Ireland’s Iconic Golf Courses & Historic Hotels

The K Club and Portmarnock Resort & Jameson Golf Links, both close to Dublin, are among the incredible options for a golf break to Ireland. Here’s our quick guide.

Ireland is home to some of the most iconic and historic golf destinations in the world and a few are just a short journey from its vibrant capital city.

Around half an hour by road from Dublin city centre is the K Club, a grand 5-star hotel set in the stunning 1830s Straffan House on a 550-acre estate of gorgeous parkland. This wonderful golf and leisure complex is home to two 18-hole championship parkland courses designed by Arnold Palmer. The North Course was the venue for Europe’s Ryder Cup victory in 2006 and has hosted 11 European Opens, and the 2016 Irish Open was won by Rory McIlroy, while the South Course has hosted the European Open in the recent past.

The K Club is a luxurious place to stay with 127 beautifully furnished bedrooms and suites with lovely views of the historic grounds of the Straffan estate and River Liffey. There are also two luxury multi-bedroom self-catering lodges in their own stunning gate buildings, perfect for families or groups of friends. As well as two exceptional restaurants and bars, including a chic cocktail bar, there’s an opulent spa and wellness centre and a host of activities including boat trips on the River Liffey to horse riding through the romantic Kildare countryside, tennis, fishing, whisky and wine tasting.

Less than an hour’s drive from the K Club, just outside Dublin, Portmarnock Golf Club is truly a world-renowned golf course. Tiger Woods said it was “one of the most enjoyable links courses I have had the opportunity to play”. The ‘Old Course‘ sits majestically on a narrow peninsula of shallow duneland and has hosted the Irish Open on 19 occasions. Dating back to the 1890s, the course, now extended to 27 holes, was built on land belonging to famous whiskey distiller John Jameson.

The European Club, around an hour south of Dublin, was named as “probably the best links course I have ever played” by Rory McIlroy. The course is another classic links with several holes stretching beside the Irish Sea, while others are laid out amid the high shore grass and towering dunes. The course opened as recently as 1993 and is widely regarded as one of the last great links courses to be built in the 20th century. Tiger Woods holds the course record at this golfing paradise and McIlroy won the Irish Amateur title here.

Just minutes from the centre of Dublin, neighbouring the famed Portmarnock Golf Club, is Portmarnock Resort & Jameson Golf Links. Set in a quiet corner of ‘The Velvet Strand’, one of Ireland’s most stunning stretches of coastline, this high-quality 4-star resort was once the family home of the famous Jameson Dynasty. The resident links course is set on the grounds of the old Jameson Estate of St. Marnocks on the shoreline of a rugged peninsula, and the original golf course here dates all the way back to the 1850s.

With a spa and three dining outlets including the historic Jameson Bar, this is the perfect place to enjoy a golf break at an iconic location. The hotel at Portmarnock Resort has 131 rooms that capture the panoramic views of the Championship Links golf course, the beach and the manicured garden courtyard. With a selection of rooms available, including classic, deluxe, family and suites, every need and budget is catered for.

The resort was formerly known as Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links and was relaunched in late 2023 as Portmarnock Resort & Jameson Golf Links. The rebranding included a multi-million-euro renovation of Bernhard Langer’s original 1995 design by Jeff Lynch. It was met with universal acclaim and today it’s one of Ireland’s best and most picturesque links courses.

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Play Arnie’s courses at the opulent K Club, Ireland