Legend has it that an Irish monk, St Brendan, set sail from Tralee and landed in America centuries before Columbus. Now thousands of Americans make the reverse journey on a pilgrimage to a golf course designed by Arnold Palmer. Mind you, he credited God with doing half the work.

Tralee Golf Club is surrounded by water and sand dunes, with scenic holes that set the pulse racing and a few quirky ones to test your imagination. Like the Rose of Tralee, the attraction is not her beauty alone….

https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/tralee

https://traleegolfclub.com/

Music: Daniel O’Donnell

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Formed in 1873, this is one of the oldest clubs in England, but it is as relevant to the history of golf as it was when it was founded.

Its close relationship with Royal Liverpool means that West Lancs will jointly stage the Amateur Championship with Hoylake in 2026. And it will also continue to host the Final Open Qualifying for the top pros looking for a last-minute ticket to Royal Birkdale.

But even if you are neither a top amateur nor professional, you will be thrilled by the challenge and the condition of the West Lancashire course, which runs alongside the Mersey Estuary, and is one of the gems of North-West links golf.

https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/west-lancashire

https://www.westlancashiregolf.co.uk/

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The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers can lay claim to being the founders of modern golf, having established the first set of competition rules soon after being founded in 1744.

Muirfield has been their home since 1890, and the course has hosted the Open Championship sixteen times - but not since 2013. The club changed its much-criticised rules and now admits women as members, but it still awaits the return of the Claret Jug to a course regarded as among the best in the world.

https://www.muirfield.org.uk/

https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/muirfield-the-honourable-company-of-edinburg-golfers

Commentary credit: R&A

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They've been playing golf in this part of Scotland for hundreds of years, and for more than a century, they've had three 18-hole courses in Gullane to choose from. Gullane Number 1 is the highest rated and has twice hosted the Scottish Open.

East Lothian is blessed with a large number of quality golf courses, but what sets Gullane apart is the variety of holes and the huge change in elevation as you climb the hill, which provides stunning views over its neighbours.

And if the podcast doesn't whet your appetite, click on the link below for one of the very best club websites we've come across, with course guides and plenty of history to inform prospective visitors.

https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/gullane-no-1

https://gullanegolfclub.com/

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The Els Club is the first private golf club in the Algarve, and its course was reimagined by Ernie Els from the Vilamoura Victoria, which previously hosted the Portugal Masters.

The doors opened for us to be among the first to review a club which has five-star service and very lofty ambitions.

https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/els-club-vilamoura

https://www.elsclubvilamoura.com

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Three courses and a former Ryder Cup Captain are squeezed into this episode from one of Europe's top golf resorts.

Quinta Do Lago South, North, and Laranjal offer different challenges. Paul McGinley has an Academy at the resort and has been going there for three decades. He tells The Golf Pilgrim what makes it such an attractive place to visit.

https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/quinta-do-lago-north

https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/quinta-do-lago-laranjal

https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/quinta-do-lago-south

https://www.quintadolago.com/en/golf/overview/

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The first of three episodes from Portugal, which has long been a favourite destination for British and Irish golfers, but is now attracting worldwide acclaim

The 27 holes at Palmares provide such a variety of challenges, that you might even forget you’re in the Algarve, with some holes akin to a Scottish links.

https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/palmares

https://www.palmaresliving.com/golf/

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Cavendish Golf Club styles itself as the inspiration for Augusta National, which is not as fanciful an idea as it may sound. It opened in 1925 and was the last English course that Dr Alister MacKenzie designed before heading overseas to ply his trade.

Eight years later, his breathtaking course in Georgia was born. So, with another US Masters almost upon us, let us take you to the English Peak District to look for similarities.

https://www.cavendishgolfclub.com/

https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/cavendish

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