North West
Farnham Estate
A parkland of sweeping variety and landscapes, which drifts lazily
around the impressive Radisson hotel at the heart of this plush
resort. Farnham was designed by Jeff Howes and opened in 2009.
The opening nine holes stretch over a hillside and then around it,
enjoying acres of space. There are several water features (the 2nd
and 4th are beauties) and deep swathes of rough are to be avoided.
The back nine take you up into the forest where the tree corridors
present a very different challenge. Holes finally break free on the far
side… with the par five 18th sweeping around a lake, below the hotel.
Rosapenna (Old Tom Morris)
When you adorn a course with the name of one of the game’s
most legendary figures it will bristle with a certain ageless aura.
Today’s course combines Old Tom Morris with new Pat… a new
nine holes designed by Pat Ruddy were opened in 2009, and form
the front nine, away from the sea. The dunes are bumpy and low
allowing Ruddy to create plenty of deception, especially on green
approaches. Old Tom’s classic holes (with a sprinkling of Braid and
Vardon) snuggle up to Sheep Haven Bay, behind the resort’s hotel.
They are so natural and they use the landscape to perfection… it
promises a quirk or two.
146
North West
Links subtlety and ingenuity might be the only words you need to
sum up this gem on the Inishowen peninsula. Nearby Ballyliffin may
receive all the plaudits but North West has something different
and special in its make-up… and that dates back to a bygone age of
golf course design, as 2016 saw the club celebrating 125 years. The
terrain here is low and bumpy… idiosyncratic and unpredictable… and
perfect for what links golf is all about. Use your brain and you can
play well here, but given the occasional invisible hollow and semi-
blind approach, not to mention the speed and natural undulations
to greens, you need to play sharp gol