Ireland and Scotland | 15 nights, 11 games

Universally acknowledged as one of the truly great links courses, Portmarnock is situated to the north side of Dublin, about 12 miles from the city centre.

Its quality and location have made it a splendid venue for some of the game’s great events, from the British Amateur Championship of 1949, to the Canada Cup in 1960, quite apart the 1991 Walker Cup and 12 stagings of the revived Irish Open.

Royal County Down is one of the oldest Golf Clubs in Ireland with traditions dating back for more than one hundred years. Situated in Newcastle, where in the immortal words of Percy French, "The Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea", Royal County Down is not only a fine test of golf but has accompanying scenery that is spellbinding.

The Old Course at Ballybunion is one of the most popular courses in the whole of Ireland. American visitors in particular just love the course and five-times Open champion Tom Watson is a self-confessed fan of Ballybunion.

Established in 1893, the course was extended to 18 holes in 1926. Due to the threat of coastal erosion - it is set in sandhills alongside the Atlantic Ocean - the order of the holes was changed in the early 1970s and you now actually start at the old 14th.

Visitors to Ballybunion will undergo a stiff test from start to finish and the homeward nine on the Old Course are simply spectacular. The 11th is possibly the most famous and rated by Tom Watson as one of the toughest holes in the world. The 12th is possibly tougher for the amateur, a long par-3 to an elevated green across an entire expanse of wild duneland.

The par-5 16th possibly typifies Ballybunion, it is intimidating with a tee-shot played to a dog-leg. The temptation to take an agressive line often does not pay dividends and the more consevative line, while difficult to understand from the tee, does not make the hole impossibly long. The 2nd shot must be played uphill through a funnel of dunes leaving a short pitch to one of the larger greens on the course.

The 18th hole is one of the most discussed holes after a round on the Old Course. The approach is again uphill to another dune well protected by sand dunes and almost blind from the fairway. A par on this hole is a noteworthy achievement!

The site at Doonbeg was originally proposed as a golf links in the late 19th century by Scottish Guardsmen stationed in Ireland. Though superior to the other site mooted, Doonbeg was considered too far from the railway station - and so they built their golf course at Lahinch and founded Lahinch Golf Club instead.

The owners of Kiawah Island golf resort purchased the site over 100 years later and the Doonbeg story began.

Greg Norman was commissioned to design the golf course, and like the great man himself the course is bold, brash and with a great deal of style. It is also controversial - visitors tend to either love of loathe Doonbeg to one extreme or the other with very little in between.

The course lies beside White Strand on the west Clare coast, 20 miles south of Lahinch. The beach is one of Ireland's remotest and beautiful stretches of sand, defining Doughmore Bay with the Atlantic Ocean stretching beyond in every direction. Sand dunes mark the edge of land, high above the beach and the golf course plays out and back towards Carrowmore Point to the north.

The most memorable hole is the par-3 14th, a short iron across a deep valley of dense dune grass to a green perched on the very edge of the coast line. The huge three-tiered greenlooks very small from the tee and must be found.

Doonbeg remains the only Greg Norman designed course in the British Isles and he has achieved near perfection in his first conquest of links terrain. The relatively new course has already had the honour of hosting the 2002 Palmer Cup.

Golf at Waterville is a mystical experience – the beauty of classic links land, surrounded by the sea, yet forever challenged and shaped by the elements. Waterville Golf Links is currently rated among the top 5 courses in Ireland and the top 20 links courses in the world.

Links golf combines sand dunes gorse and native grasses, firm fairways, sod faced bunkers and subtle putting surfaces all intertwined by the ever changing weather. Forget the lob wedge. Think bump and run and creative shot making.

It is hard to believe that Waterville Golf Club was only built in 1973. It's the type of place you feel that has been there forever. Jack Mulcahy, an Irish-born American, had the vision for this links gem and, after returning to Ireland to live, he handed the task of designing the course to the legendary Eddie Hackett.

His creation is widely regarded as one of the top links courses in the world and the Americans in particular flock to Waterville in their thousands every year.

While the front nine is good, the inward half is even better and make sure you take a minute or two to enjoy the view of Mulcahy's Peak at the par-3 17th. Yes, it is easy to see why this place is so popular.

Forever remembered as the birthplace of the Open Championship, Prestwick Golf Club has hosted 24 Opens in all, the last one being 1926, after which the crowds were deemed too large.

Prestwick Golf Club is situated just half an hour south west of Glasgow on the famous golfing Ayrshire coast. A stretch of land unequalled anywhere in the world for prime golfing terrain. Prestwick shares it boundaries with Royal Troon and is just 20 minutes from Turnberry, with Open final qualifying courses such as Kilmarnock Barassie, Glasgow Gailes, Western Gailes and Irvine Bogside all within just 5 minutes drive.

