Golf Information editor Nick Bayly enjoys a whistlestop tour of a few of best hyperlinks in County Donegal, together with the not too long ago opened St Patricks Hyperlinks at Rosapena, which is ready to lift the bar nonetheless additional in part of North-West Eire which is already blessed with greater than its fair proportion of {golfing} riches
These of a nervous disposition relating to flying greatest shut their eyes and seize the hand of the individual sitting subsequent to them tightly when coming into land at Derry airport on a windy day. With the wings of our Loganair 48-seater jet dipping this fashion and that within the 30mph crosswind, and the aircraft seemingly about to land within the water, I feared that my golf journey to Donegal is likely to be a considerably shorter than I had hoped.
Fortunately, the expert pilot landed us safely on terra firma, past the icy waters of the North Atlantic which finish simply yards from the place the runway begins. After a one thing of a handbrake activate touchdown, all of the passengers disembarked with the look of reduction usually reserved for the faces of novice golfers who handle to get their tee shot away on the primary with out breaking any home windows or injuring an harmless bystander.
Climate apart, the flight from London Stansted to Derry is an absolute breeze in the event you’re coming from the south east of England, which I used to be, with a 65-minute flight taking you to the sting of the town, and however a brief drive from lots of the area’s magnificent golf programs. My time spent in Northern Eire was so long as it took to drive by the western suburbs of Derry, and because the street indicators on the A2 turned from delineating miles to kilometres, and the worth of petrol was quoted in euros and never kilos, it didn’t take a rocket scientist or certainly a geography instructor to grasp that I used to be now within the Republic.
Simply over 45 minutes after leaving Derry I used to be driving by the gates at Ballyliffin Golf Membership for the primary appointment on my three-course itinerary, the 18 championship holes provided on the Glashedy Hyperlinks.
Ballyliffin’s different course, the Outdated, as its title suggests, predates Glashedy Hyperlinks by some 22 years, however it’s the newcomer that’s rated barely greater within the course rankings because of the imaginative and prescient and ability of Pat Ruddy. Ruddy, who gained notoriety when creating the European Membership, south of Dublin, first clapped eyes on the land that the Glashedy course now occupies in 1992 – the identical 12 months that the European Membership opened – when he had been requested to return and renovate the bunkers on the Outdated Course. Such was his pleasure that he instructed the membership to overlook about that bunker venture and focus, as a substitute, on creating a brand new course. Three years later, and simply earlier than the Irish authorities clamped down on the event of linksland, the Glashedy Hyperlinks opened for play.
With the routing skilfully intertwined with the Outdated Course, the view from the elevated vantage level of the clubhouse bar may be fairly overwhelming, with an unlimited moonscape of dunes interspersed with the odd ribbon of extra carefully mown turf stretching till the land meets the ocean, between which there are 36 holes of championship golf – someplace.
The newer course takes its title from the large Glashedy Rock that may be seen from all angles and offers rise to comparisons with Turnberry. Measuring 7,200 yards off the backs, and with 9 par fours over 400 yards, the Glashedy represents a critical take a look at of any golfer’s expertise, and though I performed off the extra manageable ahead white tees (6,385 yards), gusting winds of 20-30mph ensured that it proved greater than a match for my restricted skillset.
With slim fairways, deep and plentiful bunkering, and even deeper and extra penal tough, straight hitting is crucial in the event you’re to have a sniff of constructing par and never shedding a bucket load of balls. The outward 9 is between 400-500 yards shorter than the entrance, relying on which tees you’re enjoying from, though that’s offset by two after all’s three par-3s coming at 5 and seven. The spherical will get off to a troublesome begin, with three consecutive par 4s of over 400 yards offering a stern early examination, with our group getting in loads of bunker apply. The par-5 fourth offered my first sighter of a birdie, with the inexperienced being reachable with two wind-assisted blows. With towering dunes both facet of the slim fairway, it’s a wonderfully framed gap that delights the attention. The sixth, a 370-yard dogleg par-4 is one other private spotlight of the outward 9, with a well-placed drive to the ‘knee’ leaving a shortish shot into an angled inexperienced. Par right here was celebrated like a birdie.
The 160-yard seventh, the second of the par threes, feels considerably at odds with the remainder of the course, with the tee towering 100 yards above a inexperienced which is protected by a big pond on the right-hand facet. With a storm shifting in as we struggled to face up on the raised tee, it made for some leisure, though none of us discovered the inexperienced on the first, or certainly, second try. NRs throughout.
