Question: Northwest Ireland

[George Freeman]

A quick question for the well traveled and well informed regarding a trip to Ireland next fall (coming from the US):

Assuming you could only play three, which courses from the list below would you pick?

Ballyliffin (Old)
Carne
Connemara
County Sligo (Rosses Point)
Cruit Island
Enniscrone
Mulranny
Narin & Portnoo
Portsalon
Rosapenna
Strandhill

If my list is incomplete, by all means suggest additions.  But only three per person!

Thanks everyone!

[Ally Mcintosh]

Hi George,

You'd either do a Carne-Enniscrone-Co.Sligo trio or you'd do a Rosapenna-Portsalon-Ballyliffin trio.

Ally

[Mark_F]

Carne, Narin and Portnoo, Strandhill.

Unless prices have gone up dramatically, you could probably do all for less than €150

[jeffwarne]

Assuming you could only play three, which courses from the list below would you pick?

Ballyliffin (Old)
Carne
Connemara
County Sligo (Rosses Point)
Cruit Island
Enniscrone
Mulranny
Narin & Portnoo
Portsalon
Rosapenna

[size=78%]It's mainly a geography question as Ally points out.[/size]
Carne is NOOOOWHERE near Balyliffin.


and it all depends upon where you are coming from.
The following course are tightly grouped


If coming from Northern Ireland.....
playing Northwest GC and both Ballyliffins makes sense-staying in Buncrana.


If coming from the southwest...


Connemara, Connemara Isles (9), Sligo(or Strandhill) makes sense.


or Mulranny, Carne, Enniscrone.


or Carne, Enniscrone, Strandhill (or Sligo)


Narin and Portnoo is best combined with Donegal GC, and Cruit.


If you're willing to take the scenic drive up to the top of the country
-- the ultimate value trip Play Dunfanaghy, Portsalon, and Rosapenna (OTM preferred)


My three favorites (for variety, welcome, golf)?
Northwest, Portsalon, Cruit-not exactly close but doable




Lots of choices....
sorry I didn't follow the rules

[Thomas Dai]

Close grouping I suggest are the key.


Say -



Mulranny-Carne-Enniscrone
Enniscrone-Strandhill-County Sligo
Murvegh (Donegal GC)-Narin & Portnoo-Cruit Island
Dunfanaghy-Rosapenna(36)-Portsalon
Northwest-Buncrana-Ballyliffin(36)


Note that Carne, Enniscrone and County Sligo all have 27-holes.


Hope you have a great time.


Atb

[Sean_A]

A quick question for the well traveled and well informed regarding a trip to Ireland next fall (coming from the US):

Assuming you could only play three, which courses from the list below would you pick?

Ballyliffin (Old)
Carne
Connemara
County Sligo (Rosses Point)
Cruit Island
Enniscrone
Mulranny
Narin & Portnoo
Portsalon
Rosapenna

If my list is incomplete, by all means suggest additions.  But only three per person!

Thanks everyone!

George

It depends on where you flying, but I would offer

Rosses Point, Enniscrone and Strandhill (not on your list) as a good choice because there is little travel between courses, one Sligo hotel does the job.  Donegal is comfortably within driving distance of Sligo as a 4th course; Carne is a hike, but perhaps worth the effort.  I know if its me, I would stick with Sligo, Enniscrone and Strandhill because I don't like a lot of windshield time if I have already travelled to reach the area.   

If you are flying to Belfast then I suggest Portsalon, Rossa OTM and either Ballyliffin or Cruit/N&P...probably Cruit/N&P because Ballyliffin has two courses and it makes sense to play both if you make the efort to get there.  No question this option is harder work and I don't think your effort will be rewarded with better courses than the above option. However, if you don't mind driving, this is a good trip.  I always say that if want to be particular about where you play then you have to go to where te courses are. 

Ciao

[Phil Lipper]

I guess my question would be do you have 3 days to play golf, or do you only want to play 3 times? If you have 3 days you can play Strandhill and Rosses Point one day, Narin & Portnoo and Cruit Island another and Enniscrone another. If you are only going to play 3 rounds I would play Rosses Point, Carne & Enniscrone. Although I'm a fan of Narin & Portnoo and a huge fan Cruit Island I wouldn't skip Rosses Point, Carne or Enniscrone to play either.  If you play Carne be sure to play all 3 nines.

[Mark Pearce]

The more I think about it, the more I think that of the courses I played on the recent BUDA trip, my favourite was Narin & Portnoo and the most spectacular was Cruit Island, which makes for a great days golf as a pair.  I also played Carne, Enniscrone, Rosses Point, Strandhill and Ballyliffin Glashedy.  Not much to choose between the first 4 of those, all of which were great fun.  Glashedy was, perhaps, the least enjoyable of them all.

