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Experience The Watson Cashen Course

Watson Cashen Course

A modern classic redesigned by Tom Watson

Watson Links Experience

From Tuesday August 18th 2026, experience the newly...

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The Watson Cashen Course at Ballybunion

Stay just steps from the first tee of the Tom Watson designed links golf course

A modern classic on the Atlantic dunes

Set between the Atlantic Ocean and the Cashen River, the Cashen Course at Ballybunion Golf Club is one of Ireland's most dramatic links golf experiences. Originally designed by Robert Trent Jones Senior and opened in the early 1980s, the course is renowned for its towering dunes, thrilling shot values and unforgettable views across the Wild Atlantic landscape.Now reimagined by Tom Watson and architect Graeme J. Webster, the Cashen has undergone a multi-year programme designed to unlock the full potential of its extraordinary terrain. The aim is not to mimic Ballybunion's famous Old Course, but to create a distinct companion: strategic, coherent and joyful from first tee to final putt.Guests at Teach de Broc stay directly opposite the Ballybunion Golf Club clubhouse, making it possible to walk from bedroom to tee without transfers, queues or unnecessary travel
Experience The Watson Cashen Course

Origins and intent

The original Cashen was bold and unforgettable, yet over time many golfers found it eccentric. Blind shots disrupted rhythm, artificial mounding diluted the natural drama, and penal rough could overpower the fun of links golf. The land itself always held rare potential.

The redesign delivered

What stands today is the course the land always promised. The theatre of the dunes remains, but the golf now moves with the natural rhythm of the site. Lines that once felt hidden are revealed. Greens welcome creative approaches. The ground game is again the native language of play.
Cashen Course2

Stay & Play - Watson Links Experience

Be among the first to play the newly reimagined Cashen Course, redesigned under the vision of Tom Watson.

From August 18th, experience a new chapter in Ballybunion golf with a carefully arranged stay at Teach de Broc. Enjoy boutique accommodation, award winning dinner, breakfast overlooking the course and your round on the newly reimagined Watson Links, all just steps from the first tee.

€350 pps
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Where to stay

Sleep across the road from the clubhouse at Teach de Broc

Teach de Broc is Ballybunion’s award winning boutique golf hotel. Expect refined rooms, a welcoming lounge, an elegant dining room and the easy comfort that comes with people who know golf and know Ballybunion. Stay and play packages and concierge tee time assistance are available for guests.

From €240
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Ballybunion Golf From €350 | Book Now

Watson Links Experience

The package includes dinner, bed, breakfast and one round on the newly reimagined Cashen Course. More Details
Teach de Broc Restaurant Sea Bass From €200 | Book Now

Dinner, Bed & Breakfast

Enjoy a night of relaxation at our four star country house in Ballybunion with world famous golf courses to enjoy. More Details
ballybunion old From €400 | Book Now

Stay & Play - Ballybunion Old Course

The package includes dinner, bed, breakfast and one round on the Old Course here in Ballybunion. More Details

The New Course Reimagined

A considered evolution of routing, strategy and links character, designed to enhance playability, strengthen the ground game and reward creativity across every round.
Routing and flow
Adjusted tee and landing zone alignments reduce blind shots, even out walking gradients and open long views through the dune corridors.

Greens and surrounds
All eighteen green sites are rebuilt and enlarged to roughly five hundred to five hundred and fifty square metres, with short grass entrances and contouring set for appropriate wind conditions.

Approaches and the Ground Game
Approaches are regraded to accept low flight, releasing second shots and to provide consistent apron firmness across prevailing wind directions.

Strategic bunkering
Hazards are placed to provoke decisions rather than simply punish, with revetted faces by the greens and natural-looking fairway bunkers built on durable bases for long-term integrity. Their positioning rewards thoughtful strategy and confident execution while preserving multiple routes of play for golfers of varying abilities.

Course philosophy
The course rewards thoughtful strategy, confident execution and creative shot-making, while preserving multiple routes of play for golfers of varying abilities.

Tees and yardage
A refined tee matrix improves angles and playability for every standard while preserving scope for championship length.

Paths and circulation
New walking and buggy routes sit discreetly in the dunes with better gradients and defined access that protects playing surfaces.

Visual framing
Authentic dune lines and lowered tee surrounds frame natural sightlines to the coastline and target zones.

Turf and agronomy
Upgraded irrigation and maintenance practices deliver firmer, faster conditions that deepen the true links experience across the season.

