Irish Golf Tournaments You Don’t Want to Miss in 2026
For Ireland, 2026 is shaping up to be an exciting year for golf. Along with events like the men’s and women’s Irish Opens, the country will host a pair of marquee team competitions, the Arnold Palmer Cup, and the Walker Cup. These come ahead of Ireland hosting golf’s most prestigious team competition, the Ryder Cup, in 2027.
With the Ryder Cup more than a year away, there’s more than enough golf in 2026 to tide the country over. Let’s learn more about the country’s exciting 2026 events and the premier venues that will host them.
Arnold Palmer Cup, July 3–5: Tralee Golf Club
In early July, the best collegiate golfers in the world will descend upon Tralee Golf Club in County Kerry. Held annually since 1997, the Arnold Palmer Cup brings together a team of men’s and women’s players from the United States, Great Britain, and Ireland.
After a win in 2025 at South Carolina’s Congaree Golf Club, Team International will be looking to defend its title when the competition returns to Ireland for the first time since 2024. Team USA won the 2024 iteration, which was held in Lahinch Golf Club, and the squad may be hoping a return to Ireland will bring another victory.
The two teams will be going against each other on a course designed by the competition’s namesake. Regarded as golf legend Arnold Palmer’s greatest design, Tralee Golf Club’s Palmer-designed course opened in 1984. It stretches for 6,975 yards through Ireland’s picturesque Lake District, of which Palmer remarked, “I have never come across a piece of land so ideally suited for the building of a golf course.” With the front nine routed on elevated ground along the coastline and the back nine playing through massive dunes, it’s easy to see why the 18-holer is considered one of Ireland’s best.
KPMG Women’s Irish Open, August 27–30: K Club (Palmer South)
Arnold Palmer also designed the two courses at County Kildare’s K Club, considered Ireland’s leading golf resort. Whereas Palmer North is a tree-lined parkland layout, Palmer South is an inland links course created from 200 acres of flat farmland.
The design process saw Palmer and his team add dune-style mounding, clever bunkering, dramatic rock features, and incredible water hazards. A championship-level course, it offers many vantage points for spectators to watch some of the top women’s golfers in the world vie for supremacy at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open.
Among those expected to be in the field is Lottie Woad, who as an amateur ran away with the title in 2025. Her first professional ranks victory saw her winning by six strokes at Carton House’s O’Meara Course. Now a professional, she will be looking to defend her title.
Walker Cup, September 5–6: Lahinch Golf Club (Old)
Spectators may have the opportunity to see the next star of golf when the Walker Cup comes to Lahinch Golf Club in County Clare in early September. During the event, a team from the United States faces off with a team from Great Britain and Ireland. Over its more-than 100-year history, a number of amateur golfers who went on to become top professionals have taken part in the biennial competition. To name a few: Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Phil Mickelson, as well as Irish golfers like Rory McIlroy, Padraig Harrington, and Graeme McDowell, have all competed as amateurs in the event.
While the Walker Cup participants are still looking to make a name for themselves, the reputation of the host course has long been established. Opened since the 1890s, the Old course at Lahinch Golf Club is one of the most celebrated layouts in all of Ireland. Old Tom Morris, who was hired to upgrade the 18-holer in 1894, called Lahinch the finest natural course he had ever laid eyes on. In fact, some of his eccentric hole designs, including Klondyke and Dell, continue to confound golfers today.
Amgen Irish Open, September 9–13: Trump International Golf Links Ireland
Before he won the Master’s for the second time this past April, Rory McIlroy became a two-time Irish Open champion when he lifted the trophy in September. Following his 2025 win at the K Club, he’ll be looking to defend his Irish Open title when some of the best male golfers in the world gather at Trump International Golf Links Ireland in Doonbeg in September.
While the Irish Open has a history that dates back to 1927, Trump Ireland has a much more modern history. It opened in 2002 as Doonbeg Golf Club. Stretching for 7,026 yards along the rugged Atlantic coastline, it boasts a design by Greg Norman, who vowed to keep the course in tune with the stunning setting. Along with refusing to import any foreign grass, he opted for a layout that winds naturally through the immense dunes, resulting in an unusual combination of five par-five and five par-threes.
In 2014, The Trump Organization purchased Doonbeg, renamed it, and hired Martin Hawtree to lead a redesign. Hawtree’s work enhanced the layout’s beauty and playability, each of which golfers will be able to experience firsthand come September.