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The Global Golfer Top 100
Waterville Golf Links
Waterville, County Kerry, Republic of Ireland · #13 in the World
Location: Waterville, County Kerry, Republic of Ireland | Ranking: #13 — The Global Golfer Top 100
Type: Links | Partner Stay: The Waterville House; Sheen Falls Lodge
Editor’s Note: At the very end of the Kerry coastline, past Cahersiveen and the Ring of Kerry’s last village, the dunes of Waterville rise out of the Atlantic like a natural amphitheatre for golf. Tiger Woods and Payne Stewart prepared for US Opens here. The scale of the dunes — some 40 feet high — is without parallel in Irish golf, and the back nine, completely exposed to Atlantic weather, contains some of the finest and most punishing holes in the country. The remoteness is the point.
1. Travel & Logistics
- How to Get There: Waterville is at the tip of the Iveragh Peninsula — 90km from Killarney on the N70 Ring of Kerry road. From Shannon Airport, approximately 2h 30m.
- Nearest Airport: Kerry (KIR) — 75 mins. Shannon (SNN) — 2h 30m.
2. Contact & Booking
- Tel: +353 (0)66 947 4102 | Website: watervillegolflinks.ie
- Visitor Policy: Open 7 days. Green fees from €175 (peak season).
- Course Rating / Slope: 76.0 / 145
3. Championship Scorecard
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | OUT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 35 |
| Yards | 435 | 469 | 192 | 557 | 373 | 361 | 451 | 186 | 401 | 3,425 |
Par 4
Par 3
Par 5
Total
| Hole | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | IN | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 37 | 72 |
| Yards | 475 | 557 | 201 | 430 | 558 | 385 | 386 | 196 | 537 | 3,725 | 7,354 |
4. Key Strategy Notes
- Hole 11 — Tranquility (Par 5, 557 Yards): Ranked one of the great par 5s in Irish golf — a valley hole between towering dunes that provides genuine shelter. The most “tranquil” hole on an otherwise exposed course.
- Hole 17 — Mulcahy’s Peak (Par 3, 196 Yards): A tee shot from the highest point of the course — 360° views of the Atlantic, Skellig Michael, the Blasket Islands and the Kerry mountains. Arguably the finest tee panorama in Irish golf.
- Hole 18 — Inny Strand (Par 5, 537 Yards): The final hole runs beside the beach back to the clubhouse — generous and birdieable in calm, almost irrelevant in Atlantic storm conditions.
5. The 19th Hole
- Waterville House Hotel: The club’s own accommodation — elegant, historic and superbly positioned overlooking Ballinskelligs Bay. Book via Expedia →
- The Lobster Bar, Waterville: The village’s essential post-round stop — fresh Kerry seafood, excellent Guinness.