Strandhill is a links renowned for its quirk and its sense of adventure. You will be tossed about at will, tested and teased constantly, and yet you will always leave with a smile on your face. Set across the bay from the mighty Co. Sligo Golf Club at Rosses Point in Ireland’s north-west, Strandhill was always the smaller, little-known cousin. Much of it was designed by passionate members with horse and plough, which gives you a sense of the mood and playfulness you’ll encounter.
In places it is mercurial, in others simply magical. It has unique qualities, too, with two borders brushed by the sea, a giant dune looming on one side and the towering Knocknarea Mountain on the other. This is a beautiful place to swing a golf club.
Strandhill has upped its game considerably in recent years. Its charming qualities remain but architect Ally McIntosh has been making some upgrades: “There remained an innocence to the course which gave opportunity to vastly improve its appearance and strategy. To that end, I’ve had the pleasure of working with the club over the last few years, completely redesigning the bunker scheme, introducing more scale to the compact site, and softening some of the man-made elements that had been built by members.”
Tumbling down
Next to the clubhouse is the course’s highest point: the 15th green and 13th tee. If you want to appreciate Strandhill’s charms in a single moment wander over to that 13th, climb the ‘look-out’ steps that front the tee box and view the hole below. Then do a 360. With holes tumbling down on three sides and the sound of waves roaring across Sligo Bay, this is the very essence of Strandhill.
The 13th also happens to be the quirkiest hole here – perhaps in the whole of Ireland – but you also overlook the 5th green and fairway, quite possibly the prototype for bubble-wrap, while the 15th alongside you is a sharp dogleg that starts low and rises fast enough to make your nose bleed.
Quirk aside
For some golfers the word ‘quirk’ is a negative, a bit like ‘fun’. Strandhill possesses both but there is rich links calibre, too. Holes such as the par-4 6th, doglegging out to the ocean, the straight 7th which tees off from up high, and two special if daunting par 3s (the 2nd and 14th) - one exposed to the winds, the other skulking in dunes - emphasise the serious quality here.
Nor are they alone. Combine these with the particularly unique holes on 4, 5, 13, and 15, as well as McIntosh’s professional flourishes, and Strandhill’s allure is ever rising.