The run of 5 consecutive par fours from 8-12 appears somewhat repetitive when trying on the scorecard, however the actuality presents distinctly totally different challenges, and 11 and 12 are wonderful examples of their sort. Issues sizzling up at 13, a powerful par-5 which geese again in among the many dunes, whereas the par-3 14th is an enthralling downhill gap which performs as quick as 120 yards from the white tees to a inexperienced which is protected by a deep entrance bunker and steep-run offs to the again and sides.
Holes 15, 16 and 17 are sometimes performed into the tooth of the prevailing wind, with the 544-yard seventeenth feeling like a type of holes that by no means ends – sure, I took a seven and wasn’t too sad – whereas the spherical ends with a considerably understated left-to-right 390-yard dogleg par-4 performed to an angled inexperienced. All instructed, the Glashedy is one robust cookie, made even harder on my go to by the wind and rain, though I think about it might beat you up considerably much less on a peaceful, sunny summer season’s day.
For me, there are maybe too many holes the place taking driver appeared too dangerous an possibility given the penalty for lacking the golf green, which left very lengthy second and third photographs into greens that weren’t all designed to just accept low-running approaches. Nonetheless, it’s an exhilarating expertise and one which leaves you desirous to be a greater golfer, which must be stated of any course claiming true championship standing.
After golf, my two fellow travellers and I holed up on the close by Ballyliffin Resort for some much-needed R&R, and the place a steak pie and some pints of the black stuff, adopted by a restful night time’s sleep, restored the batteries forward of the next day’s go to to Rosapena, an hour or so drive away.
Because the world’s coastal areas develop into a battleground between the financial calls for of tourism and the need to guard the pure surroundings, it’s more and more uncommon – and justifiably so – for items of land to be discovered that every one events agree are acceptable to develop a brand new golf course on. The builders behind St Patricks Hyperlinks, the third 18-hole course at Rosapena Resort, situated onerous on the shores of Sheephaven Bay, have been lucky to don’t have any such troubles when it got here to including one other course to the 2 that it already had on supply.
That was primarily all the way down to the very fact the venue for the brand new course was already the positioning for 2 pre-existing, and, so I’m instructed, slightly humdrum layouts that the famend golf course architect Tom Doak was tasked with reworking into one absolute belter to hitch the extremely rated Outdated Tom Morris and Sandy Hills programs which were attracting golfers from everywhere in the world to Rosapena for many years. The preliminary venture to hold out the transformation was halted by the financial disaster that unfolded again in 2008, and it was solely after a change of Rosapena’s possession in 2012, and the funding from the Casey household that adopted, that plans to develop the 300-acre website into a brand new world-class hyperlinks have been reignited.
Development of St Patricks Hyperlinks started in 2018 and, give or take a number of in poor health winds attributable to the pandemic, the course opened for play in the summertime of 2021. Naturally, in a world the place individuals are fast to evaluate, some early studies have been that the course was overhyped and overpriced, whereas different reviewers held diametrically opposing opinions, raving in regards to the beautiful setting, the distinctive design of the holes, and the sheer scale of the ambition.
Regardless of having all these conflicting views in my head, I arrived on the first tee at Patricks Hyperlinks with an open thoughts and a transparent head – I saved off the whiskey – and ready to evaluate it solely by my expertise on the day. Having checked in on the Portakabin professional store – the principle golf clubhouse is a number of miles up the street subsequent to the Rosapena Resort – I made my solution to the primary tee with a freshening breeze and beneath leaden October skies that appeared able to dump their cargo.
Armed with a course planner, a laser rangefinder and a dozen or so balls, I used to be later glad I had loaded up on the latter, as enjoying a brand new course by yourself – my earlier day’s companions have been enjoying elsewhere – makes maintaining your head down whereas watching the place your ball went a tough process at the perfect of occasions. The course will get off to a cracking begin with the opening par-4 performed from a raised tee to a fairway boarded by towering dunes on both facet, with the inexperienced tucked across the nook of a right-to-left dogleg. As I later found, this gap offered the right snapshot of the St Patricks Hyperlinks expertise.
First off, and it was obvious proper from my first putt that the greens have loads of maturing to do. With poor progress attributable to the summer season’s drought, they may take a number of seasons to correctly set up themselves, so in the event you can take that into consideration then all good and effectively. If not, it is likely to be greatest to present it a number of years. Your name. With that elephant within the room, and duly famous, the remainder of the course appears prefer it has been round for years, with the rumpled fairways threading their approach like a inexperienced baize in between towering dunes and grassy knolls.
