Solo Golf Trip to Ireland?

[QuarterTank]

So, I'm about to have a bunch of free time on my hands, the company i work for is being sold and once the transition is done, i'm going to be able to take a trip for the first time in a while. i'm thinking about taking a week to 10 days and heading to ireland for a golf trip by myself. i have no problems traveling alone and actually enjoy it. would ireland be a good place to head for a solo trip focused mostly on golf? the trip would likely be late august.

 

I don't like to be tied down by rigid itineraries when i travel. don't mind having places to be on certain dates, but don't want to plan the entire trip out to the hour in advance. would want to rent a car and move around, not looking to do a planned tour. i might consider doing a ireland/scotland combo trip if that makes sense. i'd appreciate hearing any recommendations. would like to do a combination of the well known, big name courses and some off the beaten path local knowledge kinda tracks. thanks!!

[puttnforthe8]

Dont miss the 2 courses at Carton House just outside if Dubin.

Then there is European Club, Portmarnock and Baltray on the East Coast.

For West Coast, considerations Ballybunnion, Lahinch, Enniscrone, Fota Island

Of course there is Portrush and County Down in N. Ireland.

Staying in Edinburgh is not a bad option: St Andrews is not that far, then there are plenty of courses to play nearby(Carnoustie); You could do a Murifield and Gullane trip to walk in Phils winning path.

I'm sure there will be many more inputs...so enjoy!!

[Fourmyle of Ceres]

Driving times between some of the popular/great courses in Ireland can be pretty extreme. A week to ten days would only scratch the surface of golf in Ireland. if you spent 3-4 days in one area, took a couple days to travel across Ireland and spent 3-4 days in another part that pretty much takes up your available time.

It would seem a waste to blow at least a full day getting from Ireland to Scotland when there are still half a dozen regions of Ireland that you have not visited. Take your time, do Ireland, do it well.

Or else just go to Scotland.

[jay65]

[quote name='Fourmyle of Ceres' timestamp='1374839208' post='7542462']
Driving times between some of the popular/great courses in Ireland can be pretty extreme. A week to ten days would only scratch the surface of golf in Ireland. if you spent 3-4 days in one area, took a couple days to travel across Ireland and spent 3-4 days in another part that pretty much takes up your available time.

It would seem a waste to blow at least a full day getting from Ireland to Scotland when there are still half a dozen regions of Ireland that you have not visited. Take your time, do Ireland, do it well.

Or else just go to Scotland.
[/quote]

I totally agree, and add that although he 7-10 trip to Ireland would be very nice, a lot of the great Courses in Ireland are spaced quite away apart, and it would be difficult to do the trip to its greatest potential in 7-10 days. The roads around some of the Courses and getting to and from can be quite awkward, so you would be doing more travelling than Golf in order to experience the best Courses. There are some exceptions of course, but my advice would be not to discount, the Aberdeenshire area of Scotland, or Fife in Scotland, or Ayrshire in Scotland, where a lot of the Courses are very close together enabling you to get the best out of the trip, from a Golfing point of view, instead of spending half the time on travel, which Ireland could be.

[deadsolid...shank]

To get an idea of some of the hidden gems, I would get Tom Coyne's book "A Course Called Ireland", he walked the entire trip but gives some insights into a lot of different courses.

[vtnerf]

Given you are looking to go in late August...4 weeks from now, and the spacing of many of the must play courses, you might want to bare in mind the availability to get on the courses. That time is pretty busy for many courses. If you wanted to "set up shop" in Dublin for a few days and use that as a hub for the courses in that area, that might not be a bad idea. (Not to mention that they have this cool little place called Guinness there!)

The flights between Dublin or Shannon and Edinburgh aren't bad on aer lingus, but it does require some planning. Our flight is at 4:30, but means a morning round would have to go out before 12 to make everything work comfortably.

[johnnylongball]

You've received some solid advice, particularly from Fourmyle. Getting that book is also a good suggestion. I wouldn't worry too much about not being able to get on the courses. As a single, I would think you wouldn't have a problem. From my limited experience, I think the courses in Ireland are a little less busy than the big name courses in Scotland.

