courses-travel
The Best Links Courses in the UK and Ireland
A golfer's guide to the best links courses in the UK and Ireland, from the Old Course at St Andrews to Royal County Down, plus what links golf really means and when to play.
Links golf is the oldest form of the game, and nobody does it quite like the UK and Ireland. This is where golf grew up: on wild, wind-scoured strips of sandy ground between the farmland and the sea, where the turf is firm, the bunkers are deep and the weather writes half the story of your round. Play a proper links and you understand golf a little better than you did that morning.
This guide runs through the best links courses in the UK and Ireland, why each one earns its place, and the practical things worth knowing before you book. We have kept the picks to the genuinely great and the widely celebrated rather than a hundred honourable mentions, because a links trip is precious and the shortlist should feel special. If you are dreaming up a wider itinerary, our roundups of the most beautiful golf courses in the world and the ultimate bucket list golf courses make natural companions.
What "links" golf actually means
A true links sits on coastal linksland, the sandy ground that links the beach to the farmland inland. That origin shapes everything. The turf is firm and fast, so the ball runs and running approaches often beat high, soft ones. There are few trees, so the wind is the main defence and it can flip a hole from a wedge to a long iron on the same day. Expect firm greens, revetted pot bunkers, blind shots over dunes and weather that changes by the hole. Links golf rewards imagination, a low ball flight and a sense of humour.
The best links courses in the UK and Ireland, ranked
Ranking the greats is a lovely argument that never ends, so treat the order below as a strong starting point rather than gospel. Every course here is a genuine bucket-list links, and the right number one is really the one you get to play.
The best links courses in the UK and Ireland
The Old Course, St Andrews (Fife, Scotland)
The most famous course on earth and the spiritual home of the game. The Old Course has been played over for centuries, and its shared fairways, double greens, the Swilcan Bridge and the fearsome Road Hole 17th are known to golfers everywhere. It is a public course, so with planning and a little luck in the ballot, ordinary golfers really can walk the same turf as the champions.
- The home of golf
- Steeped in history
- Accessible to the public
- High demand for tee times
- Best enjoyed in a firm wind
Royal County Down (Newcastle, Northern Ireland)
Set beneath the Mourne Mountains with the Irish Sea alongside, Royal County Down is regularly named among the very best courses in the world. Towering dunes, gorse the colour of egg yolk in spring, bearded bunkers and a handful of blind tee shots make it as beautiful as it is demanding.
- Breathtaking mountain-and-sea setting
- World-ranked layout
- Blind shots test first-timers
- Exposed to the elements
Royal Portrush, Dunluce Links (County Antrim, Northern Ireland)
The only course outside Great Britain to host The Open, which returned to Portrush in 2019 to huge acclaim. The Dunluce Links tumbles through big dunes along the Antrim coast, with the famous par-three known as Calamity Corner among its signature tests.
- A modern Open venue
- Dramatic coastal dunescape
- Premium green fee
- Books up well ahead
Turnberry, Ailsa Course (Ayrshire, Scotland)
Perhaps the most photogenic links in Britain, the Ailsa runs out along the Ayrshire coast past its landmark lighthouse with the great rock of Ailsa Craig offshore. It has staged some of the most storied championship golf in history and the coastal stretch is simply unforgettable.
- Iconic lighthouse holes
- Spectacular sea views
- Among the pricier rounds
- Remote location
Royal Dornoch (Highlands, Scotland)
A long journey to the far north of Scotland rewards you with one of the purest links experiences anywhere. Natural, timeless and consistently ranked among the world's finest, Dornoch has a raised-plateau green style that has quietly influenced course design far beyond Scotland.
- Pure, natural links golf
- A pilgrimage worth making
- Genuinely remote
- Short season in the far north
Ballybunion, Old Course (County Kerry, Ireland)
A wild, cliff-edge links on the west coast of Ireland that has drawn pilgrims and famous admirers for decades. Enormous dunes, greens perched above the Atlantic and holes that hug the shoreline make Ballybunion a highlight of any south-west Ireland trip.