[George Freeman]

Thanks everyone for the replies so far!  It would have been better had I broken it into two separate questions:


1) What are your three favorite courses in NW Ireland, logistics notwithstanding.  (Ultimately this is most important as I would rather play the best courses even if it means a little extra windshield time.)

2) Taking travel/drive times into account, what would be the best three course itinerary.


Some have already answered one or both of these questions.

As is stands right now, we'll be leaving Portrush early in the morning and plan on spending 2.5 - 3 days in NW Ireland before heading down to Lahinch.

PS - My initial thoughts matched what many have said here:  Sligo, Enniscrone and Carne.  However, Cruit Island intrigues me to no end.  Maybe it was the way Tom Coyne gushed about the experience in A Course Called Ireland.  Is it worth playing two loops at Cruit at the expense of one of the other 18/27 hole courses?

[Charles Lund]

I have a membership at Ballyliffin and amd familiar with the courses on the list.

It takes close to 2.5 hours to drive from Ballyliffin to Sligo and about the same length of time from Sligo to Carne.  You can drive from Portrush to Ballyliffin in a bit under two hours. 

I'd add Donegal GC to the list. 

Best three course with minimized driving is Donegal GC, Sligo, and Enniscrone.  If you are traveling later in fall, daylight hours will be shorter. 

Ballyliffin Old and Rosapenna Old Tom Morris nine ate very natural links courses.  If you want duneland, Ballyliffin Glashedy, Rosapenna Sandy Hills, and Enniscrone offer remarkable dunes.  Carne, of course, had a back nine with massive dunes.  I am not sure what the reconstruction and renovation did to change the routing.

If you want something unlike what you might encounter elsewhere, Nairn and Portnoo, Cruit Island, and Dunfanaghy would work as a group.

If you are going from Portrush to Lahinch, prepare yourself for seeing courses that offer another kind of Ireland golf experience.  The courses in Donegal are less regimented destinations due to less overseas golf tourism.

As for Ballyliffin, the two courses are quite different.  Old is much more fun - many members prefer it to Glashedy, with penal bunkering and major elevation changes.  I play the two equally often and don't avoid club comps on given days because of which course they are on.

Portsalon has a great stretch of links holes from the second hole to around 13 or 14.  The reworked finishing holes are different in character.

There is always a reason to consider ever changing weather in trip planning.  With shorter daylight hours, it is advantageous to stay closer to courses.   In seasons with lower play, you may be able to postpone when you go out if weather is terrible.  You might also be able on some courses to pay at time of play.

Charles Lund

[John Mayhugh]

Is it worth playing two loops at Cruit at the expense of one of the other 18/27 hole courses?

Absolutely.  Follow your instincts.

When I was planning my post-Buda golf, I asked a good friend (with similar tastes) about a proposed lineup of courses.  Cruit Island was #1 on his list to see, with this description (paraphrased slightly) closing the deal:  Views to rival Fishers Island.  If I didn't also have time constraints, would have spent the day just standing on tees & fairways just soaking it all in.

My slight fear was in the views being the only reason for being there, but there were 5-6 really good holes as well. 

Cruit Island was a draw largely because I could see something unique that is also a fine course.  I think it's fair to say that Enniscrone, for example, would be rated higher than CI by most people.  But doesn't mean that Enniscrone is the best choice.  An adventurous guy like you will be rewarded by the 2ish detour. 

You would spend 10 hours of driving doing these courses:
Cruit Island
Narin & Portnoo
Rosses Point
Carne

Of those on your list, I've also seen Enniscrone, Strandhill, & Mulranny.  Any is worth a play, but go with the four places listed above (sorry, I couldn't limit to three).

Just to supplement my Cruit Island sales pitch:
The single track road in.   


A couple of green sites.





For 20 Euro.

[Thomas Dai]

 

Looks like they've widened the road since I was there a couple of years ago!


Atb

[Ally Mcintosh]

Charles overstates the drives a little. Belmullet to Sligo is just under 2 hours and the same can be said for Sligo up to Rosapenna or Portsalon (where 2 to 12 are the restructured holes, not the other way rounds a stated above).

[Garland Bayley]

Carne, Strandhill, Portsalon

[Thomas Dai]

Drive from Portush to the town of Letterkenny and then along the western shore of Lough Swilly and you'll drive either right past the front door of or within a couple of miles of Otway, Portsalon, Rosapenna, Dunfanaghy, Gweedore, Cruit Island, Narin & Portnoo, Donegal/Murvegh, Bundoran, County Sligo and Strandhill.


