Once every blue moon or so, I am lucky enough to head off on an extended golfing adventure to fuel future coverage in print and on the website. Before this May, I had been to County Donegal just once, in 2011. Since then, a huge amount has changed on the golfing front in this outstandingly beautiful county, while one of the most highly vaunted new designs has been unleashed on the golfing world. I was keen to see as much as possible, and while time available meant missing one or two of the region’s brightest lights, my tour would take in no fewer than three UK&I Top 100 courses, two from the Next 100, and a further eclectic handful of varying size and description. Joining me on this golfing odyssey was fellow courses’ aficionado and good friend, Jeremy Ellwood, and while we are saving some of our discoveries for other features, I am delighted here to recommend six of the best that we visited while based at Rosapenna, the excellent golf resort owned by the Casey family.
Old Tom Morris Links
The first course at Rosapenna opened in 1891 and was designed by Old Tom Morris before subsequent changes by three golfing greats; Vardon, Braid and Colt. These holes are now split, with the original back nine still played as the Coastguard nine, while a newer nine was created resulting in two quite different and yet perfectly complementary nines to enjoy.
There are plenty of strong holes, with highlights including a par 3 on each nine; the seventh with a carry over a rugged, sand-scraped hill, and the fourteenth which is played in the opposite direction to a green where run-offs lead to sneakily placed bunkers. Even without its two superstar siblings, it is a cracking links with plenty to enjoy.
Sandy Hills Links
When I first played Sandy Hills Links in 2011 with Frank Casey Junior, I was greatly impressed but also keen to see if was as good as I had remembered. I headed out with Jeremy, who had also played it just the once, even longer ago. In no time at all, we were reminded of just how good it is. But let’s be honest, it’s also tough! If a false front is your thing, then you will find them here in abundance. This also means that you can see exactly what you have to do, and in my case, get to play a lot of long-range putts from below the green.
As we worked our way through the magnificent dunes, we were reminded of just how strong this Pat Ruddy design is, boosted by a gallery of exceptional views such the fabulous vista that reveals itself as you play down to the 6th green. Wonderful!
St Patrick’s Links
And so to the most important reason for our trip; a chance to play the highest new Top 100 entry in the current Golf Monthly rankings. Better still, not just once but twice, on consecutive afternoons, and so a perfect chance for a detailed look and to reflect. Much has already been written about the roots of this spectacular Tom Doak design - it was originally two courses, Maheramagorgan Links and Trá Mór Links, then Martin Hawtree and Nicklaus Designs were going to develop them, and finally the Casey family purchased both to create what is the most ambitious, exciting and brilliantly sited new course in the UK&I.
Every hole is different, with the loops from the third to the sixth and then the fourteenth to sixteenth simply outstanding. The par-4 fourteenth is played from an elevated tee down to the corner of the dogleg with a cavernous bunker before skirting the clifftop to a perfectly sited green. It may just be my new favourite hole in the country, despite hooking my approach onto the beach second time around! St Patrick’s Links is maturing very quickly, and with a quieter but still totally engaging stretch around the turn, it is a thrill-fest from start to finish.
North West
East of Rosapenna are two courses that had been on my hit-list for years. The first was also one of some mystery as I hadn’t met anyone who had played it. North West is on the eastern shores of Lough Swilly, about 15 miles south of the two superb courses at Ballyliffin. I must have driven past it last time without even realising; a big mistake! Happily, the bluest of blue skies and gentlest of breezes greeted us, as did member Sean Meenan and the club’s head pro, Brian McElhinney, who won the Amateur Championship in 2005 at Royal Birkdale.
Over the years, land has been lost to erosion and so it is now on a fairly compact plot with a slightly awkward congestion at the eighth and ninth, but it’s nonetheless an excellent course with plenty of really interesting holes and a gorgeous setting. I loved the ambiance, the peace, the old-fashioned and unspoiled feel, and the excellent conditioning. If you’ve not been to North West Golf Club, treat yourself and go!
Portsalon
The other course I had been itching to play is less than 10 miles from North West, but an hour and a half in the car round the lough, and a world away in character. A group from my club had visited Portsalon Golf Club a year before and everyone came back raving about it. It’s easy to see why! The original course received a complete Pat Ruddy overhaul and redesign in 2000 and is now a riotous adventure through the dunes, packed with drama and sensational views.
The par-4 second, Strand, is on its own worth the green fee. It’s a picturesque dogleg hugging the beach played from an elevated tee which tempts you to cut off as much of the corner as possible. Imagine the opening hole at Machrihanish on steroids. Even then, you are faced with a long approach over a wide inlet. The beach at Ballymastocker Bay was once voted the second most beautiful in the world, and it’s there to enjoy all the way. Jeremy and I were bowled over by hole after hole of interest and intrigue, and loved every minute.
Rosapenna Golf Hotel
Since my last visit, then just as the golf itself, the accommodation at the Rosapenna Golf Hotel has blossomed and bloomed. It is now a substantial but somehow still intimate hotel with 70 rooms and suites. My superb accommodation included a balcony with views out over Downings Bay, and the fine dining in the Vardon Restaurant was delicious and varied, taking full advantage of the freshest local seafood and fish. Both the friendliness and efficiency of the staff could not have been better, and to sum it up very simply, neither Jeremy nor I wanted to leave!
Cruit Island - A Course Like No Other
On my previous visit to Donegal, based on strong recommendations on my journey, I had headed off-piste one afternoon to cross onto Cruit Island. Here, there is a remarkable 9-holer that I have since been banging on about to anyone who will listen, including Jeremy. This time, it was integral to our itinerary, and we met up with committee member Eugene McGarvey who gave us an update before setting us on our way. Cruit Island - pronounced Critch - is a craggy but beautiful island that is about 3 miles from top to bottom, and varies in width from a mile down to about an inch! It is exceptionally pretty, and its sporty course hugs the northern end with unbelievable views over neighboring islands, the mainland and out to sea. It begins with a pair of testing par 4s before you encounter some brilliant cliff-top green sites on the next few holes.
Star of the show is the short sixth which flirts with the cliffs and rocks and which would honor any list of the world’s prettiest par 3s. The wind was the wrong way round for us, and so a full 5-hybrid for me, which finished on dry ground, but short. Boasting to Eugene afterwards of my lucky chip-in two, little did I know that he had aced the hole on New Year's Eve in 2021! Jeremy was equally taken with Cruit Island, and with a green fee at odds with its stellar setting, it warrants any effort to get there.
When I came back from my golfing trip from Connemara to Ballyliffin 13 years ago, I told my wife that Donegal was probably the most gloriously scenic county in the whole of the UK and Ireland. Having finally and very joyfully returned and experienced its spectacular topography both on and off the course, I will reiterate that sentiment but without the word ‘probably’. I would urge any golfer who hasn’t been to do so, to tackle its giants but also to enjoy its many hidden delights. The gap between my journeys was way too long and I will make sure that’s not the case next time!
