A Different Type of Golf on the Emerald Isle 

DID YOU KNOW:

Xander Schauffele defeated Beau Hossler to win the 2014 California Amateur Championship

You don’t win the Open Championship, like San Diego native Xander Schauffele did lastyear, without embracing all that comes with playing on a links course. “What I enjoy mostis the unpredictability — it’s not like shooting low scores at parkland courses in perfectconditions,” he said. “Links golf has more variables that come into play, the weather andwind, and overall it can play a lot harder. If you can sort of ride the ship and play steadygolf, you have a chance to do well.”

The same attitude is useful on a golf trip to the outstanding links found in NorthernIreland — home to Royal Portrush GC, where this July Schauffele could become just the 10th golfer in the past century to successfully defend his title — and Northwest Ireland.It’s a long journey to and from the region, but oh so worth it.

You’ll see Royal Portrush on TV this summer, and you’ve probably already heard of Royal County Down; both are among the Top 5 on Golf Digest’s “World’s 100 Greatest Courses.” That adulation is well deserved, making the respective green fees of $484 and $535 arguably worth paying.

But there are plenty of other options in the region that give you the full links experience at lower rates than those. Like Portstewart GC, just four miles west of Royal Portrush. The dune-filled front nine there is one jaw-dropping hole after another, from the first tee and its panoramic view to the visually intimidating tee shot on the narrow second, and onward. The back nine is a less dramatic landscape where your breathing, if not your scoring, will return to normal.

The River Bann separates the course from Castlerock GC, underrated largely due to its proximity to its more well-known neighbors. From the amphitheater setting of the first teeto the click-clack soundtrack on many holes from an adjacent train line, the routing is a blast. There’s a nine-hole course that gets raves, too. 

LINKS GOLF: EXPOSED SEASIDE COURSES, MOSTLY BUILT ON SANDY SOIL, WITH RUMPLED FAIRWAYS AND WINDY CONDITIONS.

You can’t go farther north in Ireland for golf than Ballyliffin GC in County Donegal, and with two layouts, it’s fully worth a 36-hole day. The Glashedy Links is the newer of the two— it turns 30 this year — and occupies the more dramatic, dunesy terrain where the 2018 Irish Open was played. The Old Links was unveiled in 1973 and despite fewer elevation changes than its sibling, remains a more than enjoyable walk.

Golf has been played at Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort, also in Donegal, since the very late 19th century. Here you will find three courses: Old Tom Morris Links, Sandy Hills Links and St Patrick’s Links, a 2021 Tom Doak design that merely debuted at No. 55 in the world a year later in the GOLF Magazine rankings (it’s since moved up to No. 49). All three layouts deftly blend challenge and beauty.

“You don’t win the Open Championship, like San Diego native Xander Schauffele did last year, without embracing all that comes with playing on a links course.”

If you’re looking to fill your scorecard with a few more links before heading home, then head three hours southwest of Derry. If ever a links course could be defined by a single dune, it may be Enniscrone GC in County Sligo. You will be stopped in your tracks by the sight of the 200-foot-high colossus looming above the left side of the par-5 14th. It kicks off one of the best finishing stretches in all of Ireland.

Massive dunes also play a key role in the other worldly Wild Atlantic Dunes layout at Carne GL in Belmullet, Co. Mayo, an hour west of Enniscrone. Many holes are flanked by those behemoths, essentially creating 18 individual courses for you to enjoy. A third nine there does not feel as overwhelming visually, but still offers an authentic links experience.Perhaps best to start your visit there, but if time allows for just one round at Carne — sad words, those — then head to the Dunes. 

Join the SCGA in Northwest Ireland in July 2025! Learn more and register at scga.org/outings