I would encourage you to fly into Shannon if possible. Smaller airport and much more user friendly than the Dublin airport. Also, get a GPS for your car. It would be tough to drive and read a map at the same time.

Bottom line, I say go for it. Sounds like a great idea to me.

[Fourmyle of Ceres]

Yes, if you can get GPS and a automatic transmission you'll have a fighting chance on those infamous Irish roads. Maybe ;-) Ideally you'd grow a third arm and a couple more pairs of eyes but the GPS and automatic ought to get you through.

[QuarterTank]

thank you all very much for the suggestions. sounds like i need to do a bit more research this weekend and really put some thought into it. the idea just came to me last night and i posted not really thinking much about the logistics. sounds like i need to do 2 trips, one to ireland and one to scotland so it's probably best to just focus on ireland right now since that's really what I want to do first. i'll do some reading and post back with some additional specific questions. thanks again!

[sheldonjhacker]

Do Scotland. Gullane 1, North Berwick (one of the best courses in the world-but don't tell anyone), St Andrews, Kingsbarns, Muirfield. Spend a day being a tourist in Edinburgh.

[Fourmyle of Ceres]

Depending on where you're flying from, there may be substantial differences in airfares and number of layovers depending on your destination. Especially buying only a couple weeks ahead. If flying into, say, Edinburgh were $500 cheaper and five hours less travel time than getting to Dublin or Shannon it might make sense to do Scotland and save Ireland. Or vice versa.

[QuarterTank]

[quote name='Fourmyle of Ceres' timestamp='1374862349' post='7544932']
Depending on where you're flying from, there may be substantial differences in airfares and number of layovers depending on your destination. Especially buying only a couple weeks ahead. If flying into, say, Edinburgh were $500 cheaper and five hours less travel time than getting to Dublin or Shannon it might make sense to do Scotland and save Ireland. Or vice versa.
[/quote]

i'm flying from new york city so there should be good options from either jfk or newark. i also have a sh!t-ton of amex points so i may fly on miles...so i think there is flexibility on the air travel situation.

[Fourmyle of Ceres]

Yeah, I'm in the hinterlands where direct flights are not generally an option. Especially TATL.

[vtnerf]

they do have jfk to shannon as well as edinburgh. we're flying jfk to edinburg and shannon to jfk on the way back in early september...prices weren't bad.

[joe perry]

I have done a few solo and group trips to Ireland so that is the country I would recommend to begin with.

How much do you want to spend ? Northwest of Ireland is by far the cheapest but still has numerous quality links courses

I will say this - the economy has tanked in Ireland and I have found that if you are travelling alone or in a twosome you can get out on any course pretty much any day midweek without advance reservations.


Check out this website as a general guide on courses and hotel options [url="http://www.northandwestcoastlinks.com/"]http://www.northandwestcoastlinks.com/[/url]


I would recommend that you base yourself in 2 (maybe 3) different cities and play the courses as weather or your general feeling dictates.You will probably need to books hotels or accomodation in advance.

Just an fyi - If the forecast for the first day after arrival is 100% chance of rain but sunny for the remaining days then maybe do sightseeing the rainy day and play the following days. Or wake up every morning and decide what you will do that day (sightseeing or playing golf) - if it is raining in the morning there is a good chance with irish weather that it might stop by the afternoon and then you could make your way to the course and play 18 (it stays light out until very late in the irish summer !!!!). I have gone back to bed numerous times and outlasted the rain and then arrived in the afternoon without a tee time and was able to play no problem during the summertime. I will say if you are an early riser and the weather is nice when you wake up it is always best to get out ahead of any changing weather.



Example - base yourself in Portrush for 3-6 nights and use the short term forecast to decide what days you will play. Portrush has 6 quality courses within driving distance to choose from. Courses are Portrush Dunluce and Valley, Portstewart Strand, Castlerock, Ballyliffin Old + Glashedy and specifically Royal County Down which you could play if you were driving up from Dublin to the Antrim Coast. Staying 1 or 2 nights in the town of Ballyliffin would give easier access to play both the Old and Glashedy courses

Then maybe base yourself in a town such as Letterkenny or Rosapenna for 3-5 nights - this area has approx 6 great golfing options within driving distance on roads that are all very scenic !!!! This part of Ireland (Donegal) is very sleepy and tee sheets will not be fully booked even in summer unless you are the type of golfer that has to play between 9am and 11am. Courses in the area would be Portsalon, Rosapenna Old and Sandy Hills, Dunfanaghy, Cruit Island, and Narin and Portnoo.

