Golf Digest Ireland Top 100 (2015)

View of Galgorm Castle's 3rd green.

The Golf Digest Ireland Top 100 Rankings are done and dusted for 2015. If you're after the 2016 ranking (and the many issues involved), click this link.

I've added the rankings from the last 3 and 4 years to show the major shifts! The top 10 have moved marginally in those years, but all have remained in the elite top 10.

County Sligo, Ballyliffin (Glashedy) and The Island are banging on the door, but for the past four years they haven't managed to break through. Adare remains the only parkland to make that elite Top 10.

On The Way Up
Those showing meteoric rises over the past five years include:

Ballybunion (Cashen), up 37 places to 56th.
Rosslare, up 29 places to 69th.
Narin & Portnoo, up 18 places to 33rd.

Rosslare's 6th hole

Consistently steady climbers over the last four years include Galgorm Castle (72) up 16 places, Galway Bay (79) up 17 places, and Ceann Sibeal (75) up 23 places. And then there's Old Head, up 10 places to 14th... a Top 10 next year??

On The Way Down
On the other hand, courses like Dundalk, Grange, Ardglass and Westport are in a steady decline. So too is Killarney (Killeen), falling 17 places in five years from the lofty heights of 23rd to 40th. That's a surprising fall for a course that held the Irish Open so recently.

Down and Out
Meanwhile, five years ago, Bantry Bay (70) and Kilkenny (66) were going along nicely, but have since vanished from the top 100 altogether. Skellig Bay, too, has done an impressive disappearing act.

Macreddin makes the cut... finally... at number 100.

A Pinch of Salt
As always these rankings are going to get grief - no ranking is going to satisfy everybody - so take them with a pinch of salt and use them for 'discussion' purposes.

I'm sure you'll find plenty of surprises and omissions. Where's North West, Portarlington, Birr, Rathcore... the list goes on. Let's hear your thoughts as to what should go where, and why!!

Here's the Ranking for 2015:

	2015	2014	2013	2012	2011
Royal County Down	1	2	1	1
Portmarnock	2	1	2	2
Royal Portrush	3	3	3	3
Lahinch	4	5	5	6
Waterville	5	4	4	4
Ballybunion (Old)	6	6	6	5
Tralee	7	7	8	7
The European Club	8	9	7	8
Adare	9	10	10	10
County Louth (Baltray)	10	8	9	9
County Sligo (Rosses Point)	11	12	11	11
Ballyliffin, Glashedy	12	11	12	13
The Island	13	14	14	12
The Old Head of Kinsale	14	18	22	24
Enniscrone	15	13	13	14
Belmullet, Carne	16	16	20	21
Ballyliffin, Old Links	17	21	21	22
Portstewart, Strand	18	17	15	17
Mount Juliet	19	15	16	15
Donegal	20	20	18	16
The K-Club, Palmer	21	23	19	20
Killeen Castle	22	19	17	18
Portsalon	23	25	25	27
Dooks	24	30	32	33
Rosapenna, Sandy Hills	25	22	28	25	21
Portmarnock Links	26	26	23	31
Royal Dublin	27	27	24	19
Doonbeg	28	24	26	23
Carlow	29	29	27	29
Fota Island, Deerpark	30	32	37	40
Lough Erne	31	28	29	32
Carton House, Montgomerie	32	31	30	28
Narin And Portnoo	33	34	38	43	51
Druids Glen	34	36	39	37
Cork	35	33	31	30
Rosapenna, Old Tom Morris	36	37	34	34
Concra Wood	37	41	40	38
Connemara	38	42	44	48	56
Slieve Russell	39	40	41	45
Killarney, Killeen	40	39	33	26	23
Castlerock	41	38	35	35
Headfort, New	42	35	36	36
Palmerstown Stud	43	45	50	46
The Heritage	44	48	48	44
Carton House, O’Meara	45	46	46	49
Seapoint	46	43	43	42
Malone	47	44	52	52
Royal Portrush, Valley	48	48	55	58
The K-Club, Smurfit	49	49	42	41
Belvoir Park	50	50	51	51
Bunclody	51	54	57	59
Portumna	52	53	54	53
Dun Laoghaire	53	56	49	55
Luttrellstown Castle	54	52	45	39
Tramore	55	51	47	47
Ballybunion, Cashen	56	66	79	81	93
Hermitage	57	55	58	57
Powerscourt, West Course	58	58	53	50	38
Arklow	59	57	61	65
Royal Belfast	60	61	63	71
Clandeboye Dufferin	61	62	66	66
Castletroy	62	59	59	63	85
Dromoland Castle	63	60	65	69
Farnham Estate	64	67	60	54	48
Mount Wolseley	65	70	62	64	76
Powerscourt, East Course	66	68	68	75
Tullamore	67	65	70	61	53
Westport	68	63	64	56	45
Rosslare	69	69	76	81	98
Strandhill	70	76	74	78	83
Esker Hills	71	72	82
Galgorm Castle	72	77	86	88
Glasson	73	64	56	62
Druids Heath	74	75	67	70
Castlemartyr	74	73	72	76
Dingle, Ceann Sibeal	75	78	81	98
Rathsallagh	76	71	69	67
Shannon	78	74	73	73
Galway Bay	79	84	87	96
Laytown and Bettystown	80	82	77	77
Ballinrobe	81	81	80	90
Mullingar	82	79	85	80
Knightsbrook	83	88	92	85	79
Tulfarris	84	92	91	94
Dundalk	85	80	71	60	50
Grange	86	83	78	74
Galway	87	85	88	87
Castle	88	86	83	79
Ardglass	89	89	75	71
St. Annes	90	87	84	82
Blainroe	91	98
Headfort (Old)	92	93
Balbriggan	93	90	89	92
New Forest	94
Killarney, (Mahony’s Point)	95	97	95
Woodenbridge	96	91	100	100
Moyola Park	97	95
Athlone	98	96	99
Dunfanaghy	99
Macreddin	100
Courtown			90	89
Bantry Bay			93	86	70
Kirkistown Castle			94	93
St. Margaret’s			96
Kilkenny			97	83	66
Skellig Bay			98	84

The glories of County Sligo... views down the 17th.

And, at the very least, let the rankings inspire you into trying out a new Irish golf course or two next year.