How to Plan a Golf Trip to Ireland

12 Important Decisions for Your Journey

If you're considering a golf trip to Ireland, you're not alone. The Emerald Isle is home to some of the world's most iconic links courses, as well as stunning landscapes, warm hospitality, and rich cultural traditions. All of which draws an ever-growing number of golfers from around the globe to its storied fairways.

But planning a golf trip of this caliber isn’t as simple as picking a few courses and booking a flight. The most successful journeys come down to a series of key decisions. Getting them right can make all the difference.

Whether it’s your first time across the pond or your fifth, this guide walks you through the 12 most important decisions to make when planning a golf trip to Ireland—built upon our decades of experience serving the members of over 1,700 private clubs.

Prefer the quick version? Here’s a visual overview of the 12 decisions every group should consider when planning an Ireland golf trip. You’ll find expanded guidance on each one below.

How to Plan Ireland Golf Trip Infographic

1. Type of Trip

Before you think about destinations or tee times, define what kind of experience you’re planning. A couples’ trip, a buddies’ getaway, or a family golf vacation each requires a different approach.

A couples golf trip might include fewer rounds, refined accommodations, and time for cultural experiences. A buddies’ trip could focus on top-tier golf from sunrise to sunset. For a family golf trip, you may want an itinerary that keeps both golfers and tourists engaged.

At H&B, we design every trip around the group’s dynamic and individual preferences. Whether you're traveling with lifelong friends, your spouse, or three generations, we shape the itinerary to match the experience you're after.

2. The Invite List

Choosing your travel companions is just as important as choosing your courses. The best golf trips are built on shared expectations, good chemistry, and a group that travels well together.

Think beyond playing ability. Are they early risers or late sleepers? Adventurous or traditional? Focused on golf or equally interested in enjoying the Good Life?

From a logistical standpoint, consider building your group in multiples of four. Many of Ireland’s top courses book tee times as fourballs only, and even numbers also help with rooming arrangements. Uneven groups can work, of course, but they may require added flexibility and planning.

If you’re still unsure who to include, we’ve created a guide to help you make the right decisions for a smooth, memorable journey: Who to Invite on Your Golf Trip Across the Pond.

3. Your Budget

It’s important to have an open conversation about budget early in the planning process. Aligning budget considerations within your group ensures a smooth experience—both before and during the trip.

Since every H&B Expedition is fully customized, there’s flexibility in how much you invest. Your budget will be shaped by choices such as the regions you explore, the courses you prioritize, and the accommodations you select.

Some groups prefer to focus on Ireland’s most storied links and stay in landmark hotels. Others choose to mix Ireland’s marquee courses with a few that are less publicized but every bit as rewarding.

Whatever your preferences, we’ll help you design a journey that aligns with your goals, standards, and expectations. The following guide will help you better understand the key decisions that will drive your total price: How Much Does an Ireland Golf Trip Cost?

"When we started putting this trip together almost 2 years ago, having H&B as a partner in the planning process was the best decision we made. Your experience and knowledge of what elevates a good trip to a GREAT trip came through every day of our journey. One of the guys summed up the trip as we were walking down a fairway at Adare Manor on our first day in Ireland by saying, "My soul is smiling." That feeling only grew deeper with each passing day."

Bill Graves, Kirkbrae Country Club

4. DIY vs Enlisting an Expert

Planning a golf trip to Ireland is more complex than most expect. On average, it requires 40 to 50 separate reservations—from tee times and hotels to dining, transportation, and everything in between.

You’ll need to coordinate with multiple golf clubs, many of which have limited availability, especially for visitor tee times. Add in accommodations that book out a year in advance, driver-host schedules, group preferences, and the occasional last-minute change, and it becomes clear this isn’t a trip you want to manage alone.

The question is: do you book it yourself, or partner with a golf travel company?

At Haversham & Baker, our planning team is composed entirely of current and former PGA Professionals. We speak the language of golf and understand the standards of private club travel. From tee times to dinners, every detail of your custom Ireland golf trip is handled with the same precision you’d expect at your club’s Member-Guest or Club Championship.

5. Stock vs Custom Itinerary

When evaluating golf travel companies, one of the most important questions to ask is: Will your itinerary be custom-tailored or pulled from a template?

Many tour operators offer “packages” that look appealing at first glance, but are actually pre-built itineraries with limited flexibility. These often prioritize attractive price points and what’s easy to arrange rather than what’s best for your group.

When you travel with H&B, your Ireland golf trip is 100% custom-designed. We begin by learning about your group—the mix of golfers and tourists, your pace preferences, preferred courses, and travel history. Then, we create a tailor-made itinerary that reflects your goals, not ours. No templates. No shortcuts.

Because you’re planning a golf trip to Ireland that should be uniquely yours.

6. Who is Driving

Next to your invite list, few decisions will impact your group’s experience more than how you’ll get around Ireland.

