Overlooking the wild Atlantic coastline on Ireland's southwest tip, the Cashen Course sits among even more dramatic dunes than its famous Old Course sibling. Designed by legendary architect Robert Trent Jones Sr. and opened in the 1980s, this course commands respect with its higher dunes, deeper valleys, and brutally undulating greens. The fairways pinch and tighten around blind corners; the greens demand absolute precision. On a stormy day—which happens often—the Cashen becomes almost unplayable, which is precisely why golfers keep coming back. Walking the rolling terrain with a caddie, you'll encounter holes like the clifftop 7th that skirt Cashen Beach and the closing stretch that tumbles back toward the clubhouse with barely containable drama.
Though perpetually overshadowed by the Old Course's fame, the Cashen Course has matured beautifully and now ranks among Ireland's elite tests. It rewards shot-makers who can shape the ball and punish the careless. The ground game exists in places, but most approaches demand an aerial attack. This is links golf in its purest, most unforgiving form—a place where 36 holes in a single day with the Old Course becomes an unforgettable Irish golf pilgrimage.
Robert Trent Jones Sr.'s dramatically difficult links set among towering dunes with Atlantic Ocean views and brutally undulating greens.
Ballybunion's legendary 1893 links, ranked among the world's finest, with coastal holes that are universally acclaimed masterpieces.