The Quick List
For those who just want the list — here it is. Keep reading for the full story behind each course.
Narin and Portnoo Golf Club, Donegal — from €60
Lough Erne Resort, Fermanagh — from £60
Slieve Russell Golf Club, Cavan — from €65
Cruit Island Golf Club, Donegal — €80
Woodenbridge Golf Club, Wicklow — €45
Arklow Golf Club, Wicklow — from €45
Carlow Golf Club — from €30
Dunfanaghy Golf Club, Donegal — from €50
Blainroe Golf Club, Wicklow — from €50
Wicklow Golf Club — from €40
Gold Coast Golf Club, Waterford — from €37
Gweedore Golf Club, Donegal — from €30
I have spent the last few years playing some of the best golf courses in the world. Royal County Down, Portrush, Lahinch, Ballybunion, Rosapenna in Ireland. St Andrews, Carnoustie, Turnberry, Kingsbarns in Scotland. Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath, St Andrews Beach in Australia.
Every one of those experiences was incredible and I will keep chasing great golf courses for the rest of my life. I’m very lucky that social media has afforded me some incredible opportunities. I got to play these courses via a mixture of making content in exchange for the privilege of playing the courses, meeting some great people along the way who are members of others and have kindly invited me out to play with them while also just paying full whack for others. Golf is my biggest passion outside of family life and so I am willing to spend a reasonable chunk of change to play some top courses.
But I'm under no illusion that these experiences are accessible for everyone or what everyone wants to spend their money on. Premium golf is either out of reach for a lot of people or just not what people might choose to spend their hard earned money on.
Green fees that were once €100 are now €500. Courses that were once accessible have become bucket list items requiring months if not years of planning and serious budgets. I am not complaining — this is just how supply and demand works. But I also do not believe that great golf has to be expensive and I wanted to put together a list for people who love golf but just can’t justify spending €500 for a round.
I see it come up constantly in the comments on my videos on Instagram. People who love the game, who want to explore great courses, but who cannot justify spending €200 to €500 for a round. This list is for those people. The value hunters. The explorers. The ones who want a great game of golf without breaking the bank.
So this summer I put together a little project. I spent the season travelling the whole island of Ireland looking for the best value golf courses in the country (big shout out to Seed Golf for sponsoring the series).
Twelve rounds. Twelve courses. Some famous, most not. All worth your time and money. A big thank you to a very patient wife, Jess, who when I told her I was heading off to Waterford on a Monday evening or to Donegal for a few days would just roll her eyes as if to say, “here we go again” but as always, is incredibly supportive of my antics.
This is not a ranking of the twelve cheapest courses in Ireland. Value does not mean cheap. These are twelve courses that I believe are excellent — courses with real character, mostly great conditions and something to say for themselves — that still charge prices that feel accessible for most people.
A quick note on how I compiled this list
I did a lot of research before playing each of these courses so it was no small feat to make it onto this list. I also played more than twelve courses along the way. There were courses I thought would be great for this list that turned out not to be good enough to share. I will not name them but I say this to show that real work went into these twelve and I stand behind every one of them. So maybe you’ll bring up a certain course and say that it should be on the list. Chances are I played it but didn’t feel it cut the mustard.
But this is all subjective of course so if there is a course you feel I should add, leave it in the comments. I will try to play it if I haven’t already and see if it can break into the list. Honourable mentions should go to Mullingar and The Heritage which are great courses and great value too. I also know that price is an ever changing thing so this list could get outdated but as of September 2026, I stand by it.
A note on pricing
The fees listed are for Irish residents as of September 2026 and include standard green fee rates or open competition rates — which are often significantly lower than standard green fees. A number of courses on this list charge €150 or more as their standard rate but can be played for a fraction of that at certain times. I will call this out where relevant. International visitors may be charged different rates. Always worth checking with the pro shop before you book.
12. Gweedore Golf Club, Donegal — €30
Gweedore is a unique experience.
The club sits in one of the largest Gaeltacht areas of Ireland — a part of the country where Irish is the first language, GAA is the heartbeat of the community and every pub has a traditional music session going most nights of the week. It is about as authentically Irish as anywhere on the island.
