Your Golf Travel explore the emerald isles with this latest video as they delve into the world of golf in Ireland!
A golf break in Ireland is guaranteed to be an absolutely unforgettable experience. There is no doubt that the country is littered with some of the world’s most fantastic golf courses, offering some of the purest golfing experiences, but the landscape is also adorned with many top resorts and hotels.
The Emerald Isle is home to an abundance of coastal Championship links, beautiful inland layouts and world famous hospitality, add to this the superb nightlife and numerous points of cultural and historical interest make Ireland interesting for all, and without doubt, the Irish golf tour experience is truly magnificent.
Visiting the K Club’s Ryder Cup complex, and the incredible resorts at Carton House & Druids Glen, not only will you experience the phenomenal courses, you will also understand Ireland’s reputation for its warm welcome & legendary hospitality. Golf holidays in Ireland at these resorts are perfect for a relaxing Sunday Driver or while the golfers battle the famous Irish elements, fellow travellers can enjoy the first class leisure and spa facilities that the best golf break destinations ensure.
Wether you take a weekend break at a resort, a few days touring the wonderful courses or a week travelling full length of the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland has so much to offer the visiting golfer.
European Club Interview with Pat Ruddy – https://youtu.be/ct_uTe6gem8?si=jr1_idEvR05bfqDz
00:00 – Intro
00:52 – What is so special about golf in Ireland?
02:02 – European Club
06:42 – Royal County Down
10:12 – Would travelling to Ireland for one round of golf be worth it?
11:28 – Ballybunion
14:54 – Courses in the South West of Ireland
17:03 – Royal Portrush Golf Club
Host: Leo
Guest: Sam Brooks – Golf Travel Team Manager – sam.brooks@yourgolftravel.com
Guest: Martin Leather – Golf Travel Specialist – martin.leather@yourgolftravel.com
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Welcome to Your Golf Travel now this video is all about Ireland, golf in Ireland, the best of, and I’ve got two of the best people to go into the details about golf in Ireland to talk about
Why exactly people need to go over to Ireland to play golf we’ve got Sam and we’ve got Martin how you both doing all right good thank you all good yeah any golf holidays recently oh um yeah went
To uh Aberdeenshire last September nice very nice not recent but last April I did a bit of Ireland County Down old head nice ready for this video perfect for this yeah you knew it was coming up
And you like I’m I need the golf break to Ireland right yeah perfect okay let’s get stuck in so let’s talk actually both of you just let’s start with the highlight what for you is good about
Golf in Ireland why do people need to go there to play golf for me it’s um not only the golf course courses but the people the people are so much fun um they look after you they just do hospitality
So well um they love a beer you know they love a crack it’s um it’s just it’s incredible place yeah nice yeah I think Sam’s nailed it there it’s the the warmth of hospitality you you receive um
Before Golf and More over after golf no matter how you’ve played you know you’re going to walk into that clubhouse and feel the warmth of those uh the Irish people it’s fantastic yeah that is very true
I went there last year and just the hospitality of everywhere I went like it would be hard to say one place in particular for Hospitality like anywhere you go the hospitality was just yeah it’s people like opening their doors to you there’s no barriers in Ireland no it’s it’s a wonderful
Wonderful place yeah it is incredible um I played some really nice courses my favourite course out there so I’m going let’s start off with this European Club okay yeah that took my breath away and and I obviously it’s in the top 100 courses in the world but even knowing that when I went
There I just thought wow like this is incredible what’s your thoughts on it well yeah like you know when I turned up like you welcomed the the guys there are so friendly um the Ruddys um you’ve got
Jerry in the pro shop he’s like character that guy but yeah just you know just make you feel so welcome you know nothing’s too much for them you know go hit a few balls on the range um you
Know just show you where everything is and yeah then the golf course is just fantastic you know we we were so lucky we had such a pure day like the weather was amazing So that obviously helps
But the golf course is incredible like it’s it’s tough it was blowing a little bit um the bunkers are huge with the big sleepers you know so you got to stay out of those and the greens are just
You know you got to part well um yeah if you’re not playing well then it just eats you up that is true what you say about the sleeper bunkers yeah me and Ali went there and it was I think one
Of my like second experiences with proper sleep bunkers like that and it was so good and it was it must have been about 7 feet tall 7 feet tall and I remember I was trying to get out of it and
It clipped like a bit of wood and for a second I thought my life flashed luckily Ali spotted it but yeah yeah it was amazing have you have you been lucky enough to play yeah well many years ago
European Club 20 plus years ago uh but still very very uh memorable yeah um and and once again we speak to them on a regular basis because we send a lot of clients out and it’s just you know when
