Ever dreamed of owning a golf course? In a setting so wild and beautiful it looks like a National Geographic cover?
That’s the opportunity I’ve found in the far west of Ireland.
It’s the chance to buy your very own nine-hole golf course in a glorious coastal setting. Not only that, I figure this could be a profitable business.
And you can buy the course and clubhouse from less than the median sales price of a home in San Francisco.
My team recently came across this listing for the nine-hole Connemara Isles Golf Club.
The course is on Annaghvane, an island linked to the far west of mainland Ireland, about an hour’s drive from Galway City.
This stretch of Ireland’s coast, known as the Wild Atlantic Way, is a breathtaking collection of green bays, towering cliffs, cascading valleys, and sandy beaches etched by millennia of pounding waves and roaring winds. Even for this dramatic stretch of coast, though, the setting for Connemara Isles Golf Club is something special.
The 56-acre course lies in a natural harbor, with views of Cnoc Leitir Móir and Cnoc Mordáin mountains, Cill Chiaráin Bay, and innumerable inlets and rocky outcroppings.
The course was built in 1993 by Tom Craddock and Pat Ruddy, who also designed The European Club in Co. Wicklow, and offers a pretty unique golfing experience.
The design is basic and rugged, embracing the wild and historic setting.
Rolling fairways and greens nestle within the weathered landscape. A causeway bridge links to a small island that’s home to the 3rd green, the 4th hole, and the 5th fairway. The remnants of cottages dating to before the Irish famine surround the 6th green.
The site also includes a 3,700-square-foot clubhouse that incorporates the thatched ancestral cottage of the founders. The cottage, dating to 1850, now serves as the clubhouse bar.
The site, containing the clubhouse and golf course, was listed in February after the retirement of the course’s owners. It’s priced at €1.25 million. (That’s $1.45 million. The median sales price of a house in San Francisco was $1.6 million in May 2025, according to Realtor.com.)
Here’s the opportunity I see here…
Say, you get together with a group of 20 of your golfing buddies. You could own this course for only €62,500 (around $72,250) each.
With the right marketing, this course has big appeal.
Visiting rugged, rural courses like this is a major new trend in golf. Wealthy golfing enthusiasts no longer just want to challenge themselves at Carnoustie or St. Andrews or Peddle Beach. They’re flying to the far north of Scotland or islands in Scandinavia to play wild courses where the green fees are five bucks in a honesty box and the greenkeepers are the local sheep and goats.
This course would definitely attract these folks, given its stunning setting.
If you and your buddies are willing to throw in some extra capital to build new accommodations, then I figure things would get really interesting…
Say, you each kicked in €100,000 and after buying the course, used the remaining capital to build 20 suites. Now you have an incredible venue for golfing getaways…bachelor’s parties…corporate retreats…
The clubhouse was already a key social hub for locals and visitors prior to its listing. On-site accommodations would take the entire venue to the next level. This would be totally private for you and your friends when you are in town. The rest of the year the venue could be rented for events or corporate retreats.
Add in some membership fees from locals and you’d have a very cool asset that might also perform as a business.
And beyond that, of course, you’d have some big-time bragging rights.
“Sorry, I can’t next week. I’ll be staying at my golf course in Ireland. Here, let me show you a picture…”
The full listing is online here.
Wishing you good real estate investing,
P.S. Note: neither I nor my team has done any due diligence on this listing, including on how difficult it might be to get permitting to build extra suites here. I wanted to share this listing with you because it’s a pretty unique opportunity. The proximity to Galway City is a big thing…
