Thoughts/Changes to this itinerary? (Ireland)

Very early stages of planning a trip to Ireland. Went to Scotland a month ago and have to get back to the UK (well not UK but Ireland this time). I don't have a ton of knowledge of Ireland or the courses. I think we want to fly into Shannon instead of Dublin and go west/southwest. Here is a picture of what I have come up with.

The other option is fly into Dublin and play Portmarnock and go north. But I don't want to miss out on Ballybunion and Old Head (2 biggest bucket list courses right now)

Plan would be to do a little sight seeing the first day - cliffs of moher area. 2nd day play Lahinch, 3rd play Trump, 4th drive to Old Head (go towards shannon then south to avoid taking a ferry). 5th day play old head, 6th play Tralee, 7th play Ballybunion, come home 8th.

I think my question centers around where you plan to stay each night. My preference is to change lodgings as few times as reasonably possible. You could consider staying someplace relatively central (Killarney is a common choice) and playing Tralee, Ballybunion, and Waterville from a single home base. I know Waterville isn't on the list, but in my mind its an excellent golf course. For Doonbeg and Lahinch, stay someplace north of the Shannon. Old Head is a ways from Killarney, so might require a third overnight location.

For some reason I am unable to edit this post, I tried to add the daily portion. My thoughts would be the first couple nights stay west of Shannon - potentially in Doonbeg. Stay there while we play Lanich, trump, any other potential courses and see some things (Cliffs of Moher). Then drive to the next location. It looks like you have to take a ferry to go straight south to get Ballybunion, which I feel like I want to avoid. So I would go back toward shannon and drive straight down to Old Head - not golf that day most likely. Then make my way up the coast to the Tralee area for the rest of the trip.

I agree it is best to change lodgings as little as possible or hire a driver with van. We used Killarney as a base and if your budget can afford it, the Europe Hotel is an exceptional hotel located right on the lake. Alternatively, the Riverside in Killarney is a less expensive option I can recommend. We stayed in Kinsale for Old Head and Drumoland Castle for the Lahinch/Ballybunion segment.

I have never used a ferry before, but it seems like if it is an easy process it could make the trip easier. Anyone have experience with the Killimer/Tarbert ferry?

The ferry is really simple, drive on and drive off. There is a tunnel under the Shannon, but its still a ways further east than the ferry. There's no reason to avoid the ferry.

A couple of places I've stayed, and would happily go back to, are:

Killeen House just outside of Killarney, with the only self-service bar I've ever been to http://killeenhousehotel.com/

Teach De Broc immediately across the street from the Ballybunion clubhouse https://www.ballybuniongolf.com/

Take the ferry it's dead easy. Show up, queue up, get on :-)

Personally I'd only play Lahinch in Co. Clare, which has the bonus of eliminating the need to stay up there so only requiring a day trip to play Lahinch, sightsee, and come back - with Tralee/Listowel as a base for playing Ballybunion, Tralee, Dooks.

You could play Waterville on a travel/change of base day from Tralee/Listowel to Kinsale or even play Old Head and Little Island down there, drive back up to Shannon night before flight and done.

Something flavour of the following would limit the check ins and check outs:

* Arrive

* Tralee/Listowel x 4 nights | Ballybunion, Lahinch, Tralee, Dooks

* Kinsale x 2 nights | Waterville or something else on the way down there, Old Head

* Shannon x 1 night

* Leave

Day 1 - Arrive SNN, Travel to Cork / Kinsale (1 Night)

Day 2 - Play Old Head, Travel to Tralee / Killarney (2 Nights)

Day 3 - Play Tralee

Day 4 - Play Ballybunion Old, Travel to Lahinch / Ennistimon via Shannon Ferry (3 Nights)

Day 5 - Play Lahinch, See Cliffs of Moher & Burren

Day 6 - Play Doonbeg (Kilkee Cliffs & Loop Head Peninsula make for great sightseeing afterwards)

Day 7 - Depart SNN

My wife and I visited the west coast three weeks ago and it was amazing. I only got to play Lahinch, but it paired with the Cliffs/Burren in the afternoon was a very cool day. One I will never forget. Just be prepared for all seasons during your four hours on the course. That is very much a real thing on that part of the island. Flying in and out of Shannon was awesome. Getting cleared through Customs over there made connections back in the US so much easier. No worries about missing flights.

