Ballyliffin ( Old )
Royal Portrush ( Dunluce )
Royal Portrush and Royal County Down are two links mentioned in the same breath . They are two giants of the game … and yet so very different . This is a course that tests the very heart of your links abilities . The subtlety of Harry Colt ’ s design defines Dunluce , with an endless series of challenges . Each is different to the last as holes constantly sweep left or right along natural fairways . He is also responsible for the smallish greens which melt into the dunes and will prove hard to hit if you are offline from the tee . Bunkers are scarce … evidence perhaps of the many other challenges this course possesses . The infamous 200 yard par three ‘ Calamity ’ is the perfect example . Views stretch to the Skerries reef , across to the Donegal hills and the ruins of Dunluce Castle . For the 2019 Open Championship , two new holes are being created .
Ballyliffin ( Glashedy )
The Pat Ruddy-designed Glashedy links opened to great acclaim in 1995 , bringing a whole new golfing allure to Donegal ’ s Inishowen peninsula . These are the most northern golf courses on the island , a landscape of raw beauty , rock , sand and the clean coarse smell of ocean . Many believe it is heaven . What is most remarkable is how different the course is compared to the Old links , which shares the same piece of land . The difference lies in the terrain , with the Glashedy hogging the biggest dunes . Fairways slide so smoothly between them . It creates such an elegant rhythm that you could almost forget how testing this course can be … but only briefly . The many subtle doglegs require pinpoint accuracy off the tee .
Ballyliffin ( Old )
The story of Ballyliffin reads almost like a fairytale . Established in 1973 , on the remote Donegal peninsula of Inishowen , the course struggled in the early years . Then Nick Faldo arrives in 1993 , a year after his third Open Championship victory , and declares it “ the most natural links I have ever played .” He loves it so much that he even tries to buy the place . He fails , but his visit reinvigorates the club … and Ballyliffin has never looked back , adding the exceptional Glashedy course only a couple of years later , in 1995 , and a new clubhouse in 1999 . Ironically , Faldo was invited back to do some upgrade work on the Old course in the early 2000s . The focus of his changes were to introduce revetted bunkering and new tees , but the heart of the Old course remains … this is a classic links design , sweeping over low , bumpy and unpredictable fairways which almost float towards natural green sites .
Portstewart
When the opening nine holes of a course tumble over a violent dunescape known locally as ‘ God ’ s Own Country ’, you know you ’ re playing somewhere special . That ’ s what Portstewart throws at you as its opening salvo . Every hole is stunning in its shape and size , but golfing memories of the course often come down to one hole … the 1st , which is widely regarded as the best opening hole in Irish golf . Views spill away over the sea to Inishowen , and Mussenden Temple sits on the cliff tops in the distance . There is no drive quite like it : soak it up before you take that first swing . The front nine all follow suit and , despite the gigantic dunes , you will be able to see what lies ahead . Home to the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in 2017 .
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