The Keating Championship at Ballybunion
The Road to Ballybunion Began . . .
As part of a 1987 Scotland-Ireland trip, John Keating Senior and John Jr. played Ballybunion completely unaware that the course and the town would become a constant of camaraderie and competition for the next three-plus decades. With an affinity for all things Irish, John Sr. declared that father-son trip to be the Keating Championship and deemed it to be an annual event so long as it be held on Irish soil. The event expanded to in-laws, and then to friends who’ve accepted the Keatings as an acquired taste. So in that spirit, welcome to this year’s 36th edition of the Keating Championship, an unheralded major on the golf calendar but an unrivaled week of bucket-list golf and Irish hospitality.
2024 Championship: August 26-30
Competitors: Brad Berendes, Cade Berendes, Bob Buesinger, Larry Den (defending champion), Cole Hanafan, Mike Hanafan, John Keating, Michael Keating, Joe Pitrofsky, Ross Weinberg
Experiencing Ireland's Beset
Some 60 players have been to Ireland with the Keatings, playing links classics Ballybunion, Royal County Down (above), Lahinch, Doonbeg, The European Club, Portmarnock, Tralee, and Old Head.
"Ballybunion"
"After playing Ballybunion for the first time, a man would think that the game of golf originated here. "
–Tom Watson
"When I asked for Herb Kohler's instructions how to build Whistling Straits: "He said make it look like Ballybunion, and walked away."
– Pete Dye
“If you want perfect fairways, no rough, flat greens and calm balmy days, Ballybunion is not for you. But if you are one of life’s seekers, a Ulysses with three pitching wedges, seeking what lies beyond the western star, go to Ballybunion.”
– Jack Whitaker, Links Magazine
"I have played more than 600 golf courses in the past five years – and the round at Ballybunion was my all-time favorite.”
– Steve Habel, Cybergolf
"I’m with Tom Watson on this one. I’m totally smitten with the wild contouring, ocean views, towering dunes and remarkable variety – no matter what the weather.”
– Joe Passov, Course Rankings
“In golf there are certain places that send emotional charges through the bodies of avid golfers. Yet even among the select, few courses boast the romance and awesome power of Ballybunion."
– John DeGarmo, "The Road to Ballybunion"