Alternately travel a little further from Portrush/Rosapenna and do a 3-5 night stay in either Sligo or Ballina or Westport towns as both have reasonable access to another 5 great links courses that don't require all day drives. Beautiful scenery and sightseeing options as well in County Mayo. Courses in the area would be Donegal, County Sligo, Enniscrone, Carne and Connemara. This 3-5 night stay along with a 3-5 night stay near Rosapenna/Letterkenny/Ballyliffin would be the most economical while still providing great links golf.


IF you want to play the big name courses and pay the big name price then most people head to the West and SW of Ireland while playing a few select courses in and around Dublin ("Portmarnock", European Club and "County Louth") or Belfast (Royal County Down and Royal Portrush Dunluce) at the beginning of the trip. Courses with a "Royal" or " " next to them might require an advance tee reservation but not always.


Good mixture for the Southwest of Ireland would be to base yourself in 2 areas over a 8-10 day timeframe to cover the courses in the area :

1. Stay either Killarney or Dingle Town for 4 nights (or 2 nights each) and play such courses as Waterville, Dooks, Dingle and Tralee.

then make your way north to

2. Stay at either Lahinch or Doolin Town for 4 nights (both towns are close together so pick one based on hotel or sightseeing factors) and play such courses as Ballybunion (on the drive up), Doonbeg, Lahinch (play here twice if you can afford) and maybe Adare Manor if you wanted to play a parkland course in a wonderful lively small town on your way back to Shannon or Dublin.

[QuarterTank]

thank you very much, joe perry! that's some excellent information to work with.

[buckI]

So much golf and so little time. I would recommend going to Northern Ireland for sure. Hit Royal County Down, Royal Portrush and Port Stewart. The other great area although we Americans have ruined the pace of play is the Southwest area (Ballybunion, Lahinch, Tralee, Waterville to name a few).

If you want less driving, do Scotland. You could go to Edinburgh area and have Muirfield, Gullane, North Berwick. St Andrews area has ll the St Andrews courses plus Kingbarns, Crail, Carnoustie not too far. West side has Prestwick, Troon, Turnberry, Western Gailes.

Check out this website, www.where2golf.com it has maps of Ireland and Scotland and might help you decide what teas to focus on.

[joe perry]

Just some hotel/accommodation recommendations that I found to be good or convenient or fun for a solo traveller


Royal County Down area

[url="http://hastingshotels.com/slieve-donard-resort-and-spa/"]http://hastingshotel...sort-and-spa/ [/url] luxurious property on the doorstep of RCD golf course


Portrush/Portsewart area

[url="http://www.bayviewhotelni.com/"]http://www.bayviewhotelni.com/[/url] nice bar/restaurant/hotel in a wonderful setting - Darren Clarke hangs out here

[url="http://www.linksviewportrush.co.uk/"]http://www.linksview...rtrush.co.uk/ [/url] right across street from Royal Portrush golf club

[url="http://www.ramadaportrush.com/"]http://www.ramadapor...portrush.com/ [/url] hotel in town with fun bar/restaurant

Portrush Dunluce is my favourite golf course and I love the town and the surrounding area and all the sightseeing !!!!!


Ballyliffen area

[url="https://www.facebook.com/TrasnaHouseHotel"]https://www.facebook...snaHouseHotel [/url] only really lively and fun bar/restaurant/hotel it town it seemed - Ballyliffen clubhouse bar also great. Stay here if you don't want to take the drive/ferry ride from the Portrush area


Rosapenna area

[url="http://www.beachhotel.ie/"]http://www.beachhotel.ie/ [/url] stay here if you don't want to stay at the pricey $$$$$ [url="http://www.rosapenna.ie/"]http://www.rosapenna.ie/[/url] great scenery in this part of Donegal


