Tralee Golf Club: Course Review, Green Fees, Tee Times and Key Info

The back nine was always the star of Arnold Palmer’s magical creation but the front nine has seriously upped its game, too, now

Tralee Golf Club
Don't come up short on the specatcular par-3 13th at Tralee Golf Club... nor long, for that matter!
(Image credit: Evan Schiller)

Top 100 Courses UK & Ireland 2023/24

(Image credit: Future)

Tralee Golf Club Key Information

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Header Cell - Column 0 Header Cell - Column 1
AddressWest Barrow, Ardfert, Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland.
Phone Number+353 (0)66 713 6379
Websitetraleegolfclub.com
Emailinfo@traleegolfclub.com
Green Fees€275 per round May to early Oct; €180 April
Visitor TimesMon, Tues, Thurs, Fri 7.30am to 2.30pm
ParMen: 72 blue, white, green; Ladies: 72 red
Slope RatingMen: 135 blue, 128 white, 126 green; Ladies: 131 red
Opened1984 at present site (club originally founded in 1896)
Designed byArnold Palmer
Golf Monthly Verdict

Tralee Golf Club

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Tralee is a wonderful golfing experience from start to finish, with the two nines presenting the golfer with contrasting challenges.

The back nine is the match of any modern links for sheer golfing excitement, from the fearsomely difficult 12th to the do-or-die par-3 13th where a gaping chasm between tee and green must be negotiated. The 16th, set in the dunes with the Atlantic beyond, is another standout hole on the run for home.

REASONS TO PLAY TRALEE

- A chance to experience one of very few Arnold Palmer designs this side of the Atlantic

- A back nine that is pretty hard to beat for sheer visual drama and excitement

- Splendid backdrops all-round, whether out to sea or inland to the mountains

RANKINGS

UK & Ireland Top 100 Golf Courses 2023/24 - 48

A small-town nine-hole Irish club securing Arnold Palmer’s services to create its new 18-hole layout was a remarkable coup. But the King was clearly seduced by the spectacular seaside plot high above the beach at West Barrow that Tralee Golf Club had in mind.

The dream layout Palmer created in the mid-1980s mixes links and clifftop golf over two contrasting nines and is now considered one of the very best golf courses in Ireland, one that has also featured in the top 50 of our Top 100 Courses in the UK and Ireland rankings more often than not.

The contrast between the two nines is now significantly less marked following extensive work to beef up the front nine – a nine that was previously relatively understated in comparison to a back nine that cranks up the drama level several notches.

There have been major changes to every front nine-hole except the 2nd and 3rd, which were already pretty special, with new tee complexes on seven holes. That stunning 2nd hole doglegs sharply around the cliff edge while the par-3 3rd is set perilously close to the rocky shoreline.

The most striking change has been to the 8th, where both tee and green now sit right beside the water.

The back nine is then the match of any modern links for sheer golfing excitement, from the fearsomely difficult 12th to the do-or-die par-3 13th where a gaping chasm between tee and green must be negotiated. Oh, and don’t go long either!

This most dramatic of layouts then runs along the shore for three more stirring holes from the 15th before a par-5 finale gives you just a chance of getting one back.

Tralee serves up dramatic golf on a grand scale.

Tralee Golf Club

The well-bunkered 18th and mountain backdrop beyond (Photo: Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)

What The Top 100 Panel Said

John Winter UK&I Top 100 panel
John Winter

Without doubt the most photogenic course I have ever played. Turquoise seas, black skies, stone walls, castles, mountain ranges in the distance, golden beaches, working agriculture, orchids, dunes and sand spits... nothing can beat the scenery at Tralee. The course has a number of memorable holes, too - one of the best in the country

Tim Browne UK&I Top 100 panel
Tim Browne

This is a very fine links that is a joy to play, provided it is not too windy. However, regardless of the golf, if you visit here on a clear sunny day, the beauty of the place will leave a lasting impression. The Arnold Palmer connection brings lots of American visitors but whoever is visiting here will enjoy the test of golf and sheer beauty of the surroundings.