Branch off earlier at Coleraine aiming to use the Loch Foyle ferry and you can include Portstewart, Castlerock, Greencastle, Ballyliffin, Buncrana and North West plus the above.


Branch off just past Strandhill and you can include Enniscone, Carne and Mulranny after the above.


Plenty of delightful golf and wonderful scenery as well.


Suggest you study a satmap closely and work out the most appropriate driving route and timings.


Atb

[Sean_A]

Thanks everyone for the replies so far!  It would have been better had I broken it into two separate questions:


1) What are your three favorite courses in NW Ireland, logistics notwithstanding.  (Ultimately this is most important as I would rather play the best courses even if it means a little extra windshield time.)

2) Taking travel/drive times into account, what would be the best three course itinerary.


Some have already answered one or both of these questions.

As is stands right now, we'll be leaving Portrush early in the morning and plan on spending 2.5 - 3 days in NW Ireland before heading down to Lahinch.

PS - My initial thoughts matched what many have said here:  Sligo, Enniscrone and Carne.  However, Cruit Island intrigues me to no end.  Maybe it was the way Tom Coyne gushed about the experience in A Course Called Ireland.  Is it worth playing two loops at Cruit at the expense of one of the other 18/27 hole courses?

George

Of the courses listed, my three favourites are Enniscrone, Co Sligo & Rosa OTM, but I would be very happy to return to Strandhill as well.  That said, I wouldn't suggest OTM with the other two.  All the courses are good enough that that the detour is not worth it.  Besides, there is a pack of courses in Donegal which make it easy to return to the general area...especially if you play Cruit & N&P. 

If you are going to detour to Cruit, it makes sense to add Narin & Portnoo then pick up Co Sligo or Enniscrone on the way south.  I didn't play Cruit, but had a good look around and was impressed by what I saw...its more than pretty golf and I do want to go back. 

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,59070.msg1388131.html#msg1388131

But honestly, all the courses are good enough and worth a play. I would expect the favourites of 10 people would probably list 6-7 different courses.

Ciao

[Garland Bayley]

As support of my post above, this is what I played in September

][/size]
Ten and then some.
County Louth, Baltray, Ireland
Bushfoot, Portballintrae, NI
Royal Portrush Dunluce, Portrush, NI
Royal Portrush Valley, Portrush, NI
Portstewart Old, Portstewart, NI
Portstewart Strand, Portstewart, NI
Castlerock Bann, Castlerock, NI
Castlerock Mussenden, Castlerock, NI
Portstewart River, Portstewart, NI
North West Golf Club, Buncrana, Ireland
Dunfanaghy, Dunfanaghy, Ireland
Portsalon, Portsalon, Ireland
Rosapenna Old Tom Morris, Carrigart, Ireland
Narin & Portnoo, Portnoo, Ireland
Donegal Golf Club, Murvagh, Ireland
Strandhill Golf Club, Strandhill, Ireland
County Sligo, Rosses Point, Ireland
Enniscrone, Enniscrone, Ireland
Enniscrone Scurmore, Ennniscrone, Ireland
Carne Hackett, Belmullet, Ireland
Carne Killmore, Belmullet, Ireland
Mulranny, Mularanny, Ireland

[jeffwarne]

Thanks everyone for the replies so far!  It would have been better had I broken it into two separate questions:


1) What are your three favorite courses in NW Ireland, logistics notwithstanding.  (Ultimately this is most important as I would rather play the best courses even if it means a little extra windshield time.)

2) Taking travel/drive times into account, what would be the best three course itinerary.


Some have already answered one or both of these questions.

As is stands right now, we'll be leaving Portrush early in the morning and plan on spending 2.5 - 3 days in NW Ireland before heading down to Lahinch.

PS - My initial thoughts matched what many have said here:  Sligo, Enniscrone and Carne.  However, Cruit Island intrigues me to no end.  Maybe it was the way Tom Coyne gushed about the experience in A Course Called Ireland.  Is it worth playing two loops at Cruit at the expense of one of the other 18/27 hole courses?

George,
To pint 1, there is no "best" just favorites, and unique experiences and landscapes.
I did a thread in 2011 with a very descriptive tour of many of the courses of the area, there are many photos as well on the web.
It's a big area so I would figure out what you want to do and leave an area for a future trip-i.e. I would isolate a specific area and pick 3. example Northwest, and Ballliffin x2 .
than do Carne etc.( 4 1 /2 hours away) another trip

[Doug Wright]

George,

Almost exactly a year ago two of us toured the Northwest following rounds at Castlerock and Portrush Dunluce/Valley. We played the following in consecutive days. Much of our itinerary was planned from information on this site.

