a — Golfing Gems on the Emerald Isle —

BALLYBUNION
OLD COURSE
BALLYBUNION GOLF CLUB
Sandhill Rd., Ballybunion
County Kerry, Ireland
Telephone: +353 (0)68 27146
Fax No: +353 (0)68 27387
E-mail: bbgolfc@iol.ie

        There are those who will say that Ballybunion's Old Course IS Irish golf. There are many (including the likes of Tom Watson) who say it is their favorite course in the world. Some say the course beguiles you with its beauty, then punishes you with its small greens, brutal rough and often fierce winds and rain. Others complain that the first 5 or 6 holes lull you to sleep then the course overmatches you with 12 consecutive unforgettable challenges. Whatever the review, Ballybunion always receives high marks. It is currently rated #7 in the world outside of the USA (and #3 in Ireland) by GolfDigest.com.

Old Course Length, Par & Rating:
   Championship Tees:  6,598 yards, Par 71, SSS 72
    Medal Tees: 6,209 yards, Par 71, SSS 70
    Forward Tees: 5,956 yards, Par 71, SSS 68
    Ladies Tees: 5,300 yards, Par 72, SSS 74

Open & Playable Year Round

Greens Fees: €150 per round
    • Play restricted to one round per day only;
    • Greens fees must be paid in full one month prior to play.
    • Special Offer: €200 Special combination fee for one round
        on the Old Course and one round on the Cashen Course.
        Both rounds must be played on the same day.

Minimum Handicap Required: Men-24, Ladies-36.
    Presentation of valid handicap certificate required on day of play.

Club Rental: YES, Pre-reserving recommended.
Pull Carts: YES, €3.50 per cart per round.
Motorized Carts: NO; caddies available, but number limited.
Caddies: can be booked in advance through Caddy Master; Tipping at the golfer’s discretion.
    Senior Caddie: Single Bag — €40; Double Bag — €70 (€35 per bag).
    Junior Caddie: Single Bag — €22.

Facilities:
    Driving Range
    Sand Bunker Practice Facility
    Chipping Green
    Putting Greens
    Clubhouse with restaurant and two bars
    Pro Shop

Bookings: from the U.S.: Tel 011 353 68 27146, or e-mail bbgolfc@iol.ie
Bookings should be made at least one month in advance.
Non-refundable, non-transferable full payment required within 28 days of booking.

Payments accepted in cash, check, or credit card.

Special Rules:
    • Play will be foursomes only.
    • Golfers are expected to arrive 30 minutes before their allocated tee time
        and must report to the office on arrival.
    • Names/payment must be entered in the Visitors Book and identification tags
        will be issued to all players for presentation to the starter.

Dress Code: Smart Casual required.
    • No singlets, sleeveless or collarless shirts; no untailored shorts;
       no garments displaying slogans; no track or leisure suits.
    • Trouser legs must never be tucked into socks.
    • Shirts must be tucked inside trousers.

Location: 1.6 miles south of Ballybunion village, on Sandhill Road in County Kerry, Ireland, on the mouth of the River Shannon.

Other Courses in the Region: Ballybunion is within reach of Home at First's Irish cottages in Counties Tipperary, Clare, and Cork, as are dozens of famed and relatively unknown gems of golf. See our Irish Golf Guide.

Nearest Home at First Lodgings:
    Central Ireland: 90 miles, 2 hours drive time. Drive south to Limerick on the N7.
        Limerick to Foynes (30 miles), and onwards to Ballybunion (30 miles).
    Glengarriff, County Cork, Southwest Ireland: 85 miles, 2.5 hours drive time.
        Drive north 43 miles to Killarney, then north 20 miles on the N22 to Tralee,
        then north 17 miles on the R556 to Ballyduff and 4 miles on the R551 to Ballybunion.

Special Offer: Home at First can pre-book rounds for you at Ballybunion and nearly equally famous nearby (County Clare) links shrine, Lahinch, as part of your Home at First's Ireland travel package.