The course itself is only 14 holes, split into two distinct sections — one inside the gates where the sheep roam freely, one outside where the humans do. On one side you have the Atlantic. On the other, mountains. There are some mediocre holes but there are also some beautiful holes overlooking the water.
This is not a course you will find on any top 100 list and it is not trying to be. It is a cool little track in one of the most culturally rich parts of Ireland and you can play it for €30. If you are planning a Donegal golf trip and want an authentic Irish experience beyond just the golf, Gweedore is worth the detour. Play the golf and head for one of the local pubs for a trad session after. The Guinness is good.
Green fee: €30
11. Gold Coast Golf Club, Waterford — €37
When you hear Gold Coast you probably think of Australia or California. This Gold Coast is in Waterford.
The name came from a local man out fishing along the bay one warm summer’s day. He looked back toward the land and saw a golden hue shining over the coastline. He turned to his mate and said — look, it’s The Gold Coast. The name stuck and eventually they named a golf course and resort after it.
Gold Coast is an enjoyable mix of tight tree-lined holes inland and open holes that look straight out over the beach. It is not a famous course and does not pretend to be. But on a summer evening with the light catching the water and the fairways opening up along the coast it is one of the most pleasant rounds you can have in the south east of Ireland.
Despite being on the east coast of Ireland which usually has spectacular sunrises, the way this course faces you actually get great sunsets. My recommendation — play it in the evening and watch the sun come down. You will see that golden hue for yourself.
Green fee: €37
10. Wicklow Golf Club — from €40 via open competitions
This is one of the most scenic golf courses in Ireland and I will admit upfront — I am biased. Wicklow Golf Club is in my home town. But I love it here.
Founded in 1904, Wicklow Golf Club sits on the cliffs an hour south of Dublin with views along the coastline. The first hole takes you toward the Black Castle overlooking the beach where, according to local history, St Patrick first landed in Ireland. When his crew came ashore they were attacked by the locals who knocked out one of their teeth. Wicklow — or Cill Mhantáin in Irish — translates to “the church of the toothless one.” The golf club is considerably more welcoming than those locals were.
The course stretches to only 6,000 yards off the back tees and it is hilly — you’ll get a workout and plenty of side hill lies — but every hill you climb comes with a view that makes it worth the effort. Standard green fees run between €60 and €80 but the club runs open competitions every week where you can play for around €40.
My suggestion — coffee at The Good Life in Wicklow town, a walk along the pier and an early morning tee time catching the sun rising over the horizon. The greens are among the best around and the scenery is spectacular. At this price point you will not get better views anywhere in the country.
Local tip — on the 6th hole the blue tees are set out on a little headland right beside the 5th green. Even if you are not playing off the blues that day, go check it out and maybe hit a sneaky drive to see if you can make the carry. You didn’t that from me.
Open competition rate: from €40
9. Blainroe Golf Club, Wicklow — from €40 via open competitions
Founded in 1978, Blainroe sits on the cliffs an hour south of Dublin — just down the road from Wicklow Golf Club. Another declaration of bias: Blainroe is the course I am a member at. I would argue there is a good reason for that.
The front nine takes you inland before the back nine opens up along the clifftops. The signature hole is the 14th — a drivable par 4 where your tee shot plays over the cliffs — and the course has its own private beach if you fancy a swim after your round. Meaghamore, one of the best surfing beaches on the east coast, is two minutes down the road.
The club invested €500,000 in course improvements in recent years. Standard green fees run from €90 to €140 but open competitions run throughout the year where you can play for under €50.
Open competition rate: from €40
8. Dunfanaghy Golf Club, Donegal — €50
Dunfanaghy sits on the edge of Sheephaven Bay in the north west of Donegal and it is where a young Paul McGinley learned to play the game before going on to captain Europe to Ryder Cup victory.
But what makes Dunfanaghy special in my eyes is the wider context. This part of Donegal makes one of the strongest cases for the best golfing county in Ireland. A few miles out to sea sits Tory Island — the most remote inhabited island in Ireland, which has its own king chosen by the islanders themselves. The most recent king was a painter called Patsy Dan Rodgers who held the role until he passed away in 2018. His job was simply to speak for the people and welcome strangers to the island.