Ballyliffin (Glashedy/Old) Note: If driving from Portrush to Ballyliffin I strongly suggest taking the Greencastle ferry across the Lough Foyle. Very enjoyable.
Scheduled to play Northwest  GC (Buncrana) and then Narin & Portnoo but were fogged out at Buncrana; instead we played 36 at Narin & Portnoo
Cruit Island (2x the 9 holes) and Dunfanaghy
Rosapenna Old Tom Morris and Sandy Hills
Rosapenna Old Tom Morris and Portsalon

We’d played Ballyliffin before and I didn’t enjoy it as much this time round; though I think both courses are solid, I have a slight preference for the Old.
My favourite two days of the trip were probably the Narin & Portnoo 36 followed by Cruit/Dunfanaghy, the latter of which was a highly enjoyable break from the wild and woolly courses we’d played during the trip to that point. Cruit was a treat as many others have said.
I very much liked Rosapenna Old Tom Morris (especially the back nine);  Sandy Hills was my least favorite course on the trip, seeming too manufactured, even moreso than Glashedy. We had a great time with the locals around Rosapenna, and thought the hotel was very good despite some mixed reviews here.
I’d love another crack at Portsalon. I wasn’t a fan of some of the newer holes but liked the course as a whole.
 
 PM me if you want more details (including driving times and where we stayed etc.) 

[Garland Bayley]

Thanks everyone for the replies so far!  It would have been better had I broken it into two separate questions:


1) What are your three favorite courses in NW Ireland, logistics notwithstanding.  (Ultimately this is most important as I would rather play the best courses even if it means a little extra windshield time.)

2) Taking travel/drive times into account, what would be the best three course itinerary.


Some have already answered one or both of these questions.

As is stands right now, we'll be leaving Portrush early in the morning and plan on spending 2.5 - 3 days in NW Ireland before heading down to Lahinch.

PS - My initial thoughts matched what many have said here:  Sligo, Enniscrone and Carne.  However, Cruit Island intrigues me to no end.  Maybe it was the way Tom Coyne gushed about the experience in A Course Called Ireland.  Is it worth playing two loops at Cruit at the expense of one of the other 18/27 hole courses?

George,
To pint 1, there is no "best" just favorites, and unique experiences and landscapes.
I did a thread in 2011 with a very descriptive tour of many of the courses of the area, there are many photos as well on the web.
It's a big area so I would figure out what you want to do and leave an area for a future trip-i.e. I would isolate a specific area and pick 3. example Northwest, and Ballliffin x2 .
than do Carne etc.( 4 1 /2 hours away) another trip

But since he is allowing up to three days to traverse Portrush to Lahinch, it would seem there is no need to isolate to a specific area unless he wants to do 36 hole days in an area.
From Google Maps
Portrush to Portsalon is just under 2 hours.
Portsalon to Strandhill is just over 2 hours.
Strandhill to Carne is just under 2 hours.
Carne to Lahinch is 3 and a half hours.


So drive to Portsalon and play 10-2 and drive to Sligo town and stay.
Play Strandhill 8:30-12:30 and drive to Bellmullet. Perhaps have time to sample the Kilmore 9.
Play Carne 8:30-12:30 and drive to Lahinch.

[George Freeman]

Absolutely.  Follow your instincts.

When I was planning my post-Buda golf, I asked a good friend (with similar tastes) about a proposed lineup of courses.  Cruit Island was #1 on his list to see, with this description (paraphrased slightly) closing the deal:  Views to rival Fishers Island.  If I didn't also have time constraints, would have spent the day just standing on tees & fairways just soaking it all in.

My slight fear was in the views being the only reason for being there, but there were 5-6 really good holes as well. 

Cruit Island was a draw largely because I could see something unique that is also a fine course.  I think it's fair to say that Enniscrone, for example, would be rated higher than CI by most people.  But doesn't mean that Enniscrone is the best choice.  An adventurous guy like you will be rewarded by the 2ish detour. 

Thanks John!  Cruit Island was in my original itinerary but after seeing the "4" in the Confidential Guide I started second guessing myself, hence the creation of this thread. 

To be fair to the CG, County Sligo was not in my initial itinerary, but after reading the glowing review in the CG I did more research and decided to include it.

Too many courses, too little time...