GOLF HOLIDAYS IN DONEGAL
The best golf courses for Donegal golfbreaks.
Rosapenna - Old Tom Morris Architect: Old Tom Morris (1893). 18 holes: 5,950m: Par 71.
The original course at Rosapenna and one that has stood the test of time - a long, long time! Shaped more by nature than by man with Tees and Greens selected by Old Tom and a few bunkers added by James Braid, it's a wonderfully natural place to play golf. Skirting around the bigger dunes (kindly left for Sandy Hills, see below)and bordering the hills and the sea in equal measure, it is as picturesque as it is testing.
Rosapenna - Sandy Hills Architect: P. Ruddy (2003). 18 holes: 6,440m: Par 71.
The central portion of land at Rosapenna is a tumult of towering dunes stitched together by the deep-rooted maram grass that will send a shiver down the spine of any golfer heading for the First Tee - you know what's coming! Only a man with the strength of character of Pat Ruddy would have the courage to take on this design challenge and what a masterpiece he has crafted. Rosapenna's Sandy Hills course rises and falls every inch of the way between, across, over, around, alongside the mammoth dunes always with stunning views from it's elevated vantage points. A wild golfing ride across some of Donegal's finest real estate - enjoy!
Rosapenna - St. Patricks Architect: M. Hawtree (2018). 18 holes: 6,440m: Par 71.
The new course at Rosapenna that has certainly stirred an awful lot of golfing interest. Martin Hawtree had some fantastic dunescapes to work with and he has made the absolute best of it! Believe everynting you hear about the St. Patrick's course it's a wonderful thing.
Ballyliffin - Old Architect: H. Pennink (1947). 18 holes: 5,951m: Par 71.
The first golf coures at Ballyliffin and leads one to wonder why it was not until after the war that man started golfing on this seaside land that so clearly lends itself to the pursuit of the little white ball. The sandy soil provides beautiful year-round links conditions - hard and fast in the Summer with an ever-present breeze to contend with. The land is fairly low-lying so sea-views are limited to the holes close to the Pollan Strand but the magnificent backdrop of the Urris Hills provides all the scenery you'll need.
Ballyliffin - Glashedy Architect: P. Ruddy (1995). 18 holes: 6,466m: Par 72.
The younger and longer of the two courses at Ballyliffin and good enough for the Irish Open in 2019, which gives you some idea of the test in store for you (keep away from the back Tees!). The full range of links tests awaits: rumbling (and often crooked) Fairways, strangling rough, deep pot-bunkers, hard Greens; all of wihich will test your links skill and imagination to the fullest extent. A brutal golfing beauty.
Portsalon Architect: E. Thompson (1881). 18 holes: 5,354m: Par 69.
Portsalon is a very pleasant place to play your golf. The town thrives on Summer holiday traffic heading to its wonderful stretch of beach between the hills, lending Portsalon a very relaxed, holiday feel. The course itself has a few very intereseting twists and turns across a corner of beach between the sea and the estuary. Water comes into play in quite a few places with streams to cross and angled inlets to choose your line over - great fun!
Narin & Portnoo Architect: L. Wallace (1905). 18 holes: 6,197m: Par 70.
A little remote but well worth the effort to get to Narin & Portnoo - an astounding promontory, jutting into the Atlantic on the western tip of Donegal. The course itself is over one hundred years old and has evolved continually over that time. Once an unknown jewel in the dunes, Narin & Portnoo has been unearthed, for better or for worse, by the greater golfing public. There are holes (and views) here to rival any of the major links courses in Ireland - or elsewhere for that matter. Narin & Portnoo's evolution is set to continue as it has been bought by an American outfit, keen to develop this windy little corner of Ireland. They have employed an American, Gil Hanse, to work on the course design and reshape several holes: it will be interesting to see the results in due course.
North West Architect: C. Thompson (1891). 18 holes: 6,340m: Par 70.
An unassuming little course but one that should not be discounted on any golfing trip to Donegal. North West Golf Club was one of the nine founding members of the Golfing Union of Ireland - so a key player in Irish golf. The course has changed little over time and offers straightforward links golfing over easily walked terrain, with plenty of sea air! It would make a great introduction to links golfing for anyone not familiar with this version of the game. It is also extremely handily placed for the ferry across Lough Swilly, so could be added in to your comings and goings around Donegal quite nicely.
N.B. Two very nice hotels nearby, should you wish to base yourself between Ballyliffin and Rosapenna?
Donegal (Murvagh) Architect: E. Hackett (1960). 18 holes: 6,574m: Par 73.
Donegal Golf Club lies in the extreme South of the county and fits more neatly into a Sligo & Mayo golf holiday (see our dedicated pages). It enjoys a serene setting beside Donegal Bay and around Durnish Lake dotted with its green bobble-hat islands. The terrain here is perfect for golf: gentle dunes with ridges, humps and hollows; not much additional work was required by Eddie Hackett to create a marvellously natural, test of golf. A feature of the land is the huge sand ridge that cuts across the course providing some solid grassy backdrops to Greens and a couple of elevated Tee positions; the latter affording joyous views of this wonderful, unspoilt, golfscape.