HISTORY: Ballybunion’s first nine holes appeared in 1896—practically modern times by Scottish standards, but very early in Ireland. The site—a massive wasteland of dunes along the vast expanse of the Shannon Estuary—was a natural setting for the game. Thirty years later—after once folding up as a golf club—a revision of the site under the guidance of architect Tom Simpson resulted in the modern 18-hole Ballybunion Old Course. Although the course has been tinkered with and tweaked over the years (Tom Watson pruned it and helped restore it after some serious storm erosion), Ballybunion remains thankfully unchanged. The Old Course is a grand testimonial to the idea that "natural golf" is superior to golf played on tricked up, gadget courses, like desert courses with grassy fairways, dotted with water hazards and woodland.

THE OLD COURSE: Ballybunion's Old Course design has been attributed to many different hands over the years, but many golfers who play Ballybunion insist the architect is God. This classic links course on the rugged, windy, and stormy western (Atlantic) coast of Ireland is consistently ranked in the world's top 20, and often in the top 10. It is perhaps the big diamond in the crown jewels of superb links courses which run virtually around the Irish coastline. And it is this chain of courses that supports the old saw that the best Scottish golf courses are to be found in Ireland.         
        Ballybunion offers so many blind approaches and tricky conditions that first-time visitors need the help of a senior caddie to properly judge club (and shot) selection. The location of the first tee next to an old cemetery serves proper notice to many first-time visitors.
        Be advised that the fame of Ballybunion Old Course has made it crowded at all times of day in all types of weather conditions. Tee times made well in advance of play are recommended to get on here. And, while greens fees are high for Ireland, they are reasonable when compared to the fees charged to play top-ranked American courses. At Ballybunion, do expect sticker shock for souvenirs at the pro-shop.

SOME NOTABLE HOLES: A criticism of Ballybunion Old Course is sometimes whispered—as befits a shrine—that its first six holes are unremarkable and that the big test all comes at once on the back nine. We will grant that under sunny, warm, windless conditions, the course might leave such an impression on a low handicap golfer. But Ballybunion, and indeed most west coast linkses in Ireland, should not be considered apart from the weather that normally affects play. Only rarely is a round concluded without some rain or mist, and rarer still are days when the wind is not a factor of some significance.
        The first six, regardless of conditions, are neither pushovers nor warm-up holes. The 4th and 5th holes are long tests on this short course even without wind. Some of the early holes have no bunkers—always strange on a course amid natural dunes—but fairway bumps leave very few chances for flat stances.
        Ditto the 453-yard par-4 6th laid across the sea cliffs. The nearly constant wind here only makes this one play longer. Need a testimonial? British champion Nick Faldo placed the 6th in his personal "world’s best 18".
        The challenge, it might be fair to say, ratchets up a notch when you arrive at the seventh, where the Atlantic edges the length of the hole. At 155 yards the eighth looks short and protected among the dunes, but requires great accuracy to make par-3 possible. As does making a 4 at the 10th, except that at 362 yards it’s not that short, especially in the wind, and the protection here is in the form of 4 bunkers and two levels to a fast green.
        The frightening 11th hole (454 yards, par-4—Tom Watson’s favorite) requires courage and two low, long, straight shots in order to avoid Atlantic wind and rough dunes grasses. The problem is how to sneak up on the plateau green without being caught by conditions or overly distracted by the remarkable beauty.
        The toughest short hole on the card is number 15, another longish (212 yards) par-3 made treacherous even without wind and rain by bunkers on both sides of a teeward sloping green.
        The 16th,17th, and 18th holes offer no let-up in terms of challenge and scenic beauty. Your return to the very welcoming clubhouse will likely be a joyous relief.
        Is it any surprise that a growing number of top American pros make a links stop at Ballybunion immediately before hopping over to Scotland or England for July’s annual British Open?

        Never played links golf? Most Americans we ask tell us it’s surprisingly different, and that they like the difference. Travel with HOME AT FIRST and you’ll have the opportunity to expand even your golf horizons—even if the horizon is obscured by dunes grass and low, sweeping cloud.

        Ballybunion is within reach of Home at First's Irish cottages in Counties Tipperary, Clare, and Cork, as are many other famed and relatively unknown gems of golf. Most Irish courses require little notice for the reservation of tee times. Because Ballybunion and its nearly equally famous nearby (County Clare) links shrine, Lahinch, are in such demand, Home at First offers a special package of tee times at both courses exclusively to participants in Home at First's Ireland program.

Want to learn about other courses throughout the British Isles
including some of the greatest tests of golf in the world?
See our SCOTLAND, IRELAND, ENGLAND, and WALES Course Guides for more information.