cup venue, is inland near Limerick. Each has different rules: Ballybunion’s Old Course takes visitors on weekday mornings only, Old Head and Lahinch want full prepayment, and Adare Manor was open only to resort residents in 2026. Tralee, Dooks and Doonbeg fill the gaps between them, and Dooks, at €260 on summer weekdays, is the best value of the eight. Plan two or three bases rather than one, and book the hardest round first.
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| Course | Green fee from | What’s included | Getting there | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 1Ballybunion Golf ClubTwo championship links | €400Checked October 2026 · details | Bookpackage via GolfbreaksRead the guide | ||
 2Lahinch Golf ClubHistoric links | €450Checked October 2026 · details | Bookpackage via GolfbreaksRead the guide | ||
 3Waterville Golf LinksChampionship links | €400Checked October 2026 · details | Bookpackage via GolfbreaksRead the guide | ||
 4Old Head Golf LinksCourse & suites | €250Checked October 2026 · details | Bookpackage via GolfbreaksRead the guide | ||
 5The Golf Course at Adare ManorResort course (residents) | Rates on request · how to book | Bookpackage via GolfbreaksRead the guide | ||
 6Tralee Golf ClubArnold Palmer links | €250Checked November 2026 · details | Bookpackage via GolfbreaksRead the guide | ||
 7Dooks Golf ClubTraditional links | €200Checked November 2026 · details | Bookpackage via GolfbreaksRead the guide | ||
 8Trump International Golf Links DoonbegLinks & hotel | €250Checked November 2026 · details | Bookpackage via GolfbreaksRead the guide |
Prices are the lowest published or listed visitor rates we found, with their source and date on each guide. Partner links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. How we work
Ballybunion’s Old Course. Visitors play weekday mornings only in season, tour operators fill summer mornings early, and the handicap limit is 24 for men and 36 for women.
Green fees & bookingWaterville. Visitors are welcome every day of the week, including weekends, and carts at €50 make it the easiest top links here for anyone who cannot walk 18 holes.
Green fees & bookingOld Head, on a headland south of Kinsale. Requests are by email or phone only, with full prepayment and every player’s handicap, and the on-site suites are worth booking with the tee time.
Green fees & bookingEach package names its rounds, nights and hotels, so you can see which of the courses above it includes before you ask for a quote.
10 nights B&B, 7 rounds
Rounds: Old Head Golf Links · Waterville Golf Links · Dooks · Tralee · Ballybunion Old Course · Lahinch Old Course · Doonbeg
Stay: 2 nights in Cork, 5 in Killarney, 3 more on the Clare coast
The whole south-west links run in one booking, with Old Head’s prepayment and Ballybunion’s weekday-morning visitor window handled for you.
7 nights B&B, 5 rounds
Rounds: Tralee · Old Head Links · Ballybunion Old Course · Waterville · Lahinch
Stay: 5 nights at the Killarney Plaza Hotel, 2 at Vaughan Lodge in Lahinch
A week rather than ten days: Kerry from one Killarney hotel, then two nights in Lahinch so the last round is a walk from bed.
Prices are Golfbreaks’ published per-person guide prices in US dollars, checked November 2026; your quote depends on dates and group size. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How we work
All Kerry stay & play packages on Golfbreaks
Summer visitor fees cluster between €400 and €500. Ballybunion’s Old Course is €450 from May to early October, Lahinch’s Old Course €450 in its main season, Waterville €400 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and €425 on other days, and Old Head €500 from late April to mid-October. Add caddies: Lahinch charges €100 a bag and Old Head €90, both in cash, and Ballybunion requires at least one caddie or forecaddie per group. Old Head’s last three weeks of October are half price at €250. Adare Manor does not publish fees and quotes them with a stay.
Shannon is the most useful airport for Clare and north Kerry, and Kerry Airport at Farranfore for Ballybunion and Waterville. Cork serves Old Head. Lahinch to Ballybunion is a short hop if you take the Killimer–Tarbert ferry across the Shannon estuary. Waterville is at the far end of the Ring of Kerry, so give it its own night. There are no useful rail links to the courses, so plan on a hire car or a driver.
May, June and September give the best balance of daylight and firmer ground. Ballybunion’s visitor season runs from mid-April to early October, Lahinch’s from late April to mid-October and Old Head’s from mid-April to the end of October. The South of Ireland Championship takes over Lahinch for several days in late July. In 2027 the Ryder Cup at Adare Manor, from 13 to 19 September, will fill hotels across the region that week.
Not on the Old Course in season. Visitor times are on weekday mornings only, Monday to Friday, excluding bank holiday Mondays, from mid-April to early October. The Cashen takes visitors morning and afternoon.
Summer visitor fees at the top links are €400 to €500: Ballybunion and Lahinch €450, Waterville from €400 and Old Head €500. Caddies add €90 to €100 a bag, paid in cash.
Shannon for Lahinch, Adare and north Kerry; Kerry Airport at Farranfore for Ballybunion and Waterville; Cork for Old Head. Many tours fly into Shannon and out of Cork or Dublin.
Yes at most. Ballybunion, Lahinch and Old Head set limits of 24 for men and 36 for women, and Lahinch may check certificates at check-in. Waterville asks for a handicap.
In 2026 the course was open to resort residents from late May to mid-October, with caddies mandatory. Ask early about 2027, when Ryder Cup preparations will shape access.