You you’re going to pick the phone up and speak to them you you’re going to have fun speaking to them it’s a great conversation they are real characters even if you don’t need to speak to them sometimes
I’ll just give Jerry a phone just to see how he’s doing um just to chat he’ll brighten your day up like you know he’s he’s so funny yeah he’s a proper like gent it’s a one off place I mean
Ireland’s great but the European Club is even you know a one off for Ireland just ridiculous like if I was to go back there for a golf holiday 100% European Club for me I’ve not played obviously
To the extent that you boys have but the courses that I’ve played European Club would be right at the top like and have you did you meet Pat did either of you meet Pat there what a character what a guy so he’s obviously the course designer extensive history within golf right that’s right
What a guy and obviously he created the two extra holes no no yeah how fantastic 7a and 12a I think um but yeah do you know why he created the two I do I do but do do you know why as well yeah it’s
Quite a walk wasn’t it between the two holes and well well the history of g go I I heard he created two extra holes because obviously one he loves golf and it was just to stay out on the golf
Course for as long as as possible so he didn’t have to go home that’s what I heard yeah but yeah but do you know why that is there’s even something before that so we we we interviewed him the Link
In the description now if you want to watch it so we went over then we interviewed him that’s because as a kid when he played golf he played with a shopkeeper and the shopkeeper had to leave
To get deliveries which meant they could only get 16 holes in right so he put it down as child abuse which is why now at the European Club he’s done those two extra hes to make up for it so now yeah
Like it’s incredible isn’t he AB he is yeah no else like he still he still answers the phone now yeah occasionally does he amazing and he obviously lives on the like on the course as well doesn’t he
Literally just next to it so I he does live and breathe that course and I think it does show the amount of care that’s gone into it’s an amazing place you have to visit yeah what about the uh
The largest green yeah what about that seen your video and you took a chunk out of the green we don’t we’ll cut that yeah yeah that’s gone no yeah that was probably one of the worst times on a golf
Course ever for me I’m sure I probably the video I know good night the night before was so bad Ali was just there he’ hit a good one and I thought right I’m going to get it closer to the pin with
Putter here this green I think 127 yards and I’ve just tried to wallop it yeah yeah not good there’s also another green with bunker in the middle of the green as well you see yes I can’t remember
What hole that is um it’s on the back line isn’t it I don’t remember what hole on the back line but so depending where you you know where they put the flag that well yeah I’m sure Pat wouldn’t
Be too happy with people chipping but you know you got round the bun so yeah a one of place isn’t it yeah right that’s enough of European Club obviously we all love it yeah let’s move on to your next favourite okay um it’s probably close between Royal County Down and old heads I
Know old heads you know is just a complete one of where it is but yeah County Down probably for me number three in the world number one UK and Island you know pure links golf um just very difficult to
Get on um so you know for anyone out there that is looking to book we you know we’ve done pretty much for for for this year already so we you know look for 2025 it’s just so in demand for tea times um
Same as Portrush with the demand but yeah count it down the views um right next to the you know the sea just an incredible incredible place you played it Mark yeah I’ve played well can I’m very
Very fortunate to play that um yeah spectacular um a real tossup for me between Royal County Down and Portmarnock Old um you know you speak to a lot of people and you know 50% will say Portmarock and
50% will say Royal County Down so you’ve touched on it slightly there but what so I I’ve heard you say County Down multiple amount of times what is it about County Down that just makes it stand out
From the rest I think like almost every hole is like you could put it anywhere it’s such a great goal of course um the views obviously as well like you’ve got the mountains in the background um it’s
Just a complete package really for me and it’s obviously it’s really hard to get on so when you get a tee time when you play I think you realise how lucky you are to be playing so that for me as
Well is you know one of the reasons why it’s one of the yeah I think it’s why often we play golf courses especially parkland golf courses where you can see other holes on the golf course and
You you you kind of focus can drift but literally count it down is the hole that you’re playing is pretty much the only hole that you can see you know you’re going through the dunes especially the
Front line you go out and it’s through the dunes and and then it comes back and then you facing the uh the mountains of Mourne I think it is and and I think we’ve touched on it before or you have about
The ninth hole yeah you come up up to the top of that Ridge amazing is it and the view from there is one of the best on the go pict yeah you get your picture that’s the Swil and burn Bridge of
