Definitely Druids Glen and the K Club
Played both and they are top class
Go a bit further afield to Ballybunion if you have more time one day

That is a bucket list three days in my mind!

Looks solid, thank you. Druids Glen keeps popping up as a suggestion!

You should definitely try and play Druids Glen in Co Wicklow Roger... approx 45 min from Dublin and a gorgeous course...home to the Irish Open on 3 consecutive occasions.....Powerscourt in Co Wicklow also boasts two fine courses that will not disappoint.....I know you said Dublin but these are well worth a visit.

Powerscourt is attractive to me, as Powers is a family name, although I don't think there's any relatives there if my understanding of history is correct. Thanks for the suggestions!

Another option is to fly in and out of Shannon. Ballybunion, Lahinch, and Doonbeg (Trump) as well several other links courses are in that area. If I'm in Ireland, I'd prefer the links courses over parkland courses. The west coast has many to choose from. I had a week, so I played from Dunfanaghy to Galway and was sorry I didn't include Lahinch as I drove through the old and new courses to get to the Cliffs of Moher. Yeats and other Irish writers lived and wrote in this area.

Dublin is a charming city, but it is highly internationalized so my high point was the Guinness Tour. If you can situate yourself in a town like Ennis or Galway on a Friday evening - the bars are packed, the musicians move freely and everyone is Irish that night (even with an Irish surname, my American accent was a dead give-away).

Wow, thanks for all the suggestions! I am interested in links courses near the water, you've given me a lot to choose from, thank you.

Tempting. With 16 hours of sunlight, and wanting to see the countryside, I am thinking about venturing a little further out of Dublin. Drive 1-3 hrs, play a round of golf, visit a castle and see local sights, evening in the pub. Wake up and do it again x 2!

Appreciate the suggestions!

Portmarnock Golf club is a great track

Roger,

Why not look up these great courses and others on Mark Crossfield YouTube channel. You will get a good view of the courses and if you go and play you'll know what to expect..

Ant

That's a great suggestion, I enjoy Mark's videos but I didn't know he does course reviews. That will be great.

Another vote for Druids Glen...I really want to go back

Hi Roger,

A lot of visitors would opt for the links experience. About 45 mins north of Dublin is Baltray (AKA County Louth). About 45 mins south is The European Club which I highly recommend. In Dublin there is Portmarnock or The Island (Both will stage the British Amateur Open this year) or Portmarnock Links or Royal Dublin - all super courses. There is also St. Annes which is right beside Royal Dublin or maybe Laytown & Bettystown or Seapoint (these are super courses and not quite as expensive as most of the others named).
If you prefer parkland then Druids Glen is superb (about 30 mins from Dublin), as is Mount Juliet (about an hour from Dublin) or maybe The Heritage (about an hour from Dublin) or possibly Palmerstown House (only 20 minutes out of West Dublin). You will be spoilt for choice over here. Some of the above a bit expensive but all very worth while. Enjoy the trip. Kind regards. Jim K

Druids Glen is superb, if you keep an eye on www.justgolf.ie and www.golfnow.ie you can get some great deals for Mount Juliet, Carton House etc for mid week golf
As Don O said if you can fly into Shannon or don't mind driving 2 and a half hours from Dublin airport to Limerick you have Adare Manor which is outstanding, some reviews are calling it the Agusta of Europe!! Lahinch is only 40 mins from Limerick city and hosting the Irish open in July.
Enjoy your trip!!

Thank you for all of the suggestions. I don't think I can go wrong, but here's what I'm thinking...

Fri - Land at noon, head north to play Baltray (or Laytown & Bettystown), stay in Drogheda.
Sat - Drive 3hrs west and play Lahinch, see Cliffs of Moher, stay in Limerick.
Sun - Drive 3hrs east to play Druids Glen or European Club, stay in Wicklow or Dublin.
Mon - Depart Dublin at noon, smiling from an awesome weekend

Any suggestions or alterations to those plans? Anyone want to join me at one of those course? Recommendations on a lively place to find a pint at the end of the day?

That's some "quality" time in the car, however, looking forward to seeing the sights along the way.

All the best and thanks again for the recommendations!

Roger

Sounds like a great weekend Roger,
Maybe consider Galway for your stay on Saturday night, both Limerick and Galway are great cities, so you will be spoilt for choice whichever one you choose. Portmarnock links and Portmarnock GC are really great options for Sunday if you can't get the European club, either way you will really enjoy all your chosen courses.