Thanks for the suggestions. I do like the idea of driving south the first day and starting my trip down there and back up. Has anyone ever flown into Cork? I didn't even realize there was an airport there, but it looks pretty easy/reasonable to fly into from Chicago. Potentially fly in there and out of Shannon (would have to pay a decent fee I am assuming to drop off a car at a different location but could be worth it)

wonder why they don't have a bridge somewhere west of shannon in that area ... guess there aren't enough people living in that area ...

MCI, Cork is just under a two hour ride from Shannon and would be a good warm-up for driving in Ireland (M & N routes). I found leaving Shannon a lot easier than last year when I picked up my rental in Bath, England on the day of a big rugby match. You could make stop-offs at Blarney, Midleton (Jameson Distillery), Cobh and/or Kinsale for some sightseeing that first day or if you feel up to it play a warm-up round at Fota Island or Cork Golf Club. If you are dedicating a day to sightseeing, I'd definitely head south first. The Cliffs of Moher are breathtaking, but you probably wouldn't spend more than an hour or two there (especially if the wind machine is going full blast). I liked the cliff-walk at Kilkee and the Bridges of Ross more. There were less people and you could tip toe right up to the edge for a true 'holy s#@$' moment.

> @"ajgoodal.704" said:

> MCI, Cork is just under a two hour ride from Shannon and would be a good warm-up for driving in Ireland (M & N routes). I found leaving Shannon a lot easier than last year when I picked up my rental in Bath, England on the day of a big rugby match. You could make stop-offs at Blarney, Midleton (Jameson Distillery), Cobh and/or Kinsale for some sightseeing that first day or if you feel up to it play a warm-up round at Fota Island or Cork Golf Club. If you are dedicating a day to sightseeing, I'd definitely head south first. The Cliffs of Moher are breathtaking, but you probably wouldn't spend more than an hour or two there (especially if the wind machine is going full blast). I liked the cliff-walk at Kilkee and the Bridges of Ross more. There were less people and you could tip toe right up to the edge for a true 'holy s#@$' moment.

Thank you for the tips! I threw myself into the fire this year in Scotland. The first day spent in Edinburgh during their big festival going on. Almost gave my wife a heart attack driving that day. Should have jumped on the highway and went straight to the golf course.

I'll look into those 2 locations you mentioned, they sound like a lot of fun.

4th Hole 'Klondyke'

Rainbows that were almost always followed by a squall

6th Hole 'Paradise'

12th Hole 'Castle'

Cliffs at Loop Head Lighthouse

Cliffs at Bridges of Ross

Bridges of Ross

Cliff Walk at Kilkee

We stayed at Carrygerry County House in Shannon and thought it was sufficient. Not overly expensive and drove to Lahinch, Doonbeg, Ballybunion from there. It served our purpose very well. I wouldn’t avoid the ferry at all, very common way of transport. The drives aren’t as long as you feel IMO either. In the US we are used to driving for hours to get someplace. On this trip for example we had the first tee time of the day at RCD and left right after and played Lahinch finishing just in time. Convenient, no certainly not, but when you are in Rome do as the Romans do and squeeze out as much golf as possible is what try and do. You will have a great time regardless of where you stay because the country isn’t that big you should be fine. Whatever it is, you can be sure you will be giving advice to the next guy who posts on here after your trip saying you made all the right moves! Because you can’t go wrong almost IMO with Ireland and it’s size.

I would skip Old Head and play Waterville, or Adare Manor

Loved Waterville and getting there via the Ring of Kerry was spectacular.

