The Scotts—the Celtic cousins to the northeast—brought golf to Ireland during the British occupation in the 19th century. While the idea of being vassals never caught on, the game of golf did and it’s a hugely popular local pursuit. Today visitors can have both challenging and enjoyable rounds on courses that are much closer to the Scottish ideal: terrain that hews to the natural landscape as opposed to the idealized and ultra-manicured courses found elsewhere. Dublin’s popular Portmarnock Golf Club meanders through natural grassy bluffs. In County Clare, Lahinch Golf Club was laid out by Scottish troops in 1892 and makes full use of its ocean-front dunes.

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Ireland is a hole in one

The Scotts—the Celtic cousins to the northeast—brought golf to Ireland during the British occupation in the 19th century. While the idea of being vassals never caught on, the game of golf did and it’s a hugely popular local pursuit. Today visitors can have both challenging and enjoyable rounds on courses that are much closer to the Scottish ideal: terrain that hews to the natural landscape as opposed to the idealized and ultra-manicured courses found elsewhere. Dublin’s popular Portmarnock Golf Club meanders through natural grassy bluffs. In County Clare, Lahinch Golf Club was laid out by Scottish troops in 1892 and makes full use of its ocean-front dunes.

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