HecklerAtlas

County Cork, Ireland · Coasts & cliffs

Old Head

Golf out in the Atlantic

  • Atlantic headland
  • Lighthouse
Old Head’s lighthouse and golf-course setting near Kinsale.
1 / 3

Course, details
& surroundings.

Old Head’s lighthouse and golf-course setting near Kinsale.
Photo creditPhoto: MattLanzaWiki · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized; display crop may vary.
Access
Visitor reservations
The round
18 holes · Atlantic headland

Why go

The golf course is the headland.

The approach gives you an idea of what is coming. The coastline keeps confirming it.

Old Head Golf Links occupies a headland extending more than two miles into the Atlantic near Kinsale, County Cork. The shape of that land is the organising idea of the experience: sea, cliffs and changing views accompany the round.

The view keeps changing sides

A headland creates a different relationship with the Atlantic every few holes. Leave a moment to look back after you finish a green.

More of the story

There is a lighthouse, of course. On a piece of coast this exposed, it belongs to the landscape as naturally as the greens. Golf adds a reason to walk out into that landscape and pay attention to its angles.

It is easy to describe a course as spectacular. Here, the more useful description is geographical: you are spending several hours on a narrow projection of land with the ocean repeatedly entering the frame.

Make it happen

How to play Old Head

  1. Send your dates to Old Head’s reservations team or use its published booking route.
  2. Request caddie and equipment arrangements early. Confirm the applicable seasonal rate before committing to the trip.

Before you go

The October low-season saving is substantial; weigh it against daylight and the conditions you want from an exposed coastal round.

A playing thought

Play to the width of the fairway rather than the drama of the cliff edge. Reassess the wind when the routing changes direction.

Heckler’s take

Planning sources: Old Head: 2026 rates & reservations ↗

Find it

County Cork, Ireland

Get directions ↗

Approximate course location. Drag to explore; use + and − or pinch to zoom.

Sources & editorial notes

Researched September 12, 2026. This is an independent researched guide, not a report of a personal visit. No course affiliation or booking service. Playing thoughts are editorial suggestions.

Prices retain their local currency and published season. Historical and reported figures are labeled; missing prices are not estimated. Check current access, conditions and your final total before travel.

While the trip is still a plan

Play a round with your friends →

A little browser golf on Heckler’s own courses. No download.

Follow your curiosity

A few more places to send them.