Kerry has the highest concentration of world-class golf of any county in Ireland. Ballybunion Old is in the world top 20. Waterville, Tralee and Killarney are all ranked in Ireland's top ten. And below the famous names, a tier of genuinely brilliant courses — Dooks, Ceann Sibéal, Ring of Kerry GC — that most overseas visitors never discover. This is our complete ranking for 2026.
Published May 2026 · GolfKerry.ie editorial team
There is no debate: Ballybunion Old is the finest golf course in Kerry and one of the greatest links courses in the world. Tom Watson called it his favourite course anywhere. It is ranked in virtually every credible world top 20 — Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, Golf Monthly — and the ranking is fully deserved. The course occupies clifftop linksland above the wild Atlantic coast at Ballybunion, and it is genuinely difficult to think of another 18 holes in the world where every single shot is played on terrain this dramatically beautiful.
The challenge is real: handicap required, Monday–Friday visitors only, mandatory caddies, green fees from €400 in mid-season. But for serious golfers, it is a once-in-a-golfing-career experience. The 11th hole (the cliff hole), the 6th (through the valley), the 7th (uphill plateau green) and the 15th (Pulpit) are four of the greatest holes in links golf.
Full Ballybunion Old Course guide →
Waterville is the remotest and arguably the most beautiful of Kerry's great links — set on a narrow strip of linksland between the Atlantic and Lough Currane at the far tip of the Ring of Kerry. Eddie Hackett's original design was subsequently improved by Tom Fazio, who softened some of the more penal features while preserving the elemental links character. The result is one of the most complete links tests in Ireland: 7,349 yards from the back tees, five sets of tees for all standards, and a setting that on a calm day is simply breathtaking.
Green fees are €60–€150 depending on season — excellent value for a course of this calibre. The club also has one of Ireland's finest caddie programmes.
Arnold Palmer's first European design — and a course that most visiting golfers rank among the most dramatic golf experiences of their lives. Tralee occupies cliff-top linksland at Barrow on Tralee Bay, and the back nine in particular — routed across and below the headland with views of the bay and the Dingle Peninsula — is as scenically dramatic as anything in links golf. The course is a par 72, 6,991 yards, with a handicap requirement and visitor-friendly management.
Six Irish Opens, manicured parkland, the Lakes of Killarney as backdrop — the Killeen is the most celebrated of Killarney Golf & Fishing Club's three courses and one of Ireland's great parkland tests. Unlike the links courses, it rewards target golf over bump-and-run; unlike most parkland courses, it does it in a setting of genuine world-class beauty. The 18th green beside Lough Leane is one of the great finishing holes in Irish golf.
Full Killarney Killeen guide →
Dooks is Kerry's best-kept secret among serious golfers. Established in 1889 — one of the oldest links in Ireland — it occupies a spectacular position at Glenbeigh between Dingle Bay and the McGillycuddy Reeks. It is less celebrated than Ballybunion or Waterville, charges less (€80–€120 depending on season), and plays considerably harder than its 6,272 yards suggest. For golfers who like discovering courses off the beaten track, Dooks is a treasure.
Robert Trent Jones Sr.'s 1984 design is more divisive than the Old Course but many experienced links golfers rate it harder. The dunes are bigger, the fairways narrower, and the demands from the tee more severe. Playing both Ballybunion courses in a single day is a rite of passage — Cashen in the morning, Old Course in the afternoon.
The Eddie Hackett/Ron Kirby heathland course at Templenoe is one of Kerry's most scenically dramatic — set between the Caha Mountains and Kenmare Bay on the Ring of Kerry road, 4 miles east of Kenmare. Green fees of €110–€125, no handicap required, and views that on a clear day justify the entire drive from Killarney.
Ireland's most westerly golf course at Ballyferriter on the Dingle Peninsula. An Eddie Hackett links with the Atlantic Ocean on three sides and the Blasket Islands visible across Blasket Sound. The wind is the dominant factor — what plays as a downwind par 4 in the morning can be an into-wind ordeal in the afternoon. Essential for golfers who have time to venture onto the Dingle Peninsula.
Peninsula course on Lough Leane — as beautiful a parkland location as exists in Ireland.
Accessible community parkland in one of Ireland's finest food towns — the natural pairing with Ring of Kerry GC.
Hidden gem 10 minutes from Killarney — 15th-century castle ruins, 200-year-old trees, no handicap required.
Elevated parkland above the River Maine with panoramic Reeks views — natural addition to a Ring of Kerry itinerary.
Killarney G&FC's 9-hole course — ideal for a second round, beginners or time-pressed golfers.
How to play Ballybunion, Tralee, Killarney and Dooks in a long weekend from Dublin or Shannon.
Green fees, best holes, caddies, the Fazio renovation — everything you need before booking.
Aghadoe Heights, Sheen Falls Lodge, Killarney Park — hotels and tee times for every budget.