Ireland's Rankings... The Comparisons

The 14th at Rosapenna (Sandy Hills)

Over the last year or so there have been five major rankings of Irish golf courses. These come from an Irish magazine and four UK golf media. The ranking comparisons are shown in the table below.

The top 30 courses according to Golf Digest Ireland (GDI) are in the left hand column - call these the benchmark as they're taken from the Top 100 Irish Golf courses. The remaining rankings are alongside, showing which Irish courses make the top 100 GB&I ranking. The overall GB&I ranking is then shown in brackets.

Tralee Golf Club (Golf Digest Ireland Event)

Lone golfer heads down the 1st, the sun setting
behind the Slieve Mish Mountains.

Four and a half hours to drive from Wexford to Tralee Golf Club - not forgetting the 15 minutes to get lost in Tralee town - and you have 285 minutes of sitting on your butt in a car. I'm surprised there was any feeling left in my legs when I stepped onto the tarmac of the golf club, on the Co Kerry coastline above Barrow Bay...

... but never have 285 minutes been so worth it.

US Veterans Experience Ireland's Greatest Golf Courses

This is not a site you see every day on an Irish golf course, but it is certainly an inspirational one.

It is pure coincidence that when I was in Wales a few weeks back I met a golfer at Celtic Manor who had one artificial leg and, later that day, I followed a threeball at Royal Porthcawl who were accompanied by the club's blind President. It quickly makes you realise that golf is one of those sports you can always play and always enjoy... as 11 US veterans are experiencing on a special trip to Ireland's greatest courses.

[Photo: B.J. Jackson tees off the 1st at Ballybunion. Courtesy of Golf Digest Irish Tours]

Through the efforts of Linton Walsh (Editor, Golf Digest Ireland), over 40 Irish tourism companies have banded together to make this trip a reality for the 11 golfers (9 men and 2 women) and family members.

It's a 12 day trip, which started in Ballybunion and includes the likes of Tralee, Royal County Down, Portmarnock, Dooks, Waterville and Ballybunion, obviously. The weather at Ballybunion looked perfect for links golf - let's hope the next 10 days behave accordingly so these guys can experience everything that Irish golf (and hospitality) has to offer.

A number of US golf journalists are travelling with the group, so if you want to keep up to speed on where the veterans are playing and what they're up to, follow Golf Digest's Managing Editor Roger Schiffman on Twitter.