Waterville looks really solid. We may add that and remove Trump. Old Head is going to be played no matter what. It may not be the best designed golf course or routing etc but I'm not going all the way over there to not play it.

I’ll add my voice in favor of Waterville over Doonbeg. In my opinion, Waterville is the far superior course. As others have mentioned, the drive to Waterville is wonderful. If you want to sight see, there are several Ring Forts on the drive that are worth a quick stop.

> @mci711 said:

> Waterville looks really solid. We may add that and remove Trump. Old Head is going to be played no matter what. It may not be the best designed golf course or routing etc but I'm not going all the way over there to not play it.

Now that's a plan :-)

And that's the perfect attitude to take into playing Old Head. You'll get your fill of incredible golf with the other courses, while OH will be like if you were to play golf at the Cliffs of Moher, as opposed to just walking along it. It's a bonkers setting for a golf course and every travelling golfer should play it once just to see it, with expectations in check about the golf itself.

> @mci711 said:

> Plan would be to do a little sight seeing the first day - cliffs of moher area. 2nd day play Lahinch, 3rd play Trump, 4th drive to Old Head (go towards shannon then south to avoid taking a ferry). 5th day play old head, 6th play Tralee, 7th play Ballybunion, come home 8th.

We did very nearly this same trip this spring but in reverse. Here is what we ended up doing.

Day 1: Flew into Cork in the AM (over night flight) and played Cork golf club, Alister Mackenzie design. Stayed in an Air BnB near Old Head.

Day 2: Played Old Head. Stayed at Old Head.

Day 3: Played Old Head again. They have a package where you can play two rounds and essentially stay one night for free. Drive to AirBnB in Tralee for 3 nights.

Day 4: 36 holes at Tralee

Day 5: Played Dingle. You could swap this for Waterville.

Day 6: Play Ballybunion. Drive to Ennis/Shannon and stay at AirBnB for 2 nights.

Day 7: Play Lahinch

Day 8: Fly out of Shannon in the AM.

There was no extra charge for picking up the car in Cork and dropping it off at Shannon.

Word of caution, the roads in Ireland can be VERY narrow so if you're not comfortable driving there it may be an issue.

> @mci711 said:

> I have never used a ferry before, but it seems like if it is an easy process it could make the trip easier. Anyone have experience with the Killimer/Tarbert ferry?

As others have already stated the ferry is dead easy and saves a ton of time. Grab a coffee and enjoy the cruise.

Roads are extremely tight! Although this doesn’t seem to slow down 80% of the population. Minimal clearances between your side view mirror and whatever obstacle, wall or overgrown vegetation is creeping into the thinnest of road shoulders!

> @alfriday said:

> I’ll add my voice in favor of Waterville over Doonbeg. In my opinion, Waterville is the far superior course. As others have mentioned, the drive to Waterville is wonderful. If you want to sight see, there are several Ring Forts on the drive that are worth a quick stop.

this is true in almost every respect...Waterville is pure class. Doonbeg leaves a lot to be desired.

> @puttnforthe8 said:

> > @alfriday said:

> > I’ll add my voice in favor of Waterville over Doonbeg. In my opinion, Waterville is the far superior course. As others have mentioned, the drive to Waterville is wonderful. If you want to sight see, there are several Ring Forts on the drive that are worth a quick stop.

>

> this is true in almost every respect...Waterville is pure class. Doonbeg leaves a lot to be desired.

I actually liked Doonbeg. Is very playable with whispy grass, views are great, and the conditioning of the greens was top notch. Also the wind conditions there are pretty epic as it is right on the ocean and gets constant breeze. It has improved alot since the Hawtree softening as when it opened originally it was too tough and penal.

> @"Schley " said:

> > @puttnforthe8 said:

> > > @alfriday said:

> > > I’ll add my voice in favor of Waterville over Doonbeg. In my opinion, Waterville is the far superior course. As others have mentioned, the drive to Waterville is wonderful. If you want to sight see, there are several Ring Forts on the drive that are worth a quick stop.

