Help with planning Ireland trip?

[Cooler4477]

Hi All! I am new to posting to the forums, but have been reading for some time.

I am in the beginning phases of planning a trip to Ireland for 8 friends.  We are all fairly serious golfers (HC's from 5 to 15).  Are there any advice/resources/articles/websites anyone can suggest to help me plan? All I find online are the packaging/travel companies and I could really use some guidance from folks who have done this before (none of us have been to Ireland before).

Each of us are on a limited budget so we are trying to plan something that will give us the 'real' experience, but won't break the bank (probably 3 to 5 rounds over ~4 days).  We'd all be flying from east coast airports.

Any help or thoughts would be very much appreciated.

Cheers,

Cooler

[mkrolewski]

I have never golfed there. That could be really fun.

My only comment is that the travel time by car is slower that you might expect. So give yourself lots of time to travel. Especially if you hit  a country road (most roads). Almost 2 lanes between stone walls is hard to drive at speed. It is scaring driving on the "wrong" side of the road, with your mirrors in the ivy on the walls so the car coming the other way can pass. The locals do it well.

Get a gps. The signage is poor, mostly at major  intersections which can be spaced 10-50 miles apart.

Another thing is that the cars are small -- watch out of lack of luggage space especially club space.

The people there are quite nice. Visit a local pub or two for sure.

[kmarkham]

Originally Posted by Cooler4477

Hi All! I am new to posting to the forums, but have been reading for some time.

I am in the beginning phases of planning a trip to Ireland for 8 friends.  We are all fairly serious golfers (HC's from 5 to 15).  Are there any advice/resources/articles/websites anyone can suggest to help me plan? All I find online are the packaging/travel companies and I could really use some guidance from folks who have done this before (none of us have been to Ireland before).

Each of us are on a limited budget so we are trying to plan something that will give us the 'real' experience, but won't break the bank (probably 3 to 5 rounds over ~4 days).  We'd all be flying from east coast airports.

Any help or thoughts would be very much appreciated.

Cheers,

Cooler

Cooler,

Not sure how far you've got with your planning, but drop me a line if you're still looking for advice/recommendations. I'm Irish, have a golf blog and would be happy to give you a steer. It just depends on what kind of golf you want to play (i.e. big names or great value - or both) and when you want to come. Personally I'd start by looking at the north west (fly to Shannon) and play Carne (aka Belmullet), Enniscrone and Rosses Point - the big links in the area - and then try Strandhill (quirky links). It's superb golf, but perhaps without the bragging rights of Ballybunion etc. You'll find photos of all of these on my Flickr page .

Where to stay? Carne is far enough away that you'll want to stay there for at least one night (to be honest, you'll want/need to play the course twice, too), then stay in Sligo town for the rest of the trip. There's a great buzz to the place. If you want specific recommendations - let me know.

Mkrolewski makes valid points about driving, but I'd like to think we're slightly nicer than 'quite nice'!

[acs9331868]

Golf - Pub, Golf - Pub, Golf - Pub, Golf - Pub.  There is your itinerary.  Just kidding.  Let us know all about it when you get back.

[Malvern]

I did a trip with some mates from London when the Euro and the Celtic tiger were roaring so golf at that stage was outrageously expensive in Aussie dollar terms. Given events since then I presume things are more resonanble. My caddie at Lahinch had lived in Australia, we went out for some drinks with them in town and they were taking the piss because I paid as much for one round as they did for a years fees.

I think it's about planning where you really want to play and then working around that as a plan. Royal County Down is a must play, so you know you will be driving north from Dublin, do you push on and play Portrush, perhaps County Louth, that sort of thing.

The drivng is easy for me however I suspect Americans will have a coronary at the "gas" prices. Make sure you car isnt a manual. Given you are on a budget, I presume an escorted tour thing is off the menu.

I played predominately in the southwest, Waterville, Tralee, Lahinch, Ballybunion but as the man with the blog points out these will likely be expensive. Heaven for golfers. You can still fly from Dublin into Shannon for all these.

Good luck, it's a fantastic place. Food is shite, stick to the black stuff.