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Golf guide • Ireland • County Kerry

Golf in Tralee: Arnold Palmer's links on the Atlantic

Tralee, the county town of Kerry at the head of the bay of the same name, is the ideal base for Tralee Golf Club, the only course Arnold Palmer designed in Ireland, opened in 1984 on the dunes at Barrow. Dooks, one of the oldest links in the country, and two characterful nine-hole courses, Castlegregory and Ballyheigue Castle, complete the trip, with Ballybunion and Killarney about forty minutes away. The best season runs from April to September.

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The town's Irish name, Trá Lí, means the strand of the Lee, the small river that flows into Tralee Bay here. To the south, the Slieve Mish mountains close the horizon and mark the entrance to the Dingle peninsula; to the north-west, the coast opens onto miles of dunes and beaches. Tralee is a working town rather than a postcard village, known throughout Ireland for the Rose of Tralee, its August festival.

For the golfer, everything starts at Barrow, about twenty minutes to the west, where Tralee Golf Club settled in 1984 on land Arnold Palmer judged ideal for a course. The club has existed since 1896 and moved three times before finding these dunes. Around the bay are two engaging nine-hole courses, and Dooks, founded in 1889, waits on the other side of the mountains, on Dingle Bay.

The town also has location on its side: Ballybunion to the north and Killarney to the east are each about forty minutes away, and Kerry Airport twenty-five minutes. In the evening, you come back into town for dinner or for traditional music and dance at Siamsa Tíre. Three to five nights allow Tralee, Dooks and a nine-hole course to be played without rushing, with a day added at Ballybunion or Killarney.

The courses

Links green below a ruined stone tower on a rocky headland, beach and ocean in the background

Tralee Golf Club

  • Architect: Arnold Palmer
  • Opened 1984
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Opened in 1984, Tralee Golf Club is the only course Arnold Palmer, assisted by Ed Seay, designed in Ireland. The front nine is played on fairly flat links land beside the bay, where the wind does most of the work. The back nine changes scale: it crosses tall dunes, with tees and greens perched on plateaux above the beach. Palmer is said to have summed it up thus: he designed the front nine, God the back. A par 72 of nearly 7,000 yards from the back tees, it calls for a solid game and a good caddie.

Signature hole. The 3rd, The Castle, is a par 3 of nearly 200 yards played to a green overlooking Barrow harbour, with a ruined tower behind and left of the green. At the 17th, Ryan's Daughter, a 355-yard par 4, you must carry a ravine; the hole takes its name from the film shot on the nearby beach.

Official website

Dooks Golf Links

  • Architect: Eddie Hackett; Martin Hawtree (2006)
  • Opened 1889
  • 18 holes

Founded in 1889 by officers of the Royal Horse Artillery, Dooks is the oldest club in Kerry. At first a nine-hole course, it regained its eighteen holes in 1970 on the advice of Eddie Hackett, before being reworked by Martin Hawtree between 2003 and 2006, with new greens. Just over 6,500 yards, but with heavily contoured greens and an almost constant view of Dingle Bay and MacGillycuddy's Reeks. More intimate than the county's great links, it suits every level. Allow about 45 minutes from Tralee.

Signature hole. The 13th, a par 3, is known for its spectacularly undulating green, which the golf press likens to a rollercoaster.

Official website

Castlegregory Golf Links

  • Architect: Arthur Spring
  • 9 holes
  • Par 34

This nine-hole links lies at Stradbally, on the Dingle peninsula, between Lough Gill and Brandon Bay, about thirty minutes from Tralee. The club revives an old tradition: a course already existed in the area at the end of the 19th century. The present layout, designed by Arthur Spring, was built from 1989. Mount Brandon to the west, the Slieve Mish to the south-east: the setting alone is worth the trip. Played twice, it makes an 18-hole round of 5,876 yards, par 68, ideal for a lighter day.

Official website

Ballyheigue Castle Golf Club

  • Architect: Roger Jones
  • Opened 1996
  • 9 holes
  • Par 36

Opened in 1996 in the grounds of Ballyheigue Castle, this nine-hole course designed by Roger Jones plays among tall beeches, across some forty hectares overlooking Tralee Bay, Banna Strand and the Slieve Mish. The ruins of the Crosbie family's castle, burned in 1921, form the backdrop. Played twice for a full round, it is a wooded, more sheltered course, useful when the wind makes the links hard going. It is about twenty minutes from Tralee.