Fortunately, the fairways are extra beneficiant than they have been at Ballyliffin, and its noticeably extra pleasant to a wider vary of gamers, with the lads’s tees stretching the par-71 course to six,930 yards from the backs, 6,490 from the center, and 5,919 off the entrance, and 5,136 off the women and a par of 72. Enjoying from the center tees, and after making pars at 4 of the primary six holes, I shortly got here to the conclusion that this was my type of hyperlinks. It allowed a margin for error off the tee, however rewarded correct iron play, and positioned an emphasis on creativeness over brute energy.
It’s not till you attain the raised tee on fourth gap, an imposing par 5, that the sheer scale of the course reveals itself. With the opening three holes performed amid the dunes in splendid isolation, the fourth opens up a view over the seaside and Sheep Haven Bay, with the dunes and ribbons of fairway stretching out beneath you. The land and the golf course appear to merge as one, creating a really pure and uncontrived really feel, and delivering a hyperlinks expertise that’s in contrast to many different I’ve had earlier than.
Lots of the fairways appear to run into the greens with out nice distinction between the 2 – though that can little question change in the summertime and when the greens are in a position to be lower shorter – however it actually gave me all of the encouragement I wanted to get the putter out from the fringes and past. Not like many conventional hyperlinks, lots of the huge greens current some devilish slopes, and whereas there’ll little question be some who say they don’t seem to be typical of the style, they might by no means accuse them of being boring.
The fourth and the fifth are the one two holes operating in the identical course, so the one two holes with the wind in the identical course. There’s good selection within the par 3s too. None of them performs over 180 yards from the center tees, however they play in three totally different instructions, with each uphill and downhill settings. If selection is the spice of life, St Patricks Hyperlinks ticks loads of containers on that rating, with no gap remotely resembling one other.
The spotlight on the again 9 is undoubtedly 14, a sweeping dogleg par 4 that calls for that you simply hit your drive straight in the direction of the ocean, earlier than turning proper to hit an a long-iron strategy to a well-guarded inexperienced that’s perched simply yards from the seaside. That’s swiftly adopted by a dinky, uphill 130-yard par 3, the place solely the very high of the flag may be seen from the tee. The sixteenth is a 487-yard downhill, par 4 whose fairway pinches in dramatically across the 300-yard mark the place a par will really feel onerous received. The spherical, to my thoughts, finishes with a whimper than bang with the 170-yard, par-3 seventeenth and the 350-yard, par-4 18th, neither setting the pulses racing or feeling just like the spherical was reaching a crescendo.
Carrying my most balanced of hats, St Patricks Hyperlinks has some really beautiful holes and is situated a dramatic piece of land, however there are some forgettable holes, and the course conditioning – particularly these greens – implies that it is going to be a while earlier than a correct evaluation of its deserves as a {golfing} expertise, particularly relating to worth for cash – the inexperienced charge is €200 – may be made. The absence of its personal clubhouse and far in the way in which onsite off-course amenities solely provides to the sensation that those that insisted on enjoying right here on opening got here away feeling somewhat short-changed, however there’s no doubting that this course will probably be a must-play on any itinerary to this a part of the world within the years to return.
Later that night, camped within the bar of the Rosapenna Resort, I reunited with my {golfing} colleagues to swap tales of our respective rounds. That they had performed at North West Golf Membership, a 130-year previous personal members’ membership situated on the shores of Lough Swilly, the place 18 holes jostle for consideration on a slim stretch of land between the water and. Described because the ‘St Andrews of Eire’, as a consequence of its rumpled fairways and fescue greens, they stated it offered a suitably gentler take a look at than what got here earlier than.
The next morning, refuelled by a full Irish breakfast, we set off searching for Portsalon Golf Membership, the ultimate cease on my itinerary. The 15-mile drive took us by some spectacular surroundings, with the slim roads twisting and turning across the shores of Mulroy Bay and Kincrum Lough, earlier than rising at Portsalon Seaside and its eponymous golf membership.
With the tide out on Ballymastoker Bay, the solar shining by wispy clouds, and the wind a mere zephyr, circumstances have been nearly excellent for my closing outing of the journey. One of many 9 founding golf equipment of the Golf Union of Eire, golf has been performed at Portsalon for the reason that 1891, and though the course was considerably remodelled in 2000 – by that man Pat Ruddy once more – it has been offering a nice take a look at of golf for native golfers and a gentle stream of holiday makers for over 130 years.
