Return to Portsalon

[Tom_Doak]

One of the most intriguing courses I saw in my year overseas (1982-83) was Portsalon in the far NW corner of Ireland.  It looked on the verge of being abandoned at the time, but it was a beautiful setting and I was hopeful someone would do something with it.

I had occasion to visit Portsalon again last week with one of our young shapers, Jonathan Reisetter, and I have to report that I was very impressed with what I saw.  This was another of the venues where Pat Ruddy convinced the club in the late 1990's to go and build something in the dunes before the planning authorities made it impossible to do so, but in contrast to the other work of Pat's I've seen from that period, I very much liked what he did with Portsalon.  If I ever do another edition of The Confidential Guide, it will be a Gourmet's Choice contender.

I did not have a camera with me, which is a shame because the course has one of the most memorable holes I've played in a long time -- the long par-4 second, which doglegs left from a high dune-top tee, along a small river as it exits to the sea, and then crosses the river 30 yards short of the green which is set against a large rocky outcropping.

That was by far the most picturesque hole but hardly the only memorable one.  The course is laid out in a relatively narrow strip of dunes which leads to having a lot of parallel holes -- four across for a large portion of the course, leading to some potentially dangerous intersections -- but somehow it overcomes this with a good variety of holes at various lengths.  The par-3 fifth, and the par-4 sixth and ninth are all excellent holes down in the dunes, and several holes coming in on the back nine provide variety of setting as they are benched up on higher ground at the inland edge of the property.  The short par-4 13th presents trees as a hazard along the left; the "Matterhorn" par-4 14th is a very strong four from a tee elevated in the trees; the par-3 15th is an exacting shot to the most undulating green on the course; and the par-5 17th must contend with the same looping creek as the second hole does.

There are a couple of funky features, particularly the covered pedestrian crossing underneath the first and eighteenth fairways ... also, the bunker styling is a bit awkward, as it makes quite a few of the hazards difficult to discern while playing toward them.  Despite those caveats, I would still heartily recommend a visit to Portsalon for anyone traveling to the north-west corner of Ireland.  It would be a 6 or a 7 on the Doak scale if I were still doing that sort of thing.

[jeffwarne]

One of the most enchanting places in golf.
Gourmet's choice is perfect as in St. Enodoc

[Steve_ Shaffer]

"A golfing oasis in a land of mystical beauty" is how this course is described:

www.portsalongolfclub.ie

[mike_malone]

 Tom,

   The only knock I had was the prevalence of the straight holes through the narrow dunes , but your mentioning of the different length of the holes is something I agree softens this criticism. I also thought #2 was a great hole.

  Based on my experience here and at Narin/Portnoo I will make  most of the rest of my trips to Ireland in County Donegal.

 BTW did you visit N/P ?

[Tony_Muldoon]

What a friendly place it is too.  Middle of nowhere. A few houses and a golf course.  The maintenance was just enough and the bunkering well placed but not a penal as many links.

Holes 1-9

April seems a long time ago.




1. 385 yards nothing to aim at up and over the hill


The Second. What really made this special for me was the two tier curving fairway.  If you can use the bank you can sling a shot round with a draw.  Finishing on the lower fairway gives a better approach.



3, 365 yards



4 consecutive doubel greens and “crinkled” Fairways.  Are Par 5’s Pat Ruddy’s speciality hole?



198 Yard par 3




6 450 yards SI 1  (no pic of green)



7 375 yards





8 turns back and inland to share 4’s double green 510 yards par 5




9 460 yards par 4 playing to 3’s double green.

[Rich Goodale]

Glad to hear this, Tom.  For too long I have thought that my praising of Portsalon was falling on deaf ears.

And, for those of us who include our families on golfing trips, the fact that the beach is probably a 8 or 9 on the Sprog Scale is just an added bonus.....

Rich

[Tony_Muldoon]

For the second nine we head little further from the coast

10th form 14th tee.  155 yards.
After a short par 3, 550 yards Par 5, this is 11th green from 12th tee.


Ground remains sandy but we’re now headed uphill 175 yards.


13 “only” 350 yards but lots of ways to get into trouble – I really liked this hole.




14 430 yards downhill, whoopee, this hole with it’s fairway movement and rumples would fit into Pennard or Brora, or Portsalon for that matter.




15 155 yards


16 400 yards and the least Links looking hole with a stream and trees short of the huge green.

Looking back


17 dogleg L_R with a stream to the left530 yards with second half uphill and some lovely ridges in the fairway. (My ball).


18 400 yards uphill




I would agree that on first playing the holes in the middle seemed a bit similar.  As it was the first full day of our trip, in the afternoon we played 1-7 and 12 to 18 for a really cool second round.


I’m please Tom and Rich like it, I do as well.  However it’s a course which I like more than I rate. I think tom is hinting at this when he say’s it’s a contender for gourmet choice.  I would say Brora has a similar remote and unhurried feel where the golf is greater than the course.