Sligo area

many hotels to choose from in Sligo but town of Ballina is midway bewtween Carne/Enniscrone courses to west and Co. Sligo/Donegal courses to east

[url="http://www.theglasshouse.ie"]http://www.theglasshouse.ie[/url] heard many good this about this hotel and the town of Ballina is fun


Lahinch/Doolin area

[url="http://www.hoteldoolin.ie/"]http://www.hoteldoolin.ie/ [/url] good modern hotel with a nice bar/restaurant - many nearby bars in a great lively tourist town (highlight for me)

[url="http://www.lahinchgolfhotel.com/"]http://www.lahinchgolfhotel.com/[/url] solid hotel in a fun surf town near Lahinch golf course - many bars/restaurants nearby


Dingle Town/Dingle Pensinula

[url="http://www.dinglebayhotel.com/"]http://www.dinglebayhotel.com/[/url] lively town and this spot had a good/fun restaurant and bar (town of Dingle and area was a highlight of one of my trips)

Ballybunion Golf Course is somewhat halfway between Lahinch and Dingle but I found the town to be very boring and dull when compared to the two previous towns I have mentioned.


Killarney/Waterville area

Didn't like the town of Waterville at all but the course and clubhouse are top notch - best to stay in Killarney if you want to entertain yourself as a solo traveller - many hotels to choose from in the tourist town of Killarney - would recommend you drive the entire Ring Of Kerry and if you have time drive the Ring of Skellig if the weather is good (highlight for me)

Graeme McDowell raves about this restaurant near Waterville in a different town down the road but still on The Ring Of Kerry - looks like they have accommodation as well - might be an option

[url="http://www.qcbar.com/QCs_Seafood_Restaurant_and_Rooms/100_best.html"]http://www.qcbar.com...s/100_best.html[/url]

ttp://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g211919-d1149949-r116624602-QC_s_Seafood_Restaurant_Bar_and_Townhouse-Cahersiveen_County_Kerry.html

[bmahony]

fly to cork airport ..plenty of courses near where I live..few good ones near the city

[Loodle]

Just got back from a trip to SW Ireland. Not a strict golf trip, but played Lahinch Old Course twice, and Ballybunion. Flying into Shannon is nice and low key, really enjoyed the golf over there and caught unbelievable weather. You could easily start there and work your way south toward Waterville and Dingle for a nice loop.

Also been to Scotland, stayed in Dornoch and played there, Brora, Tain, Golspie. You could also hit Castle Stuart and Nairn in that area.

Either way, do it. I found links golf very enjoyable and addictive, so much so that I am already planning another trip.

[QuarterTank]

thanks everyone!! very much apreciated. Looks like the plan is starting to solidify. i have reserved but not booked a flight into dublin, leaving JFK at night on the 19th and arriving dublin the morning of the 20th. going to fly back from shannon on the morning of the 28th.

So i'm kind of planning on a counter clockwise loop from dublin through northern ireland and down to the southwest. I want to hit 4 of the big name courses: royal county down, portrush, lahinch and ballybunion for sure and mix in some of the other tracks along the way.

what do you all think?

thanks!

[bmahony]

bring plenty of euros with u

[joe perry]

To Play the Big 4 will include a lot of driving but it is doable and the drive times will take you longer than you think. I know you didn't want to be tied down to an hour by hour itinerary but playing only the big name courses in a short time frame on both coasts of Ireland might necessitate a fairly tight schedule !!!!!



Aug 20 (Tue) Arrive Dublin - decide if you want to drive directly from the airport and sightsee in the Portrush/Portstewart area (great sightseeing) or if you want to drive and play a round that day near the airport and then drive to Portrush in the evening. Sightseeing in Portrush area would include Dunluce Castle,Giants Causeway and Bushmills Distillery. If you wanted to play the day you arrive ??? County Louth would be a good choice as it is along the route as you head north to Portrush. Overnight Portrush.

