Planning Your Journey

• Introduction
• When to Go
• Getting There
• Getting Around
• Advance Starting Times
• What to Take
• Where to Stay
• What It Costs
• Communications

Golfing in Ireland is rather different than spending a week on the Costa del Sol or at an American golf resort. With a few exceptions, you will not be patronizing a golf resort a golf resort at all. Instead, you are accepting the hospitality of fellow golfers. Generally, you will be travelling the narrow, unfamiliar roads of rural Ireland, and staying in cosy bed and breakfasts that often double as people's homes. If you are on a tight schedule or consider the words 'vacation' and 'surprise' to be incompatible, the many tour companies (both within Ireland and in Great Britain) which arrange all-inclusive golf holidays to Ireland are worth investigating. Many specialize in self-drive holidays -- they arrange for accommodation, starting times and a rental car, and the rest is up to you. Some also offer guided tours, in which a group of eight or more golfers travels in a chauffeured minibus with a number of other golfers. Differences in price between various packages have much more to do with the type of accommodation chosen than any other factor (with the exception of the increasingly common helicopter tours aimed at the very rich). The most expensive tours use large hotels, while the cheapest will likely use bed and breakfasts. It is always a good idea to talk to someone who has used the company before -- not merely to check on the company's reliability but to help you decide which kind of tour is best for you. The advantages of trips arranged in advance with a tour company are obvious. The most important may be the rapidly increasing popularity of golf travel to Ireland (it is estimated that approximately one-quarter of a million people visit on golf trips annually) and thus the need to book the most popular courses months in advance. As well, using a tour operator means that less advance planning is necessary on your part, there are few surprises and you may travel with a bunch of like-minded people who could become friends (a guided tour holds particular attractions to those who may be travelling on their own). The disadvantages are just as obvious. You are somewhat insulated from your Irish hosts, there's little flexibility should you want to stay in one place for an extra day (or if poor weather spoils your round), you won't experience the thrill of finding the perfect pub or bed and breakfast on your own and you may find yourself cooped up with that one obnoxious character you can't stand. Self-drive tours offer more flexibility and privacy than guided tours, though they still stick to a pre-planned schedule, which very likely includes pre-paid and non-refundable green fees if you are playing the country's top courses. So, for a real cultural experience, there is nothing like the excitement and pleasure of planning, and taking, your own journey. This section will help you do just that.

There is no reason to think of Ireland as a summer destination only. One of our most enjoyable trips was taken in early November. The weather, such as it is, does not change all that much throughout the year (especially in the southern part of the country). It is rare for the temperature to fall below forty degrees Fahrenheit or climb above seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit. The links courses are generally open to visitors year-round (with a few notable exceptions, such as Tralee), and spring and fall are the driest times of the year. In November and March the courses are not in as fine condition as they are in the summer, but as compensation you will often have them to yourself. And the compulsory use of artificial grass mats on the fairways during the winter, so common in Scotland, has not generally caught on in Ireland (though it's worth asking in advance). One important difficulty with off-season golf travel is the amount of light available. In June in Portrush it is light until 10:30 p.m., but dusk begins to fall at 4:00 p.m. in the winter months. For first-time visitors, the best times to travel are probably from the beginning of May to mid-October.

Links of Heaven contains several itineraries for golf journeys in Ireland which vary according to the number of days available and the arrival and departure points used. There are multiple daily flights to Dublin from Heathrow, Gatwick, Stanstead and Luton, as well as many other British airports, and the options range from Aer Lingus, British Airways and BMI (British Midland), to discount airlines like No Frills, Ryanair and Aer Arann. For those who prefer to drive their own vehicle, there are ferries from Holyhead to Dublin / Dun Laoghire, Fishguard to Rosslare, Cairnryan (Stranraer) to Larne, and Liverpool to Belfast and Dublin, among others. From the United States and Canada, Aer Lingus has flights to Dublin and Shannon from New York (JFK), Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles. Delta (JFK) and Continental (Newark) also have non-stop flights from New York. Several airlines (including British Airways) offer flights to Dublin and Belfast, via London, from several North American cities. Air Canada offers direct flights to Dublin, then on to Shannon, from Toronto in the summer months only. In the summer months, there are charters to Dublin, Shannon and Belfast from various North American cities.

