Is This The Most Visually Dramatic Course Ever To Host The Irish Open?

Many different courses have hosted the Irish Open over the years, from inland layouts old and new to the country's most revered links. But up until this year, it had never visited a links layout built this century.

That all changed when Trump International Golf Links at Doonbeg in County Clare hosted its first Amgen Irish Open from September 10-13, 2026 hence my visit to this fabulous golf resort ahead of the event in July.

I've been to Doonbeg several times, and it remains one of my very favourite places to play golf. But I'd still not seen the changes Martin Hawtree made to Greg Norman's original handiwork when Donald Trump acquired the property in 2014, let alone the recently created new 1st and 18th holes,

I have to confess, changes to the former concerned me a little given that I've previously written about Doonbeg's par-5 1st being my favourite golf hole I've played anywhere from a cast of many thousands.

I can rest easy, though, for although the hole is now a gentle right-to-left dogleg from a tee closer to Doughmore beach, rather than a dead-straight hole teeing off outside the main bar, the second half of it, and its fabulous amphitheatre green, still occupy the original terrain.

This realignment has allowed the creation of a new 18th hole the other side of the 1st, a spectacular finale playing up past many bunkers to a raised green, with the imposing Lodge as its backdrop.

At least in part, this has been to eliminate the walk across the 1st fairway to the old 18th, which played closer to the beach.

I couldn't wait to get out on to the links late on arrival day after the hour's drive from Shannon airport and a welcome lunch in Trump's Bar behind the old 1st tee. My drive from the new 1st tee went well but a pulled second brought fears of a lost ball.

Thankfully, my caddie had seen it all the way, although I had to work hard to salvage bogey. Better was to come on the new 18th, though, more of which later.

Reimagining the original canvas

I was delighted to learn that although many changes had been made since my last visit, the routing that so captured my imagination was still essentially the same, skirting along and then into the towering dunes, with the most significant Hawtree alterations coming on the 5th and 14th holes.

The switchback 5th has a new green at the narrow col in the dunes rather than playing up and over it. It's only a short par 4 but knows how to defend itself via narrowness at the green and a deep hollow in front of it, and it went on to pose a stern test in the Irish Open.

The new 14th plays to a green on the lower ground a little way from the old 5th green. The original signature par-3 14th, which I'd written about previously in a 'lost par 3s' feature, became a casualty of the elements, but the new downhill hole has donned the ‘signature' mantle well, with the 15th hole and beach stretching into the distance beyond.

If Carlsberg did green complexes they'd design the amphitheatre 15th, which was broadly as I remembered it, as were the excellent risk-reward par-4 6th along the beach and the long downhill par-3 7th, set in its own secluded arena in the dunes.

As for the new 18th, it made for a superb finale to the Irish Open off the back tees, with the champion, Shane Lowry, admitting it was a tee shot he struggled with throughout the week.

It was still tough from further forward into a two- to three-club wind, so you'll perhaps forgive my raising of the arms to acknowledge the imaginary gallery as I rolled in a downhill 20-footer for birdie after flushing an admittedly very long club into the green.

An excellent meal back in Trump's Bar (go for the starter-sized chicken Caesar salad unless you have a voracious appetite) was followed by an extremely comfortable night in one of the spacious Links Cottages alongside the 17th hole, a brief shuttle ride back down the entrance road, where I made the very most of a vast double bed for one.

Another round followed next morning, with a further nine holes on departure day, between which we got to sample the local hospitality of Tubridy's Bar and Restaurant in the village, where the batter on my fish was as light and fluffy as I've ever tasted.

I'm slightly biased but I think Doonbeg did make made for the most visually dramatic Irish Open ever, and that's saying something given the quality of courses this much-loved event has visited over the years, including the likes of Royal Portrush, Royal County Down, Ballybunion and Lahinch.

I, for one, was glued to the television set throughout.