[Philip Gawith]

i am planning a three day trip to northwest ireland in august (west of ballyliffin, and not much south, though possibly west, of sligo). i would love some advice on what can be achieved, and how to prioritise. experience tells me that driving is slow so you should not try to do too much. we will fly london to belfast and then drive over to the west. we will probably arrive late evening, and then have two full days to play, plus two-thirds of the third day before needing to head back to airport. seems to me we should be able to get in four rounds ok, possibly five, though that may be a stretch.

i was hoping to play some combination of enniscrone, rosapenna (two courses?), rosses point and donegal. i have also heard portsalon and carne mentioned.

would love to hear any advice on which four to play first ( i have played rosses point before, not the others. my fellow travellers are virgins) and whether it is possible to get five in, and if so, which to go for.

any thoughts on nice country inns to stay at also gratefully received.

[David_Tepper]

Philip-

The only course I have played between Rosses Point and the NI border is Narin & Portnoo, which I highly recommend. The opening holes are not much, but then things get quite interesting. I thought the setting/scenery around the course was spectacular.

If you want to splurge a bit, St. Ernan's Guest House, just south of Donegal town is a very nice place to stay. The inn sits on an island in a bay. You drive about 100 yards on a causeway to get there. I think the room rate includes dinner served intheir dining room.

DT

[Philip Gawith]

thanks david. i am not against the creature comforts so will definitely bear that in mind! i had not heard of the course you mentioned but will add it to the mix

[Buck Wolter]

Phillip-
Any reason you're not looking at Royal Portrush? On a recent trip I met an American who played just about everything in Ireland over 2 weeks and raved about Portstewart as well. I would think one of those might make sense on your third day as you would have a shorter drive back to Belfast from there after your round.

My experience was that the locals over-estimated the time it took to drive anywhere by about 50%, probably assuming I'd get lost at least once.

Buck

[Mike_Sweeney]

At Enniscrone I stay at:

Aiden & Alice Gallagher
Gleann Eada House

It is like staying at your Aunt's house, not fancy. Aiden is a member, and Mrs Gallagher will cook you breakfast before she sends you off. It is right at the end of the entrance road so if you have a few too many after your round, you can stumble home - no worries. Enniscrone is right between Sligo/Rosses Point and Carne.

It is always tempting to skip Carne because of its remoteness, but I suggest you go for that reason.

Narin & Portnoo is on my must see list for the next trip.

 

[Philip Gawith]

buck - i have played portrush and portstewart before (and ballyliffin and castlerock). that is why i was focusing on the courses a bit further west, which really do seem to be the furthest frontier - in ireland at least.

thanks for the accommodation advice mike - all going into the notebook.

[Eamon Lynch]

You might also try Portsalon, which is fairly close to Ballyliffin. Rosapenna in another good track and worth a visit.

[ForkaB]

philip

play portsalon.

ps.  the first course west of rosses point is somewhere in newfoundland!

rich

[Philip Gawith]

rich - i meant west of sligo! btw - is portsalon close to rosapenna?

[ForkaB]

phillip

portsalon is between ballyliffin and rosapena, which means it's miles away from either one!

ps--how do you do an exclamation point in lower case? (or a question mark, for that matter....)

r

[David_Tepper]

For a good source of info on better country house hotels in Ireland (including St. Ernans House Hotel), check out:

www.irelands-blue-book.ie

[Mike_Sweeney]

There are distances and a map of the NorthWest here:

http://www.northandwestcoastlinks.com/english/html/tours/index.html

[Jack_Marr]

Philip

It's hard to pick out courses to play because there;s such a bit concentration of courses there.

The thing about Ballyliffin, Portsalon and Rossapenna is that they're very close to each other, but only as the crow flies. There are large inlets between each of the courses.

Portsalon and Royal Portrush are well worth considering. Enniscrone is one hour from Rosses Point, and Carne is about 45 mins from Enniscrone. I think they'd all be well worth playing, and I would be biased towards Carne, of course.

Unfortunately, in three days, you could not play them all. Donegal is an excellent course, but not quite as good as some of the others, I think. It would fit an itenerary like yours better, though. Strandhill is also very good. A shorter, more quirky course very near Rosses Point.

Have a look at the website Mike posted. I think it's very useful.

[Dan_Callahan]

On the topic of courses in northwest Ireland, are they comparable to the great courses that receive all the acclaim (Ballybunion, RCD, Lahinch, Portmarnock, etc.)? I've never been to Ireland and am planning a trip for next year. I will probably be there for a week and am looking to get the most out of my stay. Part of me wants to see the classic courses that I have read so much about. On the other hand, I am also interested in some of the lesser known (and, hopefully, less crowded) courses of the remote  northwest. Any thoughts?

[Mike_Sweeney]

Fly into Shannon and use Lahinch as a base for 2 nights. Play Lahinch the day you land and Ballybunion the next. Then head to Enniscrone (a beach town) or Sligo (a bigger town) and use them as a base for 3-4 days. Then pick RCD or Portmarnock for a day or two and fly out of Dublin.

