Ireland By The Golf Planet Holidays Team · Golf-travel specialists since 1981 · Published 20 November 2025 At a glance How much does a buddies' golf trip to Ireland cost? Golf Planet Holidays runs tailor-made Ireland golf getaways for groups of 4-8 from
There’s a particular kind of trip that earns its place on the calendar every single year — the one where the same four, six or eight of you pile into a minibus, argue about the pairings, and chase a little white ball around some of the best golf on earth. An Ireland golf getaway is built for exactly that: world-class links within easy reach of a warm bar, banter that runs from the first tee to the last pint, and absolutely zero of the admin that usually falls on whichever mate drew the short straw as organiser.
Golf Planet Holidays has been putting groups like yours on the right courses since 1981. We’re a UK tailor-made specialist, so nothing here is off a shelf — we ask what your group actually wants, then build it. Ireland golf getaways start from
The courses that make the trip
Ireland’s west coast is where the golf legends live, and a buddies’ break lets you string several together without leaving anyone behind. Doonbeg and Lahinch deliver the raw, dune-framed links drama your group will be talking about for years — humbling, exhilarating, the kind of round where a scrambled par feels like a trophy. Ballybunion is a bucket-list name in its own right, a course that rewards nerve and punishes the cocky drive (you know who that is). For a change of pace and a fairer fight for the higher handicappers, Dromoland Castle offers stately parkland golf in genuinely grand surroundings, while Galway Golf Club gives you a coastal, sociable round that’s a great opener or a gentle final-day decider.
Mix them how you like. A classic four-ball week might pair two big links days with a parkland breather and a relaxed finale — enough variety that the banter never dries up and every player gets a course that suits their game.
Where you'll base the banter
The right base turns a golf trip into a proper getaway. The Lodge at Doonbeg puts you right on the doorstep of the links, ideal for groups who want to roll out of bed and onto the first tee. The G Hotel in Galway leans into style and a bit of buzz — handy when the evenings matter as much as the mornings. The Ardilaun Hotel, set in its own grounds, is the relaxed, sociable bolt-hole for a group that likes space to spread out, compare scorecards and settle the day’s bets over dinner.
We can centre your whole trip on one hotel or split your nights to follow the golf — whatever keeps the driving sensible and the group together.
Where our specialists would stay in Ireland
We handle the hassle, you handle the wind-ups
Organising a group is the part nobody enjoys, so we take it off your plate. Tee times, hotel rooms, airport and course transfers, the lot — booked, sequenced and confirmed, so the only thing your group needs to coordinate is who’s buying the first round. Because we’re enquiry-based, you tell us the dates, the numbers and roughly what you want to spend, and we come back with a plan in plain pounds, not a maze of add-ons.
Reassurance matters when everyone’s chipped in for the trip: Golf Planet Holidays is ATOL Protected, and your money is held in trust with the PTS until you’ve actually travelled — so every mate’s contribution is safe right up to the moment you tee off.
Travelling from the US — and going hosted
Coming over from the States? Ireland’s links are firmly on the bucket list for a reason, and the strength of the dollar against a GBP-billed trip often makes a tailor-made Irish week surprisingly good value next to a comparable buddies’ break back home. We arrange flights as an ATOL-protected add-on, so your group’s transatlantic legs, transfers and tee times can all sit under one plan rather than three separate headaches.
If your group would rather not nominate a captain-slash-tour-manager, ask us about hosted and escorted group options — an experienced lead handles the logistics on the ground so all eight of you can simply show up, play, and argue about the result. However you travel, just send us an enquiry and we’ll build the trip around your group from there.
Our specialists’ favourite stays in Ireland
What our golfers say
4.997 reviews
ken cunningham
Derry Wiltshire
Local Guide · 20 reviews · 2 photos
Frequently asked questions
How many people can come on a buddies' golf trip?
Our Ireland golf getaways are ideally suited to groups of 4-8 mates, which works neatly for tee-time pairings and minibus transfers. If your party is larger or smaller, just tell us the numbers when you enquire and we’ll build the trip to fit — pairings, rooms and transfers included.
Can we mix tough links courses with something easier for the higher handicappers?
Absolutely, and we’d encourage it. A great buddies’ itinerary balances the big links names like Doonbeg, Lahinch and Ballybunion with a fairer parkland day at Dromoland Castle or a sociable round at Galway Golf Club, so every handicap in the group gets a course that suits them and the banter stays friendly.
Do you arrange flights and transfers, or just the golf?
We arrange the whole trip — hotels, tee times, and airport and course transfers — so nobody in the group is left coordinating logistics. Flights are available as an ATOL-protected add-on, which is especially handy for groups travelling from the US who want everything under one plan.
Is my group's money safe before we travel?
Yes. Golf Planet Holidays is ATOL Protected and your money is held in trust with the PTS until you have travelled, so every member’s contribution to the annual mates’ trip is safeguarded right up to the moment you tee off.
Come and play with us
Wherever you're travelling from, you're welcome on a Golf Planet hosted tour — a small group, a host with you from the first tee to the last, and every round, transfer and dinner taken care of. You just bring the clubs.