Aug 21 (Wed) - Reserve and play Portstewart Strand. Wednesday is ladies day but they allow a small number of bookings - if not play Castlerock or Portrush Valley or Portrush Dunluce if money is not an object as the course just oozes class !!!!! Overnight Portrush

Aug 22 (Thur) - Reserve and play Portrush Dunluce as visitors are allowed to play both morning and afternoon. Second round is half price if you play 36 in one day on Thursdays. Make the drive to RCD in the evening after the days golf. Overnight County Down

Aug 23 (Fri) - Find out if available and reserve a tee time and play Royal County Down - visitor tee times are allowed both am and pm on Fridays - no Saturday visitor tee times - Hopefully you get paired with a member or others who have a caddy in the group to help with the blind shots - might be worth it to hire your own caddy. Drive back to the Dublin area that night to lessen your long drive to the west coast of Ireland which would take place on Saturday - Maybe have one night of partying in Temple Bar in Dublin. Overnight County Down or Belfast or Dublin

Aug 24 (Sat) Many big name courses in and around Dublin do not allow visitor play on Saturdays - European Club does just south of Dublin(County Louth might as well) - Play there if you want in the morning and then make the long drive to Lahinch/Doolin area. If you don't want to play Saturday or don't want to party in Dublin Friday night maybe stay in the County Down area or even Belfast and do some morning sightseeing and then do one huge long drive from east to west coast on the Saturday ending up in the Lahinch area well into the evening. You are going to want to take the M7 from Dublin to Limerick to make your way across the country and onto Lahinch. Overnight Lahinch/Doolin

Aug 25 (Sun) - Play Lahinch - limited afternoon tee times still available - maybe a single can get out in the morning. If money is not an issue a caddy would be well worth the money at Lahinch and possibly Ballybunion. Good sightseeing in the area includes the Cliffs of Moher, The Burren and the town of Doolin at night for the live music. Overnight Lahinch/Doolin

Aug 26 (Mon) - Play Ballybunion - no visitor tee times on weekends from what I can tell. You will need to take a ferry to get across The Shannon Estuary on the way to Ballybunion. Overnight Lahinch/Doolin or Tralee area depending on which golf course you will play on Aug 27th.

Aug 27 (Tue) - Play Lahinch a second time or Play Tralee in the morning and then make the long drive back to Dublin. You could drop Tralee if you wanted to play 2 rounds at Lahinch as the course is quirky and more fun to play the second time around. Overnight Dublin

Aug 28 (Wed) - Fly Home

[QuarterTank]

thanks again for all your help joe!! i really appreciate it. i have put in tee time requests at portrush, rcd, and ballybunion. we will see the availability for these dates. once i get those, i will be able to better set out the rest of the trip.

i know i said originally that i didn't want to be tied to an itinerary, but you're right...as i started laying out the trip, i realized it was going to be necessary to have a bit more of a schedule to play the courses i want to play and get around the country.

good thing is, i am actually flying back out of shannon on the 28th, so i won't have to drive all the way back to dublin from the southwest. gives me a little more flexibility at the end of the trip.

[joe perry]

Nice that you are able to fly home out of Shannon

Gives you the flexibility to add Waterville if you wanted - the drive from Waterville to Shannon including a round of golf that day is manageable but from Waterville to Dublin is a little extreme.

If all things are equal and are the same cost wise - rent a diesel car if possible - will save you a good chunk of $$$$$ in fuel alone.

[QuarterTank]

how strict do you think portrush will be about the letter of introduction from a home club? it is listed as a requirement for visitors on their website. I was a member at a club for a couple of years, but am not currently. i may be able to work a connection at my dad's club to get some type of letter if really necessary...

[vtnerf]

Let us know how Ballybunion is...have a tee time there on Sep 7.

[Loodle]

[quote name='vtnerf' timestamp='1375099226' post='7559674']
Let us know how Ballybunion is...have a tee time there on Sep 7.
[/quote]

Played there a few weeks ago, it is pretty spectacular. I would recommend a caddie to help with lost balls and direct you a bit. We played in unusual weather (hot, sunny, and little wind) and it was still difficult. The high stuff is a crap shoot, sometimes it is doable and others a one shot penalty to get in play or take an unplayable. The experience is a little touristy, hardly a sense of what the locals play. Certainly worth the expense, wish my game had been a bit more on point.