- Dramatic Atlantic cliffs
- Classic west-of-Ireland links
- Weather can be fierce
- Far from major airports
Lahinch, Old Course (County Clare, Ireland)
Often called the St Andrews of Ireland, Lahinch is a joyous, quirky links in County Clare, not far from the Cliffs of Moher. Blind shots, humpy dunes and the famous resident goats give it a character all its own, while the town itself is a proper golfing village.
- Full of character and charm
- Great base town for a trip
- Quirky blind holes divide opinion
- Busy in high season
Carnoustie, Championship Course (Angus, Scotland)
Nicknamed Carnasty for good reason, Carnoustie is widely regarded as the toughest of the Open venues, with a closing stretch and the winding Barry Burn that have decided championships in cruel fashion. A stern, honest test that serious golfers relish.
- A genuine championship test
- History in every closing hole
- Punishing in the wind
- Not the gentlest holiday round
When to play links golf in the UK and Ireland
The classic links season runs from late spring through early autumn, and each end of it has its charms. May and June bring long daylight hours, gorse in full bloom and the firmest, fastest turf, which is when links golf plays exactly as intended. September offers softer light, thinner crowds and often settled weather, though the days shorten quickly.
Whenever you go, plan around the wind rather than the calendar. A links can play twenty shots harder into a stiff breeze than it does in a calm, so build slack into your expectations and your scorecard. Waterproofs, a windproof layer and a spare glove earn their place in the bag every single day. And do walk where you can, with a caddie if one is offered, because reading the ground and the run of the ball is half the fun of this kind of golf.
One last piece of advice: book early and be flexible. The headline courses release tee times and ballot places well in advance, and the best trips often pair one marquee round with two or three superb neighbours rather than chasing only the famous names. Some of the most memorable golf of your life may come on a course you had never heard of the week before.
Links golf is the closest the modern game gets to the way it was first played: ground, wind and imagination, with the sea never far away.
Turn the links you played into something you keep
A round on one of these courses stays with you, but memory fades and photos get lost in a camera roll. That is exactly why so many golfers turn a great links round into a piece of art for the wall. A framed print of the Old Course, Royal County Down or the links where you finally broke through is a daily reminder of a day you will never quite repeat.
You do not have to have played a course to want it on your wall, either. Plenty of golfers frame the links at the top of their bucket list as motivation, or gift a print of a partner's dream course. Whether it is a round already played or one still to come, you can design your own course art of the hole or layout that means the most, or browse existing course-art landing pages to see how the classics look in print.
Links golf in the UK and Ireland: common questions
What is the difference between a links course and a parkland course?
A links sits on sandy coastal ground with firm, fast turf, few trees and wind as its main defence, so the ball runs and low, creative shots pay off. A parkland course is inland, usually greener and softer underfoot, with trees, water and a more target-golf, aerial style of play. Links golf is the older tradition and the reason the UK and Ireland are seen as the home of the game.
Can amateur golfers play the Old Course at St Andrews?
Yes. The Old Course is a public course, and visitors can secure a round through the advance booking process or the daily ballot. It takes planning and a little luck, but ordinary golfers really can play the most famous links in the world.
When is the best time to play links golf?
Late spring to early autumn is the classic window. May and June bring firm turf and long daylight, while September offers thinner crowds and softer light. Whenever you go, the wind matters more than the month, so pack proper waterproofs and expect the course to play differently every day.
Do I have to have played a course to get a print of it?
Not at all. Many golfers frame a course they have played as a keepsake, while others frame a dream links from their bucket list as motivation or as a gift. You can design art of any course or hole that means something to you.
Frame the links round you will never forget
From the Old Course to Royal County Down, turn a links you have played or one you dream of into a personalised print made to hang. Design yours in minutes.
Create your course art