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Ireland |
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 During the nineteenth century Ireland was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in Ireland is owned by the Department of Defence and is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852. The Curragh Golf Club however, was not founded until 1883, two years after the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and two years prior to the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Undoubtedly golf in Ireland dates back way beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the world’s premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock. | |
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 |  | | Ballybunion (Old) | | As you drive from the historic town of Ballybunion, along the winding road to the golf club, your eyes feast upon the most spectacular links land imaginable. |
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|  | | Lahinch (Old) | | Lahinch Golf Club is an enchanting place to play golf. It’s rugged, distinctive, unusually varied and immensely entertaining. |
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|  | | European Club | | The European Club is located in the garden of Ireland, between the coastal towns of Wicklow and Arklow, about 30 miles south of Dublin. |
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|  | | Portmarnock (Old) | | ”I know of no greater finish in the world than that of the last five holes at Portmarnock”, said Bernard Darwin |
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|  | | Waterville | | Waterville plays on a promontory surrounded by the sea. It’s a stunning, remote location... |
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|  | | Old Head | | Laid out on a narrow headland, jutting out for two miles into the Atlantic Ocean, Old Head Golf Links has to be one of the world’s most exhilarating sites... |
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|  | | Carne | | The Carne links at Belmullet is the late Eddie Hackett’s swan song and many reckon it’s his finest design. |
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|  | | Tralee | | Palmer has designed a course that will stimulate the senses every bit as much as the enchanting and breathtaking scenery. According to folklore, Palmer created the first nine and Mother Nature did the rest. |
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|  | | Doonbeg | | Doonbeg is the course that Greg Norman built - his one and only architectural ensemble in the whole of the British Isles.
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|  | | Rosapenna (Sandy Hills) | | Rosapenna's fabulous new Sandy Hills course was designed by Pat Ruddy and opened for play in July 2003.
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|  | | Ballyliffin (Glashedy) | | Ballyliffin is often described as “the Ballybunion of the North” or “the Dornoch of Ireland” and the reason is simple; all the aforementioned are set amidst towering natural sand dunes. |
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|  | | Enniscrone (Dunes) | | The location is ravishing; Enniscrone is set on a promontory, which juts out into Killala Bay at the mouth of the Moy Estuary. |
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|  | | County Louth | | The approach road to the links of County Louth, or Baltray as it is better known, named after the local fishing village, is especially uplifting. |
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|  | | Druids Glen | | Druids Glen is the kaleidoscope of golf courses, for there is more colour here than at any other course in Ireland. |
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|  | | Island | | The Island is a no-frills golf course. There is nothing manicured and it’s all very harmonious and in tune with its surroundings. |
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|  | | Mount Juliet | | The course at Mount Juliet is set in lush, rolling parkland, part of a 1,500 acres old Irish country estate with an 18th century mansion as the clubhouse... |
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|  | | K Club (Palmer) | | The K Club is probably the most opulent golf resort in Ireland. This is where an Irish piper will greet you as you switch off your helicopter. |
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|  | | County Sligo (Championship) | | County Sligo – or Rosses Point, as it is better known – is an exhilarating west coast links, situated in the heart of Yeats country. |
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|  | | Adare Manor | | Undoubtedly Adare Manor is a dashing, stylish resort, with an excellent championship course attached – one of the best inland tracks in Ireland. |
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|  | | Carton House (Montgomerie) | | The Montgomerie course at Carton House hosted the 2005 Irish Open. Although not a links course, it looks and plays like one. |
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