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Golf guide • Ireland • County Clare

Golf in Lahinch: MacKenzie's links on the Atlantic

Lahinch, a seaside town in County Clare on Ireland's Atlantic coast, is home to one of the country's great links: the Old Course, laid out from 1892, revised by Old Tom Morris and then redesigned by Alister MacKenzie in 1927. The club's Castle Course and the Doonbeg links, about 35 minutes away, complete a stay of three to five nights among dunes, surf and the Cliffs of Moher. The best season runs from May to September.

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Lahinch sits at the head of Liscannor Bay, on the north-west coast of County Clare. The village owes its growth to the West Clare Railway, opened in 1887, which made it a Victorian seaside resort; the line closed in 1961, but the vocation stayed. A long sandy beach, a promenade lashed by the swell and colourful houses facing the open sea: Lahinch is also one of Ireland's great surf spots, and you pass as many wetsuits as golf bags.

Golf is the first language here. The club, founded in 1892, has thirty-six holes on either side of the road: the Old Course, one of the most respected links in Ireland, and the shorter Castle Course, which plays around the ruins of Dough Castle. The Old Course hosted the Irish Open in 2019, and the South of Ireland Championship has been played there as a match-play event since 1895.

To the south, about 35 minutes along the coast, the Doonbeg links offers a third round of the first rank. To the north, the Cliffs of Moher and the limestone plateau of the Burren fill half a day. Three to five nights are enough to play the Old Course twice, try the Castle and Doonbeg, and keep a morning for the coast. Ballybunion, across the Shannon estuary, has its own guide.

The courses

Links green in a hollow of the dunes, a revetted bunker in the foreground, a flag and grey sea on the horizon

Lahinch Golf Club, Old Course

  • Architect: Old Tom Morris; Alister MacKenzie (1927); Martin Hawtree (1999)
  • Opened 1892
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Golf has been played here since 1892; Old Tom Morris reworked the layout in 1894, then Alister MacKenzie redesigned it in 1927, bringing several holes closer to the bay and shaping multi-tiered greens. Martin Hawtree restored its spirit in 1999. A par 72 of 7,066 yards from the back tees, the Old Course is played between tall dunes, with unapologetic blind shots, uneven lies and a wind that changes the reading from one day to the next. Jon Rahm won the 2019 Irish Open here. A demanding course, best kept for players at ease on links.

Signature hole. The 4th, Klondyke, is a short par 5 whose second shot crosses a huge dune blind; it is followed by the Dell, a par 3 whose green hides between two dunes, invisible from the tee.

Official website

Lahinch Golf Club, Castle Course

  • Architect: John D. Harris
  • 18 holes
  • Par 70

Laid out in the mid-1970s by Commander John D. Harris, across the road, the Castle Course runs down to the Corcass, a strip of tidal land beside the Inagh estuary. A par 70 of just over 5,100 metres, it is shorter, less rugged and more forgiving than the Old, but defended by well-placed bunkers and a few water hazards. The ruins of Dough Castle, which give it its name, form the backdrop to the 7th. Ideal for finding your legs on the day you arrive.

Official website

Trump International Golf Links Doonbeg

  • Architect: Greg Norman; Martin Hawtree (2014–2016)
  • Opened 2002
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Opened in 2002 to a design by Greg Norman, then extensively reworked by Martin Hawtree between 2014 and 2016, the Doonbeg links runs for about 2.5 kilometres along the crescent beach of Doughmore Bay, among centuries-old dunes. A par 72 of 6,885 yards from the back tees, it plays as a single out-and-back loop, nine holes out and nine home, with a rare feature: five par 3s and five par 5s. Golf Digest named it the best new international course in the year it opened. Allow about 35 minutes by road from Lahinch.

Signature hole. The 14th, a par 3 of only 111 yards, is played facing the Atlantic: depending on the wind, it calls for a sand wedge or a 3-iron.

Official website

Where to stay

Vaughan Lodge Hotel

A thirty-room hotel in Lahinch run by the Vaughan family, hoteliers for several generations. The rooms are spacious, breakfast is home-made, and the hotel restaurant serves à la carte from Tuesday to Saturday evenings. Open from April to November, it welcomes loyal golfers who return every season for the Old Course.

