Ballybunion Golf Club (Watson Cashen Course)

A Robert Trent Jones links renewed by Watson among Ballybunion's tallest dunes.

SOUTH WEST IRELAND Location
LINKS Course type
18 Holes
72 Par

Beyond the Scorecard

Course established: 1984
Course designer/s: Robert Trent Jones Sr.; Tom Watson and Graeme Webster (recent redesign)
Known for: Robert Trent Jones's fierce Ballybunion companion
Defining feature: Atlantic and Cashen River framing the links
National ranking: #40

Between the Atlantic and Cashen

The Watson Cashen Course at Ballybunion Golf Club was created on land purchased in 1971, with Robert Trent Jones Sr. commissioned to shape a second links beside the Old Course. The club formally dates the course to 1984, and the routing occupies dramatic ground between the Atlantic and the Cashen River.

Compared with its neighbour, the terrain rises and falls more sharply. Fairways often turn out of sight around dune shoulders, while valleys sit well below the tees. Marram waits when a drive misses its line. The challenge begins with choosing a clear target before committing, especially when the wind changes the shape of a hole.

The course is shorter than the Old Course, yet its tighter fairways and small greens make it exacting. Severe changes of level add another demand. Approaches frequently ask for a carried shot rather than a running route, while the undulating greens place added value on distance control.

Recent work led by Tom Watson and Graeme Webster has rebuilt the course in phases while retaining its Robert Trent Jones identity. That renewal gives the Cashen a current chapter distinct from its older neighbour and strengthens Ballybunion's 36-hole offering.

Why Add This Course to Your Golf Experience

Playing the Cashen gives a South West Ireland itinerary more than a famous-name stop. It lets golfers see two different interpretations of the same Ballybunion dunes, with the Old Course's flowing lines followed by the Cashen's sharper angles and more exacting drives.

Kinfern can pair both courses over one or two days, leaving enough time to settle into the town rather than treating Ballybunion as a quick visit. For repeat visitors, the Cashen also offers a strong reason to return.