Portmarnock is about more than just aesthetics. It is an Irish Muirfield and much like its Scottish counterpart, is adored by golf’s very best players.
Sometimes courses designed by famous golfers do not bear their hallmark but Portmarnock Links is very much in the mould of its creator, Bernhard Langer.
Unforced and endlessly varied, The Island is the most natural of links. Surrounded on three sides by water, this course is for those seeking the real deal in top-quality Irish links golf.
County Louth is a seaside course of rare consistency, beautifully draped across its landscape, only lightly bunkered and never forced.
The European is spectacular beyond belief in certain places, notably on the back nine when a succession of holes run parallel to the ocean.
From the moment you stand on the tee at The K Club Palmer, you sense an immense atmosphere and get the feeling that you are playing something very special.
Druids Glen is a gentle and soft experience. That is not to say it is easy - far from it - but the pristine and verdant fairways are often flanked by beautiful fauna and colourful flora.
For setting alone, it is hard to beat Royal Dublin, which stands on the golf-course-sized Bull Island and is accessed by a rickety wooden bridge.
The Carton House Montgomerie is a beast with its incredibly demanding bunkering. Not only are there lots of them, but they are horribly deep.
The new Irish home of the PGA, Slieve Russell has sheer scale and quality facilities, something that registers the moment you drive through the imposing gates.
