Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links, Portmarnock, Ireland

A visit to the Portmarnock area is not complete without playing the surprisingly superb Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links, adjacent to Portmarnock Golf Club, and frequently (and mistakenly) dismissed as Portmarnock’s “second” course. Nothing could be farther from the truth! Bernhard Langer has designed a testing links that is also one of the most enjoyable to play in all of Ireland. It offers little touches of Ballybunion, such as the cemetery to the right of the first hole, and like that pillar of links golf, starts gently away from the dunes, and gets better and better as the round progresses. The hotel is built on the former Jameson family estate, of Jameson whiskey fame. The original mansion is now part of the hotel, and they have made the first floor of the old house into the Jameson Bar, an award-winning hotel bar that is one of our all-time favorites!