Tralee Golf Club is perhaps the best Arnold Palmer design. With a front nine that wets your appetite and a back nine that knocks your socks off, Tralee enjoys one of the most spectacular golf sites you’ll ever come across and an inward nine with few rivals. A golf trip in Ireland isn’t complete without a loop around this gem. “I have never come across a piece of land so ideally suited for the building of a golf course,” said Arnold Palmer. Tralee Golf Club was his first Irish endeavour and it opened in 1984; it’s a rugged and exhilarating creation.
Located in southwest Ireland on a parcel surrounded on three sides by the Atlantic Ocean, impressive vistas are found throughout the round and the dramatic dunes coupled with the cliff tops on the back nine create a magical location for hosting a golf course on. The combination and variety of the holes make the entire experience captivating and exciting. There are only a few courses that grab your attention from the first tee shot, keeping hold of it until the very last putt drops. The links at Tralee Golf Club is one of those few captivating courses.
Tralee Golf Club has few rivals in the world from a scenery perspective and a collection of holes that are as memorable as any course you’ll find. While a common criticism is to say the front nine is not as good as the back, it should be noted that is solely due to how phenomenal the back nine is and not because the front is weak. In fact, holes 2, 3, 7, and 8 are all fantastic holes with 2 and 3 being two of the best on the property.
The 17th is called “Ryan’s Daughter” because the landscape was dramatically filmed in the award-winning movie and the hole will stick in the memory for a very long time; an elevated tee shot on this 355-yard par four must carry across a ravine to a craggy fairway, leaving an approach shot to a tiny raised tabletop green.
The turf conditions and greens are maintained in excellent shape which is quite impressive considering the exposed terrain it sits on and the number of elements it must contend with.
Signature Hole: 3rd Hole – 194 Yard Par 3 – The 3rd hole is routed on a peninsula that marks the furthest westerly point on the course in a dramatic setting of rocks, ocean, and the remnants of a castle. This stunning one-shotter plays a shade under 200 yards from the back tees to a green defended by a trio of bunkers and with wind often coming in from the right off the ocean. Tralee truly enjoys one of the great parcels of ground for a golf course and this hole is one of the reasons why.
Note that visitor tee times are available as follows
Mon. Tues, Thurs, Fri 7:30am – 2:30pm
Wednesday 7:30am – 10:30pm (Excluding June,July & August)
Saturday 10:30am – 12:50pm
The use of a buggy/cart is only permitted for medical reasons.