The course is going through an exciting upgrade — many of the greens that were historically hidden in the dunes are being elevated to take advantage of the extraordinary views across Sheephaven Bay. It is already a great course and it will only get better.
A few miles down the road, Narin and Portnoo did exactly this kind of upgrade project and went from outside the top 100 in Ireland to inside the top 20. Dunfanaghy is following the same path.
Green fee: €50 · Groups of 8+ from €35
7. Carlow Golf Club — open competition, €30
Carlow is one of Ireland’s original championship courses. Every year it hosts the Carlow Scratch Cup, won over the years by the likes of Padraig Harrington and Joe Carr. Ireland is famous for its links courses along the coast but the majority of golf courses in Ireland are parkland — out of roughly 450 courses on the island, over 350 are parkland. Carlow ranks highly among them.
The course was built around the turn of the 20th century and later redesigned by Tom Simpson — the same man who designed County Louth, Ballybunion and Morfontaine in France, the number one golf course on continental Europe. Gene Sarazen was granted lifetime membership here. Sarazen was also the first player to ever win the career Grand Slam that Rory McIlroy recently completed. All of this to say — Carlow is a golf club forgotten by many but it has a deep history for those interested.
Modern technology has taken away some of Carlow’s teeth but for about €30 in an open competition you can play one of the great Irish parkland championship courses.
Open competition: approximately €30
6. Arklow Golf Club, Wicklow — €45 open competitions
Between Hogs Head in Kerry and Royal Dublin on Bull Island in Dublin — a 650km stretch of road along Ireland’s south east coast — there are currently only two true links golf courses open to the public. Rosslare and Arklow. None in Cork (Old Head is a phenomenal golf course but not a links), none in Waterford, one in Wexford and one in Wicklow.
Arklow is a cracking links track along this coastline. The first eight holes are top class. It then mixes in some parkland holes but Arklow stands firm as a really good golf course worth visiting.
It is probably the best winter golf course in the south east of Ireland. Rain never really closes it, the only thing that gets it is frost. They run a brilliant open competition every Friday — 18 holes, great prizes, counting toward your handicap. It is easy for an Irish golf course to look great from April to October but Arklow is usually in good shape through the winter months too.
Brittas Bay Club and Curracloe are opening soon which will take this coastal stretch from two links courses to four. Arklow is one of my favourites on this coastline — especially in winter.
Open competition rate: €45
5. Woodenbridge Golf Club, Wicklow — €45
Ireland’s most famous amateur, Joe Carr — the first Irish member of Augusta National — once described Woodenbridge as the Augusta of Ireland. You might assume he was exaggerating. But he was also Ireland’s first ever Augusta member so he knows what he is talking about.
Set in a valley called the Vale of Avoca, Woodenbridge is surrounded by forestry on all sides with a river meandering through the course and a railway track running alongside it. Several people who watched my content from here said it looks more like Banff Springs in Canada than an Irish golf course. I have not played Banff Springs but I understand what they mean.
Golf has been played at Woodenbridge since 1884. For a hundred years it was a nine hole course before a second nine opened in 1994. Across the road sits Ireland’s oldest hotel — the Woodenbridge Hotel — which was the honeymoon destination of Éamon de Valera and the location of secret meetings between Michael Collins and the British army in the early 1920s.
If you enjoy Irish history and great golf in a beautiful setting, Woodenbridge checks every box. And you can play it for €45.
Open competition: €45
4. Cruit Island Golf Club, Donegal — approximately €80
This might be the best nine hole golf course in the world. When you think nine holes you might assume it cannot be serious golf — but it is the real deal. I am not sure there is a more spectacular golf course anywhere in the world where you can walk in and pay less than €100 for a round.
To get there you drive down a road barely wide enough for one car, cross a small bridge past a shipwreck and arrive at what feels like the edge of the world. When I told the locals I was playing here they all gave me the same smile — as if to say, you have absolutely no idea what you are getting yourself into.
They were right.
In 1982 the island was home to 83 people and barely enough land for nine holes. A group of local men secured a 99 year lease from a bishop, mapped out the routing themselves and built the entire course using a 1950s tractor, old lawnmowers and shovels. To raise the funds they got Daniel O’Donnell to hold a concert. He has been a lifetime member ever since.