While a self-drive golf trip may seem adventurous, it often introduces more stress than spontaneity. Navigating narrow rural roads on the left side, coordinating tee time arrivals, and managing group logistics can quickly take the joy out of the journey.

That’s why the vast majority of H&B Expeditions opt for a dedicated driver-host—a seasoned professional who not only handles transportation in comfort and style but also acts as a concierge, storyteller, and local expert.

They're as essential to a memorable journey as the rounds themselves.

For more insight, this guide covers the benefits of hiring a Driver-Host for your golf trip.

"Definitely recommend using a driver for the trip. Made for less stress and much better overall experience of Ireland. Enjoy every minute!"

Terry O'Toole - Coldstream Country Club

Download Your Ultimate Guide to The Emerald Isle

The Complete Guide to

Ireland Golf Travel

What's covered in this free 40+ page guide:

The best regions for golf in Ireland.
Tips for making the most of your trip.
Where to enjoy the Good Life between rounds.
Lesser known courses you should play.

Plus links to over 50 additional guides and resources.

By downloading up you agree to receive marketing communications from Haversham & Baker and have read our privacy policy.

7. When You Go

Ireland’s golf season runs from late April through early October, with May to September offering the most favorable conditions for sunshine, firm fairways, and long daylight hours.

But there’s more to choosing the best time to play golf in Ireland than just weather. Availability at Ireland’s premier golf courses—like Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, and Old Head—often books up 12 to 18 months in advance. Hotel availability and driver-host schedules follow a similar trend.

Your personal calendar, group preferences, and travel goals also play a role. Prefer fewer crowds? Seeking mild weather but lower demand? These nuances help shape the ideal window for your journey.

At H&B, we’ll help you navigate all of these variables to determine not just when you can go, but when you should.

8. Where You Go

Ireland is home to so many world-class links courses, no single trip can cover them all. The key is to avoid overdoing it. Focus on one or two distinct golf regions and leave the others for your next Ireland golf trip.

We'll help you select the right regions based on your goals—whether it’s maximizing legendary courses, minimizing transfer time, or enjoying the perfect blend of Golf and the Good Life.

"I have traveled to 75 countries in my life. I have golfed many of the top 100 golf courses of the world. I just returned from a Haversham & Baker trip to Ireland. It was my number one favorite trip of my life. They arranged a first class trip including the most elegant hotels, top courses and delicious eating establishments. I’m truly impressed with their guidance, kindness, preparation and the price we paid was fair and commensurate with what we enjoyed."

Judge Jonathan Colby – July 2024

9. Where You Play

Once you’ve selected your regions, the next decision is just as crucial: which courses will earn a spot on your itinerary?

Ireland boasts a who’s-who of world-renowned links:

Royal County Down – Ranked #1 in the world by many
Royal Portrush – Host of the 2019 and 2025 Open Championship
Lahinch – A quirky, historic masterpiece
Old Head – Ireland’s most scenic course, perched high above the Atlantic
St. Patrick's Links – Dramatic newcomer to the World Top 100

But beyond the headliners, there are standout courses like Dooks, Enniscrone, The Island, and Ardglass, which often become our travelers’ favorites.

With limited time and tee sheets that fill quickly, it’s essential to prioritize based on your group’s preferences and your ability to plan in advance.

10. How Much Golf

Some groups want to maximize every moment on the course, opting for multiple 36-hole days. Others prefer to pair world-class golf with sightseeing, pub culture, or simply some well-earned downtime.

Whether it’s six rounds in four days or the reverse, H&B builds an itinerary that reflects your pace and ensures no one returns home needing a vacation from their vacation.

The first key, however, is to be honest with yourself in terms of how much golf the body can physically handle. Most travelers will play more golf in a weeklong golf trip than they might in 2-3 months back home.

"There is no question that I will use H&B on my next golf trip. You guys were amazing and made everything so easy. It felt like all that I needed to do was just get myself on the plane and show up to have the time of my life."

Michael LeBlanc – Cape Cod National Golf Club

11. What to Pack

When you get to this point in your planning, it’s important to remember the most common advice from H&B travelers: Pack less.

While Irish weather is famously unpredictable, modern golf apparel makes it easy to be prepared without overpacking. In addition to our golf trip packing guide, here are some key items we recommend:

Quality waterproof rain gear
Two pairs of golf shoes
Layered clothing (light base layers, half-zips, vests)
Apple AirTag (in case your airline sends the bag astray)

There’s an old adage when it comes to travel: Pack twice the money and half the clothes. Golf trips to Ireland aren’t much different.

12. Where to Next

For most H&B travelers, this question begins to form before they’ve even boarded the plane home.

Whether Ireland is your first foray into overseas golf or your tenth, it rarely ends with just one trip. Maybe next time you’ll explore Scotland, the birthplace of the game. Or return to Ireland to visit regions you missed or courses that left you longing for another loop.

At Haversham & Baker, we’re in it for the long game—not just to plan a trip, but to become your lifelong partner in golf travel. For the members of over 1,700 private clubs, we’ve become exactly that.