Three golf resorts and five championship courses — all within half an hour of home

Ireland has more than 350 golf courses — and among them are some of the best in the world. Fionn Davenport discovers some of the finest on offer

The K Club is the grandaddy of US-style resort courses in Ireland

As a keen (read: struggling but enthusiastic) golfer, I know that Ireland is a golfing paradise. Scotland may be the home of golf, but Ireland is where golf goes on holiday: the island’s 350-odd courses include a handful that rank among the very best in the world. The obvious choice for many visiting golfers is the rich selection of links courses, which dot the coastline like a string of rugged pearls. But there are some inland gems too, and I’m lucky to live close to three of them.

From my home in Celbridge, Carton House is just a 10-minute drive away. The ancestral estate of the Fitzgerald family is now home to two championship courses, a full-service spa and an impressive range of sporting facilities that make the Fairmont-managed property especially popular with professional teams on a pre- or mid-season break.