> >

> > this is true in almost every respect...Waterville is pure class. Doonbeg leaves a lot to be desired.

>

> I actually liked Doonbeg. Is very playable with whispy grass, views are great, and the conditioning of the greens was top notch. Also the wind conditions there are pretty epic as it is right on the ocean and gets constant breeze. It has improved alot since the Hawtree softening as when it opened originally it was too tough and penal.

Don't get me wrong, it is good. But when i compare it to Waterville and others, I just think it lacks. I probably have played Waterville 50+ times and Doonbeg about a dozen. But it could just be me.

> @puttnforthe8 said:

> > @"Schley " said:

> > > @puttnforthe8 said:

> > > > @alfriday said:

> > > > I’ll add my voice in favor of Waterville over Doonbeg. In my opinion, Waterville is the far superior course. As others have mentioned, the drive to Waterville is wonderful. If you want to sight see, there are several Ring Forts on the drive that are worth a quick stop.

> > >

> > > this is true in almost every respect...Waterville is pure class. Doonbeg leaves a lot to be desired.

> >

> > I actually liked Doonbeg. Is very playable with whispy grass, views are great, and the conditioning of the greens was top notch. Also the wind conditions there are pretty epic as it is right on the ocean and gets constant breeze. It has improved alot since the Hawtree softening as when it opened originally it was too tough and penal.

>

> Don't get me wrong, it is good. But when i compare it to Waterville and others, I just think it lacks. I probably have played Waterville 50+ times and Doonbeg about a dozen. But it could just be me.

Cool! I've not played Waterville for yonks now, how have you liked the changes over the past few years?

> @duffer987 said:

> > @puttnforthe8 said:

> > > @"Schley " said:

> > > > @puttnforthe8 said:

> > > > > @alfriday said:

> > > > > I’ll add my voice in favor of Waterville over Doonbeg. In my opinion, Waterville is the far superior course. As others have mentioned, the drive to Waterville is wonderful. If you want to sight see, there are several Ring Forts on the drive that are worth a quick stop.

> > > >

> > > > this is true in almost every respect...Waterville is pure class. Doonbeg leaves a lot to be desired.

> > >

> > > I actually liked Doonbeg. Is very playable with whispy grass, views are great, and the conditioning of the greens was top notch. Also the wind conditions there are pretty epic as it is right on the ocean and gets constant breeze. It has improved alot since the Hawtree softening as when it opened originally it was too tough and penal.

> >

> > Don't get me wrong, it is good. But when i compare it to Waterville and others, I just think it lacks. I probably have played Waterville 50+ times and Doonbeg about a dozen. But it could just be me.

>

> Cool! I've not played Waterville for yonks now, how have you liked the changes over the past few years?

unfortunately, I left Ireland and returned home end of 2006. And my trips back have been spent mostly in N. Ire.

Has anyone played Kilkee? I was thinking it might be a fun cheap second round on the way from Ballybunion to Lahinch.

> @"ajgoodal.704" said:

> Has anyone played Kilkee? I was thinking it might be a fun cheap second round on the way from Ballybunion to Lahinch.

No, but I looked closely at playing Spanish Point a few years ago. They were having some kind of 9-hole open scramble on a Friday afternoon, but we were too knackered from playing Lahinch in the morning to make the effort.

I know the feeling. The morning I played Lahinch in early September the wind machine blew 35-40 MPH the whole way round with needle like squalls until the 9th hole. Nothing like playing golf and having to focus first on standing up and second on hitting the right shot. I was knackered by 18. I didn't really get to appreciate how good of a course it is until after I was out of the elements and looking at the pictures I took. I would definitely like to go back and play on a nicer day. I'm still pretty proud of the fact that I didn't end up in a single diabolical trap that day.

> @"ajgoodal.704" said:

> Has anyone played Kilkee? I was thinking it might be a fun cheap second round on the way from Ballybunion to Lahinch.

It is pretty much that. Great property. Course is flat and straightforward.