Official website

Where to stay

Ballyseede Castle

Five minutes east of the centre, Ballyseede bills itself as Kerry's only castle hotel. The house stands in about a dozen hectares of gardens and woodland, with marble fireplaces, Doric columns and a grand oak staircase. Some of the castle rooms have four-poster beds; the O'Connell restaurant serves cooking built on Irish produce. Donkeys and ponies greet guests at the entrance.

Ballygarry Estate Hotel & Spa

Run by the McGillicuddy family for three generations, the Ballygarry is a four-star hotel set on some sixty hectares on the edge of Tralee. There are rooms, suites and wooden cabins in the grounds, the Nádúr spa, Restaurant 58, a brasserie and Owen Mac's bar. A comfortable, quiet address within reach of every course in north Kerry.

The Ashe Hotel

On Maine Street, right in the centre, The Ashe is a four-star boutique-style hotel, named Munster's Boutique Hotel of the Year at the 2025 Irish Hotel Awards. Eclectic décor, Alfie's cocktail bar, a terrace and a well-regarded afternoon tea: the right choice for groups who want to walk back from the pub after dinner.

Crenellated grey stone house with two towers, a lawn, stone steps and tall trees in autumn colours

Where to dine

Spillane's Bar & Restaurant

At Fahamore, at the end of the Maharees peninsula near Castlegregory, the same family has run this pub and restaurant for some fifty years. Come for crab claws landed at the pier next door, Cromane mussels and grilled steaks, served from 5pm. Combine it with a round at Castlegregory; check opening days out of season.

Tralee Golf Club Restaurant

The clubhouse at Barrow has one of the finest views any club can offer: a picture window over most of the holes on the course and the Atlantic. The restaurant serves coffee before your round, then a menu of local produce all day. The post-round pint of Guinness is part of the ritual.

Beyond golf

Banna Strand and Roger Casement

About a dozen kilometres north-west of Tralee, Banna Strand lines up kilometres of sand and dunes twelve metres high, facing the Dingle peninsula. This is where Roger Casement landed from a German submarine in April 1916, before being arrested. A monument, erected in 1966, recalls the episode. A walk on the beach pairs easily with a round at Barrow or Ballyheigue.

Siamsa Tíre, the folk theatre

In Tralee's Town Park, Siamsa Tíre is the National Folk Theatre of Ireland. Its programme mixes traditional music and dance, contemporary theatre, exhibitions and workshops, and keeps alive knowledge handed down to younger generations. An evening performance is the best way to end a day of golf without getting back in the car.

The bay's wetlands

At Ballyard, on the edge of the bay, the Tralee Bay Wetlands Centre protects reed beds, marshes and channels designated as a Special Area of Conservation. An observation tower overlooks the lake and the Slieve Mish, and naturalists lead electric boat trips through the reeds. Migratory birds stop here throughout the year.

Long sandy beach backed by grassy dunes, walkers in the distance and mountains on the horizon under a changing sky

When to go

The ideal season runs from April to September: long days, courses in good condition and mild temperatures, rarely very hot. May, June and September often offer the best balance of weather and crowds; August is busier because of the Rose of Tralee. The Atlantic brings wind and showers in every season. Winter remains playable on the links, which drain quickly, but the days are short and the wind harsher.

Getting there

Kerry Airport (KIR), at Farranfore, is about 25 minutes from Tralee and has flights from several European cities. Shannon and Cork, better served, are about two hours by road. Trains link Tralee with Dublin via Killarney and Mallow. Once there, a car with driver remains the simplest way to move between courses.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course in Tralee?

Tralee Golf Club, at Barrow, designed by Arnold Palmer and opened in 1984. It is a par-72 links of nearly 7,000 yards, whose back nine crosses tall dunes above the Atlantic.

Can visitors play Tralee Golf Club?

Yes. Visitors book tee times online, and the club offers caddies, all of them members. The high season runs from mid-April to early October.

Which golf courses can you play around Tralee?

Tralee Golf Club and Ballyheigue Castle, each about twenty minutes away, Castlegregory about thirty and Dooks about 45 minutes. Ballybunion and Killarney are about forty minutes away.

Which airport is best for a golf trip to Tralee?

Kerry Airport, at Farranfore, about 25 minutes away. Shannon and Cork, about two hours by road, offer more flights.

How many days do you need for a golf trip to Tralee?

Three to five nights: enough to play Tralee, Dooks and a nine-hole course, then add a day at Ballybunion or Killarney.

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Links fairway between tall marram-covered dunes, a beach and the ocean beyond, golden evening light
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