Tralee Golf Club location

Tralee Golf Club Green Fees

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High season 2023€275May 1st to Oct 6th
Mid season 2023€180April
Row 2 - Cell 0 Row 2 - Cell 1 Row 2 - Cell 2

Book tee-times direct at Tralee Golf Club

Best Courses Near Tralee

BALLYBUNION (OLD)

<a href="https://www.golfmonthly.com/courses/top-100-courses/ballybunion-golf-club-old-course-review-60482" data-link-merchant="golfmonthly.com"">BALLYBUNION (OLD)
The Old Course shifts into overdrive as you reach the rugged cliffs at the 7th. From then on, you work your way though spectacular dunes where it is all too easy to be distracted by the visual feast that awaits. Golfing legend Tom Watson served as the club’s captain in 2000. Named after the great man, the 11th is a superb par 4 that slaloms its way along the shoreline.

THE GOLF COURSE AT ADARE MANOR

<a href="https://www.golfmonthly.com/courses/top-100-courses/adare-manor-golf-club-course-review-169308" data-link-merchant="golfmonthly.com"">THE GOLF COURSE AT ADARE MANOR
In 2015, 20 years after the course first opened, leading American designer Tom Fazio was engaged to fully reinvigorate the original Robert Trent Jones Senior design. Today’s course has been described as the most Augusta-like experience in Europe. In its 15th, 16th and 18th holes you have as spectacular and memorable a par 4, par 3 and par 5 as you will find just about anywhere.

Best Places To Stay Near Tralee

Brook Manor Lodge, Tralee -  Book now at Booking.com
Just four miles from the golf club and set against a backdrop of the Slieve Mish Mountains, this luxury four-star bed and breakfast offers a DVD library, a guest laptop, and free Wi-Fi!. Each room has a large bathroom with a hair dryer. Free tea, coffee and mineral water are also provided. A varied breakfast menu can be enjoyed in either the conservatory or the dining room.

Ballyroe Heights Hotel, Ballyroe - Book now at Booking.com
Set in over six acres of gardens and woodland, Ballyroe Heights Hotel offers free Wi-Fi, modern en suite rooms and impressive views across the Sliabh Mish Mountains and Tralee Bay. It is just a ten-minute drive from Tralee Golf Club.

Tralee Gallery

TRALEE HISTORICAL TOP 100 RANKING UK&I

  • 2023/24 - 48
  • 2021/22 - 48
  • 2019/20 - 48
  • 2017/18 - 49
  • 2015/16 - 53
  • 2013/14 - 51
  • 2011/12 - 46
  • 2009/10 - 37

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Arnold Palmer design any other golf courses in Ireland?

Yes. The spectacular links at Tralee was actually his first course design in Europe, but he would go on to design both courses at The K Club in Straffan, County Kildare, now called Palmer North and Palmer South. The North course famously hosted the 2006 Ryder Cup won by Europe and also the 2016 Irish Open won by Rory McIlroy.

Is Tralee the best golf course in County Kerry?

Not quite according to the latest Golf Monthly UK&I Top 100 rankings. Kerry, in the south-west corner of Ireland, is actually a very strong county for golf with designers through the ages perhaps drawn in by the sheer beauty of the area, much as Arnold Palmer was with Tralee. Waterville (22nd) and Ballybunion Old (23rd) sit side by side in our current rankings as Kerry's two finest courses, with Tralee 25 spots below Ballybunion in 48th place.

Jeremy Ellwood
Contributing Editor

Jeremy Ellwood has worked in the golf industry since 1993 and for Golf Monthly since 2002 when he started out as equipment editor. He is now a freelance journalist writing mainly for Golf Monthly. He is an expert on the Rules of Golf having qualified through an R&A course to become a golf referee. He is a senior panelist for Golf Monthly's Top 100 UK & Ireland Course Rankings and has played all of the Top 100 plus 91 of the Next 100, making him well-qualified when it comes to assessing and comparing our premier golf courses. He has now played 1,000 golf courses worldwide in 35 countries, from the humblest of nine-holers in the Scottish Highlands to the very grandest of international golf resorts. He reached the 1,000 mark on his 60th birthday in October 2023 on Vale do Lobo's Ocean course. Put him on a links course anywhere and he will be blissfully content.

Jezz can be contacted via Twitter - @JezzEllwoodGolf


Jeremy is currently playing...

Driver: Ping G425 LST 10.5˚ (draw setting), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 55 S shaft

3 wood: Ping G425 Max 15˚ (set to flat +1), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 65 S shaft

Hybrid: Ping G425 17˚, Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Orange 80 S shaft

Irons 3-PW: Ping i525, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 50˚ and 54˚, 12˚ bounce, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Putter: Ping Fetch 2021 model, 33in shaft (set flat 2)

Ball: Varies but mostly now TaylorMade Tour Response