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Rosapenna Golf Links

Georgina Campbell

In the shadow of spectacularly rugged mountains, Rosapenna GC first came into being in 1893 on a sheltered site on the Rossgull Peninsula. That was after Lord Leitrim had employed Old Tom Morris of St. Andrews to lay out a nine-hole course "in the neighbourhood of the Manor House." Harry Vardon and James Braid both journeyed to Rosapenna in the early 1900s to add length and bunkering, wisely leaving Morris's perfect greens intact.

Rosapenna's Old Tom Morris Course remains very much as it has been for the past century - a standing tribute to the superb design work of those old masters. Go here anticipating a piece of historic golf magic, and you won't be disappointed.

As with most good links courses, the Old Tom Morris course takes advantage of natural terrain to provide a classic links golf challenge. These first 10 holes which are pure links run between the ocean and the dunes in what is known locally as "The Valley". The last eight holes actually play inland and uphill into high meadow that offer superb vistas over the north Atlantic Ocean.

Sandy Hills

A second course opened in June 2003 at Rosapenna, sharing the same wild coastline as the original. This time the designer was Pat Ruddy, the golf writer turned architect who took the golf world by storm with The European Club, his astounding layout just south of Dublin. The new Sandy Hills Links has already received rave reviews from those fortunate enough to have sampled it. A fantastic addition to Ireland’s already world renowned trail of links courses, Pat Ruddy’s last designed course has been described as “simply breathtaking”

Sandy Hills is in many ways the ideal of a modern links. Intended for the serious golfer, its narrow fairways appear constricting from the tee, but the landing areas sculpted from the dunes are deceptively wide. Measuring a hefty 7,255 yards from the tips, Sandy Hills was designed with championship play in mind. However don’t allow this to deter you, with a multiplicity of tees there is a length to suit all strengths.

Sandy Hills was recently ranked 80th in the HSBC Golf Monthly’s Top 120 Courses in Great Britain and Ireland.

“To classify Sandy Hills as a dramatic links seems almost an understatement. It's a course of gargantuan proportions that bobs and weaves its way through mammoth sand dunes and a lunar-like landscape that is nothing short of spectacular” - David Brice - Golf International Inc.

© Copyright Rosapenna Golf Club 2006

Distance and driving times (traffic dependent):



Roe Park Golf Club                  99km (61m), 2hrs 4 mins

Ballyliffin Golf Club                  97km (60m), 2hrs 12 mins

Portsalon Golf Club               33km (21m), 1hr 4 mins

County Sligo Golf Club         152km (94m), 2hrs 29 mins

Other distances, times and route planning

In the shadow of spectacularly rugged mountains, Rosapenna GC first came into being in 1893 on a sheltered site on the Rossgull Peninsula. That was after Lord Leitrim had employed Old Tom Morris of St. Andrews to lay out a nine-hole course "in the neighbourhood of the Manor House." Harry Vardon and James Braid both journeyed to Rosapenna in the early 1900s to add length and bunkering, wisely leaving Morris's perfect greens intact.

Rosapenna's Old Tom Morris Course remains very much as it has been for the past century - a standing tribute to the superb design work of those old masters. Go here anticipating a piece of historic golf magic, and you won't be disappointed.

As with most good links courses, the Old Tom Morris course takes advantage of natural terrain to provide a classic links golf challenge. These first 10 holes which are pure links run between the ocean and the dunes in what is known locally as "The Valley". The last eight holes actually play inland and uphill into high meadow that offer superb vistas over the north Atlantic Ocean.

Sandy Hills
A second course opened in June 2003 at Rosapenna, sharing the same wild coastline as the original. This time the designer was Pat Ruddy, the golf writer turned architect who took the golf world by storm with The European Club, his astounding layout just south of Dublin. The new Sandy Hills Links has already received rave reviews from those fortunate enough to have sampled it. A fantastic addition to Ireland’s already world renowned trail of links courses, Pat Ruddy’s last designed course has been described as “simply breathtaking”

Sandy Hills is in many ways the ideal of a modern links. Intended for the serious golfer, its narrow fairways appear constricting from the tee, but the landing areas sculpted from the dunes are deceptively wide. Measuring a hefty 7,255 yards from the tips, Sandy Hills was designed with championship play in mind. However don’t allow this to deter you, with a multiplicity of tees there is a length to suit all strengths.

Sandy Hills was recently ranked 80th in the HSBC Golf Monthly’s Top 120 Courses in Great Britain and Ireland.

“To classify Sandy Hills as a dramatic links seems almost an understatement. It's a course of gargantuan proportions that bobs and weaves its way through mammoth sand dunes and a lunar-like landscape that is nothing short of spectacular” - David Brice - Golf International Inc.

© Copyright Rosapenna Golf Club 2006

Distance and driving times (traffic dependent):

Roe Park Golf Club                  99km (61m), 2hrs 4 mins
Ballyliffin Golf Club                  97km (60m), 2hrs 12 mins
Portsalon Golf Club               33km (21m), 1hr 4 mins
County Sligo Golf Club         152km (94m), 2hrs 29 mins

Other distances, times and route planning

Professional:	Bryan Patterson
Number of Holes:	36
Type:	Links
Course Name:	Sandy Hills / Old Tom Morris
Designer:	Pat Ruddy / Old Tom Morris
Championship Length:	7,255 yards / 6,476 yards
Greenfees:	€75; €50
Par:	71 / 70