Destination Golf Global (Summer 2019) * | Page 20

Ballyliffin Old 18th (© Ballyliffin GC)
of your game. Play close to your handicap
here, particularly when the wind is up and
you are doing well. Set amid rolling sand
dunes besides the picturesque River Bann
estuary, this very natural links course offers
spectacular panoramic seaside views as you
play particularly from the elevated tee of
the standout par-5 17th. Great courses have
great closing holes and the short dog-leg right
par-4 18th is another beauty. A decent drive
leaves a mid to short iron approach shot to a
tricky, elevated two-tiered plateau green with
the clubhouse just a few metres beyond –
beckoning with the promise of that first pint
of Guinness of the trip.
Signature Hole: Hole 4 (Leg O’Mutton), Par-3,
200 yards. The club’s best-known hole requires
a tee shot struck over a meandering burn, with
a railway line lurking to the right, and a tricky
pot bunker in front of a raised green.
castlerockgc.co.uk
Overnight Stay: Bishop’s Gate Hotel
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Destination Golf .TRAVEL
Caddy at Ballyliffin’s Glashedy.
DAY 2: BALLYLIFFIN - County Donegal
Situated close to Cardonagh and Malin
Head on Donegal’s Inishowen Peninsula,
Ireland’s most northerly golf club comprises
a remarkable 36 holes that meander through
the most beguiling of links land, with rocky
outcrops, perfect greens and enchanting
views Principally designed by Mother Nature
(with upgrades by Sir Nick Faldo including
new bunkering, tees and enlarged greens), the
natural terrain and gently rippling fairways
give the classic Old Links a unique character,
and it’s the type of place where you can
easily imagine the golfing forefathers striding
along the sheep-cropped turf with their
hickory clubs. The more recent Glashedy Links
(designed by Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddock)
is fashioned around the incredible dunes on
higher ground beyond the Old Links offering
stunning coastal views as you play. Home
to the 2018 Irish Open, the Glashedy Links
starts with three long par-4s, and from there
the challenges never let up – negotiating