Uh of Irish gold I think yeah definitely so I must play then definitely I think you need to play it a couple like you know because the first time you play it you’re a little bit like in take a caddy
For sure yeah you need a caddy there’s a lot of blind t- shots um so I think once you’ve played it you then get an understanding of the golf course so when you know if you go back if you’re lucky
Enough to play it again you would know right okay oh this I know where I need to put my tee-shot or you just know where you can miss it a little bit more so so if I was a sales expert coming to Your
Golf Travel you picked up the phone is it possible with that information would they be able obviously not this year but next year is there tee times one one day after so the the diary is not open yet for
2025 but we can put you on a wait list um and you know try our best to get you know what what you know a requested tee time for you put together the whole trip so yeah I think if you are looking
To book and go and play County Down then it has to be when in advance yeah yeah and and like you say you appreciate it more you waited all that time yeah it comes down to it and if that was
Me I’d probably top it off the first two but hey ho that’s just the nerves building up for a year waiting to play no matter how good you are you’re always going to get first definitely yeah nice
Okay so would you say is a question we count it down would you so from the UK what is 30 minutes maybe a little bit more down again depending on where you’re Landing in Ireland but would you be
Happy to fly to Ireland to just play County Down and then come back obviously you know taking the culture and stuff like that if you’re going over if you’re playing one course would that be worth I
Think you could do a one night too like it’s you know you can fly into into Belfast you’re about what 45 50 minutes away yeah to Newcastle yeah yeah or you can fly into Dublin and drive up which
About two two and a half hours so you could do it obviously it would be better to do a longer trip but yeah of course but yeah I mean yes the golf course is that good I would be I would happy to do
One night yeah yeah at one night to at one night stay in in in Belfast and then the there’s enough courses in and around Belfast Royal Belfast Etc um and and and just combine it with around that
County Down as well yeah of course yeah yeah yeah I was just trying to get like a sort of measurement on how good it is like you know would it be worth go into the airport get in the flight
Over just to play around yeah nice right okay so obvious County Down definitely want to play I mean there’s going to be so many you know that you just has has to be played so maybe a couple
Trips in Ireland is what you need let’s go down a little bit Ballybunion I’ve seen some footage of this um oli in the marketing department took some fantastic drawing footage it looks incredible what are your thoughts on Ballybunion okay so I unfortunately haven’t been lucky enough to play
It it’s on my list I’m going to try to do it this year but I know Martin you’ve played it yeah once again quite quite a few years ago but yeah very very memorable again um you know it’s
Another for me a bucket list course that if you are heading to the southwest of Ireland you need to be ticking that off and including it in your itinerary yeah um it gets booked up very quickly
As well obviously there’s a lot of Americans that will come over because it’s on obviously the the Southwest you know Coast so it’s easy for them to to get in and out um so yeah again you need
To book in advance two two courses there um and you know both both very very challenging links but obviously the bucket list is the old so so it’s located in County Kerry and has been claimed to
Have won been the number one course in Ireland why is that well I get I guess once again it’s it’s it’s a classic links golf course um you know it’s it’s it’s quite unusual you’ve got a graveyard off
To the right of the first uh first hole which I’m sure takes a lot of drives into it yeah yeah so a lot of a lot of people’s kind of uh rans begins in the graveyard so yeah yeah yeah and ends there
Yeah so but once once again you know meander in its way fairways and on three dunes and and just a beautiful beautiful place to play golf yeah um it still is the number one uh in South Republic
Of Island yeah 100% a bucket list course again yeah that you know and and that’s born out by the fact that you know it’s really hard to get tea times yeah yeah you know so going South West want
To play so what would be I mean here’s a question I’m putting you on the spot now if I was to have a trip and I wanted to go Dublin City play some courses around great Dublin how long would it take
About I think it’s about three three and a half hours cross country so it’s not the easiest but it’s doable is it worth it that’s the that’s the question if you if if Dublin was your main one you
Wanted to visit Dublin in the city is it worth a three three and a half hour drive well you could argue you you might want to stop a day of Adare Manor on the way stay there at night venue of the
20 27 Ryder cup break up the journey break up the journey but it’s definitely you know this is what this is what this is what I love whenever I come up with the question you guys just better it like