Experience The Watson Cashen Course

Why the redesign matters

There is a quiet thread of legacy in every decision
Tom Watson, the man who helped make Ballybunion famous, brings a lifelong affection for links that shows in the details as much as the vistas. Together with Graeme J. Webster, the team has balanced thrill with fairness, drama with flow, beauty with purpose. The result feels inevitable, as if the course had been waiting beneath the marram all along.
golf hole

Hole 1 – Mass Path

A framed beginning with clearer lines from the tee and a green that welcomes the running approach set a confident tone, with subtle interior contours to test the opening putt.
golf hole

Hole 2 – NaomhÓg

The river is revealed as elevated tees showcase the estuary. The landing zone is wider and the green sits naturally in the land, open to bump and run.
golf hole

Hole 3 – Faction

A traditional short hole. The carry is more manageable and the dune set green blends forgiveness with clever slopes and fall offs that still defend par.
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Hole 4 – Cashen Estuary

The showpiece. A dramatic ridgeline and Atlantic backdrop define the drive. The fairway sweeps around the dune to a green set farther back, adding scale and grandeur.
golf hole

Hole 5 – Carrig Éala

Against the elements. A strong two shotter into the prevailing wind. Repositioned bunkers offer choices from the tee and an open entrance rewards a bold second.
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Hole 6 – Rattoo

The softened rise A graceful climb replaces a slog. New teeing and fairway shaping create rhythm, finishing at a green of gentle plateaus and runoffs.
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Hole 7 – Webster's Way

A short two shot hole where precision beats power. The fairway and green allow either a running draw or a measured lay up.
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Hole 8 – Cnoc on Óir

Formerly a blind three shotter, now a strategic highlight with restored visibility. A central fairway bunker tempts the brave line and the green is in sight for the second.
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Hole 9 – Sandy's Valley

Recast as a stout two shot hole with width, options and a testing approach to a raised surface framed by natural dunes to close the front nine.
golf hole

Hole 10 – Jones's Elbow

A drop shot short hole into a wind swept bowl. A larger, more expressive green sits amid natural grasses.
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Hole 11 – Kitchen Midden

The sweep Right to left movement in the land shapes the play. Subtle bunkers guide the line and the green rewards committed approaches.
golf hole

Hole 12 – Cnoc na gCoiníní

Along the ridge where elevation, outlook and strategy combine. A new teeing area reveals sweeping sea views, fairway bunkers define options and the green prefers a low, spinning second.
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Hole 13 – Pads Bank

Cliffside theatre Arguably the most striking hole, routed closer to the coastline. A green near the edge is inviting yet exposed, a signature of the redesign.
golf hole

Hole 14 – Kestrels Perch

While Nothing is hidden this is a thinker’s hole. Subtle slopes, shifting winds and a clever green ensure the test stays honest.
golf hole

Hole 15 – Bob's Gap

An uphill three shot hole with better tempo. Fairway movement creates choice and a welcoming but tricky green rewards smart lay up positions.
golf hole

Hole 16 – Carraig Buachaill

Classic short hole Clean lines with framed bunkers and a generous putting surface that becomes a different proposition in the wind.
golf hole

Hole 17 – Daniel's Rock

The return home. Strong and straightforward, rich in nuance. Shot shape and commitment matter as the round turns for home.
golf hole

Hole 18 – Shell Valley

A dignified finish with a generous drive to a clear target, then a confident approach to a more playable green brings the journey to a satisfying close.

As featured in

Lonely Planet Michelin Guide Golf Digest Conde Nast Traveller Irish Independent

Our Ratings / Reviews

Ideally located in the picturesque Ballybunion

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Frequently Asked Questions

The Watson Course refers to the upgraded version of Ballybunion’s Cashen Course. Originally created by Robert Trent Jones, the layout has undergone a significant redesign shaped by Tom Watson, bringing fresh focus to an already dramatic links that runs through some of the tallest dunes on the Irish coast.
Teach de Broc is the most convenient base for playing the Watson Course. The hotel sits directly opposite Ballybunion Golf Club, so guests can walk to the first tee of both courses in minutes, then return to comfortable rooms, an on site restaurant and a welcoming bar without needing a car, bus or driver once they check in.
Since its redesign into the Watson Course the layout has become more playable and enjoyable for a broad range of golfers. The fairways are more generous, the landing zones more forgiving, and the routing softer in parts. For many players the Watson Course now offers a more relaxed, fun links experience while still giving a true sense of Irish links terrain. Many guests say it is ideal for a companion round to the Old Course: testing enough to feel meaningful but accessible enough to enjoy without overly punishing mistakes.
It is possible to play both courses in one day during longer summer daylight, although most guests prefer to spread them across two days. If you do decide to play 36, Teach de Broc can arrange early breakfast and later dining so your schedule suits the golf.
A popular plan is to base yourself at Teach de Broc for two or three nights, play the Old Course and Watson Course on separate days and, if time allows, add a third round at nearby Tralee, Lahinch, Doonbeg or Waterville. The hotel’s location and local knowledge make it easy to build a compact but memorable southwest Ireland itinerary.
After golf most guests either enjoy a quick drink in the Ballybunion clubhouse or walk back across to Teach de Broc. The hotel’s restaurant serves seasonal Irish cooking tailored to golfers returning from the links, and the bar offers a relaxed setting for a pint and post round stories within sight of the dunes.