Tralee Golf Club, Co. Kerry

Often rated high up in the lists of various golf publications and websites, Tralee Golf Club is one of the most sought-after golf courses to play in Ireland. With its spectacular setting and its challenging course layout it’s high on a lot of golfers bucket lists. The course is made all the harder if the Wild Atlantic Way lives up to its name, as the wind is a big factor in how hard the course can potentially play.

Tralee Golf Club - 01. Tralee Golf Club is high on a lot of golfers bucket list of courses to play — Tralee Golf Club is high on a lot of golfers bucket list of courses to play

Designed by Arnold Palmer, and opened for play in 1984, the club has become a necessity in the itinerary of the majority of golfing tourists to Ireland. On a windy but dry day, I took the trip to Tralee Golf Club for myself to see if the course lived up to the hype surrounding it.

Tralee Golf Club - 02. The course is designed by Arnold Palmer and opened in 1984 — The course is designed by Arnold Palmer and opened in 1984

Below is my review of Tralee Golf Club.

Course layout (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆)

The layout of the course is one which will test you on every shot. You need to be accurate off the tees and you need to be able to judge the distance of your clubs properly to score well. Missing fairways will put you in places you do not want to be, and you may be playing from some extremely high grass, or worse, walking back to the tee. Every type of shot is required in Tralee Golf Club, and you will benefit from researching the course well before playing to know where to place your ball off the tees.

Tralee Golf Club - 03. Missing the fairways will put you in the tough rough or the sand dunes — Missing the fairways will put you in the tough rough or the sand dunes

Par 3’s

The par 3’s are all great holes. Each one is a real test and depending on wind conditions they can play fairly short or extremely long! Missing the greens on the par 3’s can be fatal to your score. The infamous 16^th, named ‘Shipwreck’, is one where you will feel like you have really accomplished something if you walk away with par.

Tralee Golf Club - 04. The 16th called 'Shipwreck' is a great test for golfers and par here is a great achievement — The 16th called ‘Shipwreck’ is a great test for golfers and par here is a great achievement

Par 4’s

Knowing where to place your ball off the tee is key to playing the par 4’s well. With some very strategic holes, driver is not always the play from the tee. You can easily run out of fairway on some holes or find trouble if you don’t have a game plan going into the round. With little margin for error around the greens you want to leave yourself the best opportunity to leave a nice approach shot to the greens. The 12^th is an especially tricky hole, where depending on wind conditions and your ability, you may want to decide to play it as a par 5 due to its length and danger around the green.

Tralee Golf Club - 05. The 12th is a hole where golfers may need to make a decision on whether to play the hole by laying up on their second as there is a lot of trouble on the second shot — The 12th is a hole where golfers may need to make a decision on whether to play the hole by laying up on their second as there is a lot of trouble on the second shot

Par 5’s

The par 5’s are where you can make up for any mistakes on other holes. Two of them are reachable in two but the other two will take two very long shots to get there. Play them strategically and you will still have a good chance of making birdie. The 11^th hole is probably the trickiest of the par 5’s as you have a blind second shot uphill.

Tralee Golf Club - 06. A blind shot awaits you on the 11th hole up the hill — A blind shot awaits you on the 11th hole up the hill

Course condition (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The course is in superb condition. The greens were fast and rolled extremely well. Judging pace was critical as if you missed the hole you could be left with a real tester to save yourself!

Tralee Golf Club - 07. The greens were in immaculate condition and were fast and rolled beautifully — The greens were in immaculate condition and were fast and rolled beautifully

Fairways were gorgeous to hit from. Manicured to perfection and the fact that they are typical links fairways meant you needed to execute a perfect strike to get the ball to travel where you wanted. The rough was as it should be on a tough course. You got punished for going in there and sometimes that meant not even finding your ball. If you are someone that finds yourself in the rough a lot, then maybe the course won’t suit you as it is difficult to get out of.

Tralee Golf Club - 08. Fairways were lovely to hit from and getting proper compression was key due to the links fairways — Fairways were lovely to hit from and getting proper compression was key due to the links fairways

The bunkers were excellent also. The sand was nice and consistent, and the bunkers were raked nicely. The edges were trimmed well which always makes them look better.

Tralee Golf Club - 09. Bunkers had a nice amount of sand in them and were well manicured around the edges — Bunkers had a nice amount of sand in them and were well manicured around the edges

The whole course is in pristine condition. You could not fault anything about it!

Facilities (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆)

The facilities in Tralee Golf Club are very good. The pro-shop is well stocked and before your round you can take tees and pencils from a stand beside the entrance door.

Upstairs in the clubhouse there is a bar and a restaurant which will cater to your needs before or after your round. Downstairs is a little café which also acts as a halfway house as you pass it on the way to the 10^th tee after playing nine.

Tralee Golf Club - 10. The clubhouse as seen from the walk to the 18th green — The clubhouse as seen from the walk to the 18th green

For practice facilities there is a driving range, a chipping green, and just in front of the clubhouse, being watched over by the statue of Arnold Palmer, is the putting green.

Tralee Golf Club - 11. The driving range is perfect for getting a feel of the links fairways before your round — The driving range is perfect for getting a feel of the links fairways before your round

Tralee Golf Club - 12. The chipping green is located close to the clubhouse on the way to the driving range — The chipping green is located close to the clubhouse on the way to the driving range

Tralee Golf Club - 13. The putting green is in front of the clubhouse with the statue of Arnold Palmer in the background — The putting green is in front of the clubhouse with the statue of Arnold Palmer in the background

Price (⭐⭐☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆)

Now the only problem about a course being in such demand, is that the price rises significantly. The cost to play Tralee Golf Club in peak season is €275. To me this is pricey for any golf course. It appears to be the influx of golfing tourists from America that drove this price up. There is a general observation that a golf course must be expensive otherwise tourists will not come and play it.

Of course, you can find excellent golf courses in Ireland for much cheaper prices but unfortunately this point does not seem to be made to our international visitors.

For the rates to play the course please click here.

Setting & Course Location (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆)

The course is located in a stunning location about 20 minutes drive outside Tralee. Overlooking Fenit Island, Barrow Beach, Banna Strand, and even a couple of castles you will find yourself constantly popping out the camera to take pictures! Catch Tralee Golf Club on a day when the sun shines and the mountains of the surrounding peninsulas will add to the beauty of the location.

Tralee Golf Club - 14. Overlooking various beaches, strands, and islands the setting is one where you will often stop and admire the views — Overlooking various beaches, strands, and islands the setting is one where you will often stop and admire the views

For the location on Google Maps please click here.

Conclusion

Tralee Golf Club deserves its place at the top of all those lists showing Ireland’s golf courses. Its location, condition, and the test that it poses will leave you with many great memories. It’s a course that you may well need to stock up on golf balls beforehand but if you are able to play to any sort of a decent level you will really enjoy the challenge of the course.

Tralee Golf Club - 15. Hitting the ball well is key to playing the course well as a lot of holes have danger which will punish you — Hitting the ball well is key to playing the course well as a lot of holes have danger which will punish you

My round on the day was a mixed bag, but I certainly enjoyed the day. Standing on one of the last tee boxes looking out over the beaches and the views for one last time that day, it was easy to understand the words of Arnold Palmer when he said, “I may have designed the first nine, but surely God designed the back nine.”