When the Wild Atlantic Way was launched in 2014, it became one of the best driving routes in the world, overnight. It stretches for 1,500 miles from the Inishowen Peninsula, in Co. Donegal, deep into Co. Cork. It is a road made for tourism, leading to beaches, castles, clifftops, quaint villages, bustling towns and Ireland’s 40 shades of green.
What didn’t figure so prominently was that this is also one of the world’s best golf routes. There are 53 courses, including Ballybunion, Waterville, Carne, Old Head, Co. Sligo and St. Patrick’s, to name a few, as well as lesser-known courses that embrace the heart and soul – and beauty – of Irish golf.
The 4th green on the Harry Colt links at County Sligo
(Image credit: Kevin Markham)
No one expects you to tackle the route in a single go. It is something to be experienced over several visits, especially as there are brilliant courses to the very north – Ballyliffin is just 15 miles from the most northerly tip of Malin Head – and the very south, where Old Head dangles off the coastline like an emerald above raging ocean.
You must cherry-pick the hotspots and while every course cannot be covered here, some of the following recommendations, going from south to north, may swing your decision.
County Cork
Surprisingly, there are no true links in the county, but the clifftop extravaganza of Old Head of Kinsale more than compensates. The course is world-renowned and it promises a unique experience of astounding views, perfect conditioning and moments that take you to the cliffs poised 300 feet above the Atlantic.
There can be few more dramatic courses anywhere than County Cork’s Old Head
(Image credit: Kevin Markham)
Nine greens cling to those clifftops but few holes anywhere can be as dramatic as the par-4 4th – aptly named Razor’s Edge – which heads out to the lighthouse at the point of the peninsula, dancing along the edge of the cliffs. Or the par-5 12th, where you must drive over a yawning chasm to find fairway.
Kinsale is one of Ireland’s food capitals and it is well worth factoring into your stay.
The route then leads into West Cork and a string of peninsulas wrapped around beautiful bays. Here you’ll find the 9-hole parkland of Glengarriff, which has strong ties to Maureen O’Hara, of The…
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