World of Possibilities in Donegal
Discover Donegal where you find extraordinary and demanding creativity golf courses that requires your courage for a truly fulfilling golf performance.
St.Patrick’s Links, Rosapenna, Co.Donegal
Portsalon........Ballyliffin......Rosapenna....... three wonderful courses to explore in stunning Donegal. A trip to Donegal for 2 to 3 nights, staying in Downings or Portsalon where everything is a stone away.
Ballyliffin Golf
Ballyliffin is a 6937 yards course lies along the coast of the peninsula consists of 3x Par 5s, 4x Par 3s and the rest are Par 4s. IT was first found in 1950 as a 9 hole with a hotel and over the years, over 100 acres was bought for $5000 and converted into two full 18 holes courses which integrated together. We played the old links in Summer 2022. The 1st hole was a bit daunting and tricky due to lack of knowledge around the golf course but eventually we quickly settled in. The next few holes required good golf management as you want to avoid the heavy rough. The 5th hole is an uphil par 3 which presents a difficult tee shot but once you get to the green, it offers a sweeping view of the course and North Atlantic ocean. Once you finish the 9th hole, you can stop at the clubhouse for a quick break, or pick utilities before you head off to complete the last 9 holes. 14th to 16th hole lies along the coastline of pollen stand and on that day, we were lucky with the sun being out but unfortunately the wind was out. This made it very difficult and challenging for us especially the 14th and 15th hole were in the top 3 hardest holes according to the index from Ballyliffin Old Links scorecard.
Regardless of this challenge, we were spoilt with the views of waves crashing against countless rocks and sandy beach. The course ended with a long Par 5 where the clubhouse sits by the 18th green. The clubhouse have abar and restaurant and we had a beer with the pro from the shop who was telling us the history of Ballyliffin. Overall, the course was in a great condition and with the strong winds, it was a real test playing on the links course. I would highly recommend Ballyliffin golf course as both courses are among the top courses in Ireland. Glenshady even hosted an Irish Open.
Rosapenna Golf
Old Tom Morris, a Scottish golfer, who was born and died in St.Andrew’s, Fife which is known for ‘Home of Golf’. Old Tom Morris Links was ranked 3rd in the British Isles behind only The Old Course at St.Andrew’s and The Royal County Down Golf Club. The course first opened in 1893 and is an old fashioned traditional course which poses a lot of challenging holes in all kinds of weather conditions.
Once again we were tested with strong wind and occasionally rains which was challenging to play golf. The opening hole is a par 4 followed by par 3 on the 2nd hole which is important to have a good start to the round. The course gets harder as you play along. The golf management is also very important for this kind of course as you don’t run into any dangers, especially for the first time on the course. In my personal experience, I think the scenery at St.Patricks and Sandy Hills are much better and there are not much sea view at Old Tom Morris due to the surrounding dunes around the course. The highlight of this course is the 18th hole where it has an excellent finishing round where you can show off your final shots onto green from the fairway in front of the clubhouse and beer garden.
Rosapenna has a great clubhouse where we were lucky to get the good weather in the end so we sat out in their beer garden enjoying the picturesque view of Sheephaven Bay and sipping our hard-earned Guinness pints discussing our golf round.
Rosapenna Golf Links
Portsalon Links
Truly hidden gem of Donegal. Stunning panormoic of Fanad Pensisula and Ballymastocker Bay. Portsalon Links offers a good test of golf and the first seven holes is along the coastline which consists of both challenging golf and beautiful sceneries. The 2nd hole would be one of the highlights on the course as it offers a long par 4 with a daunting sharp corner across the beach and requires a 2nd shot (if you make it) to go over the river onto green. It has the capability to make or break any golfers. The 6th hole is also a very picturesque long par 4 and is the hardest hole on the course. Portsalon requires you to steer away from the rough as they are monstrous and can be difficult to navigate out. From 14th and 16th hole, their teeboxes offers a great view of the whole golf course with lough swilly in the background.
The 18th green lies right beside the clubhouse where the whole bar and restaurant can see you making the shots on the hole. This is your perfect chance to show off your shot no matter what your handicap is.
Portsalon Golf Links