Prestwick Golf Club is a relaxed and friendly club that enjoys hosting golfers from all around the World. Visitors are encouraged to use their temporary membership to its full capacity, and enjoy the full lunch in the lavish Dining room or just a snack in the relaxed Cardinal room.

The most junior of Open venues, the Ailsa course at Turnberry is nevertheless one of the best and toughest challenges in championship golf.

Sited between the magnificent Trump Turnberry Resort and the sea, this great course weaves in and out of spectacular dunes that, with Turnberry lighthouse and Ailsa Craig standing over 1200 foot high out at sea, form great backdrops to all of the holes.

The course has recently undergone an extensive renovation with the changing of a number of holes providing even more excitement along the cliffs. In fact the trio of holes 9, 10, 11 rival if not surpass those at Pebble Beach. The iconic Turnberry lighthouse has been transformed into arguably the world's best halfway house providing amazing views at the end of the 9th hole.

Although stretched to over 7,000 yards for Open Championships, the medal course is not one that demands great power for par but rather more care and attention to detail both off the tee and with the approach shots. This course has seen some of the best exhibitions ever in the game, particularly over its closing holes testing the world's greatest players to their limits.

Western Gailes Golf Club, founded in 1897, is situated on the Ayrshire coast of Scotland where many of the finest Scottish golf links are located and is only 4 miles from Glasgow Prestwick International Airport. It is recognised as one of the finest and true links courses in Scotland measuring 6899 yards from the championship tees.

The course has played host to the Curtis Cup, PGA Championship, Seniors and prestigious Scottish Amateur Championship. It is also one of the final qualifying courses when The Open is played at Turnberry or Royal Troon.

The clubhouse, with its view of the hills of Arran and the sharp outline of Ailsa Craig standing out from the shimmering sea, gives an instant picture of the delights Western provides and the comforts it affords to all who visit.

Given its quality, it is difficult to comprehend why the wonderful links at Carnoustie lay virtually undiscovered for so long and why it took until 1931 for it to host its first British Open. Since then, this great links has hosted the Open on six occasions.

Carnoustie Championship course is now in the finest condition it has ever been. Not only does it offer the ultimate challenge to every golfer but it provides a playing quality second to none.

It will provide you with one of the sternest tests of golf in the world - a relatively flat course, Carnoustie's main defences are from the wind and the two burns that run across the links through out, quietly awaiting the shot that is slightly less than perfect.

While its golf origins date back to 1793, the multi-award-winning Kingsbarns Golf Links only opened in the summer of 2000. It immediately established itself as one of the world’s must-play links courses – debuting at 46th on Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Worldwide list.

Since 2001, Kingsbarns has co-hosted the annual European Tour’s elite Dunhill Links Championship along with the Old Course and Carnoustie. Kingsbarns has become a favourite destination for first-time and returning international and UK golf visitors to St Andrews. This reputation is based on a combination of playability, dramatic seaside location, classic links turf and staff dedicated to personal service.

Designed by Kyle Phillips and Mark Parsinen, every hole on this championship standard course offers inspiring views of the North Sea.

Sir Michael Bonallack, Past Captain and Past Secretary of the R&A said of Kingbarns: "Mere words cannot convey just how extraordinary the place is. It must be seen to be believed. And once seen, it will never be forgotten".

Now over 100 years old, the New Course at St Andrews Links is probably the oldest "new" course in the world. Opened in April 1895, the course was built in response to increasing demand for golf at St Andrews, both from locals and from the visitors who were flocking to the town in increasing numbers on the recently constructed railway.

The result is a classic links course with great skill designed to exploit the natural topography. It's built over flat, open-spaced ground with many undulations and depressions. Sandy soil and coarse grasses dominate the course.

Some say that the reputation of the Old Course has caused the magnificence of the New Course to be one of golf's best-kept secrets. Even though it remains one of the oldest and most storied courses in Fife, it's far easier to land a tee time than its more storied neighbour.

The Old Course at St Andrews is a must for all avid golfers, who should make the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime. This is where it all started – the undoubted Home of Golf.

This traditional links course is the oldest in the world. Its layout is unique and challenging and the sense of history is overwhelming. To tread the turf of St Andrews, where in the 13th century shepherds played a form of golf, is a marvellous experience. The course is known for its 112 bunkers including one of the most famous in golf, the Road Hole bunker at the 17th hole.

A peculiar feature of the layout of the Old Course is the double greens where the outward and inward holes are cut on the same putting surface. These large greens can mean that golfers may be faced with putts of almost 100 yards.