Gregans Castle Hotel

An 18th-century manor near Ballyvaughan, in the heart of the Burren, Gregans Castle has welcomed travellers since the 1940s and has been run by the same family since 1976. The house holds a Michelin Key and its restaurant is listed in the Guide: a choice stop for combining golf with the Burren. Allow about 45 minutes by road to the Lahinch club.

Trump International Hotel Doonbeg

The Doonbeg resort brings together, around its links, rooms, suites and rental cottages, the White Horses Spa and several restaurants, facing the dunes of Doughmore Bay. Riding, falconry and archery keep non-golfers busy. Staying on site lets you play Doonbeg early in the morning, then reach Lahinch in about 35 minutes for the next day.

Whitewashed house with a slate roof behind a dry-stone wall, above a rocky coast in the evening

Where to dine

Barrtrá Seafood Restaurant

Opened in 1988 in Lahinch, Barrtrá is all about local fish and shellfish, meat and garden vegetables. An unfussy restaurant, true to its produce, for dinner after a round on the Old Course. Opening days vary with the season: check before booking.

Vaughan's Anchor Inn

In Liscannor, a few minutes from Lahinch, this pub founded in 1979 by John and Annette Vaughan has become a seafood address praised by the Michelin Guide. The third generation now runs the kitchen, and the room keeps its maritime memorabilia and its large aquarium. A few rooms upstairs.

Homestead Cottage

In a two-hundred-year-old cottage in Doolin, about twenty minutes to the north, this small Michelin-starred restaurant works regional produce with unadorned precision: wild John Dory, Burren Shorthorn beef. Stone floors, wooden tables and a terrace for the sunset. Book directly; closed Monday and Tuesday.

Beyond golf

The Cliffs of Moher

About ten kilometres to the north, the Cliffs of Moher stretch for 14 kilometres and reach 214 metres near O'Brien's Tower, built in 1835. Their layers of sandstone and shale shelter tens of thousands of seabirds in the warmer months, puffins among them. A coastal path links Hag's Head with Doolin; at the end of the day, the low light is at its finest.

The Burren

Just to the north-east, the Burren unfolds the largest karst landscape in Europe: bare limestone pavement where lime-loving and acid-loving plants grow side by side, along with twenty-three of Ireland's twenty-seven orchid species. The national park, free to enter, has waymarked trails from half an hour to more than three hours, starting from an information point in Corofin.

Surfing on Lahinch beach

Lahinch beach is one of the strongholds of Irish surfing: in 2006, forty-four surfers rode the same wave here, a record. Several schools in the village offer beginners' lessons and hire out wetsuits and boards. An early session before an afternoon tee time is enough to understand how people here relate to the Atlantic.

Tall sandstone and shale cliffs dropping sheer into the Atlantic, gulls on the clifftop grass, golden light

When to go

The golf season runs from May to September: long days, mild temperatures rarely above twenty degrees, and firm, fast links in summer. The wind blows in every season and rain can fall on any day: pack waterproofs. April and October remain playable, quieter but cooler and windier. Winter is mild but wet and often stormy; the links can be played, in much harsher conditions.

Getting there

Shannon (SNN) is the nearest airport, about 50 minutes by road via Ennis. Galway is about 75 kilometres to the north-east. To continue to Ballybunion, the Killimer–Tarbert ferry crosses the Shannon estuary in twenty minutes all year round. Public transport is limited: a car, or a car with driver, remains essential for reaching Doonbeg and the coast.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course in Lahinch?

The Old Course at Lahinch Golf Club, a links redesigned by Alister MacKenzie in 1927 and restored by Martin Hawtree in 1999. It hosted the Irish Open in 2019 and ranks among Ireland's great links.

Do you need a caddie to play the Old Course at Lahinch?

Yes, the club asks visitors to take at least one caddie per group on the Old Course. Without a booking, it provides at least a forecaddie.

What other golf courses can you play near Lahinch?

The club's Castle Course, shorter and more forgiving, and the Doonbeg links, designed by Greg Norman and reworked by Martin Hawtree, about 35 minutes to the south.

Which airport is best for a golf trip to Lahinch?

Shannon, about 50 minutes by road. A car is still needed locally to move between courses.

When is the best time to play golf in Lahinch?

From May to September, when the days are long and the links firm. April and October are quieter but cooler and windier.

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