2012 Is the Year for Ireland Golf Vacations

If you’ve been holding out for lower prices before heading over to tee off in the Emerald Isle, it may be time to make your reservations. There hasn’t been a better time for Ireland golf vacations in years. After several years of unfavorable rates, the exchange rate between the Euro and the U.S. dollar has tipped on its side.

With the current exchange rate down 15 percent since 2008 – and predicted to slide even more over the next few months – you’ll get to pack more fun and more golf into your golf travel than at any time in the past four years. In fact, one prominent golf writer estimates that you’ll get up to 40 percent more for your money if you take a golf trip to Ireland this year.

For the record, this nifty little discount only applies to Ireland proper. Northern Ireland or Scotland aren’t on the Euro and aren’t seeing the same steep cuts in the value of their money, at least not this year. So skip the plans to tee off at the Old Course at St. Andrews – which you’d be lucky to do this summer anyway, since the tee times have been booked since September – and set your sights on some southwestern Ireland golf courses.

The southwestern region of Ireland is dotted with some of the most outstanding golf courses in the world. Heading south from Shannon Airport, you’ll run into such famous caourse as Ballybunion, Waterville, Old Head, Lahinch and Tralee, and such undiscovered gems as Castlegregory and Beaufort Golf Club.

Because of the number of courses and their popularity, the golf courses of the southwest can be a little more crowded and “tourist-y” than some of the lesser known regions, but the last few years of depressed travel have dulled the travel bug in many. If you book your golf vacations in the spring and early fall, you’ll get fabulous golf weather without the crowds.

These Ireland golf courses are historic gems, but far from outdated. They offer challenging holes set against some of the most memorable and impressive scenery in the world. The seaside courses often require tricky maneuvering and a steady, sure shot, whether you’re shooting with a driver or your camera.

Many of Ireland’s 300 golf courses are located in the island’s southwest region with fairways overlooking the ocean and links meandering along the shores of lakes. The discerning golfer can plan weeks worth of golf vacations that take in historic courses, modern golf courses, luxury resort golf clubs and the public club that opens its greens to the stray tourist looking for the best and most congenial golfing in all the world.