Getting Around

If you have not driven your own vehicle, it is a good idea to book a rental car from home, rather than doing so in Ireland. This will almost always be the most cost-effective option, and it is not unheard of for all available cars to be rented out at Shannon Airport, say, in the busy summer months. A detailed map is a necessity in Ireland, especially if you are intent on finding some of the more remote links we have described. The Michelin road map of Ireland is excellent, as is the Ireland Driving Map produced by Ordnance Survey Ireland. Even with a map, however, you will get lost from time to time. When you are reviewing the map and estimating the amount of time it will take to drive from point A to B, count on progress of thirty to forty miles per hour. Of course, it is possible to make better time on the (still relatively rare) motorways, but narrow and twisting country roads lead to many of the great Irish links, particularly in the west and northwest. Most roads pass through a string of towns which will slow your progress. In some rural areas, livestock on the road remains a real possibility. Also, note that road signs in the Republic can give distances in either miles or kilometres. The old white signs express distances in miles, while newer, green signs give distances in kilometres. Note, though, that there are also new white signs which give distances in kilometres -- these will have a small 'km' above the number. To add to the confusion, the locals often don't refer to a road by its 'official' name, especially in rural areas. Asking for directions can be a gamble, but is almost always entertaining..

Tee times at most of the courses featured in Links of Heaven must now be arranged well in advance, sometimes several months in advance. Most of the famous links of the southwest, for example, began allotting their 2007 tee times in the autumn of 2006. This is particularly true if you are planning to travel between June and September, when demand is at its greatest. Be sure to inquire whether green fees are for a round or the day, and to specify if you wish to play more than once. If you do, be sure to leave yourself enough time for lunch -- Irish clubs will often estimate a pace of play that is quite fast. If you plan to hire a caddie, this should also be specified to the club in advance. Many Irish clubs say they require a letter of introduction (from your home club) and/or a handicap certificate in their official literature, but we have never been asked to produce either of these items. Nevertheless, it would be wise to carry one along if you have one, just to be on the safe side. In recent years, many Irish clubs have added an on-line booking component, to their web sites, making a homemade Irish tour that much easier to arrange, in our view. At a few of the more traditional clubs, better results may still be achieved by politely contacting the club secretary directly, however.

Motorized buggies are now disturbingly commonplace in Ireland. Nevertheless, trolleys (pull carts) remain the most sensible, and widely accepted, form of club transport in the country (we know of only one course in all of Ireland, Old Head, on which trolleys are banned). Caddies are also available at most of the larger clubs, but visitors are only 'strongly encouraged' to employ them at Doonbeg and Old Head, in our experience. A caddie can add considerable expense for those on a budget, but a round played under the care and guidance of an experienced Irish caddie can be a rare treat, and well worth the cost. We recommend you try a caddie at least once.

As the departure day approaches, try to pack as lightly as possible. Rental cars in Ireland are not big (even the station wagons) and four golfers sharing one car will have problems if they have brought more than one soft-sided suitcase and a relatively compact golf bag each. Having said that, there are certain essentials. The first is a reliably waterproof rain suit and either one pair of comfortable, fully waterproof golf shoes or a second pair to wear when the first becomes waterlogged. On links courses, umbrellas are more often than not a nuisance in the ocean wind. Two or three all-weather golf gloves will be useful, and some golfers swear by the 'rain gloves' that are now designed specifically for play in wet weather. Bring one wool and one cotton sweater, a wind shirt, and one cotton turtleneck shirt, even in July. A sports jacket and tie is required apparel in certain parts of a few clubhouses, so check in advance with the clubs you will be visiting. Finally, bring enough golf balls to see you through your trip, and lots of tees and pencils. These will not always be available in abundance.