Enniscrone is roughly 4 hours from either airport, Dublin or Shannon.

Ballybunion is a little out of the way, but it is Ballybunion.

[Bill Gayne]

One of the most enjoyable golf experiences that I've had was at Rosses Point. I entered their open week and was paired up with a delightful group of members. Many of the clubs in Ireland have "open weeks" which is a week of competitions that are open to anybody that signs up. I would recommend participating in open weeks if you're traveling in Ireland and enjoy meeting the local members of these wonderful golf clubs. Not only will you have someone to share a pint with after the round you will learn about the course, history, and the local area.

Carne, Enniscrone, and Rosses Point are all fine golf courses that represent some of the best values in Ireland. Although with the depreciation of the dollar against the euro they may not be the value that they once were.

I just received my credit card bills for my booking at RCD in August and with the conversion from the pound to dollar it set me back $196 per round. OUCH.

[Philip Gawith]

thanks for all the wise counsel. inevitably choices have to be made and i think on this trip i will probably bias towards playing portsalon and the two courses at rosapenna and then see what else can be fitted in besides - some combination of donegal,enniscrone and rosses point. i will definitely return another time at a more leisurely pace so i can take in towns like sligo and donegal and not just go rushing by. some yeats and tweed?!

forgive my ignorance jack, but your comments have the flavour of local knowledge. are you a member at carne? i may miss it this time, but ireland is not so far from london so i will be back.

[ForkaB]

phillip

please let us know what you think of portsalon (and the others, of course).  since my visit to the former, over a year ago, i haven't heard any specific reports, and would like to know if my enthusiasm for the place is well-founded!

also, if you have the time and inclination (and get a clear day!) take a brief (2-3 hour) detour on your way to rosapenna by going up to fanad head.  the road north along the west side of loch swilly is like big sur but on both sides of the water.

[Philip Gawith]

thanks rich. i think i will have to take an executive decision about what is the right mix of tourism and unadulterated golf that we want to achieve! maybe four rounds and taking in some scenery is more civilised than pressing in the extra round.

[Jack_Marr]

Philip

Yes, I'm a member there. I would recommend you play there sometime, but it might not fit your schedule this time. Carne is like no other course you'll play. Some people think this is great, while others are not so sure. I love the place. Massive dunes and lots of blind shots... A hard walk. Quite simple greens, and only 18 bunkers on the whole course.

I also love Enniscrone. Many many superb holes there.

Portsalon was really old fashioned (one of the original 3 members of the GUI, the oldest national golfing union in the world, I think). Now they've updated the place. There's a nice place to eat beside the pub in the village.

If you're playing Portsalon and Rossapenna, Ballyliffin would be the closest port of call. There's two courses there, one old fashioned and one new.

Anyway, enjoy you're trip. I look forward to hearing reports.

Jack

[THuckaby2]

Philip:

All of the recommendations here are good ones.  I shall just add one more, if you're schedule isn't set yet:

Castlerock GC - it's right near Portstewart.  It is a wonderful unsung links, truly a hidden gem, and well... my cousin in a member there, and his family just opened a B&B right next to the course.  Spend a day or so with them and you won't regret it - I've sent others to meet up with my cousin there, and all have had a wonderful time.  He's a good player and a fine raconteur.  He'll set you up with a game with other Castlerock members for sure also, if you want...

http://www.linksview.co.uk/

If you have time, give it a look!

TH

[Philip Gawith]

thanks tom. actually, i played castlerock last year (during a trip which included the two ballyliffin courses and portrush). it was a lot of fun. this time i will be sticking to the really, really far north-west! i will let you know what i discover - and will remember your cousin next time round. btw - at castlerock there were one or two very fierce looking local fellows taking lunch - it did not seem advisable to raise your voice too much, especially if you were talking politics! i am sure your cousin is a much more temperate sort!

[THuckaby2]

My cousin likely mediates between chaps like that!

In any case, just a thought - do check it out if you ever get back there.

Cheers!

TH

[Jack_Marr]

Here is a link to all the open competitions in Ireland http://www.gui.ie/ - you'll have to follow the link to fixtures in each province.

Portsalon's open week starts on July 2nd, Ballyliffin on July 6th,  Narin & Portnoo on June 20th and Donegal on June 26th.

[Norbert P]

Philip G, If you go to the highly recommended Galf Chursa Chairn, (Carne Golf Course), in Belmullet, check out the B&B "Drom Caoin".  It was the finest and friendliest, amidst high competition, that I stayed at in Ireland.  (Bring the Lady Murphy some Monterey Jack cheese.)

  I won't miss Carne when I go back.  Besides the wonderfully wild, windy and mystical golfscape, Jack Marr says he's got some Greenspot whiskey aging for me.

  Narin & Portnoo GC is a quirky and short treat.  Don't let the caravan park scare you away.  

  Enjoy,  Slag of Oregon

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()