Few Irish golfers seem to realise that the course has been upgraded and improved, you constantly hear that it’s a nice little course with lots of cross over’s - not now it isn’t.  I think 1 and 18 remain from Old Tom Morris but I’m not sure how much else.

As long as you don’t expect an “8” or above I can’t see how you won’t be charmed and have a great time. Happy memories.

[Aidan Bradley]

[RJ_Daley]

I'm sorry, I didn't get the memo on this.  Can someone please explain it to me...

[Tony_Muldoon]

Aiden, You b@@@@@@d my best efforts completely trumped!  
Beautiful work.



Dick, I've fixed the photo fo the feature Tom referred to:

There are a couple of funky features, particularly the covered pedestrian crossing underneath the first and eighteenth fairways ... .

[Aidan Bradley]

Tony,

No intent to "trump", just "sharing " as they say in this country.

Dick... it is a right of way or public access to the beach for the general public. The wire mesh you see is to protect the people from golf balls off the first tee.

[Rob Rigg]

Great pics lads!

How many quid to have a go at Portsalon?

If reasonable, are there many other links courses in the county which are fairly priced as well for the experience?

[Tony_Muldoon]

Great pics lads!

How many quid to have a go at Portsalon?

If reasonable, are there many other links courses in the county which are fairly priced as well for the experience?

As part of the great time had when we turned up they apologised for the thin turf after the winter and and the fact the greens had been punched 7 days before (unperceptible).  So we were given a special rate of less than the normal 19 hole rate (which from memory) was 40 euro's.  Golf near Dublin is approx 3-4 x that and the North West is at least 505% cheaper per round than the other famous courses.


Aiden ignore me and please keep posting.

[Tom_Doak]

The green fee last week was 50 Euros.

[jeffwarne]

A few of the early holes had a bit of parallel feel between the dunes, but the low maintenance feel really enhanced the golf course.
I really liked the variety, including the "nonlinks" feeling holes like # 13 and 16.
Felt like the Old Ireland of the 80"s and 90's when golf and travel were a bargain in Ireland

[Chris Burgard]

Rob,

The best place to check out courses in the area is www.northandwestcoastlinks.com.

It will give you rates and summaries for the courses in the Northwest.

Chris

[Rob Rigg]

Chris - Thanks for the great link.

I have spent quite a bit of time in Ireland but had never heard of many of these courses. My family is obviously from the wrong part of the country!

The fees are very reasonable at these courses, just goes to show they must be fairly undiscovered still. Although I remember a while back when you could play almost any course in Ireland for 5 to 20 Pounds.

I will have to get a few of these on the docket for the next trip over.

Brilliant stuff.

[Brendan Dolan]

I also have many fond memories from Portsalon.  My father, brother, and I had the place to ourselves on our vacation in the spring of 04.  I remember several really good greens.  The 14th is the hole that really stuck out in my mind.  Rob, it is definitely worth the trip and is not to far from Ballyliffin and Rosapenna, which our both 36 hole facilities.

Brendan

[Philip Gawith]

That whole defeated me comprehensively! The drive makes you greedy and thereafter it is downhill. I also enjoyed the course a great deal. Maybe the best cheap golf around?

[Peter Pallotta]

Thanks much for the posts and pictures, gents.  I don't know anything about Pat Ruddy or his other courses, but what a light touch he seems to have here.  As with the courses that Sean A and Philip G post about, it's striking that there's so much there there, when there seems to be so little there, or at least so little put there.

Peter 

[Sean_A]

I must say that Portsalon does look a treat.  I hope that rascal Aidan isn't deceiving us!

Ciao

[Matthew Hunt]

It looks real cool!

Does anyone know the greenfee and the under 18 rate?

[Scott Whitley]

If reasonable, are there many other links courses in the county which are fairly priced as well for the experience?

I highly recommend the Sandy Hills Links at Rosapenna, about 30 minutes away and also by Pat Ruddy.  Also nearby are the Old Links at Rosapenna and (in the other direction) two interesting courses at Ballyliffin.  All in all, an area well worth a few days' visit.

[Mike Leveille]

Played Portsalon on a trip last year with two buddies, that also included rounds at both Rosapenna courses and both Ballyliffin courses.  We debated the merits of the courses over many a pint of Guinness, but all three of us agreed on the following ranking of the five courses (based solely on personal enjoyment and not any true measure of what makes a course great):

Portsalon
Ballyliffin Old
Rosapenna Old
Ballyliffin New
Rosapenna Sandy Hills

For a cheap thrill in the Ballyliffin area, I'd recommend a stop at the Northwest GC in Buncrana, a neat little links course that is still cheap even at today's exchange rate.

[Rich Goodale]

Mike

I haven't played either Rosapenna course, but I fully agree with you regarding with the relative rankings of the other courses.

Rich