Old Head Golf Links

Old Head Golf Links is easily in the most unique location of any golf course on the NCG Top 100s: Great Britain & Ireland list. This is simply down to the fact that the course is surrounded by the sea, sitting as much as two miles out into the Atlantic Ocean.

It is located at the very southern tip of the Republic of Ireland, with the aerial view of the golf course, and the surrounding ocean, being one of the most used pictures in golf. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, good scoring at the Old Head Golf Links depends on the direction and ferocity of the wind. If its a still day, then scores are there to be had, but good luck if that wind gets up!


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The Old Head of Kinsale dates back some 350 million years ago, with the sandstone rock being formed around that time in the earth's history. The Lusitania passenger liner was sank just off the coast of the Old Head in 1915, with more than 1,000 people losing their lives.  

In 1989, John and Patrick O'Connor bought the 220 acres of land on the Old Head with the aim of creating a world-class golfing establishment. They certainly managed that!

The pair commissioned Ron Kirby, a world-renowned golf course architect, and former Ryder Cup player Paddy Merrigan, to design the course. The course opened in 1997, eight years after the O'Connors had acquired the land.

The course has only been around for three decades, but it has quickly become one of the most well-known courses not only in Ireland, but in the world. It is surely a bucket-list golf course for the majority of golfers to play at some point in their lives. 
 

The Old Head Golf Links has a range of teeing options to suit ability and handicap, with only the very best (or the biggest idiots), taking on the course from the Championship tees at more than 7,100 yards. It is surrounded by water on three sides, and the views are spectacular throughout, just don't let those distract you from the task at hand!

You can gather your senses on the 1st, which is a gentle opener. The 2nd tee is where the thrills begin. It is advisable to hold on to your hat. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th are golf holes without comparison. They hug the Atlantic, and with a breeze off the sea, they are not for the faint-hearted.
 
'Trust the wind,' a caddie will preach. Easy to say but harder to do as shot after shot will start life over miles of ocean. These holes don't just offer spectacular views – they give you choices, angles to negotiate and interesting green complexes. Old Head has arrived in your memory and these holes will stay there.
 
When you get to the 7th tee, the sea is back, this time to your right. From here you can fully appreciate the uncommon sliver of land that links Old Head to the mainland. The 8th and 9th take you across the centre of the promontory, a gentle par 5 offering you a scoring chance which is immediately snatched back with a tough par 4 to finish the front half. 

The 10th is another reachable par 5 that sweeps left to right off the tee, and requires a second shot to clear a wasteland shy of the green, while the 11th offers a taster of the thrills to come as you send a mid-iron across a pit with the ocean to your left.
 
12 is a par 5 like no other. The tee sits atop the highest cliffs and provides you with a view that begs you to take on an impossible carry. Under strict instructions you aim further right than is plausible and blast out into an expansive fairway, leaving you a view into a green site perched like a crow's nest on the most extreme point of the course. If you were constructing a golf hole on a computer game, you may well end up with this one. It is immense, bonkers and beautiful, and indeed is the signature, some might say. 

The 13th is brand new, and you would have to say a triumph. It asks you to hit a short iron to a green buried into the cliff side. It is short on yards, long on charm and anywhere else would be the stand-out hole. Old Head is nowhere near done with you yet though.
 
Perhaps the architectural genius of the routing of Old Head is that it uses the land to the max. It blows your mind at the start, provides you with respite through the middle of the round and builds to a climax. With that in mind the 14th eases you back down to the western edge and you are buckled in for a four-hole stretch that offers almost everything.
 
The 15th is a short 4, a shorter version of the 14th at Cruden Bay. Then comes the toughest of the 3s, one that is championship in stature. 17 is a monster of a par 5, and it's followed by one of the very best finishing holes. All four are played along the cliff edge, three with the ocean to the right, before turning back to the clubhouse for the monumental last hole.
 

Where is the Old Head Golf Links located?
Old Head Golf Links is situated on the Old Head of Kinsale at one of the southernmost points of the Republic of Ireland. The Old Head juts out into the Celtic Sea, as part of the North Atlantic Ocean. Kinsale itself is a few miles to the north, while the city of Cork is 25 miles away.

 

Cork is home to the nearest train station to the Old Head Golf Links, the same distance away. Trains run to Cobh and Dublin on a regular basis. The closest airport to Old Head Golf Links is Cork Airport, which is between the city and the golf cub, around 20 miles from the venue.

 

Are there any other NCG Top 100s: Ireland venues nearby?
The duo of Fota Island and Cork, both on the northern side of the city of Cork, are around 25 miles from Old Head. After that, Killarney - home to the Killeen Course and the Mahony's Point Course - is the nearest venue to Old Head, but it is 65 miles to the northwest.

What golf facilities does Old Head Golf Links offer?  
Along with the championship venue, and the championship setting, Old Head Golf Links also has a full-length driving range with target greens at different distances. There is also a dedicated short game area and putting green as well.
 

What are the green fees at Old Head Golf Links?
The price of a green fee at the Old Head changes throughout the year, depending on the season. However, it is not readily available on their website. 

 

Instead, non-members wishing to play can inquire about booking a tee time using the number +353 (0) 21 4778 444 or by using the inquiry/contact form on their website.


Visit Old Head's website here.
Go back to the NCG Top 100s Homepage.