[vtnerf]

Another option if you are flying out of Shannon is Adare Manor. (Just ranked the top golf resort in the world by Conde Nast.)
We are staying at the Dunrave Arms in Adare, and traveling to Ballybunion from there, then playing Adare the next day. And, it's only 30-45 minutes to the Shannon airport.

[Pat_Irish]

[quote name='joe perry' timestamp='1374894514' post='7547972']
I have done a few solo and group trips to Ireland so that is the country I would recommend to begin with.

How much do you want to spend ? Northwest of Ireland is by far the cheapest but still has numerous quality links courses

I will say this - the economy has tanked in Ireland and I have found that if you are travelling alone or in a twosome you can get out on any course pretty much any day midweek without advance reservations.


Check out this website as a general guide on courses and hotel options [url="http://www.northandwestcoastlinks.com/"]http://www.northandwestcoastlinks.com/[/url]


I would recommend that you base yourself in 2 (maybe 3) different cities and play the courses as weather or your general feeling dictates.You will probably need to books hotels or accomodation in advance.

Just an fyi - If the forecast for the first day after arrival is 100% chance of rain but sunny for the remaining days then maybe do sightseeing the rainy day and play the following days. Or wake up every morning and decide what you will do that day (sightseeing or playing golf) - if it is raining in the morning there is a good chance with irish weather that it might stop by the afternoon and then you could make your way to the course and play 18 (it stays light out until very late in the irish summer !!!!). I have gone back to bed numerous times and outlasted the rain and then arrived in the afternoon without a tee time and was able to play no problem during the summertime. I will say if you are an early riser and the weather is nice when you wake up it is always best to get out ahead of any changing weather.



Example - base yourself in Portrush for 3-6 nights and use the short term forecast to decide what days you will play. Portrush has 6 quality courses within driving distance to choose from. Courses are Portrush Dunluce and Valley, Portstewart Strand, Castlerock, Ballyliffin Old + Glashedy and specifically Royal County Down which you could play if you were driving up from Dublin to the Antrim Coast. Staying 1 or 2 nights in the town of Ballyliffin would give easier access to play both the Old and Glashedy courses

Then maybe base yourself in a town such as Letterkenny or Rosapenna for 3-5 nights - this area has approx 6 great golfing options within driving distance on roads that are all very scenic !!!! This part of Ireland (Donegal) is very sleepy and tee sheets will not be fully booked even in summer unless you are the type of golfer that has to play between 9am and 11am. Courses in the area would be Portsalon, Rosapenna Old and Sandy Hills, Dunfanaghy, Cruit Island, and Narin and Portnoo.

Alternately travel a little further from Portrush/Rosapenna and do a 3-5 night stay in either Sligo or Ballina or Westport towns as both have reasonable access to another 5 great links courses that don't require all day drives. Beautiful scenery and sightseeing options as well in County Mayo. Courses in the area would be Donegal, County Sligo, Enniscrone, Carne and Connemara. This 3-5 night stay along with a 3-5 night stay near Rosapenna/Letterkenny/Ballyliffin would be the most economical while still providing great links golf.


IF you want to play the big name courses and pay the big name price then most people head to the West and SW of Ireland while playing a few select courses in and around Dublin ("Portmarnock", European Club and "County Louth") or Belfast (Royal County Down and Royal Portrush Dunluce) at the beginning of the trip. Courses with a "Royal" or " " next to them might require an advance tee reservation but not always.


Good mixture for the Southwest of Ireland would be to base yourself in 2 areas over a 8-10 day timeframe to cover the courses in the area :

1. Stay either Killarney or Dingle Town for 4 nights (or 2 nights each) and play such courses as Waterville, Dooks, Dingle and Tralee.

then make your way north to

2. Stay at either Lahinch or Doolin Town for 4 nights (both towns are close together so pick one based on hotel or sightseeing factors) and play such courses as Ballybunion (on the drive up), Doonbeg, Lahinch (play here twice if you can afford) and maybe Adare Manor if you wanted to play a parkland course in a wonderful lively small town on your way back to Shannon or Dublin.
[/quote]
Hey
Havent seen you around in yonks, was thinking of you in the Muirfield thread as somebody who has actually played real links courses your in put would be welcome, Glad to see your still working for the Donegal tourist board Just back from there today, best golfing place in the world