Ireland Is One of the World's Great Golf Destinations. Here Is Why 2026 Is Its Best Year Yet.

There is a moment that every golfer who comes to Ireland describes in the same way. It is the moment they stand on the first tee of a great Irish links — the Atlantic wind cutting across the dunes, the fairway disappearing into a landscape that looks as though it has never been touched by anything as prosaic as a lawnmower — and realise that what they are about to play is something fundamentally different from any golf they have experienced before.

Ireland does not merely have good golf courses. It has some of the greatest golf courses in the world. And in 2026, that fact has never been more widely recognised.

The Rankings Tell the Story

Fourteen golf courses on the island of Ireland — eleven in the Republic and three in Northern Ireland — have been ranked among Golf Digest's World's 100 Greatest Courses for 2026–2027. That is a concentration of world-class golf that no country of Ireland's size can match anywhere on the planet.

Topping Golf Digest's World's 100 Greatest Courses ranking for the sixth consecutive time is Royal County Down Golf Club — a course that has become, by any measure, the finest in the world. Set beneath the Mourne Mountains on the coast of County Down, its Championship Links weaves through towering dunes with views across Dundrum Bay that stop even experienced golfers in their tracks. Blind tee shots, rugged natural bunkering and a landscape that feels entirely untouched — Royal County Down is golf at its most elemental and most extraordinary.

Four Republic of Ireland courses sit in the World Top 100, and sixteen feature in the GB&I Top 100 — a depth that underlines the country's status as one of the premier golf destinations on the planet.

The Great Courses — What Makes Them Special

Royal Portrush on the Antrim coast is the only course in Ireland to have hosted The Open Championship in the modern era — most recently in 2019, when Shane Lowry's triumph in front of an Irish crowd produced one of the most emotional scenes in the history of the sport. Redesigned by Harry Colt in 1929, the Dunluce Links blends naturally into dramatic dunes and cliffside terrain, with sweeping views and world-class shot-making challenges at every turn. Rory McIlroy once shot a 61 here. The standard required to merely survive a round in challenging conditions is considerably more modest — and no less thrilling.

Ballybunion on the Kerry coast has been described by Tom Watson as among the greatest tests of links golf in the world. Located on Ireland's southwest coast, Ballybunion offers towering dunes, fast-running fairways and a thrilling back nine that runs directly along the Atlantic coastline. To play it on a clear evening, with the light falling across the water and the course emptying of other golfers, is to understand why people return to it year after year.

Lahinch in County Clare — often called the St Andrews of Ireland — sits at the southern end of the Wild Atlantic Way and combines championship links golf with one of the most welcoming club atmospheres in the sport. The town of Lahinch itself, with its surf schools and seafood restaurants, has evolved into one of the most appealing overnight stops on any Irish golf itinerary.

Old Head in County Cork occupies a headland jutting dramatically into the Celtic Sea south of Kinsale. Nine of its holes play directly over clifftops, making it one of the most audacious and thrilling settings for a golf course anywhere on earth. It is glamour golf at its most spectacular — and completely unlike anything else in Ireland.

What Makes 2026 Different

In 2026, Ireland remains one of the world's most compelling golf destinations — but how golfers travel, plan and experience the country is evolving. The era of simply checking famous names off a list is giving way to something more considered — itineraries that combine marquee courses with hidden gems, that build in time for the landscape and the culture and the food, that treat a golf trip to Ireland as an immersive experience rather than a series of tee times.

Carne Golf Links in County Mayo, one of the most spectacular and remote links experiences in Ireland, enters the Golf Digest World Top 100 ranking in 2026 at number 63 — a recognition long overdue for a course that has quietly been delivering one of the great golf experiences in the country for years. Its arrival in the global rankings will introduce it to a new audience of international visitors who would otherwise have passed it by.

Meanwhile, Brittas Bay Club — the comprehensive Kyle Phillips redesign of the former European Club — is set to reopen in 2027, generating significant anticipation among Irish golf followers and adding further weight to the argument that Ireland's golfing offering is not merely resting on established reputation but actively growing.

The Ryder Cup Factor

In 2027, Adare Manor in County Limerick will host the Ryder Cup — the most watched team event in golf and one of the great sporting occasions in the world. The preparation for that moment is already reshaping how Ireland is perceived as a golf destination internationally. Tourism Ireland's global campaign promoting Irish golf has intensified significantly in 2026, reaching audiences in the United States, Europe and beyond with a message that is, for once, fully justified by what the country actually delivers.

For international golfers considering an Irish trip, the window before the Ryder Cup represents a particular opportunity — the courses are at their finest, the infrastructure has been upgraded to meet the demands of a global audience, and the buzz surrounding Irish golf has never been greater.

Where to Stay, Where to Play

The great Irish golf regions — Kerry, Clare, Antrim, Down, Galway, Cork — all offer accommodation ranging from intimate guesthouses to five-star resort hotels, many of them with their own championship courses. Adare Manor, Dromoland Castle, Killarney's Great Southern and the Lodge at Ashford Castle represent a tier of hospitality that matches the golf on offer and ensures that an Irish golf trip can be as luxurious or as authentic as the visitor desires.

The practical advice for 2026: book early. The most sought-after tee times at Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Ballybunion and Lahinch can disappear months in advance, particularly in the peak summer season. The investment of planning ahead is repaid many times over when you are standing on the first tee of a course that the rest of the world is queuing to play.

The Bottom Line

Ireland is one of the great golf destinations on earth — and 2026 is, by any measure, its finest year yet. Fourteen courses in the world's top 100, a Ryder Cup on the horizon, a global audience paying closer attention than ever, and a landscape that makes every round feel like something more than a game. Pack the clubs. The tee times are waiting.