Ireland Golf Links Courses

A links golf course, is the oldest style of golf course, first developed in Scotland but most common in Ireland. The word comes from the Scots language and refers to an area of coastal sand dunes. Links are located in coastal areas, on sandy soil, often amid dunes, with few water hazards and trees. This reflects both the nature of the scenery where the sport happened to originate, and the fact that only limited resources were available to golf course architects at the time. Any earth moving had to be done by hand, so it was kept to a minimum.

The challenges of links golf fall into two categories. Firstly the nature of the courses themselves, which tend to be characterized by uneven fairways, thick rough and small deep bunkers known as “pot bunkers”. Secondly, due to their coastal location many links courses are frequently windy. This affects the style of play required. As many links courses consist literally of an “outward” nine in one direction along the coast, and an “inward” nine which returns in the opposite direction, players often have to cope with opposite wind patterns in each half of their round.

Ireland is home to over 408 Golf Clubs, 53 of them links courses, choosing can be difficult. So our golf experts, at Celtic Tours, have played the courses and tailored itineraries to suit the average and expert golfer alike. For a limited time only these packages are on sale!

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