At simply over 6,193 yards off the again tees, but nonetheless enjoying to a par of 72, Portsalon is a refreshingly quick course, the place the problem isn’t within the size off the tee, however find the appropriate a part of the golf green from which to assault the customarily well-guarded greens.
Amongst half a dozen standout holes, the second, a 390-yard par 4, is an early spotlight with the raised tee offering a surprising, if considerably distracting view out over the bay, whereas the golf green beneath curves gently across the seaside. The problem is to evaluate simply how a lot of the seaside you need – or are in a position – to hold – with the braver shot leaving a a lot shorter shot to the inexperienced. I baled out proper, waaaaay proper, and needed to lay up with my second in entrance of a tidal inlet that fronts the inexperienced and was completely satisfied to stroll off with a 5 and my ball nonetheless intact.
The subsequent 5 holes run alongside the ocean, with the 4th – ‘Valley’ presenting a gun barrel straight par-5 with towering dunes on both facet, and the fifth, an extended par-three, being private favourites. The third shares a inexperienced with the ninth, as does the 4th with the Eighth, giving the course much more of a St Andrews vibe, whereas additionally serving to create a modicum of confusion for first-time guests.
After the seventh, a brief par-4 which incorporates a devilish upturned saucer of a inexperienced, the course turns again barely inland because it heads again in the direction of the clubhouse by a nice mixture of nonetheless very linksy, pure holes which function extra elevation modifications and the occasional blind tee shot. The ultimate two holes are each performed uphill, with the par-five seventeenth requiring three respectable blows to succeed in the raised inexperienced, whereas 18 has a split-level fairway to barter – take the right-hand one for a greater view of the inexperienced. A deep channel in entrance of the inexperienced – which, considerably bizarrely, is used to permit pedestrians to stroll by to the seaside – would you’ll want to gobble up any balls have been it not for a heavy-duty mesh netting that stops an under-hit strategy from taking out an unsuspecting surfer.
All instructed, Portsalon is an absolute pleasure to play from begin to end. It’s a correct hyperlinks, however its size makes it playable for all ranges of golfer, whereas there are many strategic choices to permit for aggressive performs which carry their very own danger and reward. On high of that, the considerably rudimentary clubhouse gives an amazing view out over the bay and does a good lunch and even higher Guinness. And you’ll’t ask for greater than that.
In fact, there are various extra programs alongside the Wild Atlantic Approach that I didn’t get to play – Ballyliffin’s Outdated Course, the Sandy Hills and Outdated Tom Morris programs at Rosapenna, and Narin & Portnoo being 4 off the bat – however the three I performed have actually whetted my urge for food to return again for extra of what pleasant Donegal has to supply.
WHERE I PLAYED
Ballyliffin Golf Membership
Inexperienced Charges: (midweek summer season): Outdated Course €160; Glashedy Hyperlinks €200
W: ballyliffingolfclub.com T: +353 74 937 6119
Rosapenna Resort & Golf Resort
Inexperienced Charges: Outdated Tom Morris €150, Sandy Hills €150, St Patricks Hyperlinks €200 (Apr 14-Oct 22). A ticket for one spherical on all three prices €400, representing a saving of €100.
W: rosapenna.ie T: +353 74 915 5301
Portsalon Golf Membership
Inexperienced Charges: €120
W: portsalongolfclub.ie T: +353 74 9159459
WHERE I STAYED
Ballyliffin Resort
Located on the Inishowen Peninsula, simply 5 minutes from Ballyliffin Golf Membership, this welcoming 3-star lodge is situated within the coronary heart of Ballyliffin and affords double and twin rooms with satellite tv for pc TV, energy bathe, two eating places and a bar. Costs from €260 per room for 2-night stays.
W: ballyliffinhotel.com
Rosapenna Resort & Golf Resort
Overlooking Sheephaven Bay on the coast of Donegal, this four-star lodge dates again to the tip of the nineteenth century and boasts a wide selection of lodging choices, from basic rooms – which embrace two double beds and a sitting room space – to opulent suites with balconies overlooking the bay. It additionally affords an indoor pool, fitness center and spa and has two eating places – the Coach Home Bar and the Vardon Restaurant. Two-night B&B packages, together with two rounds of golf, begin from £405pp.
W: rosapenna.ie
