Tralee Golf Club Key Information
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 2025/26 - 45
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, and the course he created has featured in the top 50 of our Top 100 Golf Courses UK & Ireland rankings more often than not.
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.
I certainly remember being blown away by it all on my first visit, and that despite a very slow round behind groups of overseas visitors understandably stopping for photos at every turn!
There's no doubt the back nine provided a much more spectacular ride in among the taller dunes, but I remember thinking there were superb holes on the front nine, too, among them the 2nd sweeping around the clifftops.
I've not yet had the chance to see for myself the front-nine upgrades, but other assessors have been and it seems everything possible has been done to eke every last ounce of drama out of the outward nine, too. They tell me that the contrast between the two nines is now significantly less marked following extensive work to beef up the front nine.
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 safely carried. 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.
What's new for 2025/26? What our panellists said…
Tralee stands out as a course that has improved the most since I started writing these evaluations for Golf Monthly. They have pumped enormous amounts of money into upgrades for the course and for facilities. These include a par-3 course, hole renovations and a rise in the quality of course conditioning. There are truly unforgettable holes and, if you only play it once, they will stay with you forever. If you return, there are holes and shots that you cannot wait to have another go at.
Tralee has to be seen to be believed. The back nine 9 plays over more dramatic land and people rightly rave about it, but the front nine is no slouch with some superb doglegs on 2 and 6. Every hole has intrigue and is individually memorable. The standout holes are the stretch from 11 to 13, which make the most of huge dunes to climb to the summit of the course before back-to-back approaches over cavernous craters. The 8th deserves a mention as well. It has been redesigned to play over the coast with a risk-reward decision on how aggressive a line to take.
Tralee Golf Club location
Book tee-times direct at Tralee Golf Club
Best Courses Near Tralee
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
- 2025/26 - 45
- 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. Ballybunion Old (19th) and Waterville (23rd) lead the way in our current rankings as Kerry's two finest courses, with Tralee 22 spots below Ballybunion in 45th place.