There are few worries when it comes to accommodation in Ireland. The options range from invariably excellent bed and breakfasts to luxury hotels, manor homes and castles. A good starting point is the Irish Hotels Federation Be Our Guest guide (for hotels and guesthouses) or the Town and Country Homes Association's annual comprehensive listing of Bed & Breakfast accommodation. As well, the Irish Tourist Board has some very informative publications.

Both 'guest houses' and 'town and country homes and farmhouses' are, generally, what we would call bed and breakfasts (B&Bs). The difference is that a guest house must have at least five bedrooms for rent. A large guest house is pretty much indistinguishable from a small hotel. A town and country home or farmhouse may have fewer than five bedrooms and can be more intimate - you will often have breakfast in the proprietor's own dining room, and they will invariably take a personal interest in your journey.

Hotels have certain advantages though. They may have more amenities, like a bar which is required to stay open as late as you wish, a television in your room and an en-suite bathroom, and there is a certain element of coming and going as one pleases which may not be present in a small B&B.

A third option is to rent an entire house or cottage. There are some wonderful properties available at very reasonable prices, but the obvious disadvantage is being restricted to the area in which your cottage is located. The Irish Tourist Board produces a comprehensive publication called Ireland Self-Catering Guide which lists all of the houses available and gives details on how to book. Bookings are generally made by the week.

Budgeting is a very personal matter. While prices in Ireland should not be overly surprising to most residents of Great Britain, North American visitors will raise their eyebrows more than once. The sustained economic boom in Ireland has led to extraordinary inflation in some aspects of golf travel, most notably green fees, which have roughly tripled in the last decade at many of the championship links courses. As you can see from the summary at the end of each of the principal chapters, high season green fees now range from 40 to 200 euros, and in a few cases beyond. Apart from green fees, travellers planning to stay at bed and breakfasts should budget a minimum of 40 euros per day for accommodation (higher in the major cities), and a similar amount for food and drink. There are, of course, high-end hotels (sometimes in grand castles) and restaurants in Ireland where it is possible to spend five times this amount. Competitive and up-to-date prices for air fare and rental cars are easily obtained from any reputable travel agent, including several listed on our Distinguished List of Web Links, or from the Internet generally.

The currency of Northern Ireland is the pound sterling, while that of the Republic is the Euro. It may be useful to obtain a small supply of euros before leaving home, but automatic teller machines are plentiful in Ireland. Credit cards are widely accepted too, but note that many smaller B&B operators will accept cash only.

Throughout Links of Heaven we have given telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses, for the various golf clubs. The system of telephone numbers in Ireland continues to be upgraded, as some numbers are currently five digits in length, while others have been updated to six or seven digits. As the number of new telephones continues to increase, the five digit numbers will be lengthened by one or two digits. Note also that all of the area or city codes which precede the actual telephone number begin with '0'. When in Ireland, the '0' must be dialled, but if you are calling from Great Britain or North America, the '0' is ignored. When dialling from overseas, the country code for the Irish Republic is 353, and for Northern Ireland it is 44, the country code for all of the United Kingdom. Therefore, to call Ballyliffin from Britain, for example, one would dial: 011-353-74-937-6119. There are also special prefixes required to make a call from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland, and vice versa. To call the Republic from Northern Ireland, begin the call with 028. To call Northern Ireland from the Republic, begin with 048, rather than 028.

Ireland has a high rate of mobile phone usage, with the total number of cellular subscriptions exceeding the total population of the country. Text messages are an increasing popular way to communicate. Cellular coverage, both for telephones and communication devices such as Blackberries, is excellent across the entire island, even in remote outposts such as Carne. Be cautious when using your home mobile phone in Ireland, however, as roaming charges can mount very quickly. If you plan to make a number of calls, renting a local mobile phone may be the best option. In order to make calls from a public telephone, it will be necessary to purchase a Callcard (known as a Phonecard in the North).

The authors of the web page have done their best to ensure the accuracy of the information presented herein. However, they can accept no responsibilty for errors, omissions or any other inconsistency, nor for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by any traveller in reliance on the information or advice contained herein. Travellers should note that conditions and prices can change rapidly, and that they should consult their travel agent, airlines, hotels, embassies and golf clubs for up-to-the-minute information.