ROSAPENNA, OLD TOM MORRIS GOLF LINKS - 16 POINTS
Rosapenna in Donegal is fast becoming one of the hottest golf destinations in the world. The recent opening of Tom Doak’s St Patrick’s Links has turned the eyes of the golfing world to this corner of north west Ireland, but it would be a travesty to visit here and play only Doak’s masterpiece.
Rosapenna is a real golf destination. The 4 star hotel sits just a short walk outside the town of Downings and has 70 rooms, a very pleasant restaurant, bar and leisure facilities.
The hotel is just perfect for the setting but this place is really all about the golf. The combination of a gorgeous setting, good hotel and quality golf means that this has always been a magnet for golfers.
The game has been played on this land since the 1890s when Old Tom Morris laid out 9 holes. This picture from 1896 shows several luminaries of the game at the time enjoying a round. Harry Vardon had a hand in the course’s evolution and then Colt came along and made some significant changes.
So the course has had many hands on it and The Old Tom Morris course, as you play it today, is actually only half based on that original routing. The front nine is a completely new nine holes built over the last twenty years. Originally, Pat Ruddy laid them out, but Eric Iverson from Tom Doak’s Renaissance Design then worked extensively on them. This new front nine opened in 2009. The back nine is formed from holes which are largely as laid out by Old Tom.
The two nines definitely have different feels. The newer holes start in the dunes, away from the coastline, and it definitely feels like a more modern experience. The dunes are dramatic at times and some heroic shots are called for. Having said that, compared to the adjoining Sandy Hills course, even these modern holes feel a little more traditional.
There are some highlights on the front nine for sure. The 6th is a strong, long par 4 to a green nestling below a vast dune, and the 7th is a wonderful par 3, from one side of a dune to another.
You return to the clubhouse after 9 and then need to cut around the back to pick up the original holes. This does make for a slightly disjointed routing, but I can’t get too worked up about that. You soon forget about it with the fun that is to follow. The holes on the back 9 are on less dramatic land and take you close to the water of Sheephaven Bay. You get some wonderful views here and some really strong holes - the risk/reward, short par 4 13th is then followed by a cracking par 3 over a valley. Many would have that as the highlight of the short holes, but the 185 yard 17th did it for me thanks to my career first hole in one! Happy days indeed!
This back nine definitely feels the most traditional of the 36 holes at the Sandy Hills and Old Tom Morris courses. The ground game is definitely in play here and you can run the ball onto most greens which isn’t always easy to do on the front nine and at Sandy Hills.
The Old Tom Morris course at Rosapenna is a really enjoyable place. It isn’t the kind of course that will beat you up too badly, although you will still have to be on your game to score well. It doesn’t demand precision and strength in the way Sandy Hills does; instead you will have more options to get the ball round, and I suspect it will be enjoyed by a broader spectrum of players.
St Patrick’s is so good, the temptation would be to play only there on your visit to Rosapenna, but that would be a real shame as you’d be missing a proper gem if you didn’t include the Old Tom course on your visit.
BOOKING THE COURSE
You can book your tee time online here. There are quite a few different green fees. Summer rates are €150 and €125 when booking some online tee times. If you are an Irish resident there is some availability for €80. If you are staying at the hotel you will get further discounts which vary according to season, so be sure to give them a call to find out more.
If you are looking to play all three courses in the same trip then the three links ticket for €400 is worth looking at - €210 is you are a Golf Ireland member and there are off peak rates available too.
So, I would say it might be worth a phone call to ask what would be the best package for you.
Prices correct as of August 2023.
TOUR TIPS
WHERE TO STAY
If you can, I would recommend staying at the Rosapenna hotel. There are 70 rooms and the standard rate for a standard twin room is €240. However, there are often imaginative options on offer, so I would recommend having a look at the website and phoning up to see what packages they have available including golf. The hotel is closed over the winter and the season is from the end of March to the end of October.
The Sandy Hills and the Old Tom Morris courses are both near the main golf pavillion and hotel at Rosapenna and St Patrick’s Links is about 5 minutes drive away.
The hotel has a bar and a very nice restaurant and the whole place feels very golfy. Most people you are encounter here are also on a golf holiday so you should have plenty in common with everyone you speak to!
It’s no surprise that rooms are fast becoming hard to get at Rosapenna such is the fame following the launch of St Patrick’s. Tee times should be much less of a problem though. With three courses to choose from there are far more tee times available than hotel rooms!
Don’t worry though, this is a holiday place so there are plenty of Airbnbs around and hotels include The Beach Hotel and Downings Bay Hotel. They are only ten minutes walk from Rosapenna so don’t let the lack of available accommodation at the hotel put you off making the trip.
WHERE TO PLAY
When it comes to golf you have a lot of great options to build a trip around. You should make sure you play at least one of the Sandy Hills and St Patrick’s Links courses when onsite. I would say that St Patrick’s is one of the very best courses built anywhere for many years. I believe it’s an absolute must-play.
Rosapenna is really well placed for day trips to other courses. Here are some places to explore (click on name for my review) -
Narin & Portnoo - 1 hour 20 minutes drive. Gil Hanse has extensively redesigned the course and it is a must-play if you are in the area. Wonderful dunes and spectacular coastal holes. There’s lots to like!
Cruit Island - 1 hour 15 minutes drive. On the way back from Narin & Portnoo a stop at Cruit Island is highly recommended. It’s a short, 9 hole course and while a relatively modern course, it feels like a throwback to a simpler time. Raw golf at its best.
Portsalon - 30 minutes drive. The owners of Rosapenna were very keen I should see Portsalon and I was glad they told me about it. It’s in a lovely setting with beaches and mountains framing the holes. A crumpled links with some lovely features.
Ballyliffin Old and Glashedy - 1 hour 30 minutes drive. If you are coming from Belfast, or indeed Portrush, you will drive close by Ballyliffin and it’s well worth starting your trip here. Alternatively, it is very doable from Rosapenna as a day trip too. The Glashedy is the hero course at Ballyliffin - a modern links which will test the very best golfer. The Old is a more gentle test, but one you will enjoy.
WHERE TO EAT
I mainly ate in the hotel which was very good, however there are other options. Fisk is a seafood bar open Wednesday to Sunday and which comes highly recommended. It doesn’t take advance bookings, but there is a pub next door where you can wait. Other notables are the Goose and Gander pizzeria in Downings and The Olde Glen Bar and Restaurant ten minutes outside of town.
LOGISTICS
Rosapenna is about a two and half hour drive from Belfast International Airport. That journey is set to come down closer to two hours when the new dual carriageway (currently under construction) opens. It’s well worth hiring a car, or going on an organised tour, as it would be a hard trip to organise using just public transport and taxis. While there is lots of good golf around, things are quite spread out in Donegal and even when places look quite close together they can involve quite a journey on the winding local roads!
CONTACT DETAILS
Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort,
Sheephaven Bay,
Downings,
Letterkenny,
Co Donegal,
Ireland
Tel: +353 (0) 74 915 5000
E-mail: golf@rosapenna.ie
Web: www.rosapenna.ie
