Lahinch Golf Club — Attraction in County Clare

Honest review: Holes 1-5 are not spectacular. Hole 1 was fine because you need to get away from the clubhouse. Hole 2, the approach to the green has the background view of the back-alleys of Lahinch. This was somewhat of a surprise for me given how high this course is ranked. Hole 3, the tee box is situated alongside the beach walkway. Again, a little too public for me. There were quite a few blind shots. I'm personally not a fan of these. I can understand one or two on a course, but a few too many here for me. Hole 4 is absolutely ridiculous. And I'm not saying this based on my performance on the hole either - hit the fairway and made par, but the second shot is over a hill in the middle of the fairway and completely blind to the pin. Also, this fairway intersects with another set of tee boxes, so you have other players driving through this fairway as you play it. I have never seen this before and was not a fan. Hole 5, again, blind shot over a hill into the green, with no view of the flag. It seemed a little ridiculous. I was all about ready to completely write the course off at this point, and then my opinion changed. Holes 6 - 16 are pretty spectacular, with several of the holes playing into or alongside the Atlantic. I was only hoping that the beginning and ending holes on the course were more like these. Finally, holes 17 and 18 run along the roadway. I could hear the radio from cars passing by on the tee boxes and greens. Again, this was something that I would not have expected on a course with such high rankings. I will say that the course was very difficult, probably up there with the most difficult I have ever played. There were very few flat lies on the course and several blind shots. The course requires precision and placement, otherwise can be punishing. The greens were very well manicured, and all approach shots - when you could actually see the green - were pleasing to the eye. The cost, at 210 euro per person may have been a touch high. I'm glad I played the course. The history is neat. The facilities were average. The staff was very friendly and courteous. Again, cannot say enough good things about the middle stretch of holes, but others were less than astonishing and even a little disappointing. This was a good golf experience. The course was definitely the most difficult I played on my trip. But given all factors, including cost, I might have to say some of the other courses I played were a slightly better value...

Title: A Total Embarrassment to Irish Golf – Avoid the Castle Course at All Costs

We flew all the way from the U.S. to experience Ireland’s legendary golf—and ended up wasting a day at what might be the worst “golf course” we’ve ever set foot on.

The Castle Course at Lahinch is a bait-and-switch tourist trap, plain and simple. Don’t let the Lahinch name fool you—this isn’t a proper links, not even close. It’s a flat, lifeless patch of mown grass with overlapping fairways and zero imagination. Whoever designed this clearly had no respect for course architecture or player experience.

At over €100, this isn’t just overpriced—it’s offensive. You’d expect at least some charm or challenge. Instead, you get: •    A layout that looks like it was drawn in crayon, with holes crisscrossing dangerously. •    Zero amenities—no starter, no on-course services, and the “clubhouse” is so far away it’s practically in another town. •    Greens that are dull, bumpy, and uninspired—the exact opposite of what you’d expect from a Lahinch property. •    And worst of all, a pace of play that’s slower than molasses, thanks to the chaotic routing and lack of course staff.

They pitch this as a gentler alternative to the Old Course. That’s a laugh. It’s a disgrace. The only “gentle” thing here is how they gently lift hundreds of euros from your pocket for what amounts to a bad pitch-and-putt.

Playing the Castle Course was not just disappointing—it was infuriating. We felt duped. We sacrificed a full day of our Ireland trip for what turned out to be a soulless, overgrown cow pasture with flags in it.

Final word: Do yourself a favor. Skip this insult to the game of golf. There are countless hidden gems across Ireland that deserve your money and time. The Castle Course is not one of them. Shame on Lahinch Golf Club for attaching their name to this...

I just played the Castle Course at Lahinch, and let me be blunt—this is not a golf course; it’s a glorified pitch-and-putt wearing the costume of a links track. At the price they’re charging, it’s nothing short of a rip-off.

Let’s get this straight: this isn’t a “links-style” course. It’s a flat, uninspired piece of farmland awkwardly pretending to be the Old Course’s cousin. The routing is poor, the layout unimaginative, and the holes blend into one another with no sense of rhythm or challenge. Fairways cross in dangerous and frustrating ways, creating a traffic jam of golfers with zero flow. There’s no starter, no marshals, and no halfway hut. If you need a drink or snack, be prepared to walk all the way back to the clubhouse—a logistical disaster.

The greens are the worst part of all. Devoid of character or speed, they actively suck the joy out of the round. You can’t even rely on the putting surface to salvage the experience.

And let’s not forget the pace. We waited on nearly every tee box because of the haphazard design and lack of any course management. It was a five-hour ordeal for a course that barely breaks 5,500 yards. It’s marketed as a par-69 links-style course—what a joke. It plays like a municipal short course in disguise.

This course should not be bundled or marketed as part of the Lahinch experience. It does a disservice to the legendary Old Course. Playing here felt like being sold a Rolex and receiving a knockoff with a plastic band.

Verdict: Save your money. Skip the Castle Course entirely. If you want world-class golf, play the Old Course. If you want to be overcharged for a flat, bland, soulless walk in a field, then by all means—welcome to the...