I put a story up on Instagram asking if anyone wanted to join me. Three lads showed up. Luke drove six hours from Wexford. Andrew and Cillian came from opposite ends of the country. We had one of the best evenings on a golf course I can remember.
Cruit Island is not a famous course. It is not trying to be. It is a nine hole course on the edge of Donegal built by a community of 83 people with a tractor and some shovels. For the setting alone — one of the most dramatic pieces of coastline in Ireland — €80 is exceptional value.
Green fee: approximately €80
3. Slieve Russell Golf Club, Cavan — €65 midweek
Slieve Russell is a serious contender for the best value golf course in Ireland.
The course was built by Sean Quinn — once the richest man in Ireland — as a gift to the community of Cavan and Fermanagh. Quinn came from nothing, borrowed £100 to buy a gravel crusher at 15 and built a €4.7 billion empire from the land beneath his family farm. At the height of his success he built a five star hotel and championship golf course in one of the most economically neglected parts of the country. His story since — and the collapse that followed — is one of the most compelling in modern Irish business.
But the golf course is extraordinary regardless of the story behind it. Ranked in the top ten parkland courses in Ireland, with greens that on the day we played were as good as anything I encountered all summer. Courses of this standard typically charge €150 to €200. Midweek at Slieve Russell you can play for €65.
The gap between the price and the quality is the biggest on this list. I suspect it is only a matter of time before that changes.
Green fee: €65 midweek · Standard rate significantly higher
2. Lough Erne Resort, Fermanagh — from £60 twilight Monday to Thursday
Lough Erne is the number one ranked golf resort in Northern Ireland. Its standard green fee is £150. On Monday to Thursday evenings you can play it for £60.
In the late 1990s a man called Jim Treacy invested €30 million of his own money and borrowed heavily to build a five star golf resort on a 600 acre estate in his home county of Fermanagh. He brought in Nick Faldo to design the golf course and recruited Rory McIlroy as touring professional. In 2007 after ten years of work he opened Lough Erne Resort.
Then the financial crisis arrived and his bank pulled the plug. He was forced to sell the resort he had spent a decade building.
The resort was saved, transformed and is now genuinely world class — two courses, the Faldo course ranked in the top 50 in Ireland, voted the number one golf resort in Northern Ireland. And on weekday evenings you can play it for £60.
That is the value story of this list in one sentence.
Twilight rate: £60 Monday to Thursday · Standard rate: £150
1. Narin and Portnoo Golf Club, Donegal — from €60 open competitions
This, in my opinion is your best bang for buck game of golf in Ireland as of September 2026.
A few years ago Narin and Portnoo was not even ranked in the top 100 golf courses in Ireland. Today it sits at 19th. It is one of the great transformation stories in Irish golf — and it is still not as well known as it deserves to be.
The club started playing golf in this remote corner of Donegal over a hundred years ago. About ten years ago they made a serious bet. They commissioned a complete redesign from Gil Hanse and his partner Jim Wagner — among the finest golf course architects in the world. Greens were moved, tee boxes repositioned, the entire routing reimagined to take full advantage of the extraordinary duneland they had been sitting on for decades.
The first few holes are gentle and give little away. From the 7th onwards the course reveals itself completely and the final twelve holes are as good as anything in Ireland.
This is the most premium course on this list. I debated including it in a best value series. But Narin and Portnoo is genuinely world class, still underpriced relative to its quality, and for open competition rates it comes in at around €80 — extraordinary value for a top 20 Irish course.
If you only play one course on this list, make it this one.
Open competition rate: approximately €60 · Golf Ireland member rate: under €100
All prices are for Irish residents as of September 2026. International visitors may be charged different rates. Standard green fees at many of these courses are significantly higher than the rates listed — always worth calling the pro shop to ask about open competitions, twilight rates and group discounts before you book.
If this piece has convinced you to plan a golf trip around Ireland and you want someone to do the organising for you — that is exactly what Roam Golf is for. Head to roam-golf.com. We plan everything from luxury trips across Ireland and run events at some great courses across the island. As you’ll see from this piece, we know this island extremely well so if you want to play great golf in Ireland, feel free to get in touch.