Rosapenna Golf Club (St. Patricks Links, Sandy Hills Links and Old Tom Morris Links)

Rosapenna – St Patrick's Links

St Patrick’s Links is one of Ireland’s newest major golf courses, opening in 2021 after renowned American architect Tom Doak completely reworked the land south of the original Rosapenna resort. Doak began work in 2018, using sections of two earlier courses while creating an entirely new routing through around 300 acres of dramatic dune land.

The par 71 course stretches to around 6,930 yards and is built through enormous natural dunes with wide, rolling fairways and large, heavily contoured greens. The championship links course offers stunning views of the coastline and local beaches, however the coast brings strong winds that will place emphasis on accuracy throughout the round.

Despite only opening in 2021, St Patrick’s Links has quickly become one of the highest-ranked courses in Ireland. Golf Digest placed it 5th in Ireland and 58th in the world.

Rosapenna – Sandy Hills Links

Sandy Hills Links was created as Rosapenna’s second championship course after owners Frank and Hilary Casey commissioned renowned Irish architect Pat Ruddy to design a new layout through the resort’s larger dunes. The course opened on 25 June 2003 and was later modified by Beau Welling Design in 2013. Unlike Rosapenna’s older course, Sandy Hills was deliberately routed through the higher and more dramatic dune terrain overlooking Sheephaven Bay.

The course is a modern championship links built through towering dunes, with significant elevation changes, elevated greens and fairways often framed tightly by natural sand hills. Strong Atlantic winds, uneven lies and demanding approach shots provide much of the difficulty, while elevated sections offer extensive views across Sheephaven Bay, Muckish Mountain and the surrounding Donegal landscape.

Sandy Hills is currently ranked 17th in Ireland by Golf Digest, in its short history the course has hosted the 2015 Men’s Interprovincial Championship, 2017 Ulster Mid-Amateur Championship and qualifying for the 2018 Irish Open.

Rosapenna - Old Tom Morris Links

The Old Tom Morris Links dates back to 1893, when Old Tom Morris was invited to design a course at Rosapenna overlooking Sheephaven Bay. Harry Colt and James Braid later influenced the early layout, while Eddie Hackett and Pat Ruddy made further changes over the following decades. In 2005 Ruddy was commissioned to create a completely new front nine, known as the Strand Nine, which opened in 2009.

Measuring 6900 yards from the tips, the opening holes move across smaller dunes and firm linksland before the back nine reaches more dramatic terrain close to Sheephaven Bay. Natural humps and hollows, firm-running fairways, exposed greens and strong coastal winds will provide an enjoyable test for even the most experienced golfers.

Despite not having the history in hosting competitions compered to the other two courses at Rosapenna, the course has built a great reputation currently ranking 25th in Ireland by Top 100 Courses.

Useful Information

Rosapenna has three championship links courses: St Patrick’s Links, Sandy Hills Links and the Old Tom Morris Links, together with a 12-hole short course.
No general handicap limit is currently published for standard visitor play, although golfers should have a competent standard and maintain a suitable pace of play
Visitors can book each course individually or use the Three Links Ticket, which includes one round on each of the three courses within the permitted booking period.
St Patrick’s Links is strictly walking-only. Drive buggies are not permitted, even with a medical certificate. Electric trolleys and caddies are available and should be requested at least 10 days in advance.
On Sandy Hills and the Old Tom Morris Links, drive buggies, electric trolleys and caddies are available and should also be pre-booked, ideally at least 10 days before arrival.
Push trolleys and current-model Titleist hire clubs are available. Hire-club numbers are limited and sets should be reserved in advance.
Caddies can be requested on all three courses, but availability is not guaranteed. Caddie fees and gratuities are paid directly to the caddie.

Click here to contact us for information on golf packages including a round of golf at Rosapenna Golf Club (St. Patricks Links, Sandy Hills Links and Old Tom Morris Links).