An American golfing aficionado thought so much of Ballybunion Golf Club that on his deathbed he ordered his body to be flown from Los Angeles for burial in the graveyard beside the first tee at the famous Old Course. That last request underlines the captivating spell cast over all those blessed with the fulfillment of having made the pilgrimage to one of the world's greatest links.

The legendary Majors champion Tom Watson, and the renowned course architect Robert Trent Jones are prominent among the many admirers. "Playing Ballybunion is similar in many respects to playing Cypress Point in America and I like that style of golf," says Watson.

There appears to be no man-made influences and Ballybunion is a course on which many golf architects should live and play before they build golf courses,' adds the giant of golf, who many times practiced at his most loved Irish course before winning some of his five British Open titles.

With possibly a more dramatic setting than its older brother and bigger dunes and carries required to round this course near par, it is a fitting companion to one of the world's leading courses. The upshot is that Ballybunion today is now a world-renowned golf complex of 36 of the finest links land holes you will encounter in any one place.