Why why just drive straight there why not that’s what we do that’s what we do this is why is so amazing because it’s got so many places that you know as golfers we all you know we all love golf
Yeah you just need to visit these places we we like to think we know a little yeah being modest now being being modest and kind of suggest the best itinerary to a to a client yeah so that would
Be my first response to you would be why drive all the way there you know you don’t want to be spending seven hours in a car one day yeah break it up stop off another great game of golf and I’d
Be if I was the customer fantastic idea that that is what I’m going to do okay so southwest playing golf there some other courses oh one of my favourites that I’ve ever played worldwide is TR
Yeah yeah um it’s it’s a fascinating golf course you kind of start in a bit of a Parkland type course and then you end up in a two links it’s fantastic yeah um but once again not the only one
Down there that’s the whole beauty of southwest of Island the itinerary that you can put together for clients is phenomenal yeah yeah i’ I’ve heard a lot of good things about courses in the southwest would you say that that’s potentially one of the most popular areas within the whole
Of Ireland to play golf yeah 100% oh yeah 100% I think pound for pound it probably will go up against most places in the world for you know you’ve got Kanani as a base which is great and
Life great pubs traditional you know Irish music and then within one hour you can hit Ballybunion, Waterville you know so you’ve got incredible golf courses all within a similar you know distance yeah they’re spread out a little bit Yeah whereas if you’re in Dublin yeah yeah a
Bigger bigger Tralee is yeah there’s transport you know to think about when you’re in in in Southwest Ireland whereas with Dublin you can you can use generally use taxes and stuff like that yeah yeah because the concentration of golf courses in Dublin is so much greater yeah but they’re worth
A visit and worth the hour drive aren’t they yeah oh absolutely God yeah yeah yeah so you know what stands out for me is that when I went to Ireland I played great Dublin played the links
Of European Club I thought all of those courses just incredible but the fact that South West is most popular makes me believe like what are the courses like they are they like a just complete
Another level they are they are and and and then once again like we touched on at the beginning was you know the warmth you get down in the southwest you could you know is is is terrific once again is
Phenomenal there’s nowhere like it no in the world for me you know it’s just incredible yeah yeah and we’re so lucky to have it just over there I know nothing flying to C nothing yeah perfect so a lot
Of these courses that we have mentioned they are Championship courses what other sort of courses around Ireland is there to stand out well I can’t believe we’ve not spoke about Portrush is yeah how do we forget yeah it’s almost like it doesn’t need mentioning it’s like it’s that well known and
Great yeah but no go on so they had the open there in 2019 for the first time in 50 odd years which was a massive success um they’ve got it again 2025 so we already got packages ready to go for that so
If anyone’s looking for that let us know we can you know sort you out um I was lucky enough tiger was there that year I was lucky enough to be there saw saw tiger which was incredible and again just
An amazing place I haven’t played it Mark I know you’ve played it yeah very but lucky to walk it and see how incredible it is but yeah what’s it like well my my favourite type of golf is Links
Golf so once again it’s a real bucket list course to play um you know you go out um starts a little bit in land but then you you you work your way out to about the fifth hole I think it is sits right
By the side of the ocean and then you you come back and uh it is it is phenomenal once again you know like Cy down the hole in front of you is what you’re playing and and how tough is it is it tough
Yeah Calamity corner is it well you’ve got this I think it’s the 16th okay where you go across this kind of Ravine type thing where Shane Larry was a for iron hit in that in that rain and wind
Whatever and as soon as he hit that green that was basically the Open Championship one um it hit that was a phenomenal r a golf that he put together to win that yeah Bucket List was for me 100% I’ve
Heard it a lot and I remember speaking to Darren Clark our ambassador on an interview and he just kept on speaking about it like yeah yeah you know the whole you know just some of the par fre they
Just look incredible you know just so inviting but so challenging yeah yeah tough but you know one one to one to play nice yeah and once again it you know just down the road you’ve got other
Great golf courses put it put it together as an in an itinerary and you know put it in with yeah basically highlighting to me that you have got endless amounts of fantastic courses to play in
Ireland full stop Yes full stop that’s the video done there we go so that’s the best golf courses in Ireland thank you Sam thank you Mar so much for giving us your your expert tips if you do want to
Book a golf holiday to Ireland then do give your golf travel a call and you might be speaking to either one of these experts to book your next golf holiday if you like the idea of Ireland for your next golf holiday visit yourgolftravel.com to look at our incredible packages!