Enjoy it and play well Roger
Geoff

The k club and Millicent golf course were the last two I played visiting family a couple of years ago. Fantastic w-end was had, the night life was on another level

I've got a 4 day trip next weekend to Norn Iron to play 3 courses around Bangor, really looking forward to it.

Another vote for the European - a fantastic course.

Appreciate all the advice - and now I need some more.

Lahinch is preparing for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, and announced today that on the weekend I'll be there, all players are required to use a fairway mat to keep the course in top condition. I totally accept that they need to keep it green - but I've never played on the turf strips.

What's been your experience with fairway mats? Do they impact the experience to the point I should look for an alternative to playing Lahinch?

Thanks in advance!

Hi Roger,
I've never had to use fairway mats, so not best placed to comment, but understand the Irish Open is coming and they want to showcase the course in the best possible way, nevertheless would prefer to be hitting the ball directly off the turf. However I guess the overall experience of playing Lahinch and enjoying your round would not be diminished by this.
Whatever you decide I wish you all the best and hope you have a great golfing weekend.

Looking forward to my trip this weekend, thanks again to all who contributed suggestions and tips. If you find yourself at Seapointe on Friday, Lahinch on Saturday, or Powerscourt on Sunday, would gladly buy you a pint for insider tips on the courses.

All the best!
Roger

Have a great time Roger, play well.

Hope you had a great trip Roger and enjoyable golf.

Convinced my family to turn a Dublin trip to Cliffs of Moher/Galway area for a few days to allow me to play Lahinch and Trump Doonbeg. Honestly made the whole trip much more enjoyable for everyone, and definitely recommend! Cheers!

That was a super fun trip - too short though.

Day 1 - arrived at Dublin, rented a car, drove number 30 minutes to Drogheda and went out to Seapoint. Stepped onto the 1st tee and it started to hail. Went under a tree and 15 minutes later I was teeing off under brilliant sun. Nice course along the Irish Sea, a great value, and I would play it again. Went pub crawling on a Friday night in search of Traditional music...instead heard renditions of Bruce Springsteen, Don McLean, Elvis, and Steve Miller. The Guinness was pure though.

Day 2 - Drove 3hrs west to Lahinch, had lunch and then played the Old Course. Played off the fairway mats all 10 times I was in the fairway...it was tight, presuming for the Dubai Duty Free tournament in 2 weeks. Saw a lot of other golfers searching for their balls in the rough...I guess they didn't want to hit off the mats either! And the goats were out maintaining the rough. Definitely would be back. That night went up to Doolin and got my Trad fix. First McDermott's, then O'Connell's, and then over to the Folk Music Festival. I lucked out while heading out to my cab when someone pointed out that John Sheahan and a couple other world-class fiddlers were in the lobby of the Doolin Hotel. I passed on the cab and listened in for a while. As pure as the Guinness was the night before.

Day 3 - A quick stop at the Cliffs and then drove east to Wicklow and played the West Course at Powerscourt. On and off again rain producing alternating strong rainbows and strong winds. Fine course, great condition, great value at 40 Euro, but nothing special though. After the round had a lovely meal at the Powerscourt Inn and drove up to Howth for the night where I watched part of the US Open in the Abbey Tavern.

Driving was a blast - miss having a stick shift - except for that first Right or Left turn each morning. Nothing wakes you up faster than realizing you are going head-on into opposing traffic and need to pop it into second to blast out of the wrong lane. My apologies if any of you were my "morning wake-up calls," unfortunately, you probably see it all the time.

Not a bad way to do a layover and work off the jet lag while en route to client work in London. Read Tom Coyne's book before the trip...I think I'll stick to the rental car. The gentlemen who drive the groups of golfers in the vans seem like a riot too. The stories they can tell.

Thanks again to all who shared recommendations and well wishes. It was a great trip and I am grateful for the help.

Oh, and the day after I arrived back home, I won low net in my club's championship. Between that and not crashing the rental after making a wrong turn...that might be a little of the "luck of the Irish" rubbing off.

Happy travels,

Roger

Fabulous report roger, looks a great trip

Hey Roger,
Glad you enjoyed the trip. Many thanks for the follow up.
We are truly blessed to have some magnificent courses on our doorsteps here.
Really sorry - I should have mentioned the home of the Titleist national fitting centre here - Carton House - that might be an option for you when you are back again!
Kind regards,
Jim